The largest whale needs protection

Anyone who is even slightly interested in biology knows that the blue whale is the largest whale in the world. Photos and videos on which this marine mammal is imprinted, always attract viewers. After all, blue is not only the biggest whale. He is the largest animal that exists on Earth today. And some paleontologists say that it is in fact the largest animal ever that existed on our planet. And even in the era of giant reptiles, there was no organism exceeding its size and mass.

The biggest whale, of course, is simply obliged to be the owner of records for the part of the "most-most". And he did not disappoint. So, the list of records of the blue whale: the heaviest language in the world (up to four tons), the largest volume of lungs (over three thousand liters). And, according to some estimates (however, obviously overestimated), the lung volume reaches fourteen thousand liters ... Let's go further: the largest amount of blood - up to eight thousand liters, the largest heart - about a ton in the largest specimens. The pulse of the whale in a calm state is five to seven beats per minute, and only after diving it is increased to twelve.

In a minute the blue whale does not take more than four breaths. He has the largest size of blood vessels: a section of the dorsal aorta reaches a diameter of forty centimeters. Add to this a huge amount of fat (blubber), the total mass of which is a quarter of the whole mass of the animal (and even slightly more). According to reports of whalers, they met whales weighing 180-190 tons. But there are still few, most animals do not grow to such a huge size. And although after reaching a record small number of blue whales (five thousand) in the mid-sixties of the last century, the case, thanks to security measures, went into harmony, its strength is now about ten thousand, which is many times less than one hundred-fifty years Back. A large whale still needs a lot of protection. And this can not be neglected.

At the same time, the largest whale does not cease to amaze with some features of the body structure that are inherent not to a giant, but to an animal of medium or even small size. For example, the pharynx of a blue whale has a diameter of only ... ten centimeters! Therefore, it can not swallow larger food. The largest whale has a diet consisting of the smallest inhabitants of the ocean, primarily from plankton. In passing, he can swallow and other small things that happened to be nearby. In the stomachs of blue whales, small squid and fish were found. In order to prevent large animals from entering the pharynx, the whale drains sea water through the "whalebone" - several rows of horny plates.

Blue whales reproduce slowly. The female bore offspring eleven months and can bring one or two cubs. The percentage of birth is two - no more than one. The size of the newborn kitten is seven to eight meters, and the mass is two to three tons. The female feeds the whale with milk until the age of seven months, and daily it receives ninety liters of nutrient fluid. Another record!

Since 1966, the blue giants have been banned from fishing around the world. But their livestock is growing very slowly. And it's not about hunting them. Where the greater influence is caused by pollution of the environment. Falling into the ocean oil products accumulate in the body of the female blue whale, and then transferred to the baby, which adversely affects their health. Despite the growth in the number of these marine mammals, the existence of the species is still under threat.