This is a fossilised barnacle, or, to look at it from another perspective, the travel diary of a long dead whale.
Researchers led by Larry Taylor of the University of California, Berkeley, in the US, have discovered that the ancient barnacles – when alive, anchored on the back of a grey or humpback whale – record the changing oxygen isotope ratios of the oceans through which they travel.
This data is retained after death. In a paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Taylor and colleagues reveal that the stored isotope data represents a proxy for when and where the host whale travelled.
“We want to understand how malleable migratory behaviour has been through time, how rapidly whales have adapted to previous climate changes, and see if this can give us some clues as to how they might respond to the current changes in Earth’s climate,” says Taylor.
“How will whales cope with that, how will the food base shift, how will the whales themselves respond?”
Originally published by Cosmos as A Pleistocene GPS tracker
Cosmos
Curated content from the editorial staff at Cosmos Magazine.
Read science facts, not fiction...
There’s never been a more important time to explain the facts, cherish evidence-based knowledge and to showcase the latest scientific, technological and engineering breakthroughs. Cosmos is published by The Royal Institution of Australia, a charity dedicated to connecting people with the world of science. Financial contributions, however big or small, help us provide access to trusted science information at a time when the world needs it most. Please support us by making a donation or purchasing a subscription today.
