Animal identification

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Calf identified with ear tag and transponder

Animal identification using external marks or internal identifiers is a process done to identify and track specific animals. It is done for a variety of reasons including verification of ownership, biosecurity control, and tracking for research or agricultural purposes.

History

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Individual identification of animals by means of body markings has been practiced for over 3,800 years, as stated in Code of Hammurabi.[1] The first official identification systems are documented as far as the 18th century. In Uruguay for instance maintained at that time a register of hot brands.[2]

Noninvasive methods

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Wildlife photo-identification

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This section is an excerpt from Wildlife photo-identification.[edit]
Researchers use variation on humpback whale flukes to identify and track the animals

Photo-identification is a technique used to identify and track individuals of a wild animal study population over time. It relies on capturing photographs of distinctive characteristics such as skin or pelage patterns or scars from the animal. In cetaceans, the dorsal fin area and tail flukes are commonly used.

Photo-identification is generally used as an alternative to other, invasive methods of tagging that require attaching a device to each individual. The technique enables precise counting, rather than rough estimation, of the number of animals in a population. It also allows researchers to perform longitudinal studies of individuals over many years, yielding data about the lifecycle, lifespan, migration patterns, and social relationships of the animals.

Species that are studied using photo-identification techniques include:

Biometrics

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This section is an excerpt from Biometrics § Animal biometrics.[edit]
Rather than tags or tattoos, biometric techniques may be used to identify individual animals: zebra stripes, blood vessel patterns in rodent ears, muzzle prints, bat wing patterns, primate facial recognition and koala spots have all been tried.[8]

Birds

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Domesticated mammals

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Sheep

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Pigs

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Horses

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Cattle

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  • Anklets
  • Branding (freeze)
  • Branding (hot-iron)
  • Collars (electronic and non-electronic)
  • Earmarking
  • Ear tags (non-electronic)
  • Ear tags (electronic)
  • Rumen bolus (electronic)
  • Cowbell
  • Photo-identification of noses[9]

Dogs

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Laboratory rodents

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  • Earmarking (notching or punching)
  • Ear tags (nickel, copper or scannable 2D barcode tags)
  • Microchip implants
  • Hair dye
  • Toe clipping[note 1]
  • Manual tattoos (tail, foot pad or ears)
  • Automated tail tattoos[10]

Wild mammals

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Bats

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  • Photo-identification of wing membranes[11]

Koalas

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  • Photo-identification of noses[12]

Giraffes

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  • Photo-identification[13]

Zebras

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  • Photo-identification of stripes[9]

Marine mammals

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Fish

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Sharks

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  • Photo-identification[19]

Amphibians

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Invertebrates

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  • Adhesive tags
  • Semi-permanent paint
  • Photo-identification[10]

National animal identification schemes

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ 'Toe clipping' in mice involves the full or partial amputation of one or more digits as a means of permanent identification.
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  • Great frigatebird with a wing tag
    Great frigatebird with a wing tag
  • Bird ring
    Bird ring
  • Sheep with an earmark
    Sheep with an earmark
  • Pig with earmark
    Pig with earmark
  • Horse with a brand
    Horse with a brand
  • Santa Gertudis cattle with electronic and non-electronic ear tags
    Santa Gertudis cattle with electronic and non-electronic ear tags
  • Calf with a non-electronic ear tag, numbered collar and transponder (blue device)
    Calf with a non-electronic ear tag, numbered collar and transponder (blue device)
  • Bear with an ear tag and transponder
    Bear with an ear tag and transponder
  • Tattoo inside a Greyhound's ear
    Tattoo inside a Greyhound's ear
  • Dog collar with dog license and other dog tags
    Dog collar with dog license and other dog tags
  • A microchip implant and applicator
    A microchip implant and applicator
  • A laboratory mouse with an ear tag
    A laboratory mouse with an ear tag
  • Fish with a transponder
    Fish with a transponder
  • Harbour seal with a transponder
    Harbour seal with a transponder
  • Common seal with an adhesive tag
    Common seal with an adhesive tag
  • European queen honey bee marked with a paint spot surrounded by Africanised honeybees
    European queen honey bee marked with a paint spot surrounded by Africanised honeybees
  • Sheep with painted number
    Sheep with painted number
  • Monarch butterfly tagged with a sticker
    Monarch butterfly tagged with a sticker
  • Mussels being tagged
    Mussels being tagged

