Gait switches in deep-diving beaked whales:biomechanical strategies for long-duration dives
Diving animals modulate their swimming gaits to promote locomotor efficiency and so enable longer, more productive dives. Beaked whales perform extremely long and deep foraging dives that probably exceed aerobic capacities for some species. Here, we use biomechanical data from suction-cup tags attac...
Published in: | Journal of Experimental Biology |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2015
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/gait-switches-in-deepdiving-beaked-whales(11550ebb-f37c-4974-9d41-cbdf5de2c48f).html https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.106013 |
id |
ftuniaarhuspubl:oai:pure.atira.dk:publications/11550ebb-f37c-4974-9d41-cbdf5de2c48f |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftuniaarhuspubl:oai:pure.atira.dk:publications/11550ebb-f37c-4974-9d41-cbdf5de2c48f 2023-12-03T10:23:59+01:00 Gait switches in deep-diving beaked whales:biomechanical strategies for long-duration dives Martin Lopez, Lucia Martina Miller, Patrick J. O. de Soto, Natacha Aguilar Johnson, Mark 2015-05 https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/gait-switches-in-deepdiving-beaked-whales(11550ebb-f37c-4974-9d41-cbdf5de2c48f).html https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.106013 eng eng https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/gait-switches-in-deepdiving-beaked-whales(11550ebb-f37c-4974-9d41-cbdf5de2c48f).html info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess Martin Lopez , L M , Miller , P J O , de Soto , N A & Johnson , M 2015 , ' Gait switches in deep-diving beaked whales : biomechanical strategies for long-duration dives ' , Journal of Experimental Biology , vol. 218 , no. 9 , pp. 1325-1338 . https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.106013 Biomechanics Swimming-gaits Magnetometer Accelerometer Beaked whales Deep diving DOLPHINS TURSIOPS-TRUNCATUS MARINE MAMMALS WEDDELL SEALS MESOPLODON-DENSIROSTRIS PHYSETER-MACROCEPHALUS ZIPHIUS-CAVIROSTRIS MUSCLE RECRUITMENT STROKE FREQUENCY SKELETAL-MUSCLES AQUATIC ANIMALS article 2015 ftuniaarhuspubl https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.106013 2023-11-08T23:59:08Z Diving animals modulate their swimming gaits to promote locomotor efficiency and so enable longer, more productive dives. Beaked whales perform extremely long and deep foraging dives that probably exceed aerobic capacities for some species. Here, we use biomechanical data from suction-cup tags attached to three species of beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris, N = 10; Ziphius cavirostris, N = 9; and Hyperoodon ampullatus, N = 2) to characterize their swimming gaits. In addition to continuous stroking and stroke and-glide gaits described for other diving mammals, all whales produced occasional fluke-strokes with distinctly larger dorsoventral acceleration, which we termed 'type-B' strokes. These high-power strokes occurred almost exclusively during deep dive ascents as part of a novel mixed gait. To quantify body rotations and specific acceleration generated during strokes we adapted a kinematic method combining data from two sensors in the tag. Body rotations estimated with high-rate magnetometer data were subtracted from accelerometer data to estimate the resulting surge and heave accelerations. Using this method, we show that stroke duration, rotation angle and acceleration were bi-modal for these species, with B-strokes having 76% of the duration, 52% larger body rotation and four times more surge than normal strokes. The additional acceleration of B-strokes did not lead to faster ascents, but rather enabled brief glides, which may improve the overall efficiency of this gait. Their occurrence towards the end of long dives leads us to propose that B-strokes may recruit fast-twitch fibres that comprise similar to 80% of swimming muscles in Blainville's beaked whales, thus prolonging foraging time at depth. Article in Journal/Newspaper hyperoodon ampullatus Physeter macrocephalus Weddell Seals Aarhus University: Research Weddell Journal of Experimental Biology 218 9 1325 1338 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Aarhus University: Research |
op_collection_id |
ftuniaarhuspubl |
language |
English |
topic |
Biomechanics Swimming-gaits Magnetometer Accelerometer Beaked whales Deep diving DOLPHINS TURSIOPS-TRUNCATUS MARINE MAMMALS WEDDELL SEALS MESOPLODON-DENSIROSTRIS PHYSETER-MACROCEPHALUS ZIPHIUS-CAVIROSTRIS MUSCLE RECRUITMENT STROKE FREQUENCY SKELETAL-MUSCLES AQUATIC ANIMALS |
