Severe Bone Loss as Part of the Life History Strategy of Bowhead Whales.
The evolution of baleen constituted a major evolutionary change that made it possible for baleen whales to reach enormous body sizes while filter feeding on tiny organisms and migrating over tremendous distances. Bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) live in the Arctic where the annual cycle of increa...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2016-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4917217?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1818175487921356800 |
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| author | John C George Raphaela Stimmelmayr Robert Suydam Sharon Usip Geof Givens Todd Sformo J G M Thewissen |
| author_facet | John C George Raphaela Stimmelmayr Robert Suydam Sharon Usip Geof Givens Todd Sformo J G M Thewissen |
| author_sort | John C George |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The evolution of baleen constituted a major evolutionary change that made it possible for baleen whales to reach enormous body sizes while filter feeding on tiny organisms and migrating over tremendous distances. Bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) live in the Arctic where the annual cycle of increasing and decreasing ice cover affects their habitat, prey, and migration. During the nursing period, bowheads grow rapidly; but between weaning and approximately year 5, bowhead whales display sustained baleen and head growth while limiting growth in the rest of their bodies. During this period, they withdraw resources from the skeleton, in particular the ribs, which may lose 40% of bone mass. Such dramatic changes in bones of immature mammals are rare, although fossil cetaceans between 40 and 50 million years ago show an array of rib specializations that include bone loss and are usually interpreted as related to buoyancy control. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T20:01:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-76e0426367f24a03b76ab952d9f6f601 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T20:01:05Z |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-76e0426367f24a03b76ab952d9f6f6012022-12-22T00:52:31ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032016-01-01116e015675310.1371/journal.pone.0156753Severe Bone Loss as Part of the Life History Strategy of Bowhead Whales.John C GeorgeRaphaela StimmelmayrRobert SuydamSharon UsipGeof GivensTodd SformoJ G M ThewissenThe evolution of baleen constituted a major evolutionary change that made it possible for baleen whales to reach enormous body sizes while filter feeding on tiny organisms and migrating over tremendous distances. Bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) live in the Arctic where the annual cycle of increasing and decreasing ice cover affects their habitat, prey, and migration. During the nursing period, bowheads grow rapidly; but between weaning and approximately year 5, bowhead whales display sustained baleen and head growth while limiting growth in the rest of their bodies. During this period, they withdraw resources from the skeleton, in particular the ribs, which may lose 40% of bone mass. Such dramatic changes in bones of immature mammals are rare, although fossil cetaceans between 40 and 50 million years ago show an array of rib specializations that include bone loss and are usually interpreted as related to buoyancy control.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4917217?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | John C George Raphaela Stimmelmayr Robert Suydam Sharon Usip Geof Givens Todd Sformo J G M Thewissen Severe Bone Loss as Part of the Life History Strategy of Bowhead Whales. PLoS ONE |
| title | Severe Bone Loss as Part of the Life History Strategy of Bowhead Whales. |
| title_full | Severe Bone Loss as Part of the Life History Strategy of Bowhead Whales. |
| title_fullStr | Severe Bone Loss as Part of the Life History Strategy of Bowhead Whales. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Severe Bone Loss as Part of the Life History Strategy of Bowhead Whales. |
| title_short | Severe Bone Loss as Part of the Life History Strategy of Bowhead Whales. |
| title_sort | severe bone loss as part of the life history strategy of bowhead whales |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4917217?pdf=render |
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