How does pilot whale photo-identification work?

Each dorsal fin has unique notches and marks, like a fingerprint. By comparing photographs taken on different outings, each individual can be recognised and its story followed over the years.

How many pilot whales are catalogued?

The project’s catalogue exceeds 500 photo-identified individuals in south-west Tenerife, La Gomera and La Palma since 2014.

How exactly does Picarus contribute?

By providing photographs taken during our outings along the Teno-Rasca Marine Strip, which the project analyses and catalogues together with those from the other contributing crews.

Contributor

Calderones de Canarias

Citizen science: over 500 tropical pilot whales photo-identified in Canary waters with the help of the crews.

What is Calderones de Canarias?

It is a citizen-science project running since 2014 that photo-identifies tropical pilot whales by the marks on their dorsal fin in south-west Tenerife, La Gomera and La Palma; its catalogue exceeds 500 individuals. Picarus contributes photographs taken during its outings.

What it is: photo-identification of the tropical pilot whale in the Canaries
Since: 2014, driven by the crews themselves
Catalogue: more than 500 identified individuals
Picarus: contributor, providing photos from its outings

What it is and who grants it

Calderones de Canarias is a citizen-science project running since 2014, driven by whale-watching crews and boat workers, which photo-identifies tropical pilot whales by the marks on their dorsal fin in south-west Tenerife, La Gomera and La Palma. Its catalogue exceeds 500 identified individuals.

Photo-identification works like a fingerprint: the notches and marks on the dorsal fin make each pilot whale recognisable over the years. With the photographs provided by the crews, the project reconstructs who lives here, who moves between islands and how the population evolves.

What it means when you sail with us

Our contribution consists of providing photographs taken during our outings, which are analysed and catalogued to track the population: the same resident pilot whales we watch every day in the Teno-Rasca Marine Strip.

For our guides, recognising a catalogued pilot whale is not a curiosity: it turns watching into monitoring. The animal you see from the deck may have been documented in these waters for years — and your outing helps keep its story being written.

Frequently asked questions

How does pilot whale photo-identification work?

Each dorsal fin has unique notches and marks, like a fingerprint. By comparing photographs taken on different outings, each individual can be recognised and its story followed over the years.
How many pilot whales are catalogued?

The project’s catalogue exceeds 500 photo-identified individuals in south-west Tenerife, La Gomera and La Palma since 2014.
How exactly does Picarus contribute?

By providing photographs taken during our outings along the Teno-Rasca Marine Strip, which the project analyses and catalogues together with those from the other contributing crews.

Verify it at the source

The project’s website shows the list of contributors on its home page, Picarus Sailing Club among them, along with the photo-identification work.

Official Calderones de Canarias website ↗ (opens in a new window)

Official sources last verified in July 2026.

Certifications

A guarantee of trust

Quality milestone · 2018

ISO 9001:2015

We were the first company in the sector to obtain the ISO 9001:2015 certificate for whale watching and crewed services for maritime excursions (AENOR, 2018).

Learn more →