Estimating maximal force output of cetaceans using axial locomotor muscle morphology. Issue 4 (6th May 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Arthur, Logan H.; Mclellan, William A.; Piscitelli, Marina A.; Rommel, Sentiel A.; Woodward, Becky L.; Winn, Jeremy P.; Potter, Charles W.; Ann Pabst, D.
• Is Part Of: Marine mammal science. Volume 31:Issue 4(2015)
• Page Start: 1401
• Page End: 1426
• Publication Date: 2015-05-06
• Subjects: Marine mammals -- Congresses; Marine mammals -- Periodicals; Marine mammals, Fossil -- Periodicals; Mammifères marins -- Périodiques; 599.5
• DOI: 10.1111/mms.12230
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0824-0469

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="mms12230-abs-0001"> <title>Abstract</title> <p>Cetaceans span a large range of body sizes and include species with the largest known locomotor muscles. To date, force output and thrust production have only been directly measured in the common bottlenose dolphin (<italic>Tursiops truncatus</italic>), although thrust forces have been hydrodynamically modeled for some whales. In this study, two metrics of epaxial muscle size—cross‐sectional area (CSA) and mass—were used to estimate force output for 22 species (<italic>n </italic>=<italic> </italic>83 specimens) ranging in size from bottlenose dolphins to blue whales (<italic>Balaenoptera musculus</italic>). Relative to total body length (TL), maximum force output estimated based upon both muscle CSA (TL^{1.56 ± 0.05}) and mass (TL^{2.64 ± 0.07}) scaled at rates lower than those predicted by geometric scaling, suggesting relative force output decreases with increasing body size in cetaceans. Estimated maximal force outputs were compared to both published drag forces and to the breaking strengths of commercial fishing lines known to entangle whales. The breaking strengths of these lines are within the same order of magnitude, and in some cases, exceed the estimated maximal force output of whales. These results suggest that while powerful animals, large whales may be unable to break the extremely strong fishing line used today.</p> </abstract>