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Blue Whale: Difference between revisions
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Despite their gargantuan size, the blue whale's primary diet is krill. While krill typically grow to a size of a few inches, the blue whale can make a meal of them by attacking patches of them. Due to how much energy is expended when eating large patches of krill, blue whales have to be picky with which patches to attack. | Despite their gargantuan size, the blue whale's primary diet is krill. While krill typically grow to a size of a few inches, the blue whale can make a meal of them by attacking patches of them. Due to how much energy is expended when eating large patches of krill, blue whales have to be picky with which patches to attack. | ||
Once they find a suitably sized ball of krill, they'll lunge forward with mouth open to scoop up as much as possible. This catches the krill, but also causes their mouths to fill with seawater, which is undesirable. The blue whale solves this problem by forcing the water back out of its mouth through the baleen plates, a fingernail-like material that lines the upper jaw. The baleen plates allow water to pass out of the mouth, but catches all the krill trying to pass through, filtering the food from the water. A blue whale will need approximately 2,000lbs of krill to feel full. | Once they find a suitably sized ball of krill, they'll lunge forward with mouth open to scoop up as much as possible. This catches the krill, but also causes their mouths to fill with seawater, which is undesirable. The blue whale solves this problem by forcing the water back out of its mouth through the baleen plates, a fingernail-like material that lines the upper jaw. The baleen plates allow water to pass out of the mouth, but catches all the krill trying to pass through, filtering the food from the water. A blue whale will need approximately 2,000lbs of krill to feel full, and will need 9,000lbs total for a full day's worth of food. | ||
For mating, blue whales have a 'dating period' around July or August. A male and a female will pair up and spend time together to gauge each other. During this period, another male may approach the pair to express interest in the female. When this happens, the female initiates a race between the two males. This will often lead to the two males exchanging blows using their tails and heads as they race. Whoever the female judges to be the most physically fit during the race becomes the new mate. | |||
[[File:Catbag_WIP.png|center]] | [[File:Catbag_WIP.png|center]] | ||
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https://www.afsc.noaa.gov/nmml/education/cetaceans/blue.php | https://www.afsc.noaa.gov/nmml/education/cetaceans/blue.php | ||
https://www.livescience.com/38395-animal-sex-how-blue-whales-do-it.html | |||
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[[Category:Needs RL Info]] [[Category:Needs Appearance]] [[Category:Cetacean Friends]] [[Category:Endangered Friends]] [[Category:Real Animal Friends]] [[Category:Mammal Friends]] [[Category:Nexon Game Debuts]] | [[Category:Needs RL Info]] [[Category:Needs Appearance]] [[Category:Cetacean Friends]] [[Category:Endangered Friends]] [[Category:Real Animal Friends]] [[Category:Mammal Friends]] [[Category:Nexon Game Debuts]] | ||