References

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  1. ^ Blancou, J (2001). "A history of the traceability of animals and animal products". Revue Scientifique et Technique (International Office of Epizootics). 20 (2): 413–25. PMID 11548516.
  2. ^ "Allflex Corporate Web Site - the history of livestock identification". Archived from the original on 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
  3. ^ "ECOCEAN Whale Shark Photo-identification Library". Archived from the original on 2018-01-02. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
  4. ^ The Manta Network
  5. ^ Wunderpix Photo ID project
  6. ^ Gamble, Lloyd; Ravela, Sai; McGarigal, Kevin (2007-08-29). "Multi-scale features for identifying individuals in large biological databases: an application of pattern recognition technology to the marbled salamander Ambystoma opacum: Identifying individual marbled salamanders". Journal of Applied Ecology. 45 (1): 170–180. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2664.2007.01368.x.
  7. ^ Lee, Derek E.; Lohay, George G.; Cavener, Douglas R.; Bond, Monica L. (2022-09-06). "Using spot pattern recognition to examine population biology, evolutionary ecology, sociality, and movements of giraffes: a 70-year retrospective". Mammalian Biology. 102 (4): 1055–1071. doi:10.1007/s42991-022-00261-3. ISSN 1618-1476. S2CID 252149865.
  8. ^ White, Anna (April 2019). "The High-Tech, Humane Ways Biologists Can Identify Animals". Smithsonian. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  9. ^ a b White, Anna. "The High-Tech, Humane Ways Biologists Can Identify Individual Animals". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  10. ^ a b Bell, J. "Labstamp system" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 26, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  11. ^ Seheult, Shane D I, Joshua R M Cherney, Paul A Faure (2025-09-15). "Semi-automated identification of individual big brown bats via collagen–elastin patterns in the wing membrane Open Access". J of Mammalogy. doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyaf048. PMC 12527007. Retrieved September 30, 2025.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ "Identifying Koalas by their noses". Koala Clancy Foundation. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  13. ^ "Wildbook for Giraffe". Wildbook for Giraffe. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  14. ^ Fisheries, NOAA (June 26, 2024). "Marine Mammal Photo-Identification Research in the Southeast". NOAA. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  15. ^ "A beginner's guide to photo ID". www.whalesoficeland.is. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  16. ^ "Happywhale". happywhale.com. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  17. ^ Cheeseman, Ted; Southerland, Ken; Acebes, Jo Marie; Audley, Katherina; Barlow, Jay; Bejder, Lars; Birdsall, Caitlin; Bradford, Amanda L.; Byington, Josie K.; Calambokidis, John; Cartwright, Rachel; Cedarleaf, Jen; Chavez, Andrea Jacqueline García; Currie, Jens J.; De Weerdt, Joëlle (June 23, 2023). "A collaborative and near-comprehensive North Pacific humpback whale photo-ID dataset". Scientific Reports. 13 (1): 10237. Bibcode:2023NatSR..1310237C. doi:10.1038/s41598-023-36928-1. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 10290149. PMID 37353581.
  18. ^ Whitten, Elizabeth (2024-08-06). "'Facebook for whales' is helping this researcher catalogue whale populations across the globe". CBC. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  19. ^ "Whale Shark Photo ID Library". E C O C E A N. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  20. ^ a b Fouilloux, Chloe; Garcia-Costoya, Guillermo; Rojas, Bibiana (2020). "Visible Implant Elastomer (VIE) Success in Early Larval Stages of a Tropical Amphibian Species". PeerJ. 8 e9630. doi:10.7717/peerj.9630. PMC 7425637. PMID 32864207.
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