How many years has a whale been on earth. The largest whales in the world. Diet, what does the blue whale eat
Representatives of the mammalian class - whales - are marine animals that amaze with their impressive size. In the Greek language, the meaning of the word kitoc is "sea monster", from which the name of this mammal comes. At a time when fishermen only began to notice such a large creature as a whale, there were frequent disputes about what it was - a fish or an animal. Surprisingly, the ancestors of all cetaceans are artiodactyl land animals. Although outwardly the whale looks like a fish, but one of its modern ancestors is the hippopotamus. Despite all these facts, the debate continues about who the whales are - fish or mammals.
Whale - description and characteristics
The size of whales exceeds the size of any mammal: the body length of a blue whale reaches twenty-five to thirty-three meters, and its weight is more than one hundred and fifty tons. But there are also smaller, dwarf whales. Their mass does not exceed four tons, and their body length is six meters.
All cetaceans have a body in the form of an elongated drop, which allows them to easily glide through the water column. A large head with a narrow and blunt rostrum allows the whale to cut through the water while swimming. The nostrils are displaced closer to the crown, and the eyes are small relative to the body. Different individuals have differences in the structure of their teeth. Toothed whales have sharp conical teeth, and baleen whales filter water instead of their usual teeth and thus obtain food using bone plates (or whalebone).
The whale skeleton provides special flexibility and the ability to perform maneuvers due to the spongy structure and elasticity of the intervertebral discs. The head passes into the body without a cervical interception, towards the tail the body becomes narrower. The mammal turns and brakes with the fins, which have been transformed from the pectoral fins. The function of the motor is performed by the tail, which is characterized by a flat shape, extreme flexibility and well-developed muscles. At the end of the tail section there are horizontal blades. Many whales use their tail to stabilize movement underwater.
Hair and bristles grow only on the muzzles of baleen whales, the body is covered with absolutely smooth and hairless skin. The color of the animal's skin can be monotonous, anti-shade - dark top and light bottom, or spotted. As whales age, they can change their skin color. Cetaceans lack olfactory receptors and taste receptors are poorly developed. The whale can only taste salty food, while other mammals have a full complement of taste buds. Poor vision and frequent myopia are fully compensated by the conjunctival glands. Mammalian hearing distinguishes sounds in the range from dull noises to ultrasound frequencies, due to the complex anatomical structure of the inner ear. There are a large number of nerves under the skin, which provides the animal with an excellent sense of touch.
The whales communicate with each other using echolocation. The lack of vocal cords did not prevent the whale from communicating with other individuals by reproducing sounds. The role of a reflector and a sound lens is played by a layer of fat in the concave bones of the skull. Whales have slow, smooth movements, but sometimes their speed can reach forty kilometers per hour.
The body temperature of a whale does not depend on environment, these are warm-blooded animals. A thick layer of fat protects cetaceans from hypothermia. Huge lungs with well-developed muscles allow animals to spend under water from ten minutes to one and a half hours. When the whale swims to the surface of the ocean, it releases air, the temperature of which is much higher than the surrounding air. That is why, when you exhale, a fountain appears - a sheaf of condensation, and along with it, due to the high power, some large animals break out a pipe hum.
Life expectancy. How long do whales live?
The question of how long whales live can be answered in different ways depending on their species. Small animals live up to thirty years, the lifespan of large whales does not exceed fifty years.
The habitat of whales is the world ocean. Mammals are scattered in all latitudes, but in cold weather most migrate to warm waters and live near the coast. They are gregarious animals that prefer to live in groups with several tens or hundreds of individuals. Whales migrate depending on the season. In winter and during the birth period, whales and their females swim in warm waters, and in summer they are in waters of temperate or high latitudes.
The food of a whale depends on its species. Plankton are preferred by plankton-feeders; mollusks act as food for theutophages. Live fish feed on ichthyophages, decomposed organic matter is consumed by detritophages. Killer whales are the only cetaceans that hunt not only fish, but also pinnipeds such as seals, penguins and sea lions. Dolphins and their offspring can also fall prey to the killer whale.
Whale species
The largest member of the mammalian family is blue whale... One hundred and fifty tons of weight and a length of thirty meters of a blue whale give him the right to be considered the largest animal on the planet. The narrow head and slender body allow the mammal to move smoothly under water, dissecting its thickness. The skin has the appearance of a marble stone due to gray spots scattered over the blue body of the whale. The blue whale lives in every ocean and feeds mainly on plankton and small fish. Blue whales prefer to live and move alone. The size of the blue whale attracts poachers and scientists to it.
A blue whale sinks to depths in moments of fear or injury. The whalers with the help of harpoons measured the maximum depth to which the animal descends - five hundred and forty meters, although during normal immersion the whale does not descend into the water deeper than one hundred meters. After a deep dive, the mammal makes a series of dives in order to breathe in air. The length of the blue whale makes it dive and surface rather slowly. The animal spends three quarters of its life under water. The blue whale reproduces more slowly than other representatives of cetaceans: calves are born no more than once every two years. During one birth, only one cub is born, and the gestation period itself is very prolonged.
Animals were practically exterminated in the last century, so now scientists are trying to increase their numbers. Today, the number of blue whales around the planet does not exceed ten thousand individuals. Poachers destroy blue whales because of the value of the mustache. It has a rich black resin color and a triangular shape. The fringe located on the whisker plates allows the whale to feed on large crustaceans and small plankton.
The songs of an animal like the blue whale are considered to be very depressing. The blue whale lives for about eighty to ninety years, the maximum recorded age of the animal is one hundred and ten years.
Because of the convex hump-shaped fin on the back, one of the representatives of the whales was called humpback. The animal has a shortened body - not less than fourteen meters, while its weight is about thirty tons. The humpback whale differs from other species in the form of a variety of skin color and the presence of several rows of warty leathery growths on the crown of the head. The body color of a mammal can vary from brown to dark gray and black, the chest and belly are covered with white spots. The upper part of the fins can be completely black or covered with light spots, the lower part is completely white. The animal has long pectoral fins, the mass of which is one third of the total weight of a whale. Humpback whales have individual growths as well as coloration.
