Diving behaviour of lactating southern sea lions (Otaria flavescens) in Patagonia

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (11) ◽  
pp. 1975-1982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodolfo Werner ◽  
Claudio Campagna
Keyword(s):  
Median Duration ◽  
Dive Depth ◽  
Dive Duration ◽  
Diving Behaviour ◽  
Diel Variation ◽  
Otaria Flavescens ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
Aerobic Dive Limit

The diving behaviour of six lactating female southern sea lions (Otaria flavescens) was recorded during 52.4 animal-days at sea. Information was obtained from 18 057 dives. Females spent 52.7 ± 6.2% of the time at sea diving. Median and maximum dive depths ranged from 19 to 62 and from 97 to 175 m, respectively. Dives were short, with median and maximum durations ranging from 2.1 to 3.2 and from 4.4 to 7.7 min, respectively. Dives deeper than 10 m represented 56 – 89% of total dives and involved 93 – 97% of total diving time. Mean dive depth and duration of dives greater than 10 m were 61 m and 3 min, respectively. Most of these dives (69%) had a flat-bottomed U-shaped profile, bottom time constituting about half of the dive duration. Shallow dives, with a modal depth of 2 m, were short (median duration 0.1 –0.8 min), with virtually no time spent at the bottom of the dive. During trips to sea, which ranged from less than 1 day to more than 4 days, females dove continuously. Mean dive frequency was between 11 and 19 per hour. Surface intervals were short (median 0.9–1.2 min) and there was no apparent diel variation in dive depth or frequency. The estimated aerobic dive limit of the females was exceeded on only a few dives (0.7 – 6.2%). Transit to potential foraging areas took 0.2–8.3 h.

In the shallow end: diving behaviour of recolonising female New Zealand sea lions (Phocarctos hookeri) around the Otago Peninsula

2011 ◽  
Vol 89 (12) ◽  
pp. 1195-1205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amélie A. Augé ◽  
B. Louise Chilvers ◽  
Lloyd S. Davis ◽  
Antoni B. Moore
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Dive Depth ◽  
Dive Duration ◽  
Diving Behaviour ◽  
Marine Habitat ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Historical Range ◽  
Phocarctos Hookeri

Female New Zealand sea lions ( Phocarctos hookeri (Gray, 1844)) at the Auckland Islands (remnant populations) are the deepest and longest diving otariids. These remnant populations are found at the margin of the historical range of the species. We hypothesized that diving behaviours of animals in the core of their historical range is less extreme owing to a better marine habitat. All female New Zealand sea lions (n = 13, aged 2–14 years) born on the Otago Peninsula (initial recolonising population) were equipped with time–depth recorders during April and May 2008, 2009, and 2010. The mean dive depth was 20.2 ± 24.5 m and mean dive duration was 1.8 ± 1.1 min, some of the lowest values reported for otariids. Otago female New Zealand sea lions did not exhibit two distinct diving specialisations as reported at the Auckland Islands. Otago adult females exceeded calculated aerobic dive limits in 7.1% of dives compared with 68.7% at the Auckland Islands. The contrasting differences in diving behaviour between Otago and the Auckland Islands suggest that Otago represents a better marine habitat for New Zealand sea lions, with food easily accessible to animals of all ages.

Summer diving behaviour of lactating New Zealand sea lions, Phocarctos hookeri

1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (10) ◽  
pp. 1695-1706 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. J. Gales ◽  
R. H. Mattlin
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Dive Depth ◽  
Diving Behaviour ◽  
Physiological Adaptation ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
Dive Behaviour ◽  
Physiological Limits ◽  
Aerobic Dive Limit ◽  
Foraging Environment ◽  
Phocarctos Hookeri

