What does the whale eat?
Whales are recognized by the huge mammals themselvesplanet Earth, and this is not surprising, because in length they often reach 40 meters, and their weight quite often exceeds 140 tons. What is feeding this mammal, which has such impressive dimensions? Let's find out what the whale feeds on.
Basic feeding of whales
The most important food of whales is plankton -a variety of small organisms that inhabit the water column and are unable to resist the current. They swallow whales along with tons of liquid. It is the plankton that provides these massive mammals with the necessary energy charge for a long period.
Also, whales feed on other underwaterinhabitants. They actively eat octopus, fish and squid. Sometimes such mammals can swallow birds and eat seals. There were cases when whales used to eat their own kind.
It is important to note that whales do not chew food, butonly filtered through the whale teeth, represented by large plates. The intestines of whales are many times larger than their size, and in their stomach can simultaneously be up to 2 tons of fish and crustaceans.
In order to obtain food, the whales firstrise in the upper strata of the oceans and seas. If there is not enough food there, they can go for food at a depth of 1-1.2 km - there, in addition to plankton, they find giant squid, which is instantly swallowed.
Feeding of small whales
Not everyone has an idea of what they eatYoung whales. They are on breastfeeding - small whales actively absorb mother's milk. This milk has a special chemical composition. It also contains a huge amount of fat. Thanks to this the cubs grow up to several dozen centimeters every day.
Unfortunately, such a mammal every yearit becomes more difficult to procure food for yourself. The reason is that due to the pollution of the seas and oceans, the number of plankton - the main food of whales - decreases many times (by several dozens of tons per year), therefore the number of these mammals is gradually decreasing. This is also facilitated by poachers who mercilessly kill thousands of whales a year. Of course, they are actively fighting, but the number of dead whales is constantly increasing.
