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Feeding Strategies of Baleen Whales Through a Behavioral Ecology and Evolutionary Lens

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Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Mysticetes

Part of the book series: Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Marine Mammals ((EBEMM))

Abstract

Baleen whales are some of the largest animals to have lived on the planet. They have evolved a feeding mechanism that allows for large amounts of prey-laden water to be processed, which in turn promotes extraordinary energetic gains and helps promote the evolution of gigantic body size. To contextualize the feeding strategies that baleen whales exhibit, it is imperative to first understand the evolution of baleen and filter feeding, how and why it developed, and how it has provided the foundation for the behaviors that are observed today across a range of species in varying habitats. Our first glimpses into baleen whale underwater foraging behavior initially came from a combination of at-sea visual observations and thorough examination of the anatomy and functional morphology of feeding structures in fossil and extant species. More recently, biologging tools have opened new doors to quantify and measure the biomechanics, timing, rates, organization, performance, and energetics of feeding behavior. Most importantly, this emergent technology has allowed researchers to understand how baleen whale behavior is influenced by and relates to their environment and prey. These insights are fundamentally changing our understanding of the roles of baleen whales in ocean ecosystems and provide valuable information for mitigating the negative impacts that human activity has on the health of baleen whales. The continued development of technologies provide greater opportunity to learn how we can use these mammalian giants as sentinels of ocean health.

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Acknowledgements

I thank my friends, colleagues, mentors, and students with whom I have shared innumerable conversations about science, marine mammals, and our natural world. You have all inspired me and taught me so much more than I ever thought I could learn. I am grateful for your advice and wisdom, your ideas and thoughts, and most of all your support. My thanks to the funders and granting agencies that have supported the numerous field projects that are represented throughout this chapter. And to Caroline, thank you for giving me the shoulders to stand on.

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  1. Ocean Sciences Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA

    Ari S. Friedlaender

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  1. Ari S. Friedlaender
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Correspondence to Ari S. Friedlaender .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. K. Kisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

    Christopher W. Clark

  2. Sea Mammal Research Unit, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK

    Ellen C. Garland

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Friedlaender, A.S. (2022). Feeding Strategies of Baleen Whales Through a Behavioral Ecology and Evolutionary Lens. In: Clark, C.W., Garland, E.C. (eds) Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Mysticetes . Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Marine Mammals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-98449-6_5

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