What does blue whale feed on?

krill
The primary diet of blue whales is krill—tiny shrimp-like animals, but fish and copepods (tiny crustaceans) may occasionally be part of the blue whale’s diet.

How do blue whales filter feed?

Blue whales are filter-feeders, using baleen plates in the mouth made of keratin, also found in people’s fingernails, to strain krill from ocean water. When lunge-feeding, the whale accelerates and opens its mouth, taking in a volume of prey-laden water up to 130 percent of its weight.

Why is it important to understand blue whale feeding behavior?

The scientists think it makes it take them longer to refill their oxygen supply at the surface. “But it may be worth it overall if the prey quality is very high,” says Goldbogen. So having different foraging behaviors gives blue whales flexibility, the scientists think.

How do whales feed?

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.

What is the lifespan of a bowhead whale?

Lifespan & Reproduction Based on the recovery of stone harpoon tips from harvested bowheads, it is evident that bowhead whales live well over 100 years. However, new techniques allow for more precise estimation of bowhead whale age, and studies suggest they may live to be over 200 years old.

How much food does a whale eat per day?

DIET AND BALEEN An average-sized humpback whale will eat 4,400-5,500 pounds (2000-2500 kg) of plankton, krill and small, schooling fish each day during the feeding season in cold waters (about 120 days). They eat twice a day.

How much blue whale eat in a day?

An average-sized blue whale will eat 2,000-9,000 pounds (900-4100 kg) of plankton each day during the summer feeding season in cold, arctic waters ( about 120 days).

What do blue whales do all day?

Off the coast of California Friedlaender and his colleagues found that unlike the humpbacks, blue whales feed during the day and rest at night, probably because the krill they eat becomes too dispersed for the whales to efficiently catch them. Unsurprisingly, blue whales are also vulnerable to ship strikes.

What would happen if blue whales went extinct?

Whales and the environment For example, a blue whale can consume as much as 40 million krill per day, so you can imagine its impact on stabilizing the aquatic ecosystem if the blue whale species were to become extinct. When one animal species important to the food chain dies, it allows other species to thrive.

Which animal can live the longest?

Bowhead whales
1. Bowhead whale: potentially 200+ years old. Bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) are the longest living mammals.

How much does a blue whale eat in a day?

When it comes to eating food the blue whale can consume as many as 40 million krill per day, which ends up weighing close to 8,000 pounds of food on a daily basis! Note: Instead of krill the baby blue whale consumes milk during its first 6 – 18 months of birth and can drink as much as 150 gallons…

When do Blue Whales start to drink milk?

Note: Instead of krill, the baby blue whale consumes milk during its first 6 – 18 months of birth and can drink as much as 150 gallons of milk per day during its first year. This feeding will continue until the young whale can hunt for food and survive on its own.

Why do blue whales eat so much krill?

A fully grown blue whale can consume as many as 40 million krill in a single day, which weighs roughly 177,000 pounds. The primary reason why whales feed on such vast quantities of krill is that they have massive energy requirements. A fully matured blue whale needs at least 6.3 Gigajoules of energy on a daily basis.

How are blue whales able to absorb food?

The blue whale slowly absorbs water and food, and the water is expelled while the food is swallowed. Threats to Blue Whales. One of the most significant threats that face the global blue whale population is collisions with ships. The blue whale population in California is most at risk of being hit by ships.