blubber

WordNet

an insulating layer of fat under the skin of whales and other large marine mammals; used as a source of oil
utter while crying (同)blubber out
swollen with fat; "blubber cheeks"; "blubber lips"; "a coarse blubbery individual"
someone who sniffles and weeps with loud sobs

PrepTutorEJDIC

〈U〉クジラ・アザラシなどの脂肪 / 〈C〉泣きじゃくり / いくじなく泣きじゃくる / …'を'泣き言う

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出典(authority):フリー百科事典『ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』「2012/10/25 00:08:06」(JST)

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For other uses, see Blubber (disambiguation).

Whale blubber

Blubber is a thick layer of vascularized adipose tissue found under the skin of all cetaceans, pinnipeds and sirenians.

Description

Lipid-rich, collagen fiber-laced blubber comprises the hypodermis^[1] and covers the whole body, except for parts of the appendages, strongly attached to the musculature and skeleton by highly organized, fan-shaped networks of tendons and ligaments. It can comprise up to 50% of the body mass of some marine mammals during some points in their lives, and can range from two inches (5 cm) thick in dolphins and smaller whales, to more than 12 inches (30 cm) thick in some bigger whales, such as right and bowhead whales. However, this is not indicative of larger whales' ability to retain heat better, as the thickness of a whale's blubber does not significantly affect heat loss. More indicative of a whale's ability to retain heat is the water and lipid concentration in blubber, as water reduces heat-retaining capacities, and lipid increases them.^[2]

Function

Blubber is the primary storage location of fat on some mammals. It is particularly important for species that feed and breed in different parts of the ocean. During these periods, the animals metabolize fat. Blubber may save energy for marine mammals such as dolphins, in that it adds buoyancy to a dolphin while swimming.^[3]

Blubber differs from other forms of adipose tissue in its extra thickness, which allows it to serve as an efficient thermal insulator, making blubber essential for thermoregulation. Blubber is more vascularized—rich in blood vessels—than other adipose tissue.

Blubber has advantages over fur (as in sea otters) in the respect that although fur can retain heat by holding pockets of air, the air pockets will be expelled under pressure (while diving). Blubber, however, does not compress under pressure. It is effective enough that some whales can dwell in temperatures as low as 40 °F (4 °C).^[4] While diving in cold water, blood vessels covering the blubber constrict and decrease blood flow, thus increasing blubber's efficiency as an insulator.^[5]

Blubber aids buoyancy, and streamlines the body because the organized, complex collagenous network supports the noncircular cross sections characteristic of cetaceans.

Research^[6] into the thermal conductivity of the common bottlenose dolphin's blubber reveals its thickness and lipid content vary greatly amongst individuals and across life history categories. However, blubber from emaciated dolphins is a poorer insulator than that from nonpregnant adults, which in turn have a higher heat conductivity than blubber from pregnant females and adolescents.

Human influences

Uses

Muktuk (the Inuit/Eskimo word for blubber) formed an important part of the traditional diets of the Inuit and other northernly peoples because of its high energy value. Seal blubber has large amounts of vitamin E, selenium, and other antioxidants, which may reduce the effect of the free radicals formed within the body's cells. Damage caused to cells by free radicals are a theorized contributor to some diseases. Whale blubber, which tastes like arrowroot biscuits, has similar properties.^[7] The positive effects of consuming blubber can be seen in Greenland; in Uummannaq for example, a hunting district with 3,000 residents, no deaths due to cardiovascular diseases occurred in the 1970s. However, emigrants to Denmark have contracted the same diseases as the rest of the population. The average 70-year-old Inuit with a traditional diet of whale and seal has arteries as elastic as those of a 20-year-old Danish resident.^[8]

The purpose of whaling was largely to collect blubber. This was rendered into oil in try pots, or later, in vats on factory ships. The oil could be then used in the manufacture of soap, leather, and cosmetics.^[9] Whale oil was used in candles as wax, and in oil lamps as fuel.

Blue whales can yield blubber harvests of up to 50 tons.^[10]

Health

Blubber from whales and seals contains omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D.^[11] Without the vitamin D, for example, the Inuit and other natives of the Arctic would likely suffer from rickets. There is evidence blubber and other fats in the arctic diet also provide the calories needed to replace the lack of carbohydrates found in the diets of cultures in the rest of the world.^[12]

Toxicity

Blubber contains naturally-occurring PCBs, carcinogens that damage human nervous, immune and reproductive systems.^[13]^[14] The source of PCB concentrations is unknown. Since toothed whales are high on the food chain, they likely consume large amounts of industrial pollutants (bioaccumulation). Even baleen whales, by merit of the huge amount of food they consume, are bound to have toxic chemicals stored in their bodies. There are high levels of mercury in the blubber of seals of the Canadian arctic.