This mammal lives in the waters of all oceans, excluding the regions of Antarctica and the Arctic. Humpback whale migration can be both local and seasonal, depending on the availability of food or the temperature of the water in the ocean. Animals do not choose certain areas for habitation, but prefer to be near the coast, in shallow water. During the migration period, whales enter deep waters, but usually stay near the coast. At this time, mammals hardly feed, feeding on reserves of subcutaneous fat. Crustaceans, molluscs and small fish make up the food of the humpback whale during the warmer months. Groups of these animals quickly disintegrate. Only mothers with cubs can swim and hunt together for a long time.
The humpback whale is known for the sounds it makes. During the breeding season, males make long sounds, reminiscent of melodic songs, attracting females. Scientists who became interested in these sounds, through research, were able to determine that the songs of the humpback whale, like human speech, are composed of separate words that form sentences.
The dwarf whale is considered the smallest species of cetaceans. Its mass does not reach three tons, and its body length does not exceed six meters. This is the only whale species that moves in waves. The pygmy whale has a streamlined body that is gray or black with gray spots. On the head of the animal, any growths are completely absent, the pectoral fins are very short, have a rounded shape, and the sickle-shaped dorsal fin does not exceed twenty-five centimeters in height. Unlike blue, a dwarf whale has a white whisker with a yellowish tinge.
Scientists provide little information about the lifestyle of this animal, as it is rarely found. The dwarf whale does not jump out of the water, does not raise its tail fin above its surface. The fountains that he releases when he exhales are not striking in their size and are not accompanied by a hum. A mammal can be distinguished by light gums and a white spot on the jaw. The pygmy whale swims rather slowly, bending its body in waves.
The mammal leads a solitary lifestyle, but sometimes it can be seen in groups of seivals or minke whales.
These whales are rarely found in the open ocean; they often swim in shallow bays. During the warmer months, young pygmy whales move into coastal waters. Animals do not migrate long distances. Planktons, crustaceans, and invertebrates are used as food for dwarf whales. This is the rarest and most numerous cetacean species.
One of the representatives of cetacean mammals is the beluga whale. The name of the animal comes from its color. Baby beluga whales are born with dark blue skin, then it changes to light gray, and adults are pure white in color. The animal has a small head with a high forehead. The beluga whale can turn its head, since its cervical vertebrae are not fused. Most whales do not have this option. The animal has no dorsal fin, and the small pectoral fins are oval in shape. Because of these features, the name of the mammal is translated from Latin as "wingless dolphin". Thirty or forty years - this is how long these whales live.
These whales live in arctic latitudes, but migrate in season. White whales spend summer and spring near the coast, in places for molting and feeding. During moulting season, whales rub against sea pebbles in shallow water, trying to shed their old skin. Every year the beluga whale visits the same places, remembering the place of its birth, where they return after wintering. In winter, whales live in glacial zones, breaking through thin ice with their powerful backs. But at moments when the holes are covered with a thick layer of ice, beluga whales can fall into ice captivity. The danger is posed by polar bears and killer whales, for which the beluga whale can become food. Whales migrate in two groups: one contains several females with calves, and the other contains adult males. Communication between individuals is carried out using sound signals and flaps of fins on the water. During the study, beluga whales have counted more than fifty types of sounds that it makes.
Mating of whales takes place on the coast, takes place several times a year. Males can arrange tournament fights for the female. During childbirth, one kitten appears, which the female feeds for one and a half to two years.
One of the most striking cetaceans is the sperm whale. Unlike other whales, sperm whales prefer a gregarious lifestyle, moving and hunting in groups of hundreds of individuals. Their speed does not allow sperm whales to move quickly in the water column. The sperm whale is known for its ability to dive deeply under water and stay at depth for a long time. The high content of fat and fluids in the body of the sperm whale provides him with protection from water pressure. The mammal stores the air supply in the air sac and muscles, which contain a large amount of myoglobin. On rare occasions, the animal has been the cause of accidents with deep-sea cables. The sperm whale got entangled in the cable with its tail and lower jaw and choked, this was discovered already during the repair of the cable. A sperm whale was recovered off the coast of the Iberian Peninsula, entangled in a cable located at a depth of more than two thousand meters. At the same time, the whale uses echolocation, emitting ultrasound, which not only allows it to communicate with other sperm whales, but also scare off dangerous animals. High-frequency signals block the movement of other ocean dwellers, making it easier for the sperm whale to hunt them.
This mammal has been exterminated for several centuries, due to which its number has sharply decreased. With polluted waters in the ocean and continued fishing, sperm whales are very slow to recover their population. When injured and attacked, the animal shows great aggression, so hunting for it comes into contact with great risk. A wounded sperm whale is capable of sinking a whaling ship along with the entire crew. What does a whale eat? He eats small crustaceans, molluscs, squids, octopuses, small sharks. To grind food, the sperm whale swallows small stones. This whale is the only mammal in the mouth of which a person can fully fit. During whaling ship accidents, sperm whales swallowed whalers.
Many researchers still argue about who the killer whale is - a whale or a dolphin. Despite the fact that the killer whale is called a killer whale in the media and in the daily life of whalers, this animal belongs to the dolphins. This animal is confused with a whale because of the shape of the fin: dolphins have sharp long fins, while those of the killer whale are rounded and wide.
Mating and breeding of whales
The whale is a monogamous animal that reproduces once every two years. The mammal fully matures by the age of twelve, but the ability to reproduce appears already by the age of four. Males mate throughout the year, so the mating season is very prolonged. Pregnancy proceeds depending on the type of cetacean and can take from seven to fifteen months. For childbirth, females migrate to warm waters.
