Humpback whales have unique body features and pigmentation patterns that scientists can use to help them study this gentle giant of the sea. Each humpback whale has a unique shape and size to their dorsal fin. And each humpback whale has a unique black and white pigmentation pattern on the underside of their tail, also called the fluke. When a humpback whale lifts its flukes out of the water, a beautiful black and white pattern is typically observed on the bottom surface of the flukes. Some individuals have ventral flukes that are very white, while others have ventral flukes that are very black. Most humpbacks have a tail pattern that is somewhere in between these two extremes, but no two individuals have the same tail pattern. Therefore, this pattern can be used as a fingerprint or natural tag. Using natural body features and pigmentation patterns to identify individuals means that you do not have to mark or tag the animals. All you need to do is to photograph the dorsal fin and the ventral tail pattern and you now have all the information you need to determine the identify of the animal.