References

^ Struntz DJ et al. "Blubber development in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)." PubMed. From http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez.
^ P. H. Kvadsheim, a, b, , L. P. Folkowb, a and A. S. Blixb, a. "Thermal conductivity of minke whale blubber". http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T94-3VXJG51-9&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=2119bcbbf8b3ad5a33f85f247c1b530e.
^ "Science Update--Bouncy Blubber". http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/sci_update.cfm?DocID=10.
^ "Secrets of the Ocean Realm". http://www.pbs.org/oceanrealm/intheschool/school5.html.
^ Don Galbraith et al. Biology 11. (Canada: McGraw-Hill Ryerson). pg. 12.
^ Dunkin, Robin et al. (2005). "The ontogenetic changes in the thermal properties of blubber from Atlantic bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus". Journal of Experimental Biology 208 (Pt 8): 1469–80. doi:10.1242/jeb.01559. PMID 15802671. http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/content/abstract/208/8/1469. Retrieved 03-05-2005.
^ Stefansson, Eero; Adriaensen, Arxontis (1893) (in Swedish). Missionärer bland Eskimåer [Missionaries Among the Eskimos]. Uppdrag i Världen. Göteborg: Himmelriket på Jorden Publikationer. p. 138.
^ "Orsoq - Eat Meat and Blubber from Sea Mammals and avoid Cardiovascular disease.". http://www.highnorth.no/Library/Culture/or-ea-me.htm.
^ Donovan, Greg (2008). "Whaling". Microsoft Encarta.
^ "Cetacean". Encyclopædia Britannica. Ultimate Reference Suite. 2008.
^ H.V. Kuhnlein, V. Barthet, A. Farren, E. Falahi, D. Leggee, O. Receveur, P. Berti, Vitamins A, D, and E in Canadian Arctic traditional food and adult diets, Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, Volume 19, Issues 6-7, Biodiversity and nutrition: a common path, September–November 2006, Pages 495–506, ISSN 0889-1575, doi:10.1016/j.jfca.2005.02.007. [1]
^ The Inuit Paradox
^ "Chemical Compounds Found In Whale Blubber Are From Natural Sources, Not Industrial Contamination". http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/02/050213132247.htm.
^ "Japan warned on 'contaminated' blubber". BBC News. 2001-01-24. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1132889.stm. Retrieved 2009-12-31.

External links

"Education Resources for Teachers--Blubber Experiment". http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/learning/education/teacher_resources/blubber.asp.
"Arctic Facts-Blubber". http://www.athropolis.com/arctic-facts/fact-blubber-whale.htm.

English Journal

Vertical distribution of lipids, fatty acids and organochlorine contaminants in the blubber of southern hemisphere humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae).

Waugh CA1, Nichols PD2, Schlabach M3, Noad M4, Bengtson Nash S5.Author information 1The University of Queensland, The National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology, Brisbane, QLD 4108, Australia. Electronic address: c.waugh@uq.edu.au.2CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Wealth from Oceans Flagship, GPO Box 1538, Hobart, Tasmania 7000, Australia.3The Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU), Kjeller, Norway.4The University of Queensland, Cetacean Ecology and Acoustics Lab (CEAL), School of Veterinary Science, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia.5Griffith University, Southern Ocean Persistent Organic Pollutants Program, School of Environment, Nathan, QLD 4111, Australia.AbstractPersistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as toxic lipophilic organochlorine (OC) compounds, accumulate in the blubber tissue of marine mammals. Toxicological sampling methods most frequently target only the superficial blubber layer. Vertical distribution of these contaminants through the blubber mantle may, however, not be homogenous and could reflect any dissemination of lipids and fatty acids (FAs). It is therefore critical to assess stratification patterns in a species of interest as a quality control measure for interpretation of toxicological data. Here, we analysed and compared the distribution of lipids, FAs, and OCs in the outermost and innermost blubber layer of southern hemisphere humpback whales. FA stratification was evident for short-chain (≤18) monounsaturated fatty acids (SC-MUFA), which were concentrated in the outer layer, consistent with the thermoregulatory role of this blubber layer. This stratification was, however, not reflected in OC distribution, which was similar in the inner and outer blubber layers of male humpback whales. By comparison, a noticeable gradient in total blubber lipid from the outer to the inner layer was observed in two lactating females, which coincided with higher lipid normalised contaminant levels in the inner layer. This study contains the most comprehensive assessment of humpback whale blubber stratification to date, however, further investigation of biological and ecological influencing factors is required.
Marine environmental research.Mar Environ Res.2014 Mar;94:24-31. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2013.11.004. Epub 2013 Nov 23.
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as toxic lipophilic organochlorine (OC) compounds, accumulate in the blubber tissue of marine mammals. Toxicological sampling methods most frequently target only the superficial blubber layer. Vertical distribution of these contaminants through the blubber
PMID 24315760

Changes of accumulation profiles from PBDEs to brominated and chlorinated alternatives in marine mammals from the South China Sea.

