FaunaTag
Non-Invasive Whale and Dolphin Tagging Technology
FaunaTag is FaunaLabs’ modular platform for marine mammal bio-logging. It is designed for temporary suction-cup attachment and records synchronized sensor data that helps connect whale and dolphin behavior with environmental context and health-relevant signals.
For FaunaLabs, non-invasive tagging is not simply a technical choice - it is a core ethical principle. Our work is grounded in a simple commitment: FaunaLabs tags are always suction-cup attached and non-invasive.
Why non-invasive whale tagging matters
Whales and dolphins live in an environment that is difficult to study directly. Much of their behavior occurs beneath the surface, often far from shore and at depths where direct observation is not possible. Tagging technology makes it possible to learn how marine mammals move, dive, feed, and respond to their surroundings.
However, the method of attachment matters. Non-invasive suction-cup tags attach temporarily without penetrating tissue and release naturally after a period of time. This approach allows researchers to collect high-quality data while minimizing risk to animals.
FaunaLabs exists to expand what’s possible within this constraint: better sensor integration, better data quality, and field-ready systems that support conservation science.
Core Sensor Suite
FaunaTag integrates a synchronized sensor system designed for marine mammal bio-logging.
Movement and behavior
IMU sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer) enable detailed reconstruction of movement and orientation. These data can be used to interpret fine-scale behavior and changes in activity patterns.
Acoustics
A hydrophone captures the underwater acoustic environment, including natural soundscape context and whale vocalizations. When paired with movement and depth data, acoustic recordings help interpret behavior and responses to environmental noise.
Environmental context
Depth and temperature sensors provide essential context for interpreting behavior and physiology-related patterns.
Bio-optical sensing
FaunaTag incorporates bio-optical sensors informed by human biomedical sensing approaches, including designs inspired by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). These sensing approaches are being adapted for marine mammal research to explore new ways of measuring physiology-related signals in free-swimming animals.
What FaunaTag is designed to enable
- Marine mammal bio-logging with synchronized movement, acoustics, depth/temperature, and bio-optical measurements
- Fine-scale studies of whale and dolphin behavior beneath the surface
- Research linking environmental conditions with behavioral and health-relevant responses
- Comparable analyses across deployments using consistent instrumentation and data workflows
Field Deployments: MARESIS Brazil
FaunaLabs supports humpback whale research in Brazil as part of the MARESIS project, starting in the Abrolhos Bank region in the State of Bahia. This work focuses on measuring individual whale health, establishing baseline conditions, and examining responses to anthropogenic acoustic disturbance.
The project is conducted in partnership with the Instituto Baleia Jubarte and collaborating Brazilian whale researchers from multiple institutes and universities, with project sponsorship from Petrobras CENPES.
Diagrams and sensor layout (coming soon)
We plan to share diagrams and sensor layout illustrations as this page evolves.
Get involved
If you’re a researcher, lab, or conservation organization interested in collaboration, deployments, or data analysis, we’d love to connect.