How many steps does it take to weigh a whale? Of course, you can't put the scale in the ocean and then put the whale on it. Scientists studying the weight of whales have been able to weigh only stranded or dead animals, but this may mean dealing with swollen or rotting corpses, and accuracy has become a challenge. Now, scientists have found a better way to weigh with drones.

https://www . whoi . edu/press-room/news-release/researchers-use-drones-to-weigh-whales/

A group of researchers led by the Institute for Advanced Studies in Aarhus, Denmark and woods hole oceanographic institution, Massachusetts, published a method for estimating marine life by using drones in the journal Ecology and Evolutionary Methods of the British Ecological Society this week.

Scientists used drones to photograph whales on the southern coast of Argentina, and many animals gathered in clear water. Researchers have developed a model that allows them to calculate the volume and mass of the body from these images.

Michael moore, a biologist and co-author of the paper, said: "Measuring the weight of live whales at sea can reveal how chronic stressors affect their survival and reproductive ability."

The team collaborated with the Digital Life Project at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a non-profit project aimed at creating digital 3D models of creatures to create full-color 3D whale models that can be viewed and downloaded on whales.