Navigation Links
A whale of a discovery: New sensory organ found in rorqual whales
Date:5/23/2012

Scientists at the University of British Columbia and the Smithsonian Institution have discovered a sensory organ in rorqual whales that coordinates its signature lunge-feeding behaviour and may help explain their enormous size.

Rorquals are a subgroup of baleen whales including blue, fin, minke and humpback whales. They are characterized by a special, accordion-like blubber layer that goes from the snout to the navel. The blubber expands up to several times its resting length to allow the whales to engulf large quantities of prey-laden water, which is then expelled through the baleen to filter krill and fish.

The study, to be featured on the cover of the journal Nature, details the discovery of an organ at the tip of the whale's chin, lodged in the ligamentous tissue that connects their two jaws.

NB: Illustrations of lunge-feeding and the location of the sensory organ, photos of the researchers at work at the Icelandic whaling station and a comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions are available at http://nmnh.typepad.com/pyenson_lab/nature-rorquals-organ.html.

Samples were collected from recently deceased fin and minke whale carcasses captured as part of Icelandic commercial whaling operations. Commercial whaling in Iceland resumed in 2006 and quotas are determined annually by its government.

Scanning of the whale's chin revealed a grape fruit-sized sensory organ, located between the tips of the jaws, and supplied by neurovascular tissue.

The research team was assisted by technicians at FPInnovations, the owner of Canada's only X-ray computed tomography (XRCT) machine large enough to accommodate the massive specimens. Used to scan giant logs, the XRCT machine provides a three dimensional map of the internal structure of whale tissues.

"We think this sensory organ sends information to the brain in order to coordinate the complex mechanism of lunge-feeding, which involves rotating the jaws, inver
'/>"/>

