‘Whalecopter’ drone swoops in for a shot and a shower

[saikat07]

This drone’s-eye view captures two humpback whales blowing a net of bubbles around their prey. Yet portraiture is only half of what whale-watching drones can do.

The remotely controlled hexacopter that snapped this image off the New England coast last summer can also swing down to catch samples of spray that whales spout when they surface. The spray carries microbes, DNA and hormones that can expose a whale’s health and history.