MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Marine biologists from Japan, the United States, and France have discovered several species of marine life swim in circles or spirals. The types of animals range from the Green Sea Turtle to the King Penguin.
The study was published recently in iScience.
Tomojo Narazaki from the University of Tokoyo had been studying a Green Sea Turtle that had been tagged. She and her colleagues had displaced the turtle and discovered it made 26 circles near an African Island while searching for a place to lay eggs.
She brought the findings back to her lab only to discover that other colleagues had been seeing similar patterns in several other species of marine life. The team went back more than a decade using 3-D data logging devices attached to ten species of marine animals. They reconstructed and analyzed the circles & spirals.
The behavior in some of the animals can be explained in some of the animals. For example, Tiger Sharks and humpback whales swim in circles to trap prey. Meanwhile, the spiral swimming of some animals was a bit more difficult to explain in some animals - like the sea turtle. It had been displaced and only made circles as it neared the island -- perhaps mapping out the area/magnetic field.
The swimming pattern of a Cuvier Beaked Whale was also observed. Scientists found that one whale had made a straight shot up from a deep dive - only to swim in a corkscrew as it neared the water’s surface. Scientists think the whale might be trying to prevent decompression sickness from ascending too fast. Others think it may have something to do with keeping track of the whale’s companions and avoiding predators.
Scientists behind the study say further study of each individual species and environmental factors could explain more of their swimming habits.
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