Kinematics of foraging dives and lunge-feeding in fin whales

@article{Goldbogen2006KinematicsOF,
  title={Kinematics of foraging dives and lunge-feeding in fin whales},
  author={Jeremy A. Goldbogen and John Calambokidis and Robert E. Shadwick and Erin M. Oleson and Mark A Mcdonald and John A. Hildebrand},
  journal={Journal of Experimental Biology},
  year={2006},
  volume={209},
  pages={1231 - 1244}
}
SUMMARY Fin whales are among the largest predators on earth, yet little is known about their foraging behavior at depth. These whales obtain their prey by lunge-feeding, an extraordinary biomechanical event where large amounts of water and prey are engulfed and filtered. This process entails a high energetic cost that effectively decreases dive duration and increases post-dive recovery time. To examine the body mechanics of fin whales during foraging dives we attached high-resolution digital… 
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235 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
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Background Citations
110
Methods Citations
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Results Citations
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235 Citations

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Kinematic Diversity in Rorqual Whale Feeding Mechanisms
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Data suggest that rorquals modulate the coordination of acceleration and engulfment to optimize foraging efficiency by minimizing locomotor costs and maximizing prey capture and indicates that the energetic efficiency of foraging is driven both by the whale's engulfment capacity and the comparative locomotor capabilities of predator and prey.
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It is suggested that whale sharks may overcome their large size and a specialized body plan that isolates highly vascularized red muscle on the dorsal surface, allowing heat to be retained near the centre of the body within a massive core of white muscle to allow a warm-adapted species to maintain enhanced function of organs and sensory systems while exploiting food resources in deep, cool water.
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The results underscore the necessity for blue whales to seek the highest densities within patches to reach neutral balance or allow energy storage, and may help predict the effects of climate and natural variability or of potential fisheries on krill densities and blue whale condition.
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