Amy Cutting
Nicole Nicassio-Hiskey
Amy Hash
Terrie M. Williams
Anthony M. Pagano
2019
<p><span>Most marine mammals rely on swimming as their primary form of locomotion. These animals have evolved specialized morphologies, physiologies, and behaviors that have enabled them to efficiently move through an aquatic environment (Williams </span><span><a class="bibLink tab-link" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12556#mms12556-bib-0056" data-tab="pane-pcw-references" data-mce-href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12556#mms12556-bib-0056">1999</a></span><span>). Such adaptations include body streamlining, modified plantar surfaces for propulsion, and abilities to remain submerged for extended durations (Williams </span><span><a class="bibLink tab-link" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12556#mms12556-bib-0055" data-tab="pane-pcw-references" data-mce-href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12556#mms12556-bib-0055">1989</a></span><span>). As a result of these adaptations, many marine mammal species exhibit minimal increases in metabolism at routine swim speeds relative to resting rates (Williams </span><i>et al</i><span>. </span><span><a class="bibLink tab-link" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12556#mms12556-bib-0058" data-tab="pane-pcw-references" data-mce-href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12556#mms12556-bib-0058">1992</a></span><span>, </span><span><a class="bibLink tab-link" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12556#mms12556-bib-0059" data-tab="pane-pcw-references" data-mce-href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12556#mms12556-bib-0059">2017</a></span><span>; Yazdi </span><i>et al</i><span>. </span><span><a class="bibLink tab-link" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12556#mms12556-bib-0061" data-tab="pane-pcw-references" data-mce-href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12556#mms12556-bib-0061">1999</a></span><span>). Contrary to most marine mammals, polar bears (</span><i>Ursus maritimus</i><span>) rely on walking as their primary form of locomotion. As a consequence, they exhibit little evidence of body streamlining or abilities to remain submerged for extended durations. The longest dive recorded for a polar bear is 3 min and 10 s (Stirling and van Meurs </span><span><a class="bibLink tab-link" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12556#mms12556-bib-0050" data-tab="pane-pcw-references" data-mce-href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12556#mms12556-bib-0050">2015</a></span><span>), a relatively brief period compared to other marine mammals (Ponganis </span><span><a class="bibLink tab-link" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12556#mms12556-bib-0041" data-tab="pane-pcw-references" data-mce-href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12556#mms12556-bib-0041">2015</a></span><span>). Nevertheless, polar bears do exhibit large forepaws (DeMaster and Stirling </span><span><a class="bibLink tab-link" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12556#mms12556-bib-0006" data-tab="pane-pcw-references" data-mce-href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12556#mms12556-bib-0006">1981</a></span><span>), lower and flatter heads (Slater </span><i>et al</i><span>. </span><span><a class="bibLink tab-link" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12556#mms12556-bib-0046" data-tab="pane-pcw-references" data-mce-href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12556#mms12556-bib-0046">2010</a></span><span>), and more dense forelimb bones (Wall </span><span><a class="bibLink tab-link" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12556#mms12556-bib-0051" data-tab="pane-pcw-references" data-mce-href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12556#mms12556-bib-0051">1983</a></span><span>) relative to other bear species, potentially as adaptations for swimming. Polar bears further exhibit some distinct physiological and behavioral adaptations from other bear species likely as a consequence of their marine existence (Pagano </span><i>et al</i><span>. </span><span><a class="bibLink tab-link" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12556#mms12556-bib-0036" data-tab="pane-pcw-references" data-mce-href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mms.12556#mms12556-bib-0036">2018<i>a</i></a></span><span>).</span></p>
application/pdf
10.1111/mms.12556
en
Society for Marine Mammalogy
Energetic costs of aquatic locomotion in a subadult polar bear
article