Open Access

Science

, volume 366 , issue 6471 , pages 1367-1372

Why whales are big but not bigger: Physiological drivers and ecological limits in the age of ocean giants

Jeremy A. Goldbogen ¹

David E. Cade ¹

Danuta M. Wisniewska ¹

Jean Potvin ²

Paolo S. Segre ¹

Matthew S. Savoca ¹

Elliott L. Hazen ^{1, 3, 4}

Max F. Czapanskiy ¹

Shirel Kahane-Rapport ¹

Stacy L. DeRuiter ⁵

Shane Gero ⁶

Pernille Tønnesen ⁶

William T. Gough ¹

M. B. Hanson ⁷

Marla M. Holt ⁷

Frants H. Jensen ⁸

Malene Simon ⁹

Alison Stimpert ¹⁰

P. Arranz ¹¹

David W. Johnston ¹²

Douglas P. Nowacek ¹³

Susan Parks ¹⁴

Fleur Visser ^{15, 16, 17}

A. S. Friedlaender ⁴

Peter L. Tyack ¹⁸

Peter J. Madsen ^{6, 19}

Nicholas D. Pyenson ^{20, 21}

Hide authors affiliations Show authors affiliations: 21 affiliations

Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA. |

Department of Physics, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA. |

Environmental Research Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Monterey, CA, USA. |

⁴

Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA. |

⁵

Mathematics and Statistics Department, Calvin University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA. |

⁶

Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. |

⁷

Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA, USA. |

⁸

Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA. |

⁹

Greenland Climate Research Centre, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk, Greenland. |

¹⁰

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Moss Landing, CA, USA. |

¹¹

Biodiversity, Marine Ecology and Conservation Group, Department of Animal Biology, University of La Laguna, La Laguna, Spain. |

¹²

Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, NC, USA. |

¹³

Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA. |

¹⁴

Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA. |

¹⁵

Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, IBED, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands. |

¹⁶

Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ and Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.

Utrecht University

Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research

¹⁷

Kelp Marine Research, Hoorn, Netherlands. |

¹⁸

Sea Mammal Research Unit, School of Biology, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK. |

¹⁹

Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark. |

²⁰

Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA. |

²¹

Department of Paleontology and Geology, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, WA, USA. |

Publication type: Journal Article

Publication date: 2019-12-13

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Science

scimago Q1

wos Q1

SJR: 10.416

CiteScore: 48.4

Impact factor: 45.8

ISSN: 00368075, 10959203

DOI: 10.1126/science.aax9044

Copy DOI

PubMed ID: 31831666

Multidisciplinary

Abstract

It's the prey that matters

Although many people think of dinosaurs as being the largest creatures to have lived on Earth, the true largest known animal is still here today—the blue whale. How whales were able to become so large has long been of interest. Goldbogen et al. used field-collected data on feeding and diving events across different types of whales to calculate rates of energy gain (see the Perspective by Williams). They found that increased body size facilitates increased prey capture. Furthermore, body-size increase in the marine environment appears to be limited only by prey availability.