As a result of childbirth, one whale appears, which emerges from the female tail first. The born cub immediately has the opportunity to move and develop independently, but it keeps for some time near the mother. Feeding the kitten takes place under water, because whale milk has a high density and high fat content, as a result of which it does not spread in the water. After the end of feeding, the calf almost doubles in size. The male accompanies the mother with the kitten during the entire period of feeding.
- man hunted whales for the sake of whalebone, fat and bones. Margarine, glycerin and soap were made from fat and lard. Whalebone and bones were used for the production of corsets, figurines, adornments, tableware;
- in the production of decorative cosmetics, spermaceti is actively used, which is in the head of a whale;
- many species of whales are listed in the Red Book, since they were practically exterminated by whalers;
- more than a dozen skeletons of blue whales can be seen in various natural museums around the world;
- a trainable whale is a beluga whale. She can be seen in circuses and dolphinariums. Researchers of the ocean floor trained the beluga whale to search for items lost at the bottom, deliver equipment to divers and conduct underwater surveys;
- a large amount of literature has been written about various representatives of whales, while mammals act both as helpers to humans and in the form of dangerous predators;
- the names of whales, such as beluga whale or sperm whale, refer to some types of sea or land freight transport.
Blue whale (blue whale)
- the largest marine mammal of the cetacean order. The blue whale holds the absolute record for the largest animal in the world, and is also considered the largest animal that ever existed on Earth. For many millions of years of evolution, nature has failed to create an animal larger than a blue whale.
In length, the blue whale can reach more than 33 meters, the average weight is about 130 tons, but there are individuals reaching 190 tons; as a rule, female baleen whales always have more males.
Main features of the blue whale
1. The volume of the lungs is 2.5% of the whale's weight and is close to 3.5 thousand liters.
2. The heart of a blue whale is truly enormous and reaches 700-1000 kg. The heart pumps 10 tons of blood throughout the body, the largest artery of the blue whale is the spinal artery and its diameter is 40 - 45 cm. The heart rate is 5 - 10 beats per minute, it can reach 20 beats.
3. The weight of subcutaneous fat in the blue whale is 27% of the total weight, more than 30 tons in large individuals, the thickness of the fat layer is 30 cm.
4. The tongue of a blue whale weighs 3-4 tons.
5. The liver weighs 1 ton.
6. The stomach of a blue whale can hold 2 tons of food.
7. The area of \u200b\u200bthe whale's mouth is about 25 square meters, but the pharynx is very narrow, like all baleen whales, about 10 cm in diameter.
8. Of the five senses, three are very poorly developed (sense of smell, sight, taste), but hearing and touch in blue whales are at their best.
Blue whale habitats
As befits the largest creature on the planet, the blue whale's habitat is incredibly wide; these giants can be found from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Cold waters are still preferred, but the southern limits are not deprived of the attention of baleen whales. The only place where the fin of a blue whale does not flap is the equator, too warm for a giant clad in an armor of subcutaneous fat.
Appearance
As befits a sea inhabitant, the body of a blue whale is streamlined and proportional; its head is about 1/3 of the body's length and is U-shaped. From the lower jaw and along the belly, whales have skin stripes, which firstly help to stretch the whale's pharynx while swallowing water, and also affects the hydrodynamic capabilities of the whale body. The dorsal fin of the blue whale is the smallest of all the baleen whales, it is displaced far back and does not exceed 30-35 cm in size. The caudal fin reaches a width of about 7.5 m. The lateral fins are narrowed and rather long, about 1/7 of the body length of a whale. The skin of a blue whale is dark gray with a blue tint.
Whalebone
Whalebone
- This is a unique filter, which nature replaced the teeth of baleen whales. The blue whale feeds on plankton, small crustaceans and molluscs. The whalebone works on the principle of a filter, it does not allow too large prey contained in huge volumes of water absorbed by the whale to fall into the mouth. After filtration, the blue whale uses its tongue to push the water back out and the whisker turns on again, this time preventing food from penetrating the plates back into the ocean. The whisker of a blue whale is absolutely black, consists of individual plates, the length of which ranges from 90 to 100 cm, width is about 50 cm. The number of plates, depending on the size of the owner, can be from 550 to 800 pieces.
Before the invention of polymers, whalebone was widely used in the manufacture of clothing, in particular women's corsets, which became one of the reasons for the mass extermination of whales.
Blue whale behavior
Blue whales are social animals living in groups of 3 - 5 individuals. The small number of groups is associated with the large size of the blue giants, because It is more difficult for a large group of whales to obtain food in sufficient quantities. An adult whale needs about 1.5 tons of food per day. During the feeding period, the blue whale can dive to a depth of 200 meters for 10 to 20 minutes. The movement speed during feeding does not exceed 10 - 12 km / h, but the blue whale can, if necessary, develop a speed of up to 50 km / h.
Reproduction of blue whales is not a fast process, the female gives birth once every two years, the pregnancy lasts 10 - 12 months. The weight of a newborn blue whale is 2 - 3 tons, and the length is 6 - 10 meters. Feeding lasts 7 months, during which the calf grows up to 16m in length and reaches a mass of 20 tons. At the age of 1.5 years, the weight of a whale reaches 50 tons. Puberty in blue whales, it occurs at the age of 4 - 5 years.
The blue whale in the photo and video below.
The largest mammal on earth is without a doubt the blue whale. An even larger representative of the deep sea has not yet been found. The size of the blue whale is impressive. Its length is almost 34 meters, and its weight is more than 200 tons.
However, the largest whale in the world has not only huge body sizes. He just has incredibly large internal organs. And only one language weighs so much that it is difficult to imagine: 4 thousand kilograms. Well, the heart of a blue whale weighs about 700 kilograms. However, such impressive dimensions are not uncommon for the ocean. Few people know that back in 1870, the largest jellyfish was found near the coast of North America. Medusa Cyaneus was over 35 meters long. To better visualize its size, you can compare it with the height of a 9-storey building.
