Biology & Life Sciences

Marine Megafauna: Anatomy Functional Morphology and Energetics

Published May 25, 2018 Curated Collections

This section of the Marine Megafauna collection provides examples of studies addressing the anatomy, functional morphology and energetics of large ocean organisms, highlighting the constaints of living in the ocean and how these organisms overcome these constraints.

Image Credit: David W. Johnston

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Research Articles

Research Articles

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10.1371/journal.pone.0086710

PLOS ONE Feeding Kinematics, Suction, and Hydraulic Jetting Performance of Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina)
January 24, 2014 Christopher Marshall, Sven Wieskotten, Wolf Hanke, Frederike Hanke, Alyssa Marsh, Brian Kot, Guido Dehnhardt
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10.1371/journal.pone.0069872

PLOS ONE Effect of Angle on Flow-Induced Vibrations of Pinniped Vibrissae
July 26, 2013 Christin Murphy, William Eberhardt, Benton Calhoun, Kenneth Mann, David Mann
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10.1371/journal.pone.0033259

PLOS ONE Jellyfish Support High Energy Intake of Leatherback Sea Turtles (Dermochelys coriacea): Video Evidence from Animal-Borne Cameras
March 16, 2012 Susan Heaslip, Sara Iverson, W. Don Bowen, Michael James
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10.1371/journal.pone.0063396

PLOS ONE Mitogenomic Phylogenetics of Fin Whales (Balaenoptera physalus spp.): Genetic Evidence for Revision of Subspecies
May 17, 2013 Frederick Archer, Phillip Morin, Brittany Hancock-Hanser, Kelly Robertson, Matthew Leslie, Martine Bérubé, Simone Panigada, Barbara Taylor
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10.1371/journal.pone.0031329

PLOS ONE Massive Consumption of Gelatinous Plankton by Mediterranean Apex Predators
March 21, 2012 Luis Cardona, Irene Alvarez de Quevedo, Assumpció Borrell, Alex Aguilar
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10.1371/journal.pone.0052072

PLOS ONE High Source Levels and Small Active Space of High-Pitched Song in Bowhead Whales (Balaena mysticetus)
December 26, 2012 Outi Tervo, Mads Christoffersen, Malene Simon, Lee Miller, Frants Jensen, Susan Parks, Peter Madsen
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10.1371/journal.pone.0013870

PLOS ONE Biomechanical Consequences of Rapid Evolution in the Polar Bear Lineage
November 5, 2010 Graham J. Slater, Borja Figueirido, Leeann Louis, Paul Yang, Blaire Van Valkenburgh
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10.1371/journal.pone.0034481

PLOS ONE Fused Traditional and Geometric Morphometrics Demonstrate Pinniped Whisker Diversity
April 3, 2012 Carly Ginter, Thomas DeWitt, Frank Fish, Christopher Marshall
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10.1371/journal.pone.0011927

PLOS ONE A New Acoustic Portal into the Odontocete Ear and Vibrational Analysis of the Tympanoperiotic Complex
August 4, 2010 Ted W. Cranford, Petr Krysl, Mats Amundin
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10.1371/journal.pone.0083248

PLOS ONE Blood Oxygen Depletion Is Independent of Dive Function in a Deep Diving Vertebrate, the Northern Elephant Seal
December 23, 2013 Jessica Meir, Patrick Robinson, L. Vilchis, Gerald Kooyman, Daniel Costa, Paul Ponganis
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10.1371/journal.pone.0050840

PLOS ONE “Freshwater Killer Whales”: Beaching Behavior of an Alien Fish to Hunt Land Birds
December 5, 2012 Julien Cucherousset, Stéphanie Boulêtreau, Frédéric Azémar, Arthur Compin, Mathieu Guillaume, Frederic Santoul
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10.1371/journal.pone.0020260

PLOS ONE Coordinated Movements Prevent Jamming in an Emperor Penguin Huddle
June 1, 2011 Daniel Zitterbart, Barbara Wienecke, James Butler, Ben Fabry
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10.1371/journal.pone.0067380

PLOS ONE Thresher Sharks Use Tail-Slaps as a Hunting Strategy
July 10, 2013 Simon Oliver, John Turner, Klemens Gann, Medel Silvosa, Tim D'Urban Jackson
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10.1371/journal.pone.0066043

PLOS ONE Loggerhead Turtles (Caretta caretta) Use Vision to Forage on Gelatinous Prey in Mid-Water
June 12, 2013 Tomoko Narazaki, Katsufumi Sato, Kyler Abernathy, Greg Marshall, Nobuyuki Miyazaki
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10.1371/journal.pone.0013925

PLOS ONE Behaviour and Physiology: The Thermal Strategy of Leatherback Turtles
November 10, 2010 Brian L. Bostrom, T. Todd Jones, Mervin Hastings, David R. Jones
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10.1371/journal.pone.0050096

PLOS ONE Cost of Living Dictates what Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises Eat: The Importance of Prey Quality on Predator Foraging Strategies
November 21, 2012 Jérôme SPITZ, Andrew Trites, Vanessa Becquet, Anik Brind'Amour, Yves Cherel, Robert Galois, Vincent Ridoux
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10.1371/journal.pone.0044854

PLOS ONE Metabolic Expenditures of Lunge Feeding Rorquals Across Scale: Implications for the Evolution of Filter Feeding and the Limits to Maximum Body Size
September 14, 2012 Jean Potvin, Jeremy Goldbogen, Robert Shadwick
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10.1371/journal.pbio.0050204

PLOS Biology Did Pterosaurs Feed by Skimming? Physical Modelling and Anatomical Evaluation of an Unusual Feeding Method
July 24, 2007 Stuart Humphries, Richard H. C Bonser, Mark P Witton, David M Martill
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10.1371/journal.pone.0003446

PLOS ONE Functional Dorsoventral Symmetry in Relation to Lift-Based Swimming in the Ocean Sunfish Mola mola
October 22, 2008 Yuuki Watanabe, Katsufumi Sato
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10.1371/journal.pone.0005400

PLOS ONE Scaling of Soaring Seabirds and Implications for Flight Abilities of Giant Pterosaurs
April 29, 2009 Katsufumi Sato, Kentaro Q. Sakamoto, Yutaka Watanuki, Akinori Takahashi, Nobuhiro Katsumata, Charles-André Bost, Henri Weimerskirch