The energetic cost of swimming at high speed when startled may be a factor in strandings of dolphins and whales
Thursday, March 16, 2017 - 07:31
in Biology & Nature
Dolphins swimming at top speed use more than twice the amount of energy per fin beat than dolphins swimming at a more relaxed pace, according to a study by scientists at UC Santa Cruz. The researchers also found that startled beaked whales fleeing human noises use 30.5 percent more energy during the flight, suggesting that the high cost of escape could contribute to recent dolphin and whale strandings.