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