Conservation energetics of beluga whales: Rates of energy consumption during submerged swimming in beluga whales

The balance between energetic costs and acquisition in free-ranging species is essential for survival and provides important insights regarding the physiological impact of anthropogenic disturbance on wild animals. Here we examine the resting and swimming energetics of beluga whales using open-flow respirometry and accelerometer tags to develop predictive energetic metrics for wild populations of belugas in Cook Inlet Alaska., The data was collected on trained adult beluga whales at the Georgia Aquarium. Energetics are based on open-flow respirometry for animals resting on the water surface or swimming a perimeter route below the water surface. Two animals wore a CATS accelerometer tag that was placed with suction cups on the dorsal surface next to the dorsal ridge. The data presented here are the original data from Figure 4 of the Journal of Experimental Biology article, Conservation Energetics of Beluga Whales, which further details the methodology. , , # Conservation energetics of beluga whales: Rates of energy consumption during submerged swimming in beluga whales

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.gf1vhhmwr](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.gf1vhhmwr)

We measured the resting and active metabolic rates of one young adult male and two young adult female beluga whales housed at the Georgia Aquarium (Atlanta, GA). Trials were conducted in temperature-controlled, saltwater pools with a maximum depth of 7.3 m for beluga whales. Animals swam a measured 34-meter loop circuit to the maximum depth of the pool. Oxygen consumption was measured via open-flow respirometry and converted to energy with values reported in J·kg-1·min-1 using a conversion factor of 20.1 J per ml O2. Speed was determined from video recordings and observers who timed each trial. Acceleration was measured for two beluga whales using a submersible tri-axial accelerometer tag that was recorded at 20 Hz and converted to *g* (1 *g* = 9.81 m/s^2).

## Description of the data and f...