Meeting Abstract
Maneuverability is one of the most important but least understood aspects of locomotion. Because of their enormous size, blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) are often characterized as highly stable, open-ocean swimmers who exchange maneuverability for long-distance cruising performance. However, recent advances in biologging sensors have revealed that blue whales use surprisingly acrobatic maneuvers for catching their prey. Yet, little is known about the performance limitations, the control, and the execution of these maneuvers. Using suction-cup attached multi-sensor tags equipped with cameras we investigated the timing and movement of the flippers, flukes, and body axis used by feeding blue whales (n=14) to perform a suite of simple and complex maneuvers. To perform longitudinal axis rolls, blue whales use asymmetric lift generated by the extended flippers, the flukes are not used, and the body does not flex or extend. Blue whales perform pitch changes by using their extended flippers to generate lift in conjunction with asymmetric fluke strokes and a flexed or extended body. Most yaw changes are performed by rolling the body into the direction of the turn and using a laterally directed, upward pitch change with a dorsally extended body. In contrast, while turning at the surface, blue whales use lower performance, non-banked turns performed by flexing their body laterally. To maneuver along complex trajectories, such as those used to perform a series of breaths or to approach and engulf their prey, blue whales combine sequences of simple maneuvers around the roll, pitch, and yaw axes.
