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Sea animals: Different sizes andshapes, same steps
Image 1. This baby sea turtle has a tracker attached to it. Scientists use tracking devices like these to study the movements of sea
animals. Photo by James Abernethy/Barcroft Media/Getty Images.
If the ocean were a dance floor, it would be full of surprising pairs. Black-footed albatrosses
measure up to 6 pounds. Short-finned pilot whales weigh about 6,600 pounds. To equal the
height of a hammerhead shark, 20 little penguins would need to stand on top of each
other. A polar bear would probably rather eat a California sea lion than dance with it.
But according to a new study, these animals move around their environment in similar ways.
Recently, scientists from around the world worked together to understand how animals move in
the ocean. They compared how and where thousands of animals moved from day to day. The
scientists found that many animals, from big to small, move in similar patterns.
By Atlas Obscura, adapted by Newsela staff on 03.06.18
Word Count 744
Level 840L
This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1
How animals fly, scurry or swim is controlled by both their bodies and the environment. Body size
is important: big animals can usually run or swim farther than small animals. But smaller creatures
might move more easily through a forest than bigger animals. Some animals thrive in desert
sands or snowy mountains. Others can't live in extreme hot or cold. People have wanted to figure
out the influences on how and where animals move since at least 350 B.C. Around then, the
Greek thinker and scientist Aristotle wrote about the need to "investigate" animal movement.
Gathering Data From Tracking Devices
Scientists today can use a new tool to understand animals: remote tracking devices. These
devices are attached to animals. They let scientists far away track where and how the animals
move. The new study used data collected from previous projects using remote tracking devices.
The scientists realized if they shared their data with one other, they would have much more
information to examine.
This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2
The scientists used tracking data from 2,600 animals belonging to 50 different species. These
animals traveled to 2.8 million places around the world. Some of the information comes from
studies that are more than 20 years old. Other data were collected as recently as 2015. Using all
this data, the scientists were able to ask questions about many different kinds of animals. They
could compare the fast-flying albatross to the fast-swimming shark. They could look at whales
and turtles side by side.
Environment More Important Than Size
The results surprised the scientists. Previous studies on land found that an animal's body,
especially its body size, determined how it moves. In the oceans, the environment proved more
important. One animal might be 10 billion times larger than another. Yet both of them moved
through the ocean in similar ways.
This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3
Some animals hunt for food, while others eat kelp or ocean grass. Some creatures paddle, some
swim and some fly. These factors didn’t make much difference in how animals moved through
their environment. Instead, one of the biggest influences was where animals lived. Animals that
spend most of their time along the coast, such as beluga whales and green turtles, move in
complicated ways. They turn often and retrace their steps.
In the open ocean, things are simpler. Animals who prefer it there, such as black-footed
albatrosses and whale sharks, will pick a spot in the distance and shoot for it.
An Even But Changing Playing Field
For all kinds of animals, how they move is influenced by their environment. And the
ocean itself plays a part. Seawater surrounds animals on all sides. It allows them to float along the
ocean currents. The ocean creates an even playing field for creatures of all different sizes and
shapes.
This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 4
But this playing field is changing quickly. Arctic ice is melting and coasts are rearranging. Sea
levels are rising as oxygen levels in the ocean are falling. Scientists hope that understanding how
animals move will help us predict what they might do in the future. They think animals living along
the shore might be able to adapt to the shifting coastlines. Animals who live in the open ocean
may have more trouble adapting.
Predictions May Help Endangered Animals
Now the patterns of how animals move through the ocean are better understood.
Scientists can even make predictions about endangered animals. These predictions may help
protect endangered animals when they interact with humans. If people want to live alongside
these ocean animals, it helps to know how the animals dance.
This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5
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