3 ton baby
When a small whale is born (or rather, on the water), it already weighs about three tons. The cub's length is comparable to a small tree - 6-7 meters. For a person, these are already unimaginable dimensions, it is difficult to imagine a living creature of such dimensions. Every year the whales only grow, and the small whale is pulled out at high speed. At the same time, whales, according to various sources, can live up to hundreds of years. However, despite the active growth and life expectancy, whales produce offspring very slowly. Females of the largest whale in the world reach sexual maturity only by the age of ten, and they give birth no more than once every two years. Mammals, unlike humans, carry a fetus for about 12 months. Despite such circumstances, now powerful and noble mammals are being destroyed mercilessly.And they do it so fast that blue whales do not even have time to reach their maternal age, that is, they die in childhood. The largest whales are now less abundant in the oceans, their population is decreasing exponentially. They are now on the verge of extinction. In Japan, for example, fishing is so active that there are practically no whales left there.
Initially, the number of blue whales (this is before the start of intensive fishing) was estimated at 215,000 individuals. But it is rather difficult to count the modern livestock. And the reason is pretty simple. For many decades, these mammals have not been studied very actively. According to the data for 1984, no more than 1900 whales live in the Northern Hemisphere, and more in the Southern Hemisphere - about 10 thousand heads. True, half of them are dwarf subspecies. Now, according to some sources, there are no more than 2 thousand blue whales in the entire world ocean. True, according to the calculations of other specialists, the numbers are more optimistic - at least 8 thousand individuals.
Killer whale victim
However, blue whales can die not only from human hands. The mammal can also become a victim of its marine neighbors. One might think that adult whales, due to their gigantic size, have no natural enemies. However, they can still fall out of favor with killer whales. The latter huddle in flocks, tear apart the blue whales and eat them. And cases of attacks have already been reported. So, in 1979, a flock of 30 killer whales attacked a young blue whale. 
Killer whales rushed at their prey, tore pieces from it. Moreover, the attackers did not even understand where to bite - in the head, sides or back. And in 1990, two large whales were described that were seen in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. They had scars in the form of parallel stripes, judging by them, the teeth marks of killer whales remained on the mammals.
Blue-gray
The color of the blue whale, surprisingly, is not blue, but mainly gray, but with a blue tint. And the blue mammal was nicknamed because when you look at a whale through the water, but it seems exactly blue, well, or blue. At the same time, the fins and belly of the animal are lighter than the rest of the body.Blue whales live in both warm and cold waters. These are polar and tropical seas. The creatures do not have teeth, but despite this, they feed on all small marine life, for example, plankton or small fish. The largest whale in the world has a "whalebone" for food. This is a device that looks more like a brush or a huge sieve. It is capable of passing elements unnecessary for nutrition through itself, and in addition, filtering water. A blue whale cannot eat a person, even if it really wants to. Therefore, the mammal is considered almost safe for humans. However, an inhabitant of the seas and oceans can easily turn over a medium-sized watercraft, and not on purpose, but simply by accidentally hitting it.
Almost bipedal
There is a theory that the whales came off the land. As proof of this - the structural features of the skeleton of a mammal, which does not very much resemble a fish. The blue whale even has finger tassels on its fins. Moreover, the blue whale does not lay eggs and does not lay eggs; it produces already living organisms.Blue whale in nature
It should be noted that whales have a very poor sense of smell and vision. Therefore, the most big whale in the world with his fellow tribesmen communicates exclusively with the help of sounds. And for other mammals to hear the cry, the whale has to invest up to 20 hertz in the message. And this is enough to transmit information over a huge distance - individuals are able to hear each other at a distance of up to 800 kilometers and even more. However, if the whale overdoes it, and shouts with more or less force, then the brothers will not hear him. And whales are not able to understand someone. Most of these mammals are solitary.
The blue whale generally does not form herds. But sometimes mammals still gather in groups, but they are not numerous, only 2-3 heads. Only where there is a lot of food can you find large concentrations. However, even in such groups, blue whales keep apart from each other.
The largest whale in the world is caught
The mammal is not as agile as other large cetaceans. The whale's movements are slow and clumsy. And they are active only during the daytime, as evidenced by the fact that, for example, off the coast of California at night, individuals stop their movements. In general, the life of blue whales at night is still poorly understood.
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From the order of cetaceans, belonging to the baleen whales. The largest whale, the largest modern animal, and also probably the largest of all animals that have ever lived on Earth. Its length reaches 33 meters, and its weight can significantly exceed 150 tons.
Appearance and structure
The physique is proportional, the body is well streamlined. The head is convex laterally, but blunt in front. The respiratory opening (blowhole) in front and on the sides is surrounded by a ridge that passes into a ridge, which, gradually decreasing, ends at the end of the snout. The eyes are small, located slightly behind and above the corner of the mouth. The length of the slit of the eye is 9-10 cm. The lower jaw is strongly curved to the sides, with the mouth closed, the snouts protrude 15-30 cm. On the front of the head and lower jaw there are several dozen short (15 mm) hairs, the number of which varies.
The miniature dorsal fin is set far back, its height is only about 30 cm and can have a variety of shapes (with a rounded end, triangular, etc.). The pectoral fins are narrow, pointed and somewhat shortened (1/7 - 1/8 of the body length). Caudal fin with a small notch in the middle is 1/4 body length. The head is wide from above, U-shaped, with edges convex to the side. On the belly there are 70-114 longitudinal skin "stripes", on average 80. The depth of the chest-abdominal stripes is up to 2 cm, the width is about 5-6 cm. The longest ones reach almost to the navel.
The body of a blue whale is dark gray, with a bluish tint, speckled with light gray spots and a marble pattern. The head, lower jaw and chin are of the same color. There are more spots in the back half of the body and on the belly than in the front and back. The belly can be yellow or mustard in color. Heart mass is more than half a ton. The diameter of the aorta reaches the diameter of a small bucket, and the lungs can hold up to 14 m3 of air.
Behavior and lifestyle
In general, the blue whale is more lonely than any other cetacean. The blue whale does not form herds, it is mostly a solitary animal, although sometimes blue whales form small groups of 2-3 heads. Only in places with especially abundant food can they form larger clusters, dividing into smaller groups. In such groups, whales are scattered, although the total number of such aggregations of blue whales reaches 50-60 heads.
When swimming near the surface of the water, the blue whale is not nearly as maneuverable as some other large cetaceans. In general, its movements are slower and, according to scientists, more awkward than other minke whales. The activity of blue whales in the dark is poorly understood. Most likely, he leads a diurnal lifestyle - this is evidenced, for example, by the fact that whales off the coast of California at night almost stop moving.
The blue whale dives quite deeply, especially if it is very frightened or injured. The data obtained by whalers using special devices mounted on a harpoon showed that a harpooned blue whale can dive up to 500 m, and according to American data, a whale can dive even up to 540 m. Normal diving of a feeding whale rarely exceeds 200 m, but more often no deeper than 100 m. Such dives last from 5 to 20 minutes. The grazing whale dives rather slowly - it takes about 8 minutes to dive to 140 m and then ascend. After surfacing, the whale's breathing quickens up to 5-12 times a minute, with a fountain appearing each time. Rapid breathing lasts 2-10 minutes, after which the whale dives again. The vomit chased by whalers is under water much longer than usual, up to 50 minutes.
After a long and deep dive, the blue whale makes a series of 6-15 short dives and shallow dives. Each such diving takes him 6-7 seconds, for a shallow dive - 15-40 seconds. During this time, the whale has time to swim 40-50 m, shallow under the surface of the water. The highest dips in the series are the first after the ascent from the depth and the last (before the dive). In the first case, the whale, slightly bending the body, shows first the very top of the head with a blowhole, then the back, dorsal fin and, finally, the caudal peduncle. Going to depth, the blue whale strongly bends its body, tilting its head down, so that the highest point becomes the part of the back with a fin, which are shown when the head and front of the back are already deep under water. Then the "arc" of the back becomes lower and lower, and the whale disappears without showing its tail. A diving blue whale rarely shows its tail fin - in about 15% of diving cases. Observations of blue whales off the southern coast of California have shown that they spend 94% of the time underwater.
At a short distance, the blue whale can swim at a speed of up to 37 km / h, and in exceptional cases even 48 km / h, but it cannot hold this speed for a long time, since it puts too much stress on the body. At this speed, the whale develops power up to 500 horsepower. The grazing vomit moves slowly, 2-6 km / h, faster during migrations - even up to 33 km / h.
The blue whale breathes 1-4 times per minute in a calm state. Studies in the 1970s showed that the respiratory rate in blue whales (and minke whales in general) is highly dependent on the size and age of the whale. Young whales breathe much more often than adults - for example, when surfacing after a deep dive, the frequency of respiratory acts (inhalation-exhalation) in a blue whale with a length of 18 m was 5-10 in 2 minutes, while in an adult 22.5-meter vomited it was 7 -11 times in 12.5 minutes. Respiration rates in whales of this size that did not dive were 2-4 and 0.7-2 times per minute, respectively. An adult blue whale pursued by whalers breathed (gave a fountain) 3-6 times a minute.
Food
The largest animal on earth consumes about 1 million calories per day. This is approximately 1 ton of krill, which is the main diet of the blue whale. In general, the blue whale is a typical plankton-eater: it feeds on crustaceans in the upper water column, submerging under water for 10-15 minutes. The crustaceans that it feeds on are concentrated in special zones called feeding fields. In such places you can meet several whales at once, although they usually do not gather in groups of more than 3 individuals.
Fish, if it plays any role in the diet of a blue whale, is very insignificant. Soviet sources indicated that the blue whale does not eat fish at all, while other sources more definitely indicate that it does eat fish. Most likely, fish and other small marine animals are swallowed by accident, while eating masses of krill. It is also possible that the consumption of small schooling fish and small squid observed in the western part of the Pacific Ocean is caused by the absence of large accumulations of planktonic crustaceans. In addition to a small number of small fish, small crustaceans other than krill were found in the stomach of blue whales.
The blue whale feeds in the same way as other minke whales. The grazing whale swims slowly, opening its mouth and collecting water with a mass of small crustaceans into it. The stripes on the throat allow the whale's mouth to stretch very strongly, and the movable articulation of the lower jaw bones greatly contributes to this. Having scooped up water with crustaceans, the whale closes its mouth and squeezes the water back through the whalebone with its tongue. In this case, the plankton settles on the fringe of the mustache and is then swallowed.
The huge lower jaw, filled with water and food, is so heavy that it is sometimes difficult for a blue whale to move it to close its mouth. Measurements of a 29-meter-long 150-ton blue whale showed that its mouth could hold 32.6 m³ of water. Therefore, often a blue whale, having collected food in its mouth, turns over on its side or even on its back, and then the mouth slams shut itself under the influence of gravity. Due to its huge size, the blue whale is forced to consume a very large amount of food - according to various sources, it eats from 3.6 to 6-8 tons of krill per day, and it is estimated that the number of individual crustaceans in this mass reaches 40 million. , a blue whale needs about 3-4% of its body weight per day. The aforementioned whale with a mouth volume of 32.6 m³ could capture over 60 kg of crustaceans at a time at the usual krill density in the ocean. The deeply stuffed stomach of a blue whale can hold up to a ton of food.
Whale songs
Leading a solitary lifestyle, whales have developed their own way of communication, with the help of which they communicate with each other over vast distances of up to 1600 km. These are famous whale songs, the volume of which reaches 188 decibels. The meaning of these songs is not fully understood, but scientists have noticed that whales "sing" during the breeding season, so that singing is possible in some way connected with the family functions of animals. These songs last up to half an hour.
At first, it was believed that only males sing, but there is information that female blue whales also sing for their babies. The sound-reproducing system in animals is located in the front of the head and serves as a lens that captures and reproduces sounds. Since whales are practically blind and have no sense of smell, sound is the only means of communication with other individuals, and the only way of contact with the outside world. Therefore, whales are constantly busy analyzing ambient sounds.