The diving behaviour of 14 female New Zealand sea lions (Phocarctos hookeri) was recorded during early lactation in January and February 1995 on the Auckland Islands, New Zealand. During 73 trips to sea, 19 720 dives were recorded. The average duration of a foraging cycle was 2.9 days (range 1.4–4.8 days), of which 1.7 days (57%) (range 1.1–3.4 days) were spent at sea and 1.2 days (43%) (range 0.8–2.3 days) ashore. At sea the sea lions dived almost continuously at a rate of 7.5 dives/h and spent a mean of 45% of the time submerged (≥ 2 m). Dive behaviour varied among individuals but showed no diel pattern overall. The dive depth for all dives ≥ 6 m was 123 ± 87 m (mean ± SD) (median 124 m, maximum 474 m) and ranged among individuals from 79 ± 85 to 187 ± 166 m. About half of the dives were in the 101- to 180-m range. The duration of all dives was 3.9 ± 1.8 min (median 4.33 min, maximum 11.3 min); about half (51%) of the dive durations were between 4 and 6 min. Surface interval was 4.5 ± 15.8 min (median 1.9 min). Almost half (44%) of all dives exceeded the calculated aerobic dive limit of each sea lion (range 16–73% for individuals). Most dive profiles were flat bottomed and, we believe, are to the benthos. A mean of 51.5% of all dive time was spent in the deepest 85% of the dive. Prey remains found during this study were primarily of benthic and demersal organisms. Phocarctos hookeri is the deepest and longest diving of any of the otariids recorded to date. We suggest that the dive behaviour may reflect either successful physiological adaptation to exploiting benthic prey and (or) a marginal foraging environment in which diving behaviour is close to physiological limits.

scholarly journals Heart rates and abdominal temperatures of free-ranging South Georgian shags, Phalacrocorax georgianus

1997 ◽  
Vol 200 (4) ◽  
pp. 661-675 ◽  
Author(s):  
R M Bevan ◽  
I L Boyd ◽  
P J Butler ◽  
K Reid ◽  
A J Woakes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Dive Depth ◽  
Dive Duration ◽  
Diving Behaviour ◽  
The South ◽  
Data Logger ◽  
Heart Rates ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
Mean Heart Rate

The South Georgian shag (Phalacrocorax georgianus) shows a remarkable diving ability comparable to that of penguins, yet nothing is known of the physiology of these birds. In this study, heart rates and abdominal temperatures were recorded continuously in four free-ranging South Georgian shags using an implanted data-logger. A time­depth recorder was also attached to the back of the implanted birds to record their diving behaviour. The diving behaviour of the birds was essentially similar to that reported in other studies, with maximum dive durations for individual birds ranging between 140 and 287 s, and maximum depths between 35 and 101 m. The birds, while at the nest, had a heart rate of 104.0±13.1 beats min-1 (mean ± s.e.m.) and an abdominal temperature of 39.1±0.2 °C. During flights of 221±29 s, heart rate and abdominal temperature rose to 309.5±18.0 beats min-1 and 40.1±0.3 °C, respectively. The mean heart rate during diving, at 103.7±13.7 beats min-1, was not significantly different from the resting values, but the minimum heart rate during a dive was significantly lower at 64.8±5.8 beats min-1. The minimum heart rate during a dive was negatively correlated with both dive duration and dive depth. Abdominal temperature fell progressively during a diving bout, with a mean temperature at the end of a bout of 35.1±1.7 °C. The minimum heart rate during diving is at a sub-resting level, which suggests that the South Georgian shag responds to submersion with the 'classic' dive response of bradycardia and the associated peripheral vasoconstriction and utilisation of anaerobic metabolism. However, the reduction in abdominal temperature may reflect a reduction in the overall metabolic rate of the animal such that the bird can remain aerobic while submerged.

Stroke frequencies of emperor penguins diving under sea ice

2002 ◽  
Vol 205 (24) ◽  
pp. 3769-3774 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. P. van Dam ◽  
P. J. Ponganis ◽  
K. V. Ponganis ◽  
D. H. Levenson ◽  
G. Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Dive Depth ◽  
Dive Duration ◽  
Accelerometer Data ◽  
Underwater Video ◽  
Stroke Frequency ◽  
Video Footage ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Emperor Penguins ◽  
Aerobic Dive Limit