Zhu B1, Lai NL1, Wai TC2, Chan LL3, Lam JC4, Lam PK5.Author information 1State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen Research Institute Building, Shenzhen 518057, China; Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.2State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.3State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen Research Institute Building, Shenzhen 518057, China.4State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen Research Institute Building, Shenzhen 518057, China. Electronic address: james.lam@cityu.edu.hk.5State Key Laboratory in Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Research Centre for the Oceans and Human Health, City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen Research Institute Building, Shenzhen 518057, China; Department of Biology and Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address: bhpksl@cityu.edu.hk.AbstractThe present study investigated the composition profiles and levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and five PBDE alternatives in the blubber of two species of marine mammals, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) and finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides) from the South China Sea. Despite the fact that PBDEs were the most predominant brominated flame retardants in the samples analyzed, decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE), 1,2-bis (2,4,6-tribromophenoxy) ethane (BTBPE), bis- (2-ethylhexyl) -tetrabromophthalate (TBPH), 2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate (TBB) and Dechlorane Plus (DP) were all detected in both cetacean species. In addition, significantly increasing temporal shifting trends of Deca-BDE to DBDPE, Octa-BDE to BTBPE, and Deca-BDE to DP were observed in porpoise samples between 2003 and 2012 and dolphin samples between 2003 and 2011. These patterns may be attributed to the replacement of PBDEs by alternative halogenated flame retardants (HFRs) and the increasing usage of these alternatives following the restriction/voluntary withdrawal of the production and use of PBDE commercial mixtures. Our findings suggest that the study region may be a source of contamination by PBDE alternative flame retardants due to the high detection frequencies and levels of these compounds in marine mammals.
Environment international.Environ Int.2014 Feb 11;66C:65-70. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2014.01.023. [Epub ahead of print]
The present study investigated the composition profiles and levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and five PBDE alternatives in the blubber of two species of marine mammals, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) and finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides) from the South Ch
PMID 24530800

Maternal-to-fetal transfer and concentration profiles of PCB congeners for Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) from Hokkaido, Japan.

Kubo K1, Yamaguchi K2, Ishinazaka T3, Yamada W4, Hattori K5, Tanaka S6.Author information 1Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, N10-W5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan. Electronic address: 76083004@ees.hokudai.ac.jp.2Institute of Environmental Sciences, Environmental and Geological Research Department, Hokkaido Research Organization, N19-W12, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0819, Japan. Electronic address: k-yamaguchi@hro.or.jp.3Shiretoko Nature Foundation, 531 Iwaubetsu, Shari-cho, Hokkaido 099-4356, Japan.4Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Division of Marine Bioresources and Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, 3-1-1 Minato, Hakodate, Hokkaido 041-8611, Japan.5Fisheries Management Division, Hokkaido National Fisheries Research Institute, Fisheries Research Agency, Katsurakoi 116, Kushiro, Hokkaido 085-0802, Japan.6Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, N10-W5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan.AbstractThe concentrations of PCB congeners in the blubber and liver of mother Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus; SSLs) and their fetuses from the coast of Hokkaido, Japan in 2008, 2010 and 2012 were analyzed by HRGC-HRMS, in order to elucidate PCB congener profiles and maternal-to-fetal transfer of PCBs in SSLs. ΣPCBs in the fetuses were 1400±660 (the mean±SD) ng/g-fat in the blubber and 570±320ng/g-fat in the liver, respectively. There was a concern that SSLs had been contaminated by PCBs during the fetal period. The concentrations of the major congeners in the blubber and liver were a correlation between the fetus and mother (blubber: r=0.9934, liver: r=0.9160; P≦0.05). The results indicated that PCBs in the fetuses came from the mothers. #177 and #199 showed no correlations between the fetus and the mother in the blubber and liver. This indicated a selective capture by some natural protector such as the placenta.
Marine pollution bulletin.Mar Pollut Bull.2014 Jan 15;78(1-2):165-72. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.10.047. Epub 2013 Nov 22.
The concentrations of PCB congeners in the blubber and liver of mother Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus; SSLs) and their fetuses from the coast of Hokkaido, Japan in 2008, 2010 and 2012 were analyzed by HRGC-HRMS, in order to elucidate PCB congener profiles and maternal-to-fetal transfer of PCB
PMID 24269191

Bioaccumulation of persistent organic pollutants in stranded cetaceans from Taiwan coastal waters.

