Validation of aerial photogrammetry methods to measure body size, condition and mass in small cetaceans

Accurate morphometric measurements are essential for estimating body size and condition in animals. These characteristics are, in turn, key to eco-physiological studies, wildlife management and conservation. For free-ranging cetaceans, however, collecting non-invasive morphometric data is challenging. Unoccupied aerial vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry offers a promising solution but requires ground-truthing to assess accuracy and precision. Similarly, morphometric-based indices of body condition must be validated against the animals' true body condition. Here we validated UAV-derived estimates of body size and condition in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp.) under human care by comparing photogrammetry-based measurements of body length, width, height and girth from both stationary and swimming individuals with manual measurements. The two methods showed negligible differences, with UAV-based data yielding lower variability, confirming both high measurement accuracy and precision. Using UAV-derived measurements we calculated a volume-based body condition index (BCI) and compared it with a mass-based BCI, a standard metric in ecological research. The two indices showed a near-perfect fit, demonstrating that volume-based metrics reliably reflect true body condition in small cetaceans. Body density decreased with increasing body condition, consistent with higher fat-to-muscle ratios. By combining UAV-derived body volume with predicted density, based on their body condition, we accurately estimated individual body mass (mean error = 6.4%). This study provides a comprehensive validation of UAV-based photogrammetry to estimate body size, condition and mass in small cetaceans, highlighting its value as a non-invasive and cost-effective tool for ecological and conservation research. KEY POINTS: Measuring body size and condition in free-ranging dolphins is difficult, yet essential to understand their physiology, energy reserves and health. We used unoccupied aerial vehicles (UAV) to obtain accurate, non-invasive body measurements of bottlenose dolphins and compared them with direct manual measurements. UAV-based photogrammetry produced highly precise and accurate estimates of body length, girth and overall body volume, even for freely swimming animals. A UAV-derived, volume-based body condition index matched traditional mass-based indices and enabled accurate estimation of body mass. These results validate UAV photogrammetry as a reliable, ethical and cost-effective method for assessing body size, condition and mass in small cetaceans, thereby advancing ecological and physiological research in the wild.