Drone Infrared Thermography for Detecting Skin Thermal Anomalies in Bottlenose Dolphins: Preliminary Insights

Monitoring the health of cetaceans is challenging as traditional approaches including vessel-based surveys and necropsies are often opportunistic and limited in their ability to detect subtle physiological changes. Infrared thermography (IRT) offers a non-invasive alternative by detecting surface temperature anomalies that may reflect localised physiological variation, including changes associated with inflammation, scarring, tissue disruption or thermoregulatory processes. Mounted on drones, IRT can enable remote thermal imaging of free-ranging individuals. This case study presented preliminary observations from the exploratory use of drone-IRT to detect localised thermal anomalies in the skin of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) under human care. A total of 14 adult dolphins were monitored across the Austral summer and winter, with two individuals exhibiting consistent thermal hotspots 3°C-5°C warmer than surrounding body surface temperatures. One individual exhibited a transient anomaly that resolved over time, whereas the other displayed persistent hotspots that became more pronounced. These anomalies corresponded with external markings, suggesting localised alterations in skin surface thermal patterns. This case study provided preliminary evidence that drone-IRT can detect localised thermal anomalies in a dolphin's skin and highlights the potential for drone-IRT as a non-invasive tool for monitoring health in both managed and wild dolphin populations. Further quantitative investigations with larger sample sizes and concurrent veterinary assessments may provide validation regarding such observations and to evaluate whether such anomalies are indicative of underlying health issues.