Due to reduced feeding opportunities in the tropics, most whales fast during their months-long migrations. Because of their size, large whales should be able to successfully give birth in frigid polar waters. More than a century ago, whalers recognized that most whales that forage in high latitudes migrate to the tropics for calving. He was formerly with NOAA Fisheries’ Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, California. “I think people have not given skin molt due consideration when it comes to whales, but it is an important physiological need that could be met by migrating to warmer waters,” said Robert Pitman, lead author of the new paper and marine ecologist with Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute. In a research paper in Marine Mammal Science, scientists propose that whales that forage in polar waters migrate to low latitudes to maintain healthy skin. The question is why-is it to find food, or to give birth? Whales undertake some of the longest migrations on earth, often swimming many thousands of miles, over many months, to breed in the tropics. Image collected by John Durban (NOAA) and Holly Fearnbach (SR3) using a remotely controlled hexacopter drone at 100ft altitude, authorized by NMFS research permit 19091 and Antarctic Conservation Act Permit 2017-029. Killer whales in Antarctica, as shown here, often display a yellow coloration due to diatom accumulation on their skin, evidence that they are not sloughing skin in frigid waters.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |