Blue whales are the largest animals ever to have lived on Earth. They can grow to a length of 30 metres and weigh 173 tonnes. Also among the loudest animals on the planet, the blue whale can make a range of sounds to communicate with others of the species hundred miles away and to navigate.
Now, scientists have determined how much energy species of different sizes invest to capture their prey and which of these species reap the greatest rewards for their efforts. To do so, they gathered data from hundreds of feeding whales.
The results demonstrated that the availability of their prey limits that body size in all whales, but only filter-feeding whales have evolved a feeding strategy that helps them to achieve the largest body sizes to have ever evolved on Earth.
Scientists obtained the data for their study after seeking and tagging whales, porpoises, and dolphins of various sizes—from 5-foot-long harbor porpoises to gigantic blue whales. They also tracked animals’ underwater activities using multi-sensor tags, which were temporarily affixed on animals’ backs via suction cups, reaching from their boats with long poles to stick.
Credit : Tech Explorist
Picture Credit : Google
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