Dear colleagues,
My co-authors and I are pleased to share our recent publication entitled “Validation of a Body Condition Scoring System for Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins (Sousa chinensis)”, published in Marine Mammal Science.
Here is the link to the published article: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/mms.70121
Please find the abstract below. Do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to receive a PDF copy of the article (agathe.serres11@gmail.com).
ABSTRACT
Understanding
the health of wild animals is crucial for conservation. Body condition
scoring (BCS) is a useful tool to assess information on the nutritional
state and health of individual animals. This study developed and
validated a photograph-based BCS method for Indo-Pacific humpback
dolphins (Sousa chinensis), a
vulnerable coastal species facing multiple anthropogenic threats.
Photographs from boat-based surveys in the Pearl River Delta, Beibu
Gulf, and Leizhou Bay were used to create a two-point BCS scale based on
the prominence of epaxial musculature in mid-section photographs.
Reliability—including intrarater, interrater, test–retest reliability,
and internal consistency—was evaluated through repeated photograph
ratings by an experienced panel to ensure the robustness of the method.
Construct validity was assessed by comparing body ratios derived from
unmanned aerial vehicle footage with BCS scores assigned from
photographs. While the proposed BCS scale may be expanded as more
extreme cases (i.e. fatter or thinner individuals) are documented, the
results demonstrate its reliability and biological relevance. This
photographic BCS provides a valuable, non-invasive tool for monitoring
the health and nutritional status of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin
populations and for informing conservation management strategies.
All the best,
Agathe
