Puzzle How to Eat Blue Whale Solved

The blue whale is the largest creature on earth it is not surprising if the animal has a big appetite. But, how to eat a large creature in order to get enough food has not been known until now.

"We found that blue whales have a strategy complicated than keeping oxygen during quality prey to low and then spend a lot of oxygen when a lot of prey," lata Elliott Hazen, environmental researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries' Southwest Fisheries Science Center and University of California Santa Cruz, as quoted by Reuters.

Researchers put trackers on more than 50 blue whales off the California coast. The tracking device to see their movement and their prey, namely krill, small crustaceans kind of shaped like a shrimp.

Based on research, blue whales do not eat haphazardly as long as it was calculated. They eat a lot when there are plenty of krill but not when the amount of krill bit by saving a backup oxygen for diving.

Blue whales filter krill from seawater with baleen plates in their mouths. The plates are made of keratin, which is also found in human fingernails. When eating, fast-moving whale and open mouth, insert prey-laden water up to 130 percent of its weight.

Throat bulging because of the water. He then uses the muscles in the throat and tongue to remove water from the mouth of the baleen plates that served to filter krill. Blue whales eat about four tons of krill every day.

"The Pope is much more actively assess their environment and exploit prey in a manner not previously known to increase the profits of energy acquisition," said environmental experts from the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University Ari Friedlaender.

The new pope including hewam endangered due to hunting in the 20th century that made them almost extinct. Now there are about 10 thousand blue whales worldwide, reaching 30 meters in length and weighs 180 tons.

"Blue whales face a dangerous risk in the ocean, ranging from assault ships to human noise. For animals that are on the fence, it is very important to provide lots of prey and thus reproduce," said Hazen.