Oceanographers have collected and analyzed thousands of records of blue whale "songs" that have been documented by various instruments over the past 45 years. It turned out that slowly but steadily, by fractions of a hertz per year, the tonal frequency of the sound decreases. This happens regardless of the ocean where the animals live. But, for example, in most of the surveyed populations of whales living near California, sound frequency songs since 1965 has dropped by 31%.
Among possible reasons This phenomenon, which experts consider in an article published in Endangered Species Research, is a reaction to changes in the composition of water in the ocean, as well as the simple desire of young whales to imitate the timbre of older ones, in which it decreases with age.
The most plausible option, and at the same time the most unhappy, is that due to the fatal decrease in the number of blue whales, they now need to send their "messages" more far away, and low-frequency sounds, as you know, travel further in the ocean.
Reproduction
The height of mating in blue whales occurs in winter: in January in the northern hemisphere and in July in the southern. The body length of newborns is from 6 to 8.8 m, more often 7-8 m, with a weight of 2-3 tons. A strong variation in the size of embryos harvested at the same time indicates a prolonged mating period for almost the entire year. An analysis of the size of embryos in Antarctic catches showed an average increase in their body by 35 cm in November, by 56 in December, by 72 in January, by 92 in February, and by 79 cm in March (Tomilin, 1957). Apparently, the rate of growth of embryos gradually increases, but by the end of uterine life they slow down somewhat.
Pregnancy lasts a little less than a year (about 11 months). Usually one cub is born, cases of multiple pregnancies are rare. According to the International Whaling Statistics (ISS), among 12,106 Antarctic embryos, there were 77 cases of twins, five cases of triplets, one finding with five and one with seven embryos. Of the twin embryos, as a rule, only one develops to the end, the rest die and are resorbed. For 7 months lactation period the calf, feeding on very fat milk (34-50% fat), grows up to 16 m and weighs 23 tons, and at the age of 19 months reaches 20 m and weighs 45-50 tons; medium-sized individuals (23.7-24 m) weigh 80-85 tons, and large ones (30 m) - 150-160 tons (Wheeler a. Mackintosh, 1929; Krogh, 1934; Ruud, 1956). Sexual maturity occurs at 4-5 years, as evidenced by 8-10 layers in the ear plugs, which determine age. Females at this time reach a length of 23 m. They reach full growth and physical maturity with a body length of 26-27 m, which is probably at 14-15 years old.
The average daily weight gain of suckers, according to zootechnical calculations (Tomilin, 1946), reaches 81.3 kg with a daily consumption of 90 kg of milk. Sexual maturity occurs at 4–5 years of age, when 8–10 layers appear in the age-related ear plugs (Nishiwaki, 1957); at this time, the length of southern females reaches on average 2-3.78 m, northern females - 23 m, and the average weight of male testes is 10 kg (Ruud, 1950, 1957). Usually females reproduce every two years. Strong variation in the percentage of pregnant females among sexually mature ones (from 20 to 61%: Laurie, 1937; Ottestad a. Ruud, 1936) depends on the accuracy of registration of embryos at whaling bases and on the number of individuals studied (with less material, large deviations are possible).
The females reach physical maturity when 11-12 scars of the corpus luteum accumulate in the ovaries; this happens at the age of 14-15, and possibly even more older age, with an average body length of 26.2 m (Laurie, 1937), 26.5 m (Brinkmann, 1948) and 26.67 m (Peters, 1939). The minimum size of physically mature Antarctic females was set at 24.7 m, and for males - 22.3 m.A female with 41 cicatrices of the corpus luteum (18 in one ovary and 23 in the other) already had signs of menopause, and with 35 scars she had no such signs ... The oldest female in the North Pacific Ocean had only 25 scars (Omura, 1955).
Number
The initial abundance of blue whales, prior to the start of their intensive fishing, was estimated at 215,000. According to other sources, it could have been even larger, up to 350 thousand. The first bans on fishing for blue whales in the Northern Hemisphere date back to 1939; they affected only certain areas. Fishing was completely banned in 1966, but the ban on fishing, however, did not immediately affect blue pygmy whales, which they continued to hunt back in the 1966-1967 season.
The current population of blue whales is difficult to estimate. The reason may be that blue whales have not been very actively studied for decades - for example, according to authoritative sources in 1984, the International Whaling Commission has practically not counted the number of these whales since the mid-1970s. In 1984, it was reported that no more than 1,900 blue whales lived in the Northern Hemisphere, and about 10,000 in the Southern Hemisphere, half of which were a dwarf subspecies.
According to some data, there are now from 1300 to 2000 blues in the entire world ocean, but in this case the number of these whales is even lower than 40 years ago, despite the complete absence of fishing. Other sources give more optimistic figures: 5-10 thousand blues in the Southern Hemisphere and 3-4 thousand in the Northern. The question of the quantitative distribution of the world population of blue whales in individual areas is also not fully clarified.
A number of sources indicate that 400 to 1400 blue whales live in the Southern Hemisphere, about 1480 in the North Pacific, and the number of blue whales in the rest of the Northern Hemisphere is unknown. In relation to the Southern Hemisphere (more precisely, the Southern Ocean), other figures are also indicated: 1700 heads with a 95% probability that this number is between the two extreme values \u200b\u200bof 860 and 2900. At the same time, 6 herds live in the Southern Hemisphere, according to the International Whaling Commission blue whales. Whales of the southern subspecies, which became the main object of attention of whalers in the twentieth century, according to 2007 estimates, only 3% of the 1914 population remains.
The growth of the blue whale population is slow, but in some places, for example, in areas near Iceland, the growth after the ban on fishing reached 5% per year. American scientists who conducted a detailed study of the cetacean population off the Pacific coast of the United States noted that the number of blue whales in these areas tended to increase during the 1980s. However, the same study concluded that there was no data on population growth in the Pacific as a whole. There are legitimate concerns that the blue whale population may never recover to its original abundance.
