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Environmental DNA Sampling from Whale-Watching Vessels for Cetacean Monitoring
Published on: April 10, 2026
Extreme diving of beaked whales
Peter L Tyack1, Mark Johnson, Natacha Aguilar Soto
1Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA. ptyack@whoi.edu
The Journal of Experimental Biology
|October 20, 2006
Summary
Beaked whales hunt prey using echolocation during extreme deep dives, exceeding twice their aerobic dive limit. Their natural diving behavior appears inconsistent with decompression sickness, suggesting sonar may trigger abnormal responses.
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Bioacoustics
- Diving Physiology
Background:
- Beaked whales are poorly understood, particularly their deep-diving foraging behaviors.
- Recent strandings linked to naval sonar have raised concerns about beaked whale vulnerability to decompression sickness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the acoustic behavior and dive profiles of two beaked whale species, Ziphius cavirostris and Mesoplodon densirostris.
- To assess the potential for natural deep-diving behavior to cause decompression issues in beaked whales.
Main Methods:
- Deployment of Sound-and-Orientation Recording Tags (DTAGs) on 10 beaked whales (7 Ziphius cavirostris, 3 Mesoplodon densirostris).
- Analysis of acoustic data and dive profiles from deep foraging dives and subsequent shallower dives.
Main Results:
- Both species hunt using echolocation in deep water (222-1885m), with average foraging dives of 1070m (Zc) and 835m (Md), lasting 58 min (Zc) and 47 min (Md).
- Dive durations suggest beaked whales may accrue significant oxygen debt, requiring long recovery intervals (63 min for Zc, 92 min for Md).
- Natural diving behavior is inconsistent with acute nitrogen supersaturation and embolism based on current breath-hold diving models.
Conclusions:
- Beaked whale deep-diving behavior, while extreme, does not appear inherently problematic regarding natural decompression.
- Abnormal behavioral responses to sonar may be a more likely cause of decompression issues in beaked whales than their natural diving patterns.
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