Morphological specializations of baleen whales associated with hydrodynamic performance and ecological niche

@article{Woodward2006MorphologicalSO,
  title={Morphological specializations of baleen whales associated with hydrodynamic performance and ecological niche},
  author={Becky L. Woodward and Jeremy P. Winn and Frank E. Fish},
  journal={Journal of Morphology},
  year={2006},
  volume={267}
}
Feeding behavior, prey type, and habitat appear to be associated with the morphological design of body, fluke, and flippers in baleen whales. [] Key Method Morphometric data from whaling records and recent stranding events were compiled, and morphometric parameters describing the body length, and fluke and flipper dimensions for an "average" blue whale Balaenoptera musculus, humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae, gray whale Eschrichtius robustus, and right whale Eubalaena glacialis were determined.
Hydrodynamic Performance of the Flippers of Large-bodied Cetaceans in Relation to Locomotor Ecology
Cetaceans evolved flippers that are unique in both size and shape probably due to selection pressures associated with foraging and body size. Flippers function as control surfaces for maneuverability
Hydrodynamic performance of the minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) flipper
TLDR
Video footage, photographs and observations of swimming, engulfment feeding and gulping minke whales showed limb positions corresponding to low drag in wind tunnel tests, and were therefore hydrodynamically efficient.
Body density of humpback whales (Megaptera novaengliae) in feeding aggregations estimated from hydrodynamic gliding performance
TLDR
The results show that tissue density of shallow diving baleen whales can be estimated using the hydrodynamic gliding model, although cross-validation with other techniques is an essential next step.
Scaling of oscillatory kinematics and Froude efficiency in baleen whales
TLDR
This work used data from whale-borne inertial sensors coupled with morphometric measurements from aerial drones to calculate the hydrodynamic performance of oscillatory swimming in six baleen whale species and found that mass-specific thrust increased with both swimming speed and body size.
Skull and buccal cavity allometry increase mass-specific engulfment capacity in fin whales
TLDR
Allometric equations for fin whale body dimensions and engulfment capacity demonstrate that larger fin whales have larger skulls and larger buccal cavities relative to body size, and suggest that engulfment volume is also allometric, increasing with body length.
Behaviour and kinematics of continuous ram filtration in bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus)
TLDR
It is concluded that a food niche of dense, slow-moving zooplankton prey has led balaenids to evolve locomotor and filtering systems adapted to work against a high drag at swimming speeds of less than 0.07 body length s−1 using a continuous fluking gait very different from that of nekton-feeding, aquatic predators.
Rorqual whale (Balaenopteridae) surface lunge‐feeding behaviors: Standardized classification, repertoire diversity, and evolutionary analyses
TLDR
A unified classification system of six homologous SLF behaviors used by all living rorqual whale species is proposed and statistically significant differences in the frequency of each behavior by minke, fin, and blue whales are demonstrated.
Why whales are big but not bigger: Physiological drivers and ecological limits in the age of ocean giants
TLDR
Gigantism in whales is both driven and limited by prey capture and availability, and filter feeding provides an evolutionary pathway to extremes in body size that is not available to lineages that must feed on one prey at a time.
Allometric scaling of morphology and engulfment capacity in rorqual whales
TLDR
It is posited that the allometric growth in the engulfment apparatus may be an adaptation that ameliorates the detrimental effects of large size on maneuverability and thus engulfment capacity was relatively greater in larger rorquals.
Integrative Approaches to the Study of Baleen Whale Diving Behavior, Feeding Performance, and Foraging Ecology
TLDR
A class of multisensor, suction-cup-attached archival tags has revolutionized the study of large baleen whales, particularly with respect to the predatory strategies used by these gigantic bulk filter feeders to exploit abundant oceanic resources.
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