Short Underwater Opening of the Beak Following Immersion in Seven Penguin Species
Abstract Videocamera recordings of seven species of penguin, Emperor (Aptenodytes forsteri), Humboldt (Spheniscus humboldti), Adélie (Pygoscelis adeliae), Chinstrap (P. antarctica), Gentoo (P. papua), Macaroni (Eudyptes chrysolophus) and Rockhopper (E. chrysocome), swimming in large aquaria revealed...
| Published in: | The Condor |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press (OUP)
2002
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/condor/104.2.444 http://academic.oup.com/condor/article-pdf/104/2/444/29712387/condor0444.pdf |
| Summary: | Abstract Videocamera recordings of seven species of penguin, Emperor (Aptenodytes forsteri), Humboldt (Spheniscus humboldti), Adélie (Pygoscelis adeliae), Chinstrap (P. antarctica), Gentoo (P. papua), Macaroni (Eudyptes chrysolophus) and Rockhopper (E. chrysocome), swimming in large aquaria revealed that birds opened their beak underwater for less than a second immediately after initiating a dive. Overall, this beak-opening occurred in 64% of the immersions but, in all species, was associated with quick transitions between air and water, such as in porpoising or dives that were initiated rapidly. Two hypotheses are proposed to explain this behavior: beak-opening may be a signal that initiates bradycardia, such as is observed in unrestrained diving animals, or beak-opening may be associated with chemoreception to help detect potential prey or predators. Breve Apertura del Pico en Pingüinos luego de Sumergirse Resumen. En acuarios registramos con cámara de video a siete especies de pingüinos, Aptenodytes forsteri, Spheniscus humboldti, Pygoscelis adeliae, P. antarctica, P. papua, Eudyptes chrysolophus y E. chrysocome. Los registros indicaron que las aves abren el pico bajo el agua por menos de un segundo inmediatamente después de sumergirse al iniciar el buceo. En total, esta apertura del pico se registró en el 64% de las inmersiones y en todas las especies ocurrió preferentemente en situaciones de transición rápida entre aire y agua, como en “porpoising” o en buceos que se iniciaron abruptamente. Se proponen dos hipótesis para explicar esta conducta: la apertura del pico puede servir como una señal para iniciar la bradicardia, como se observa en animales buceando voluntariamente, o bien la apertura del pico podría estar asociada a quimiorecepción para detectar potenciales presas o depredadores. |
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