Facial recognition? How about tail recognition? Identifying individual humpback whales online

Located along Mexico's southwest coast in the state of Guerrero, the village of Barra de Potosí is a bit off the beaten path. You won't find any mega resorts full of tourists here, but the area is a popular vacation destination for humpback whales, which travel thousands of miles just to breed in this patch of the Pacific.

"They're coming down here for this warm, topical, salty water where they can come and really relax," said Katherina Audley, the founder of the non-profit Whales of Guerrero. A decade ago, she began working with local fisherman here to develop a conservation-focused eco-tourism program. "We talk about here, 'When the whales win, everyone wins,'" she said. "And that's something that people in the community here really understand."

Former fishing boats have been repurposed into whale-watching vessels, which are really TAIL-watching vessels. When whales dive, they flash their tails, known as flukes. And during the months when the humpbacks are in residence here, they put on quite a show.