Contact: Heather Amos
heather.amos@ubc.ca
604-822-3213
University of British Columbia
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. Whale population size, dynamics determined based on ancient DNA
2. Study amplifies understanding of hearing in baleen whales
3. New iPad, iPhone app helps mariners avoid endangered right whales
4. How to make high-end perfumes without whale barf
5. Ancient whale species sheds new light on its modern relatives
6. Giant squids giant eyes: The better to see hungry whales with
7. Genetic survey of endangered Antarctic blue whales shows surprising diversity
8. Blue whale behavior affected by man-made noise
9. What do killer whales eat in the Arctic?
10. Can we save the whales by putting a price on them?
11. Details of ancient shark attack preserved in fossil whale bone
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
(Date:5/22/2013)... A new, streamlined approach to genetic engineering drastically ... new genes into bacteria, the workhorses of biotechnology, ... ACS Synthetic Biology , the method paves the ... for drug development, environmental cleanup and other activities. ... or integrating, a piece of the genetic material ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... on how climate change will affect interactions between species ... Journal of Animal Ecology . This knowledge, they say, ... of how species are likely to be impacted by ... recognition among biologists that climate change is affecting how ... going to have very important consequences for the stability ...
(Date:5/21/2013)... known for a long time that some creatures evolve ... particularly for plants. But it may be that height ... University and the U. S. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center. ... May in the journal Nature Communications , Lanfear ... , Drawing from a database of global patterns in ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):UCLA life scientists present new insights on climate change and species interactions 2UCLA life scientists present new insights on climate change and species interactions 3UCLA life scientists present new insights on climate change and species interactions 4UCLA life scientists present new insights on climate change and species interactions 5Small but speedy: Short plants live in the evolutionary fast lane 2
... Graduate Assistance in Area of National Need program has ... $783,000 to support a new graduate fellowship training program ... the next three years. An additional 25 percent ... of Biology and K-State,s office of research and sponsored ...
... be available to the medical community to help in ... brain, such as stroke, dementia, and traumatic brain injury. ... the Multimodal Pressure-Flow (MMPF) technique for analysis of dynamic ... constant blood flow despite changes in arterial blood pressurethat ...
... University scientists have won a $1.5 million grant from ... A virus for clues that could lead to more ... year,s pandemic H1N1 variety, some seasonal varieties and the ... biochemists in the laboratory of Rice,s Jane Tao will ...
Cached Biology News:K-State receives more than $780,000 to fund graduate students studying ecology, evolution, genomics 2NASA technology key component of new diagnostic aid from DynaDx 2NASA technology key component of new diagnostic aid from DynaDx 3Flu focus: NIH project aims for better drugs 2
(Date:5/22/2013)...   Oligomerix, Inc. , a privately held ... for Alzheimer,s disease (AD) and related neurodegenerative disorders, ... financing, which includes both issuance of new convertible ... $2.8M in new investments in the Company.  Both ... Funding from the Series B ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... and NEW ORLEANS , ... in the field of regenerative medicine, presented new data ... from Analysis Group (a leading health economics consultancy) demonstrating ... foot ulcers (DFU) and venous leg ulcers (VLU) place ... results of this research, which reveal annual costs of ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... 22, 2013 AudioNotch ... for tinnitus treatment. AudioNotch is pleased to announce ... clinic locations in both British Columbia and Alberta, ... and hearing services. AudioNotch's tinnitus treatment program is ... entering a Destination Hearing clinic, patients have the ...
(Date:5/22/2013)... Alton Housing Authority was hit by bed bugs. A ... their presence has already caused the company $35,000 for treatment. ... spending, My Cleaning Products shared a way how to ... the report that to clear the infestation , the ... employees also attended a mandatory training on bed bugs, it ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Oligomerix, Inc. Completes Series B Financing 2Oligomerix, Inc. Completes Series B Financing 3Organogenesis Presents Findings from Groundbreaking Research Highlighting the Healthcare Resource and Economic Burden of Venous Leg Ulcers and Diabetic Foot Ulcers 2Organogenesis Presents Findings from Groundbreaking Research Highlighting the Healthcare Resource and Economic Burden of Venous Leg Ulcers and Diabetic Foot Ulcers 3Organogenesis Presents Findings from Groundbreaking Research Highlighting the Healthcare Resource and Economic Burden of Venous Leg Ulcers and Diabetic Foot Ulcers 4AudioNotch Tinnitus Treatment Launches Partnership With Destination Hearing 2Bed Bugs Cost Alton Housing Authority $35,000; New Help, How to Kill Bed Bugs With Less Expense, Introduced by My Cleaning Products 2
... plants and animals grew far more complex than their ... across species finds that complex organisms, including humans, have ... long journey from microbe to man. The study, ... introduction of errors into proteins, rather than traditional natural ...
... 18, 2011 Children at Paterson Public School No. ... efforts of more than 200 volunteers from Roche, New ... and organizers from non-profit KaBOOM!. The new playground provides ... 5 as well as children living in the neighborhood ...
... Netsmart Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of ... organizations, today named Geminus Corporation of Merrillville, Ind., as ... Award. The award recognizes organizations for their use of ... new and creative ways to effectively address client needs, ...
Cached Biology Technology:Errors in protein structure sparked evolution of biological complexity 2Errors in protein structure sparked evolution of biological complexity 3Designed by Kids, Built by Volunteers: Roche, New Jersey Community Development Corporation, and KaBOOM! Build New Playground in Just One Day for Paterson Public School Children 2Designed by Kids, Built by Volunteers: Roche, New Jersey Community Development Corporation, and KaBOOM! Build New Playground in Just One Day for Paterson Public School Children 3Designed by Kids, Built by Volunteers: Roche, New Jersey Community Development Corporation, and KaBOOM! Build New Playground in Just One Day for Paterson Public School Children 4Geminus Corporation Named Recipient of Second Annual Netsmart Technologies Customer Innovation Award 2Geminus Corporation Named Recipient of Second Annual Netsmart Technologies Customer Innovation Award 3Geminus Corporation Named Recipient of Second Annual Netsmart Technologies Customer Innovation Award 4