Energetic and physical limitations on the breaching performance of large whales
Abstract
The considerable power needed for large whales to leap out of the water may represent the single most expensive burst maneuver found in nature. However, the mechanics and energetic costs associated with the breaching behaviors of large whales remain poorly understood. In this study we deployed whale-borne tags to measure the kinematics of breaching to test the hypothesis that these spectacular aerial displays are metabolically expensive. We found that breaching whales use variable underwater trajectories, and that high-emergence breaches are faster and require more energy than predatory lunges. The most expensive breaches approach the upper limits of vertebrate muscle performance, and the energetic cost of breaching is high enough that repeated breaching events may serve as honest signaling of body condition. Furthermore, the confluence of muscle contractile properties, hydrodynamics, and the high speeds required likely impose an upper limit to the body size and effectiveness of breaching whales.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Mar 11, 2020
- Source ID
- 10.7554/elife.51760
Entities
People
- Alison K. Stimpert
- Ari S. Friedlaender
- Cláudia Oliveira
- David E. Cade
- David N Wiley
- Frank E Fish
- Gwenith S. Penry
- Jacopo Di Clemente
- Jean Potvin
- Jeremy A. Goldbogen
- John Calambokidis
- Kc Bierlich
- Malene Simon
- Paolo S Segre
- Peter Teglberg Madsen
- Shirel R. Kahane-Rapport
- Susan E. Parks
- William T. Gough
Organizations
- Aarhus University
- Carlsberg Foundation
- Cascadia Research
- Duke University
- Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia
- International Fund for Animal Welfare
- National Marine Sanctuary Foundation
- National Science Foundation
- Nelson Mandela University
- Office of Naval Research
- PADI Foundation
- Saint Louis University
- San José State University
- Society for Marine Mammalogy
- Stanford University
- Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
- Syracuse University
- Torben and Alice Frimodt's Foundation
- University of California
- University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant
- University of the Azores
- West Chester University of Pennsylvania