Marine Vertebrates: Lecture 13

1. Spermaceti organ

2. Migration

Spermaceti organ: anatomy

Spermaceti oil: T, P and density

•Low T, high P increased oil density

28C

30C

32C

37C

Spermaceti organ: water intake

• Role of maxillonasalis muscle

Migration: Overview

• Migration: To pass, usually periodically, from one region or climate to another for feeding or breeding

• Key questions What is an animal’s migratory route?

• Methods of study? Why do they migrate? How do they find their way? Human impact on migratory patterns

Fig. 8.13: Arctic tern migration

Arctic and Antarctic terns

Arctic ternPhoto by Brian Small

Antarctic ternPhoto by Danny Gallant

E. Pacific Grey Whale migration

•What’s in the north ~May – Nov?

•What’s in the south ~ Dec – April? For pregant

females/offspring For others?

E. Pacific Grey Whale migration

Humpback migrations

•Note split of Australian population Recent

incident: “lost” males and song change

http://migration.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/migration.gif

Blue whale migration and food

Bluefin tuna (Barbara Block)

• Western breeders

• Eastern breeders

Bluefin tuna (Barbara Block)

• Individual track, W. Atlantic spawner

Bluefin tuna: 4.5 years tracked!

Distribution & fish size

Green sea turtle migration

Movement Patterns of Wandering Albatrosses

EastEast

Sou

thS

outh

South

Africa

(Shaffer et al. 2001, 2003)

Pacific salmon: route compared to ocean

circulation

http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/y4652e/y4652e0b.jpg

http://www.scielo.cl/fbpe/img/rchnat/v77n3/img01-03.jpg