What do humpback whales feed on?
Humpback whales feed on shrimp-like crustaceans (krill) and small fish, straining huge volumes of ocean water through their baleen plates, which act like a sieve.
How do whales eat without swallowing water?
Instead, they have baleen plates hanging from their upper jaw. The fringed baleen then acts as a sieve – the whales squeeze the water out through the baleen, leaving their food caught on the baleen. Then they use their tongue to wipe the baleen clean before swallowing their food.
What does a whale use to eat?
Baleen whales feed by filtering or straining food from the water. They love to eat krill, fish, zooplankton, phytoplankton, and algae. Some, such as the right whale, are called “skimmers”. These whales swim slowly with their huge mouths open to take in large amounts of water and food.
Do whales drink water?
The answer is: they do not drink water like land animals do, as they don’t risk dehydration from the sun. This goes for all the marine mammals like whales, dolphins, seals etc. The way they get water is through their food.
How long a whale can hold its breath?
90 minutes
Can a whale drown?
It is actually rare for a marine mammal to “drown,” as they won’t inhale underwater; but they do suffocate from a lack of air. Being born underwater can cause problems for newborn whale and dolphin calves. It is the touch of air on the skin which triggers that first, crucial breath.
How long does a whale sleep?
Humpback whales, for example, have been found resting motionless on the surface of the water for about 30 minutes. They can’t stay like that for long though, because they lose too much body temperature when inactive. By contrast, dolphins sleep at night for a couple hours at a time.
How do whales breathe while they sleep?
Whales choose to come up to the surface to breath in the same way that we make a conscious decision to eat so that we don’t starve! Unlike humans who continue to breath even when they’re in a deep sleep, cetaceans must remain partially awake in order to maintain a state of alertness to control their breathing.
Why do whales jump?
Air is 800 times less dense than water and so a jump gives the Killer Whale a good advance on its prey. This high-speed leap is known as porpoising and even once the feeding event is over, jumping can take place as a social form of celebration.
What is the term when a whale raises its head above the water to look around?
When a humpback whale lunges forward with its head in a competitive display raised above the water, it is appropriately called a head lunge. The blow or spout is one of the most common surface activities known to whales and is a result of breathing.
Why do whales wash up on shore?
“Every time [the whale] then tries to dive, it can’t equalize the pressure,” Robinson says. Unable to dive, the whale cannot hunt and so becomes both malnourished and dehydrated, because it gets water from its food. Weakened, it will drift with the current and, eventually, end up on the shore.