Ko FC1, We NY2, Chou LS3.Author information 1Institute of Marine Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, National Dong-Hwa University, Checheng, Pingtung, Taiwan; National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, Checheng, Pingtung, Taiwan. Electronic address: ko@nmmba.gov.tw.2Institute of Marine Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, National Dong-Hwa University, Checheng, Pingtung, Taiwan.3Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.AbstractThis study focuses on analyzing PBDEs in the liver, muscle, and blubber tissues of stranded dolphins (Stenella attenuate) on the Taiwan coast to determine and compare the PBDE levels and distributions among tissue types. Total concentrations of 19 PBDEs (ΣPBDE) in male dolphins (9.97 to 436ng/g fat) were significantly higher than in female animals (2.73 to 89.5ng/g fat), implying gender variation in bioaccumulation and the possibility of generation transfer from mother to fetus during pregnancy. The levels of contamination varied among tissue type; contamination was higher in blubber than that in muscle or liver, suggesting a possible transformation and redistribution of these compounds in body burden. Aside from gender and tissue type, ΣPBDE concentrations also significantly correlated with body length, an indicator of dolphin age. PCA analysis results showed no significant difference in PBDE congener pattern distributions in blubber tissues, indicating that blubber may be the final storage of contaminants in cetaceans, and that bioaccumulation of PBDEs may be dependent on chemical properties. BDE-154 and BDE-47 were the predominant PBDE congeners in stranded dolphins, and their correlation with body length suggests the significant metabolic depletion of BDE-154 in this species and possible exposure to both penta-BDE and octa-BDE mixtures.
Journal of hazardous materials.J Hazard Mater.2014 Jan 4. pii: S0304-3894(13)00989-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2013.12.057. [Epub ahead of print]
This study focuses on analyzing PBDEs in the liver, muscle, and blubber tissues of stranded dolphins (Stenella attenuate) on the Taiwan coast to determine and compare the PBDE levels and distributions among tissue types. Total concentrations of 19 PBDEs (ΣPBDE) in male dolphins (9.97 to 436ng/g fat
PMID 24440412

Japanese Journal

Characteristics of blubber distribution and body condition indicators for Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis)

Konishi Kenji
Mammal study = The Continuation of the Journal of the Mammalogical Society of Japan 31(1), 15-22, 2006-06-01
… As body condition indicators, blubber thicknesses, girths, LMD-indices (√body length / body weight × blubber thickness), d/r-ratios (blubber thickness/surface body radius), BW/BL3 (Body weight/body length3) and G/BL (Girth/Body length) were used. … Blubber was thicker in the posterior than in the anterior of the body and thickest in the dorsal and ventral region near the fluke. …
NAID 10017603316

Accumulation of organochlorines in the fin whale Balaenoptera physalus and the finless porpoise Neophocaena phocaenoides from the Ibaraki coast, Japan

Oka Mayuko,Arai Takaomi,Shibata Yasuaki [他],Miyazaki Nobuyuki
Coastal marine science 29(2), 173-176, 2005-01-31
… The compounds were also examined in the muscle, liver, and blubber of the finless porpoise Neophocaena phocaenoides bycaught off Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. …
NAID 110004630774

Seal blubber oil and its long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids: processing technologies and applications (Proceedings of International Commemorative Symposium 70th Anniversary of The Japanese Society of Fisheries Science)

Shahidi Fereidoon,Senanayake S. P. J. Namal
Fisheries Science 68(-), 1418-1421, 2002-11
NAID 40005648191

Bequia Whaling Revisited : To the Memory of the Late Mr. Athneal Ollivierre

浜口尚
園田学園女子大学論文集 36, 41-57, 2001-12-30
2000年7月、セント・ヴィンセントおよびグレナディーン諸島国ベクウェイ島の捕鯨を40年以上に渡って率いてきた偉大なる銛手アスニール・オリヴィエールさんが逝去された。20世紀から21世紀への時代の移り目にベクウェイ島の捕鯨においても世代交替となった。本稿においては、故アスニール・オリヴィエールさんに哀悼の意を込めて、ベクウェイ島の捕鯨のいくつかの側面が回顧、再考される。まず、オリヴィエール一族の歴 …
NAID 110004040557

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Whale blubber File:Whale blubber.jpg File:Beluga blubber.jpg BLUBBER Then they put both hands, one in the oil The Big Boisterous Blubber Battle blue whale blubber