Whales are very smart animals. Their incredible intelligence and friendly nature made whales very popular and interesting animals for science. Scientists generally believe that the whale's brain is more similar in its capabilities to a human than the brain of any other animal.
Some of the structural features of whales were of great interest to physicians. So, whales do not have cerebral hemorrhages, due to the fact that there is a special shunt in their heart that connects two large arteries, which provides reliable protection against blockages of blood vessels, and as a result, against heart attacks.
The whale's eye is also of interest to scientists. Firstly, because in it the size allows you to see what cannot be seen in the eye of a person or other animal. Secondly, the blue whale can dive under water to great depths, and the structure of its eye is such that it can withstand enormous pressures. Having learned this secret, a person will help patients with glaucoma associated with intraocular pressure disorders.
Our world is truly amazing. It is full of creatures big and small, short and tall. Today we offer you an extremely interesting selection. It contains photographs of fifteen of the largest animals in the world, broken down by different categories such as mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, etc. Some of these animals are real giants!
1. The largest animal in the world is the blue (or blue) whale.
The blue whale, also called the blue whale or blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), is a marine mammal that belongs to the order of cetaceans in the suborder of baleen whales. Reaching 30 meters (98 feet) in length and 180 metric tons or more in weight, it is the largest animal known to science that has ever existed on our planet. The tongue of a blue whale can weigh about 2.7 tonnes (5952 lb), which is about the weight of a medium-sized Asian elephant. The heart of a blue whale weighs about 600 kilograms (1,300 pounds) and is the largest such organ of any living creature. The heart of a blue whale is not only the size of a small car, but it also weighs about the same as the aforementioned car. And the volume of the blue whale's lungs exceeds 3 thousand liters.
2. The blue whale is believed to feed almost exclusively on small, shrimp-like creatures known as krill.
3. Plankton forms the basis of the blue whale's diet. Thanks to its filtering apparatus, which consists of whalebone plates, the blue whale can consume a whopping 3.6 metric tons (7,900 lb) or more daily during the summer months.
4. This means that it can eat up to 40 million krill per day, with an adult blue whale's daily caloric requirement in the region of 1.5 million. kcal.
6. The largest land animal in the world: African elephant. The African elephant is the largest land animal. Male African elephants reach 6 to 7.5 meters (19.7 to 24.6 feet) in length, 3.3 m (10.8 feet) in height at the withers, and can weigh up to 6 tons (13,000 lb). The female African elephant is much smaller, averaging 5.4 to 6.9 m (17.7 to 22.6 ft) in length, 2.7 meters (8.9 ft) in height at the withers, and can weigh reach 3 tons (6,600 lb). Adult African elephants generally have no enemies in their natural environment habitat due to their extremely large size, but elephants (especially newborns) are one of the favorite types of prey for bloodthirsty attacks by lions or crocodiles, and are also often attacked by leopards or hyenas. According to the latest data, in wildlife the population of African elephants ranges from 500 to 600 thousand individuals.
7. Tallest land animal in the world: giraffe.
The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is an African mammal from the artiodactyl order of the giraffe family. It is the tallest land animal in the world. it grows on average 5-6 meters (16-20 feet). Male giraffes have an average weight of 1,600 kilograms (3,500 lb) while females can weigh around 830 kilograms (1,800 lb). A distinctive characteristic of the giraffe is its very long neck, which can reach over 2 meters (6 feet 7 inches) in length. Actually, the neck accounts for almost half of the animal's vertical height. The long neck is the result of a disproportionate elongation of the cervical vertebrae, rather than an increase in the number of vertebrae, which in the giraffe, like in almost all other mammals, only seven
8. Largest Carnivore in the World: Southern Elephant Seal.
The southern elephant seal is the largest carnivore on our planet. The size of the southern elephant seal is evidence of extreme sexual dimorphism, the most significant of all mammals, as males of the southern elephant seal are usually five to six times heavier than females. While females can weigh on average 400 to 900 kilograms (880 to 2,000 pounds) and be 2.6 to 3 meters (8.5 to 9.8 feet) in length, male southern elephant seals weigh on average approximately 2,200 to 4,000 kg (4,900 to 8,800 lb) and can reach 4.5 to 5.8 meters (15 to 19 feet) in length. The all-time record holder for southern elephant seals, shot at Possession Bay, South Georgia on February 28, 1913, measured 6.85 meters (22.5 feet) in length and is estimated to weigh approximately 5,000 kilograms (11,000 lb).
Southern Marines can dive multiple times while hunting, staying underwater for more than twenty minutes each time, tracking their prey, squid and fish, at depths ranging from 400 to 1000 meters (1300 to 3300 feet). The documented underwater record for a juvenile elephant seal was approximately two hours. The maximum depth that southern elephant seals can dive to is over 1,400 meters (4,600 feet).
9. The largest land predator in the world: Polar bear and Kodiak bear.
The world's largest land-based predators are the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) and the Kodiak brown bear (Ursus ARCTOS). If everything is more or less clear with the polar bear, then the Kodiak bear is less known.
10. Kodiak is a subspecies of brown bears that are found on Kodiak Island and other islands of the Kodiak archipelago off the southern coast of Alaska. Since the polar polar bear and the Kodiak brown bear have approximately the same body size, it is not clear which of them really takes the first place in terms of size. In both species, the height at the withers is over 1.6 meters (5.2 feet) and the total body length can reach 3.05 m (10.0 feet). The absolute weight records for polar and brown bears were 1003 kg (2210 lb) and 1135 kg (2500 lb), respectively.
