Pristane in Zooplankton

Abstract

The hydrocarbon pristane (2,6,10,14-tetramethylpentadecane) occurs in unusually high concentrations (1 to 3 percent of the body fat) in the three copepods Calanus finmarchicus, C. glacialis, and C. hyperboreus. These planktonic crustaceans appear to be the primary source of the pristane in liver oils of sharks and whales.