10 facts you probably didn't know about whales
“1. Diving deep into a mystery
Narwhals regularly dive down to a depth of 1,500 metres... in Baffin Bay in winter under almost complete sea-ice cover to feed on Greenland Halibut, their main prey...
2. Pushing out daises
...sperm whales will encircle the young & old & aim their most powerful weapons, their tails, out towards potential predators. This formation is called a marguerite formation...
3. Bite me
...their teeth can range from similar to human-sized to massive fangs that can weigh up to 1kg...
4. Shrimpin’ ain’t easy
Most whale species have their own whale louse species (really shrimp species, not lice). They live in openings & any wounds or scars on the whale...
5. Snoop dogs use poo to tail whales
Scientists have been using dogs to aid in the collection of whale poop. Pooches trained to find the poop of specific species of whale are part of at-sea teams...This enables scientists to collect valuable samples used to assess stress, health, & reproductive hormones.
6. A whale is a terrible thing to waste
Beluga Whales in the St Lawrence Estuary & Gulf were classified as toxic waste in recent decades due to the massive concentrations of man-made chemicals that had accumulated in their bodies via the food chain...
7. You smell like whale barf
Some of the most coveted perfume on the planet contains... ambergris, which is more commonly known as sperm whale vomit...
8. Don’t hold your breath
...The Cuvier’s beaked whale...(can) hold its breath for more than 2 hours & more than 3km...beneath the water's surface.
9. On the catwalk
Bowhead Whales have hundreds of baleen plates in their mouths, which help filter food from the water. At 4m long... these baleen plates are the longest in the whale world. During the commercial whaling era...fashion-conscious ladies sought out Bowhead baleen plates as Victorian-era corset stays.
10. Family ties & beluga bromance
Belugas show a strong loyalty to specific small places within their habitat...Female belugas are also known for “alloparenting,” which involves mothers sharing parenting duties, sometimes for unrelated calves...”
WWF-Canada
Feb. 13/2016
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