Many people are very misinformed when it comes to the real diet of whales. These people assume that all whales are carnivores, and are therefore completely misguided. In actuality, there are two types of whales which are small to medium-sized and large, with the largest being the blue whales (which are the largest subspecies). There is also a variety of feeding habits among these species.
In order for you to understand the eating habits of whales you first have to learn what they actually eat. All whales eat mostly fish and meat, although there are occasionally occurrences of algae in their diet as well. The algaecides found in certain types of fish serve a beneficial purpose for these mammals. They break down the gills of these mammals which in turn prevent them from being harmed by poisonous substances in the water. In fact, most whales eat such substances only once in their lifetime.
Other items in the whales diet include tiny crustaceans, small fishes, and sometimes even other types of marine animals. It is important to note however, that not all whales eat all types of food. Some species of whales specialize on a specific type of food, like the blue whales for instance. Other than making sure the water around them is clean, another reason why the diet of whales varies is because they are faced with predators on a daily basis. For instance, blue whales have to be wary of attacks from Killer whales, the largest predatory mammal on earth.
In order to understand the behavior of whales in relation to their diet you have to take into consideration the physiological characteristics of whales. Like all large marine animals, whales have elongated bodies with long backs, narrow flippers, and small ears. They also have highly developed brains, and they use these features to navigate, hunt, and catch food. During the mating season, these mammals give birth to calves which are closely related to them and must quickly learn how to survive in harsh environments, including the sea.
Whales are listed as endangered in various parts of the world because of overfishing. Overfishing has led to the decline of many oceanic ecosystems. The depletion of whale populations has drastically reduced their numbers, but the lack of understanding about whales and their role in the marine ecosystem must be addressed if we want to see the whales recover. It is important that we support the efforts of local marine conservation groups and individual whale enthusiasts to ensure that the whales continue to live in their natural habitats. If we fail to do so, the future of whales could be jeopardized.
Two types of marine mammals are whale species: baleen whales (tide runners) and cetaceans (oceans’ great white sharks). Of these two types, only the first has been granted with an endangered status by the International Government Organization for Wildlife Conservation orIGCO. Because the population of the second whale species is still uncertain, it has been recommended that we give the first whale species as much time as possible to rebound. The IGRO has also warned that further loss of marine mammal population may result in new threats or enhanced competition among different carnivore species. It is important to understand the entire situation regarding whales in the seas and how they interact with each other and with plant life before delisting any whale species from their respective biological and ecological categories.
