Pyenson, N. D., J. A. Goldbogen, A. W. Vogl, G. Szathmary, R. L. Drake and R. E. Shadwick. 2012. Discovery of a sensory organ that coordinates lunge-feeding in rorqual whales. Nature 485: 498-501. doi: 10.1038/nature11135
This webpage offers additional content for print and news media covering our recent paper, featured on the cover of Nature's 24 May 2012 issue, about the discovery of a new sensory organ in the jaws of rorqual whales.
See the Publications and Media page for links to media coverage of the paper, including articles and radio interviews.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why is this discovery significant?
Rorqual whales (such as blue whales, fin whales and humpback whales) are among the largest vertebrates of all-time. Despite decades of sustained hunting that provided countless opportunities to document their natural history, details of their biomechanics and morphology have remained obscure. Our findings describe a new sensory organ in the jaws of rorqual whales that plays a crucial role in how they feed by lunging and gulping prey-laden water. Our research found that this organ, located within the rorqual’s chin, has mechanoreceptors that communicate to the brain the dramatic changes in jaw position and throat pouch expansion during a lunge. Notably, such coordination was predicted by mathematical models of lunge-feeding based in parachute physics. These findings reveal more about the evolutionary sequence of these key traits that allowed rorqual whales to become the largest vertebrates ever.
How did we discover it?
Our research team collected rorqual tissue from commercial catch operations in Iceland in 2009 and 2010. (These tissues would have otherwise been discarded as part of the standard processing of whale carcasses). We dissected and recorded observation on these tissues in Iceland, and then returned additional samples, under CITES permits, to our research laboratories in Canada, where we used digital imaging techniques (such as X-ray computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging) and histology to better understand the anatomy of these unusual features. CT and MRI scans showed us the configuration of blood vessels and nerves that entered this new organ from the jaws; they also confirmed that this organ has asymmetric blood vessels and nerves.
What are the most important conclusions of our study?
1. The new organ is an integrated, functional unit composed of different tissue types, including blood vessels, mechanoreceptors with nerves, and a gel-like cavity between the separated jaws within the chin. The organ is ideally located between jaw bones and specialized features of the throat pouch to coordinate all of these structures during the opening and closing of the mouth. Thus, the new sensory organ reveals a key piece about how the largest vertebrates ever feed.
2. The new sensory organ provides an explanation for how rorquals actively control the expansion of their throat pouch and mouth during lunge feeding, which is a result that was suggested by previous studies using theoretical calculations of their feeding and field studies of their diving profiles during feeding bouts.
3. This organ is unique because its constituent parts are found in no other living whale or mammal.
What does our study NOT say?
1. Our study does not tell us how nor why whales evolved to such extremely large body sizes.
2. Our study does not say how the brain processes information from this new organ. Experimental studies on living rorqual whales are not feasible.
3. Our study does not say that all whales have this organ. To date, the only whales that have this organ are rorquals, a group that includes species such as minke whales, sei whales, humpback whales, fin whales and blue whales.
Images available for media
Using the captions and credits below, the following images may be used freely for media purposes. Click on any image for a full-sized version.
Scientists from the University of British Columbia and the Smithsonian Institution collecting field data in Iceland. Left to right: Robert E. Shadwick (UBC), Jeremy A. Goldbogen (now at Cascadia Research Collective) and Nicholas D. Pyenson (Smithsonian Institution). Photo credit: A. Wayne Vogl and Nicholas D. Pyenson / Smithsonian Institution.
Scientists from the University of British Columbia and the Smithsonian Institution dissect tissue samples from the chin of a fin whale in Iceland. Left to right: Robert E. Shadwick (UBC), A. Wayne Vogl (UBC) and Nicholas D. Pyenson (Smithsonian Institution). Photo credit: Jeremy A. Goldbogen and Nicholas D. Pyenson / Smithsonian Institution.
Scientists from the University of British Columbia and the Smithsonian Instiution point to a ridge of tissue sampled from the throat pouch a fin whale (background) in Iceland. Left to right: Jeremy A. Goldbogen (Cascadia Research Collective), A. Wayne Vogl (UBC) and Robert E. Shadwick (UBC). Photo credit: Nicholas D. Pyenson / Smithsonian Institution.
A new sensory organ, found within the chin of rorqual whales, is responsible for coordinating the biomechanics of their extreme lunge-feeding strategy. Left, a fin whale after lunging; right, anatomy of the new sensory organ. Art by Carl Buell, arranged by Nicholas D. Pyenson / Smithsonian Institution.