Metabolic rates of seals and whales

Lavigne, D. M.; Innes, S.; Worthy, Graham A. J.; Kovacs, Kit M.; Schmitz, Oswald J.; Hickie, John P.

doi:10.1139/z86-047

Cited by 193 publications

(96 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…These size estimates are within the range of sizes of typical squid prey consumed by sperm whales worldwide, but the predicted prey size for the Mediterranean is somewhat large compared with that in most studies (see table 2.2 in Whitehead (2003)). Given the inherent inaccuracy of estimated feeding requirements of a species for which metabolic rates have never been measured (Lavigne et al 1986), the daily creak rates are not inconsistent with the probable feeding requirements of sperm whales, even if not every creak leads to successful prey capture.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sperm whale behaviour indicates the use of echolocation click buzzes ‘creaks’ in prey capture

Miller

Johnson

Tyack

2004

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

252

312

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During foraging dives, sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) produce long series of regular clicks at 0.5-2 s intervals interspersed with rapid-click buzzes called 'creaks'. Sound, depth and orientation recording Dtags were attached to 23 whales in the Ligurian Sea and Gulf of Mexico to test whether the behaviour of diving sperm whales supports the hypothesis that creaks are produced during prey capture. Sperm whales spent most of their bottom time within one or two depth bands, apparently feeding in vertically stratified prey layers. Creak rates were highest during the bottom phase: 99.8% of creaks were produced in the deepest 50% of dives, 57% in the deepest 15% of dives. Whales swam actively during the bottom phase, producing a mean of 12.5 depth inflections per dive. A mean of 32% of creaks produced during the bottom phase occurred within 10 s of an inflection (13Â more than chance). Sperm whales actively altered their body orientation throughout the bottom phase with significantly increased rates of change during creaks, reflecting increased manoeuvring. Sperm whales increased their bottom foraging time when creak rates were higher. These results all strongly support the hypothesis that creaks are an echolocation signal adapted for foraging, analogous to terminal buzzes in taxonomically diverse echolocating species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sperm whale behaviour indicates the use of echolocation click buzzes ‘creaks’ in prey capture

Miller

Johnson

Tyack

2004

Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B

252

312

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“…To our knowledge, no measurements of resting or active metabolism are available for Subantarctic fur seals. However, according to the allometric relation between the rate of base metabolism and body mass, established for pinnipeds by Lavigne et al (1986), we can suppose that metabolism is equivalent for our 2 study models, which are taxonomically and morphologically very similar. Indeed, it is unlikely, even if there is a need to confirm this by measuring the actual metabolic rate of these 2 species at Crozet, that these species, with an identical at-sea behaviour (S. Luque unpubl.…”

Section: Activity Budgetmentioning

confidence: 96%

Differences in foraging strategy and maternal behaviour between two sympatric fur seal species at the Crozet Islands

Bailleul¹,

Luque²,

Dubroca³

et al. 2005

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Marine top-predators such as marine mammals forage in a heterogeneous environment according to their energetic requirements and to the variation in environmental characteristics. In this study, the behaviour of breeding females in 2 sympatric fur seal species, Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella and Subantarctic fur seal A. tropicalis, was investigated in relation to foraging effort. Foraging effort was hypothesised to be greater in Antarctic fur seal than in Subantarctic fur seal due to their shorter lactation period. Using satellite telemetry, time-depth recorders and satellite images of sea-surface temperature and chlorophyll a concentration, the foraging grounds, the at-sea activity budgets and the environmental features were determined for both species breeding on the Crozet Archipelago. Foraging cycle duration was similar for the 2 species, and the seals exhibited similar at-sea activity budgets. Only the proportion of time spent at sea was higher in Antarctic fur seals. Separate foraging areas were identified for the 2 species. Antarctic fur seal distribution was related to bathymetric features, while we did not find any direct relationship between chlorophyll a concentration and seal foraging areas. Our results suggest that Antarctic fur seals tend to respond to the higher needs of their pups by having a higher foraging efficiency and concentrating their foraging activity in the most productive areas.

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“…It has been reported that myloglobin levels in northern red-backed voles (Myodes rutilus) positively correlate with increased metabolic rates and shivering thermogenesis (Morrison et al, 1966). For inferior diving juvenile phocids, oxygen consumption rates 1.6 times predicted by Kleiber (Boily and Lavigne, 1996;Hansen and Lavigne, 1997;Noren, 2002) may indicate heat regulation when subcutaneous fat layers are minimal (Davydov and Makarova, 1964;Heath et al, 1977;Lavigne et al, 1986;Miller et al, 1973;Noren et al, 2008). It is worth noting that these metabolic levels have also been observed in non-diving adult Weddell seals (Castellini et al, 1992;Williams et al, 2004).…”

Section: Lipids In Muscle As Energy Reserves In Juvenilesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age-related differences in skeletal muscle lipid profiles of Weddell seals: clues to developmental changes

Trumble

Noren

Cornick

et al. 2010

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYOur objective was to elucidate age-related changes in lipids associated with skeletal muscle of Weddell seals and to suggest possible physiological implications. Muscle biopsies were collected from pups, juveniles and adults in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica and analyzed for intramuscular lipid (IML) and triacylglyceride (IMTG) amounts, fatty acid groups, as well as individual fatty acid profiles. The results from this study suggest a switch from primarily saturated fatty acids (SFAs) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) in the skeletal muscle of young pups to increases in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) as the percentage of blubber increases, resulting in possible thermoregulatory benefits. As Weddell pups continue to develop into juveniles, fatty acids associated with the skeletal muscle changes such that MUFA levels are relatively higher, which may be in response to energy depletion associated with their restricted diving ability and rapid growth. As juveniles transform into adults, a reduction in n-3 PUFA levels in the muscle as the percentage of blubber increases may be indicative of a trigger to prepare for deep diving or could be a mechanism for oxygen conservation during long-duration dives. We speculate that the observed change in lipids associated with the skeletal muscle of Weddell seals is related to ontogenetic differences in thermoregulation and locomotion.

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Metabolic rates of seals and whales

Cited by 193 publications

References 44 publications

Sperm whale behaviour indicates the use of echolocation click buzzes ‘creaks’ in prey capture

Sperm whale behaviour indicates the use of echolocation click buzzes ‘creaks’ in prey capture

Differences in foraging strategy and maternal behaviour between two sympatric fur seal species at the Crozet Islands

Age-related differences in skeletal muscle lipid profiles of Weddell seals: clues to developmental changes

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