Science , this issue p. 1367 ; see also p. 1316

Found

4 citations

Werth Alexander

PhD in Biological/biomedical sciences, professor

55 publications, 1 248 citations, 217 reviews

h-index: 19

1 citation

Prieto Rui

72 publications, 1 830 citations

h-index: 25

Universidade dos Açores

Norwegian Institute of Marine Research

Top-30

Journals

	2 4 6 8 10 12
Journal of Experimental Biology	Journal of Experimental Biology, 12, 9.02% Journal of Experimental Biology 12 publications, 9.02%
Marine Ecology - Progress Series	Marine Ecology - Progress Series, 6, 4.51% Marine Ecology - Progress Series 6 publications, 4.51%
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences	Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 5, 3.76% Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 5 publications, 3.76%
Science advances	Science advances, 5, 3.76% Science advances 5 publications, 3.76%
PeerJ	PeerJ, 4, 3.01% PeerJ 4 publications, 3.01%
Science	Science, 4, 3.01% Science 4 publications, 3.01%
Frontiers in Marine Science	Frontiers in Marine Science, 4, 3.01% Frontiers in Marine Science 4 publications, 3.01%
Current Biology	Current Biology, 4, 3.01% Current Biology 4 publications, 3.01%
Nature Communications	Nature Communications, 3, 2.26% Nature Communications 3 publications, 2.26%
Scientific Reports	Scientific Reports, 3, 2.26% Scientific Reports 3 publications, 2.26%
Integrative Organismal Biology	Integrative Organismal Biology, 3, 2.26% Integrative Organismal Biology 3 publications, 2.26%
Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Odontocetes	Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Odontocetes, 3, 2.26% Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Odontocetes 3 publications, 2.26%
Biology Letters	Biology Letters, 2, 1.5% Biology Letters 2 publications, 1.5%
Conservation Physiology	Conservation Physiology, 2, 1.5% Conservation Physiology 2 publications, 1.5%
Ecology Letters	Ecology Letters, 2, 1.5% Ecology Letters 2 publications, 1.5%
Nature	Nature, 2, 1.5% Nature 2 publications, 1.5%
Nature Ecology and Evolution	Nature Ecology and Evolution, 2, 1.5% Nature Ecology and Evolution 2 publications, 1.5%
Functional Ecology	Functional Ecology, 2, 1.5% Functional Ecology 2 publications, 1.5%
Ecology and Evolution	Ecology and Evolution, 2, 1.5% Ecology and Evolution 2 publications, 1.5%
Biological Reviews	Biological Reviews, 2, 1.5% Biological Reviews 2 publications, 1.5%
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2, 1.5% Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2 publications, 1.5%
Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics	Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 2, 1.5% Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 2 publications, 1.5%
Movement Ecology	Movement Ecology, 2, 1.5% Movement Ecology 2 publications, 1.5%
Canadian Journal of Zoology	Canadian Journal of Zoology, 1, 0.75% Canadian Journal of Zoology 1 publication, 0.75%
Royal Society Open Science	Royal Society Open Science, 1, 0.75% Royal Society Open Science 1 publication, 0.75%
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences	Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 1, 0.75% Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 1 publication, 0.75%
Annual Review of Animal Biosciences	Annual Review of Animal Biosciences, 1, 0.75% Annual Review of Animal Biosciences 1 publication, 0.75%
American Journal of Physics	American Journal of Physics, 1, 0.75% American Journal of Physics 1 publication, 0.75%
Drones	Drones, 1, 0.75% Drones 1 publication, 0.75%
	2 4 6 8 10 12

Publishers

	5 10 15 20 25
Springer Nature	Springer Nature, 22, 16.54% Springer Nature 22 publications, 16.54%
Wiley	Wiley, 20, 15.04% Wiley 20 publications, 15.04%
Elsevier	Elsevier, 16, 12.03% Elsevier 16 publications, 12.03%
The Company of Biologists	The Company of Biologists, 12, 9.02% The Company of Biologists 12 publications, 9.02%
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)	American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 10, 7.52% American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 10 publications, 7.52%
The Royal Society	The Royal Society, 9, 6.77% The Royal Society 9 publications, 6.77%
Oxford University Press	Oxford University Press, 8, 6.02% Oxford University Press 8 publications, 6.02%
Frontiers Media S.A.	Frontiers Media S.A., 6, 4.51% Frontiers Media S.A. 6 publications, 4.51%
Inter-Research Science Center	Inter-Research Science Center, 6, 4.51% Inter-Research Science Center 6 publications, 4.51%
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory	Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 5, 3.76% Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 5 publications, 3.76%
PeerJ	PeerJ, 4, 3.01% PeerJ 4 publications, 3.01%
Annual Reviews	Annual Reviews, 3, 2.26% Annual Reviews 3 publications, 2.26%
MDPI	MDPI, 2, 1.5% MDPI 2 publications, 1.5%
Public Library of Science (PLoS)	Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2, 1.5% Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2 publications, 1.5%
Taylor & Francis	Taylor & Francis, 2, 1.5% Taylor & Francis 2 publications, 1.5%
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 2, 1.5% Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) 2 publications, 1.5%
Canadian Science Publishing	Canadian Science Publishing, 1, 0.75% Canadian Science Publishing 1 publication, 0.75%
American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT)	American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), 1, 0.75% American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) 1 publication, 0.75%
	5 10 15 20 25

We do not take into account publications without a DOI.
Statistics recalculated weekly.