SUMMARYDuring diving, intermittent swim stroke patterns, ranging from burst/coast locomotion to prolonged gliding, represent potential energy conservation mechanisms that could extend the duration of aerobic metabolism and, hence,increase the aerobic dive limit (ADL, dive duration associated with onset of lactate accumulation). A 5.6 min ADL for emperor penguins had been previously determined with lactate measurements after dives of <50 m depth. In order to assess locomotory patterns during such dives, longitudinal acceleration was measured with an attached accelerometer in 44 dives of seven adult birds diving from an isolated dive hole in the sea ice of McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Detection of wing strokes in processed accelerometer data was verified in selected birds with analysis of simultaneous Crittercam underwater video footage. Mean dive duration of birds equipped with the accelerometer and a time-depth recorder (TDR) was 5.7±2.2 min; 48% of these dives were greater than the measured 5.6 min ADL (ADLM). Highest stroke frequencies (0.92±0.31 Hz, N=981) occurred during the initial descent to 12 m depth. Swimming effort was reduced to a mean stroke frequency<0.70 Hz during other phases of the dive (while traveling below 12 m depth,during foraging ascents/descents to and from the sub-ice surface, and during final ascents to exit). The longest stroke interval (8.6 s) occurred during a feeding excursion to the undersurface of the ice. In dives>ADLM, mean stroke frequency during travel segments was significantly less than that in dives <ADLM(P<0.05). Mean stroke frequency of the entire dive correlated inversely (P<0.05) with diving duration (r=-0.67) and with mean dive depth (r=-0.43). Emperor penguins did not exhibit any significant (>10 s) periods of prolonged gliding during these shallow(<60 m) foraging dives. However, a stroke/glide pattern was evident with more than 50% of strokes associated with a stroke interval >1.6 s, and with lower stroke frequency associated with increased dive duration.

Time budget and diving behaviour of chick-rearing Crozet shags

2005 ◽  
Vol 83 (7) ◽  
pp. 971-982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Tremblay ◽  
T R Cook ◽  
Y Cherel
Keyword(s):  
Time Budget ◽  
Bimodal Distribution ◽  
Dive Duration ◽  
Diving Behaviour ◽  
Time Budgets ◽  
Foraging Range ◽  
Aerobic Dive Limit ◽  
Foraging Performance ◽  
Nototheniid Fish ◽  
The Way

Blue-eyed shags are known to be capable of the deepest dives in the cormorant family. Yet, the way these birds balance their energy and time budgets remains enigmatic. Using ventrally attached time–depth recorders on chick-rearing Crozet shags (Phalacrocorax melanogenis Blyth, 1860), we simultaneously described their time budget and diving behaviour. Crozet shags are diurnal, benthic foragers (mean foraging range 1.7 km) that spend 37% of the daytime at sea. While at sea, they spend 49% of their time on the water, 44% diving, and 7% flying, and consume mainly benthic nototheniid fish. Larger fish (>20 g) were caught at shallower depths during shorter trips. They made, on average, 4.4 trips/day, each including 2.5 diving periods of 14 dives. On average, Crozet shags dove to 28 m (max. 145 m) for 2 min 2 s (max. 6 min 11 s). Descent and ascent rates became less variable at a depth of 40 m, possibly owing to a change in bird relative buoyancy at that depth. Ten percent of dives exceeded the estimated behavioural aerobic dive limit (4 min) and diving depths showed a bimodal distribution at <5 and ~18 m for dives lasting ~1 min. This dive duration corresponded to dives with higher dive duration/postdive interval ratios. The Crozet shags managed their dive cycle to fully exploit their breathing capacities, thus optimizing foraging performance.

Some characteristics of narwhal, Monodon monoceros, diving behaviour in Baffin Bay

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (11) ◽  
pp. 2120-2132 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. Heide-JøRgensen ◽  
R. Dietz
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Dive Depth ◽  
Diving Behaviour ◽  
The Other ◽  
Small Male ◽  
Vertical Movements ◽  
Baffin Bay ◽  
Monodon Monoceros ◽  
Aerobic Dive Limit

Dive data were collected from nine narwhals, Monodon monoceros, instrumented with satellite-linked dive recorders in northwest Greenland in August–September 1993 and 1994. Data were collected for periods ranging from a few weeks to 9 months. The narwhals made daily dives to depths of more than 500 m and frequently dived to 1000 m or more. However, most of the time spent below the surface was in the water column at depths of between 8 and 52 m. For two males that were tracked from September through November the maximum dive depth increased steadily through time. There were no consistent differences in the duration of dives or the number of dives to depths > 8 m during four 6-h periods that were monitored. There were significant differences in dive rates (number of dives per hour) between the large males, the small male, and the females. More than half of the dives lasted less than 5 min and few lasted more than 20 min. These relatively short dive times suggest that narwhals do not exceed their aerobic dive limit. The average time spent in the upper 5 m of the water column was 39.3% (SD = 13.5%; n = 632) for seven whales combined. Speed of vertical movements increased significantly from 1 m∙s−1 for 100-m dives to more than 2 m∙s−1 for dives deeper than 900 m. A female accompanied by a calf had dive parameters and surfacing times that were identical with those of the other females.