spellingShingle |
Biomechanics Swimming-gaits Magnetometer Accelerometer Beaked whales Deep diving DOLPHINS TURSIOPS-TRUNCATUS MARINE MAMMALS WEDDELL SEALS MESOPLODON-DENSIROSTRIS PHYSETER-MACROCEPHALUS ZIPHIUS-CAVIROSTRIS MUSCLE RECRUITMENT STROKE FREQUENCY SKELETAL-MUSCLES AQUATIC ANIMALS Martin Lopez, Lucia Martina Miller, Patrick J. O. de Soto, Natacha Aguilar Johnson, Mark Gait switches in deep-diving beaked whales:biomechanical strategies for long-duration dives |
topic_facet |
Biomechanics Swimming-gaits Magnetometer Accelerometer Beaked whales Deep diving DOLPHINS TURSIOPS-TRUNCATUS MARINE MAMMALS WEDDELL SEALS MESOPLODON-DENSIROSTRIS PHYSETER-MACROCEPHALUS ZIPHIUS-CAVIROSTRIS MUSCLE RECRUITMENT STROKE FREQUENCY SKELETAL-MUSCLES AQUATIC ANIMALS |
description |
Diving animals modulate their swimming gaits to promote locomotor efficiency and so enable longer, more productive dives. Beaked whales perform extremely long and deep foraging dives that probably exceed aerobic capacities for some species. Here, we use biomechanical data from suction-cup tags attached to three species of beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris, N = 10; Ziphius cavirostris, N = 9; and Hyperoodon ampullatus, N = 2) to characterize their swimming gaits. In addition to continuous stroking and stroke and-glide gaits described for other diving mammals, all whales produced occasional fluke-strokes with distinctly larger dorsoventral acceleration, which we termed 'type-B' strokes. These high-power strokes occurred almost exclusively during deep dive ascents as part of a novel mixed gait. To quantify body rotations and specific acceleration generated during strokes we adapted a kinematic method combining data from two sensors in the tag. Body rotations estimated with high-rate magnetometer data were subtracted from accelerometer data to estimate the resulting surge and heave accelerations. Using this method, we show that stroke duration, rotation angle and acceleration were bi-modal for these species, with B-strokes having 76% of the duration, 52% larger body rotation and four times more surge than normal strokes. The additional acceleration of B-strokes did not lead to faster ascents, but rather enabled brief glides, which may improve the overall efficiency of this gait. Their occurrence towards the end of long dives leads us to propose that B-strokes may recruit fast-twitch fibres that comprise similar to 80% of swimming muscles in Blainville's beaked whales, thus prolonging foraging time at depth. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Martin Lopez, Lucia Martina Miller, Patrick J. O. de Soto, Natacha Aguilar Johnson, Mark |
author_facet |
Martin Lopez, Lucia Martina Miller, Patrick J. O. de Soto, Natacha Aguilar Johnson, Mark |
author_sort |
Martin Lopez, Lucia Martina |
title |
Gait switches in deep-diving beaked whales:biomechanical strategies for long-duration dives |
title_short |
Gait switches in deep-diving beaked whales:biomechanical strategies for long-duration dives |
title_full |
Gait switches in deep-diving beaked whales:biomechanical strategies for long-duration dives |
title_fullStr |
Gait switches in deep-diving beaked whales:biomechanical strategies for long-duration dives |
title_full_unstemmed |
Gait switches in deep-diving beaked whales:biomechanical strategies for long-duration dives |
title_sort |
gait switches in deep-diving beaked whales:biomechanical strategies for long-duration dives |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/gait-switches-in-deepdiving-beaked-whales(11550ebb-f37c-4974-9d41-cbdf5de2c48f).html https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.106013 |
geographic |
Weddell |
geographic_facet |
Weddell |
genre |
hyperoodon ampullatus Physeter macrocephalus Weddell Seals |
genre_facet |
hyperoodon ampullatus Physeter macrocephalus Weddell Seals |
op_source |
Martin Lopez , L M , Miller , P J O , de Soto , N A & Johnson , M 2015 , ' Gait switches in deep-diving beaked whales : biomechanical strategies for long-duration dives ' , Journal of Experimental Biology , vol. 218 , no. 9 , pp. 1325-1338 . https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.106013 |
op_relation |
https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/gait-switches-in-deepdiving-beaked-whales(11550ebb-f37c-4974-9d41-cbdf5de2c48f).html |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.106013 |
container_title |
Journal of Experimental Biology |
container_volume |
218 |
container_issue |
9 |
container_start_page |
1325 |
op_container_end_page |
1338 |
_version_ |
1784272291538927616 |