Gouge marks on deep-sea mud volcanoes in the eastern Mediterranean: caused by Cuvier's beaked whales?

Enigmatic seafloor gouge marks at depths of 1700-2100m have been observed from submersible during geological survey work studying mud volcanoes in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The marks consist of a central groove (about 10 cm deep and 1-2m long), superimposed on a broader bowl-shaped depression (...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers
Main Authors: Woodside, J M, David, L, Frantzis, A, Hooker, Sascha Kate
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2006
Subjects:
seafloor seeps and mud volcanoes
marine mammals
deep water
foraging behaviour
marine geology
eastern Mediterranean
(33-36 degrees N
24-31 degrees E)
GRAY WHALE
ZIPHIUS-CAVIROSTRIS
DIVING BEHAVIOR
SIDESCAN SONAR
PHYSETER-MACROCEPHALUS
SPERM-WHALES
METHANE
ISLAND
RIDGE
CONSORTIUM
Physeter macrocephalus
Online Access:https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/publications/b1ecfa49-8038-4308-a249-afd961c3de14
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2006.08.011
http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33751000718&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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Summary:Enigmatic seafloor gouge marks at depths of 1700-2100m have been observed from submersible during geological survey work studying mud volcanoes in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The marks consist of a central groove (about 10 cm deep and 1-2m long), superimposed on a broader bowl-shaped depression (1-2m long by about 50cm wide) with raised rims (up to 10cm high) to either side of the central groove. We discuss the potential biological causes of these marks, and conclude that they are probably created by Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) during foraging dives to these depths. The mud volcanoes have a comparatively rich and diverse benthic ecology associated with methane-rich fluid seeps and thus could be the base of food chains that reach top predators like the deep-diving whales. The characteristic high acoustic backscatter of the mud volcanoes would facilitate their detection by the echolocation system of these whales. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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