Field Experiments of the Whale Rover Attaching System Using a Drone

Abstract

Sperm whales are known to have high diving ability and to prey on giant squid. Until now, several data (ex. diving depth, diving duration) have been obtained by bio-logging. However, it is difficult to photograph sperm whales preying on giant squid because loggers can adsorb only on their back. So far, we have developed a whale rover that can move in the head direction after adsorption. We have also developed a system to transport and adsorb the whale rover using a drone. In this paper, the results of field experiment using the developed system are described.