Friday 2 March 2018

Marine animals explore the ocean in similar ways



A first-of-its-kind study has mapped the global movements of a range of marine animals around the world, including whales, sharks, sea birds and polar bears, to understand how they travel the ocean.

The analysis revealed that despite significant differences in body size, shape and mode of movement, marine animals move through the ocean in similar ways.

The study published today in the journal PNAS was led by researchers from The University of Western Australia and the Australian Institute of Marine Science. It was the result of a worldwide collaborative effort from researchers involved in the Marine Megafauna Movement Analytical Program (MMMAP).

The researchers analyzed the satellite tracking data of more than 2,500 tagged marine animals from 50 species, looking at their speed and movement patterns. Some of the tracks extended back to 1985.

Unlike terrestrial species, where movement is commonly associated with body size, the team was surprised to find that unrelated marine species displayed similar movement patterns. For example, one-ton whales display comparable movement patterns to seabirds weighing a few hundred grams. "Tracking the movements of marine animals poses several unique challenges compared with working in the terrestrial environment," notes Prof. Michael Berumen of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), one of the study co-authors. "It is uncommon for a single study to include so many marine animal tracks from so many different types of animals, allowing us to ask questions that transcend patterns of individual species."

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