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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