A new study led by researchers at the
Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) and Macquarie University, and
published in Scientific Data, has tracked the whereabouts of 117 marine
species, ranging from sharks and saltwater crocs all the way to sea turtles and
sea cows (dugongs), off the shores of Australia. The data is helping to unravel
the widespread movements of Australian marine species, the researchers say, and
provide insight into the natural habitats, distributions and changing
behaviours of these animals in the face of climate change.
"The established IMOS Animal Tracking
Facility network, consisting of nearly 2,000 receiving stations located around
the country, allowed us to track 3,777 Australian sea animals, including some
of Australia's most iconic species, such
as great white
sharks,
green sea turtles and
tunas," explained lead author Dr. Xavier Hoenner from the Integrated
Marine Observing System (IMOS).
"We collected and quality controlled
49.6 million acoustic detections from these tagged animals, which has given us
insights into how far they moved, ranging from only a few kilometres to
thousands, their preferred habitats and how their movements vary over
time," added Hoenner.
No comments:
Post a Comment
You only need to enter your comment once! Comments will appear once they have been moderated. This is so as to stop the would-be comedian who has been spamming the comments here with inane and often offensive remarks. You know who you are!