Forage-diving behaviour of adult Japanese female loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) inferred from Argos location data

2004 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 855-856 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hideo Hatase ◽  
Wataru Sakamoto
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
Dive Depth ◽  
Dive Duration ◽  
Diving Behaviour ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtles ◽  
Satellite Pass ◽  
Location Data ◽  
Japanese Female

Adult female loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) nesting in Japan use different feeding habitats as a function of body size. The Argos location data of two females inhabiting either oceanic or neritic habitats were analysed to infer their foraging and diving behaviour. There were no significant differences in the number of transmissions received per satellite pass, the number of locations per day, and the frequency of location-accuracy classes between oceanic and neritic females, implying that there was little difference in the time these two turtles stayed at the sea surface. Two possible forage-diving behaviours are suggested for these turtles: (1) both dive duration and depth were not different between the two feeding habitats; or (2) although dive duration was not different between feeding habitats, dive depth was different.

scholarly journals Diving behaviour of Cuvier's beaked whales ( Ziphius cavirostris ) off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 181728 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanne M. Shearer ◽  
Nicola J. Quick ◽  
William R. Cioffi ◽  
Robin W. Baird ◽  
Daniel L. Webster ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Median Duration ◽  
Regional Differences ◽  
Dive Depth ◽  
Diving Behaviour ◽  
Deep Diving ◽  
Cape Hatteras ◽  
Extended Surface ◽  
Beaked Whales ◽  
Behaviour Data

Cuvier's beaked whales exhibit exceptionally long and deep foraging dives. The species is little studied due to their deep-water, offshore distribution and limited time spent at the surface. We used LIMPET satellite tags to study the diving behaviour of Cuvier's beaked whales off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina from 2014 to 2016. We deployed 11 tags, recording 3242 h of behaviour data, encompassing 5926 dives. Dive types were highly bimodal; deep dives (greater than 800 m, n = 1408) had a median depth of 1456 m and median duration of 58.9 min; shallow dives (50–800 m, n = 4518) were to median depths of 280 m with a median duration of 18.7 min. Most surface intervals were very short (median 2.2 min), but all animals occasionally performed extended surface intervals. We found no diel differences in dive depth or the percentage of time spent deep diving, but whales spent significantly more time near the surface at night. Other populations of this species exhibit similar dive patterns, but with regional differences in depth, duration and inter-dive intervals. Satellite-linked tags allow for the collection of long periods of dive records, including the occurrence of anomalous behaviours, bringing new insights into the lives of these deep divers.

scholarly journals Diving behaviour of green turtles: dive depth, dive duration and activity levels

2000 ◽  
Vol 208 ◽  
pp. 297-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
GC Hays ◽  
S Hochscheid ◽  
AC Broderick ◽  
BJ Godley ◽  
JD Metcalfe
Keyword(s):  
Dive Depth ◽  
Dive Duration ◽  
Diving Behaviour ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Green Turtles

Ranging and diving behaviour of two ‘offshore’ bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops sp., off eastern Australia

2004 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
pp. 465-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter. J. Corkeron ◽  
Anthony R. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Dive Depth ◽  
Dive Duration ◽  
Diving Behaviour ◽  
Core Area ◽  
Clear Relationship ◽  
Principal Curves ◽  
Eastern Australia

This paper describes a study of the ranging and diving behaviour of two ‘offshore’ bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops sp., in the waters off south-east Queensland, determined using satellite-linked time-depth recorders attached to two animals. Animal 1's tag transmitted for 30 days, Animal 2's for 143 days. Immediately after tagging, Animal 1 swam south, reaching a point 146 km south of the point of tagging, then swam generally northwards until the tag ceased working. Animal 2's observed range covered 778 km2, with a core area of 86 km2. The greatest north–south distance between all locations for Animal 2 was 43 km. The manner in which maximum dive depth was related to dive duration was analysed using constrained principal curves. These analyses indicated that for both animals, short dives were to less than 5 m, and there was no clear relationship between dives of greater duration and depth. These dolphins appear to behave differently from ‘offshore’ bottlenose dolphins studied elsewhere.

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