Advancements in Individual Animal Identification: A Historical Perspective from Prehistoric Times to the Present

Authors

Shiva Paudel, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Tami Brown-Brandl, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

ORCID IDs

Brown-Brandl https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0874-8035

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2025

Citation

Animals (2025) 15(17): 2514

doi: 10.3390/ani15172514

Comments

Open access

License: CC BY 4.0

Abstract

Precision livestock farming (PLF) is rapidly advancing, with a growing array of technologies being explored and implemented to improve both productivity and animal welfare. One of the major challenges in this field is the identification of individual animals. Despite numerous efforts having been made to automate this process, there remains a lack of holistic reviews that comprehensively integrate and evaluate these technological developments. Historically, humans have employed various techniques to identify individual animals. This article provides an overview of the evolution of animal identification methods, highlighting significant transitions across various time periods. In prehistoric times, identification relied solely on visual inspection. Today, advanced methods are being utilized, such as radio frequency identification (RFID), computer vision-based systems, biometric recognition, and DNA profiling. Each identification method has its own strengths and limitations. Interestingly, early methods such as visual inspection and drawing can still inspire the development of novel automated systems when combined with modern technologies.