Are you a researcher?

Create a profile to get free access to personal recommendations for colleagues and new articles.

PDF

Metrics

133

Cite this

GOST |

Cite this

GOST Copy

Goldbogen J. A. et al. Why whales are big but not bigger: Physiological drivers and ecological limits in the age of ocean giants // Science. 2019. Vol. 366. No. 6471. pp. 1367-1372.

GOST all authors (up to 50) Copy

Goldbogen J. A., Cade D. E., Wisniewska D. M., Potvin J., Segre P. S., Savoca M. S., Hazen E. L., Czapanskiy M. F., Kahane-Rapport S., DeRuiter S. L., Gero S., Tønnesen P., Gough W. T., Hanson M. B., Holt M. M., Jensen F. H., Simon M., Stimpert A., Arranz P., Johnston D. W., Nowacek D. P., Parks S., Visser F., Friedlaender A. S., Tyack P. L., Madsen P. J., Pyenson N. D. Why whales are big but not bigger: Physiological drivers and ecological limits in the age of ocean giants // Science. 2019. Vol. 366. No. 6471. pp. 1367-1372.

RIS |

Cite this

RIS Copy

TY - JOUR

DO - 10.1126/science.aax9044

UR - https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aax9044

TI - Why whales are big but not bigger: Physiological drivers and ecological limits in the age of ocean giants

T2 - Science

AU - Goldbogen, Jeremy A.

AU - Cade, David E.

AU - Wisniewska, Danuta M.

AU - Potvin, Jean

AU - Segre, Paolo S.

AU - Savoca, Matthew S.

AU - Hazen, Elliott L.

AU - Czapanskiy, Max F.

AU - Kahane-Rapport, Shirel

AU - DeRuiter, Stacy L.

AU - Gero, Shane

AU - Tønnesen, Pernille

AU - Gough, William T.

AU - Hanson, M. B.

AU - Holt, Marla M.

AU - Jensen, Frants H.

AU - Simon, Malene

AU - Stimpert, Alison

AU - Arranz, P.

AU - Johnston, David W.

AU - Nowacek, Douglas P.

AU - Parks, Susan

AU - Visser, Fleur

AU - Friedlaender, A. S.

AU - Tyack, Peter L.

AU - Madsen, Peter J.

AU - Pyenson, Nicholas D.

PY - 2019

DA - 2019/12/13

PB - American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

SP - 1367-1372

IS - 6471

VL - 366

PMID - 31831666

SN - 0036-8075

SN - 1095-9203

ER -

BibTex |

Cite this

BibTex (up to 50 authors) Copy

@article{2019_Goldbogen,

author = {Jeremy A. Goldbogen and David E. Cade and Danuta M. Wisniewska and Jean Potvin and Paolo S. Segre and Matthew S. Savoca and Elliott L. Hazen and Max F. Czapanskiy and Shirel Kahane-Rapport and Stacy L. DeRuiter and Shane Gero and Pernille Tønnesen and William T. Gough and M. B. Hanson and Marla M. Holt and Frants H. Jensen and Malene Simon and Alison Stimpert and P. Arranz and David W. Johnston and Douglas P. Nowacek and Susan Parks and Fleur Visser and A. S. Friedlaender and Peter L. Tyack and Peter J. Madsen and Nicholas D. Pyenson},

title = {Why whales are big but not bigger: Physiological drivers and ecological limits in the age of ocean giants},

journal = {Science},

year = {2019},

volume = {366},

publisher = {American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)},

month = {dec},

url = {https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aax9044},

number = {6471},

pages = {1367--1372},

doi = {10.1126/science.aax9044}

}

MLA

Cite this

MLA Copy

Goldbogen, Jeremy A., et al. “Why whales are big but not bigger: Physiological drivers and ecological limits in the age of ocean giants.” Science, vol. 366, no. 6471, Dec. 2019, pp. 1367-1372. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aax9044.

Publisher

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Journal

Science

scimago Q1

wos Q1

SJR

10.416

CiteScore

48.4

Impact factor

45.8

ISSN

00368075 (Print)

10959203 (Electronic)