'Dan,' she said, as if he was something that needed identifying.

[shootingstar]

The beard had gone, and there were more wrinkles around his eyes, dark circles. He had a nearly finished pint of dark beer in his hand. He still looked a bit like a TV vet, just a few more series down the line.
'Dan,' she said, as if he was something that needed identifying. Like a rabbit by the road. 'I just want to say I am so proud of you. So proud of us.'

(The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, episode The three Horseshoes)

Is "identifying" gerund or present participle there?

 

[5jj]

Few grammarians today attach any importance to differentiating between the -ing forms. If you insist on doing so, that one is a gerund.