What is special about blue whales?
Blue whales are the largest animals ever known to have lived on Earth. These magnificent marine mammals rule the oceans at up to 100 feet long and upwards of 200 tons. Their tongues alone can weigh as much as an elephant.
Why are blue whales important?
Blue whales require enormous amounts of food, but they’re a boon to rather than a burden on the ocean ecosystem. Their iron-rich poo is a really important source of nutrients in the marine food chain, promoting Southern Ocean productivity, which boosts fishery yields.
What is interesting about whales?
The Blue Whale is the largest animal ever to have lived on earth. Despite being so massive, this giant of the ocean feeds on some of the smallest marine life – tiny shrimp like animals called krill. Incredibly, Blue Whales are graceful swimmers cruise the ocean at over 8km/h, and can reach speeds of over 30km/h.
What does a whale eat?
krill
Are whales dangerous?
No, whales aren’t typically dangerous. Actually for the most part whales are generally curious and friendly oceanic creatures. In some cases they can even be seen approaching boats in an attempt to understand what’s going on. Those that aren’t particularly curious are often solitary and shy.
Does whale eat human?
But what about toothed whales? They do sometimes swallow prey whole, so you could fit down their esophagus. Sperm whales sometimes swallow squid whole, so it could definitely manage a human. In fact, there’s a story of a sailor being swallowed by a sperm whale off the Falkland Islands in the early 1900s.
Do whales drink water?
Short answer: they do not drink voluntarily it and they can filter seawater salt efficiently. Whales (whether they are toothed whales or baleen whales) do not voluntarily ingest water.
How long a whale can hold its breath?
90 minutes
Do whales sleep?
Observations of bottlenose dolphins in aquariums and zoos, and of whales and dolphins in the wild, show two basic methods of sleeping: they either rest quietly in the water, vertically or horizontally, or sleep while swimming slowly next to another animal.
How do whales die of old age?
Cetaceans can simply die from old age. Their lifespan ranges from a few decades for harbour porpoises to over 200 years in case of bowhead whales. Furthermore, live individuals can die naturally from asphyxiation during individual and mass stranding events.
Where do whales go to die?
Cetacean stranding, commonly known as beaching, is a phenomenon in which whales and dolphins strand themselves on land, usually on a beach. Beached whales often die due to dehydration, collapsing under their own weight, or drowning when high tide covers the blowhole.
Where do dead whales go?
Stranded. Not all whales sink to the bottom of the ocean when they die, however. Some instead become stranded on coasts around the world. Although efforts are often made to save them, without water to maintain their buoyancy, the weight of the whale’s own body soon begins to crush the internal organs.
Do whales poop?
Its poo is described as smelling like a dog’s, with the consistency of bread crumbs. A blue whale can excrete up to 200 litres of poo in one bowel movement.
Why is whale poop so important?
When whales poop, they drop a load of crucial nutrients into the ‘topsoil’ of the ocean. Their poop fertilizes the surface of the ocean with nutrients that are fundamental to the health of ocean ecosystems, the global nutrient cycle, and the carbon cycle.
How do whales poop and pee?
“Sperm whales feed on giant squid and other deep sea creatures. So they’ll dive more than a kilometer down.” Then they come to the surface to breathe, and digest, “and as it turns out they poop and they also pee.
What was whale sperm used for?
Ambergris, a solid waxy substance originating in the intestine of the sperm whale (Physeter catodon). In Eastern cultures ambergris is used for medicines and potions and as a spice; in the West it was used to stabilize the scent of fine perfumes.
How do whales help humans?
Whales play an amazing role in an ecosystem that keeps every creature on Earth alive, including you! Whales play a vital role in the marine ecosystem where they help provide at least half of the oxygen you breathe, combat climate change, and sustain fish stocks.
Why do we need to protect whales?
Like all living beings, whales occupy a role in the food chain and thus contribute to the balance of the marine ecosystem. As predators, they feed on fish and invertebrates; as prey, they may be hunted by other predators (sharks, whales, etc.) and by Man. Whales are sentinels of the health of marine environments.
What eats a blue whale?
Because of their size, power and speed, adult blue whales have virtually no natural ocean predators. The only sea creature known to attack blue whales is the orca whale (scientific name: Orcinus orca) also known as the “killer whale”. They have been known to work in groups to attack blue whales.
How whales help cool the Earth?
How do whales help combat climate change? Whales play a key part in helping to combat climate change through their role in the marine ecosystem. They play a vital role in the health of the oceans where they help provide up to 50% of our oxygen, combat climate change and sustain fish stocks.
How many whales are killed each year?
300,000 whales
How can we cool the ocean?
Spraying tiny salt particles from seawater up into the low layer of clouds that blankets much of the ocean’s surface would form cloud micro-droplets. These droplets would make the clouds reflect more sunlight and could also make them last longer, cooling the area.
How do whales help fight climate change?
Whale excrement fertilizes the ocean, producing large phytoplankton blooms that absorb enormous amounts of carbon dioxide. Scientists point out that helping whale populations recover from past overharvesting can help reduce greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere.
How much is a whale worth?
One whale is worth thousands of trees — and about two million dollars, according to a recent study by the International Monetary Fund. But how do we calculate the value of a whale? Whales can help fight climate change and provide an ecosystem service worth millions of dollars.
How much is it to buy a whale?
One such model puts the market-derived equilibrium price of a minke whale, which has relatively healthy stocks, at $10,818. Others put minke whales at $13,000 each and much larger fin whales at $85,000. At that price, buying Japan’s scientific harvest would cost $4.3 million.
How much does a whale sell for?
After accounting for the economic benefits whales provide to industries such as ecotourism—and how much carbon they remove from the atmosphere by “sinking” it in their carbon-dense bodies—the researchers estimate that one great whale is worth about $2 million over the course of its life, they report in the trade …