{"id":12424,"date":"2024-12-17T17:59:36","date_gmt":"2024-12-17T17:59:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=12424"},"modified":"2024-12-17T18:00:39","modified_gmt":"2024-12-17T18:00:39","slug":"marine-animal-study-reveals-energy-saving-sweet-spot-for-swimming-depths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/marine-animal-study-reveals-energy-saving-sweet-spot-for-swimming-depths\/","title":{"rendered":"Marine Animal Study Reveals Energy-Saving \u2018Sweet Spot\u2019 for Swimming Depths"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">Researchers from multiple universities have uncovered that marine animals swim at optimal depths to minimize energy expenditure, following a common pattern across species. This significant finding could impact conservation strategies and our understanding of marine life behavior.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0dfbf163 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px;\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Researchers led by Swansea and Deakin Universities have made a groundbreaking discovery revealing that marine animals, including sea turtles, penguins and whales, save energy by swimming at a specific depth relative to their body size during migrations. This energy-efficient swim depth helps these animals avoid creating surface waves, therefore minimizing the drag they encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kimberley Stokes, a research officer in biosciences at Swansea University, led the research alongside Graeme Hays, a professor in marine science at Deakin University, and Nicole Esteban, an associate professor of marine biology at Swansea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The team&#8217;s findings, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/doi\/10.1073\/pnas.2413768121\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), show that many marine species swim at depths around three times their body diameter. This &#8220;sweet spot&#8221; minimizes energy loss by reducing wave formation at the surface and the vertical distance the animals need to travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere are of course examples where animal swim depth is driven by other factors, such as searching for prey, but it was exciting to find that all published examples of non-foraging air-breathing marine animals followed the predicted pattern,&#8221; Stokes said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.swansea.ac.uk\/press-office\/news-events\/news\/2024\/12\/new-study-finds-marine-animals-save-energy-by-swimming-in-a-depth-sweet-spot-.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">news release<\/a>. &#8220;This has rarely been recorded because of the difficulty in retrieving depth data from animals that migrate over large distances, so it was great to find enough examples to show a common relationship between swim depth and body size from animals across the size spectrum from 30 cm to about 20 m in length.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study involved highly accurate tracking of near-surface swim depths within 1.5 centimeters for species like the little penguin and loggerhead turtles, complemented by motion data and footage from animal-borne cameras. Satellite tracking data for long-distance migrations of green turtles and other studies on penguins and whales were also analyzed. The combined data revealed that migrating and commuting marine animals consistently swim at depths that are energy efficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This discovery aligns with the concept that additional drag from surface waves minimizes once an animal swims at depths greater than three times its diameter. However, the challenge of tracking wild animals over vast distances had previously limited the ability to confirm this with confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This significant finding offers new insights into the adaptive strategies of marine life and enhances our understanding of how these animals conserve energy over their long migratory journeys. The knowledge could inform conservation efforts by highlighting the importance of swim depth optimization in maintaining the well-being and efficiency of marine megafauna during migration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The implications of this study extend beyond academic interest; they highlight the intricate balance marine animals maintain to survive and thrive in their environments. Understanding these behaviors is crucial, especially as human activities continue to impact marine ecosystems globally.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Researchers led by Swansea and Deakin Universities have made a groundbreaking discovery revealing that marine animals, including sea turtles, penguins and whales, save energy by swimming at a specific depth relative to their body size during migrations. This energy-efficient swim depth helps these animals avoid creating surface waves, therefore minimizing the drag they encounter. Kimberley [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Researchers led by Swansea and Deakin Universities have made a groundbreaking discovery revealing that marine animals, including sea turtles, penguins and whales, save energy by swimming at a specific depth relative to their body size during migrations. This energy-efficient swim depth helps these animals avoid creating surface waves, therefore minimizing the drag they encounter. Kimberley&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12424"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12424\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12448,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12424\/revisions\/12448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}