11. Largest reptile in the world: Saltwater (ridged or spongy) crocodile.
The saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is the largest reptile in the world today. The habitat of the crested crocodiles is from Northern Australia to Southeast Asia and the east coast of India. An adult male saltwater crocodile can weigh between 409 and 1000 kilograms (900-2200 lb), and is typically 4.1 to 5.5 meters (13-18 feet) in length. However, males can exceed 6 meters (20 feet) in length and sometimes reach over 1000 kg (2200 lb) in weight. The saltwater crocodile is the only crocodile species that regularly grows to or more than 4.8 m (16 ft) in length. The saltwater crocodile is an active predator that feeds mainly on insects, molluscs, amphibians, crustaceans, small reptiles and fish. However, he attacks almost any animal that is on his territory, either in the water or on land. The crocodile always drags the victim, which he watches on land, into the water, where it is more difficult for him to resist.
12. The largest amphibian in the world: the Chinese giant salamander.
The Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) is the largest salamander in the world. Individuals of the Chinese giant salamander can reach 180 centimeters (6 feet) in length, although nowadays such giants are extremely rare. This species is endemic to mountain rivers and lakes in China. One of the conditions necessary for the survival of the Chinese giant salamander is clear and very cold water.
13. Today, this species is considered endangered due to habitat destruction, environmental pollution and targeted destruction, as the meat of the giant amphibian is considered a delicacy and is used in traditional Chinese medicine.
14. Largest rabbit / hare in the world: "Belgian flanders". The Belgian Flanders are an ancient breed of domesticated rabbits that originate from the Flemish region.
15. They were first bred in the sixteenth century in the vicinity of the city of Ghent, Belgium. Belgian Flandre rabbits can weigh up to 12.7 kilograms (28 lb).
16. Largest bat in the world: giant golden flying fox. In the photo: a giant golden flying fox. Spectacled flying fox.
The largest of all bats is the giant golden flying fox (Acerodon jubatus), an endangered species of bats from rainforest Philippines, which is part of the fruit bat family. Fruits form the basis of the diet of giant golden flying foxes. Maximum weight The giant golden flying foxes can be 1.5 kg (3.3 lb), they can reach 55 centimeters (22 inches) in length, and their wingspan can be almost 1.8 meters (5.9 feet). The giant flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus) is inferior to the golden flying fox in body weight and length, but outstrips it in wingspan. Scientists have recorded individuals with a wingspan of 1.83 meters (6.0 feet) to 2 meters (6.6 feet).
17. Largest rodent in the world: capybara.
The largest rodent in existence today is the capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), a species that is found along the shores of a variety of water bodies in tropical and temperate parts of Central and South America, east of the Andes - from Panama to Uruguay to northeastern Argentina. One of the main conditions for the existence of a capybara is the presence of a nearby reservoir.
18. The largest capybaras can reach 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) in length and 0.9 meters (3.0 feet) in height at the withers. They can weigh up to 105.4 kg (232 lb). This is a very active species. Capybaras are social animals that live in groups of up to a hundred individuals, but the usual size of one colony is on average 10-20 individuals.
19. The largest bony fish in the world: common moon fish (sun fish, head fish).
Osteichthyes, also called "bony fish", are a taxonomic group of fish that have bony, rather than cartilaginous, skeletons. The vast majority of fish belong to the Osteichthyes species. It is an extremely diverse and large group of more than 29,000 species. It is the most numerous class of vertebrates in existence today.
20. Largest representative bony fish is the widespread common moonfish (sunfish, headfish) or Mola Mola. It has an extremely strange body shape - it is compressed from the sides, very high and short, which gives the fish an outlandish appearance and a disk-like shape. In fact, it does not have a body as such - the sunfish is literally a "head and tail". Mature The common headfish has an average length of 1.8 meters (5.9 feet), fin-to-fin widths up to 2.5 meters (8.2 feet), and weighs 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb) on average. However, scientists have recorded individuals that can be up to 3.3 meters (10.8 feet) long and 4.2 meters (14 feet) across. These giants can weigh up to 2,300 kilograms (5,100 lb).
21. Largest lizard / snake in the world: giant green anaconda.
The giant anaconda, sometimes also called the green anaconda (Eunectes murinus), is a snake species of the boa subfamily. She lives in the tropical part of South America east of the Andes, Paraguay, North Bolivia, French Guiana. The maximum recorded body length is 7.5 meters (25 feet), and the maximum recorded weight reaches 250 kilograms (550 lb), although there are rumors of much larger green anacondas. The reticulated python (Python reticulatus) from Southeast Asia is longer, but thinner, and is reported to reach a maximum of 9.7 meters (32 feet) in length.
22. The world's largest bird: the ostrich.
The ostrich, the largest bird on our planet (Struthio Camelus), is found in the plains of Africa and Arabia. The scientific name of the ostrich, translated from Greek, means "camel-sparrow". A large male ostrich can reach a height of 2.8 meters (9.2 feet) and weigh over 156 kilograms (345 lb). Ostrich eggs can weigh up to 1.4 kilograms (3 lb) and are the largest bird eggs in the world today. Ostriches can run at top speeds of up to 97.5 km / h (60.6 mph), making the ostrich the fastest bird on earth and the fastest two-legged creature in the world.
The curly pelican (Pelecanus crispus) is a member of the pelican family. Dalmatian pelicans inhabit a large area from Southeast Europe to India and China. Dalmatian Pelicans live in swamps and shallow lakes. It is the largest of the pelicans, on average it can reach 160-180 centimeters (63-70 inches) in length and weigh 11-15 kilograms (24-33 pounds). The Dalmatian Pelican has a wingspan of just over 3 meters (10 feet). An average weight of 11.5 kilograms (25 lb) makes the Dalmatian Pelican the heaviest flying bird. Although a large male bustard or swan can exceed a pelican in maximum weight.
24. The largest arthropod in the world: the Japanese spider crab.
The Japanese spider crab is a type of sea crab that lives in the waters off the coast of Japan. At a span of the first pair of legs, it reaches 3.8 meters (12 feet) and can weigh up to 41 pounds (19 kilograms).
26. In its natural habitat, the Japanese spider crab feeds on shellfish and animal carcasses and can live up to 100 years.