Krill Research Paper

Length and Weight: The average length of a blue whale is 75 - 80 feet (23 - 24 meters) and these long marine mammals can weigh up to 200,000 pounds (90,000 kg). Whales in the southern hemisphere are generally larger than those in the northern hemisphere. One whale captured in the southern hemisphere measured 110 feet (33 meters) in length. Females are usually larger than males of the same age. Fins: A small triangular-shaped dorsal fin is located on the blue whale's back. This fin measures only one foot in height. The shape and size of the dorsal fin can be very different for each whale. The whale's flippers are short and the tail is broad and triangular in shape. During the summer feeding period, a blue whale eats about 40 million krill each day, amounting to about 3,600 kg (7,900 pounds). During the other 8 months of the year, it lives of stored fat not eating anything.The blue whale feeds by using its long flexible throat grooves to expand its throat and draws in water laden with the prey, then forces the water out through its baleen plates. The whale then swallows after the baleen plates filter out the prey organisms (most likely

Orcinus Orca, or more commonly known as the Killer Whale, is found in waters worldwide ranging from the Antarctic to tropical regions. Killer Whales are considered to be apex predators of the ocean and have no natural predators. Killer Whales have been observed consuming a large diversity of different marine animals such as fish and squid (Coscarella et al., 2015) and also prey on Subantarctic Fur Seals, which is what they are more commonly known to feed on (Pistorius et al., 2012). Pitman and Durban (2010) also made observations of Killer Whales hunting penguins in the Antarctic. Trying to understand how this top predator regulates the food web involves knowing the relationships among species and also their population size and diet (Coscarella et al., 2015). Killer Whales use different hunting techniques while trying to catch their food and are also very social creatures and tend to hunt in pods. Some Killer Whales have been observed simply chasing their prey until they tire or using a more advanced hunting tactic such as diving to deep depths to get their food, also another unusual activity observed are Killer Whales playing with their food.

Other marine life that exist in this ecosystem prey on other species for food, such as shark, octopus, and larger fish prey on smaller marine life for food. Herbivory is a large part of the marine life, which is the consumption of plant parts or algae by an animal. Phytoplankton, known as algae and other plants of the marine environment is the producer for food of many species living in this ecosystem. The consumer relies directly or indirectly on the output of the producers.

Whilst Toothed whales feed on larger marine life like squid and seals, Baleen whales feed on krill, microscopic crustaceans, schools of small fish and plankton. Baleen whales engage in filter feeding, making it very easy to eat many small pieces of food at once. Filter feeding is simply when the whale opens up its mouth and it sucks in whatever happens to be there, while filtering out the undesirable water.

First of all, whales play a significant role on maintaining our ecosystems and consequently we should care about them. In fact, whale poo contribute to the growth of the phytoplankton that is crucial to the survie of other species. This enormous quantity of poo is transported vertically and horizontally, so it covers a large part of the ocean. In addition, whales ‘migration transport fertilizer to the places that need it.

When the seal's habitat declines along with their population; the Whales’ population and habitat will increase. With more space

Whales of any kind are extremely helpful to their aquatic home. The website states the whale’s feces helps offset the carbon in the atmosphere and provides a healthier, happier ocean. Sperm whales have special nutrients in their waste that stimulates phytoplankton growth and helps feed fish. Phytoplankton also help decrease carbon in the air. According to Trish Lavery of the School of Biological Sciences at Flinders University, about 400,000 tonnes of carbon are extracted from the air each year because of

Although the blue whale’s sight isn’t the best, it’s relies on its hearing to hunt (Gill). “Sound waves travel very well in water, which is denser than the air through which we usually hear. This denser medium carries the sound waves over longer distances effectively. Whales are believed to be able to hear very well at low frequencies and high-frequency sounds may be more difficult” (Whales Forever). Blue whales can hear each other up to a thousand miles away (National). “Scientists think they use these vocalizations not only to communicate, but, to sonar-navigate the lightless ocean

Therefore, it allows fish populations to recover from the populations of whales. But protecting one species can also overthrow and throw the ecosystem out of balance. By doing so, the JWA responded with, “ …The balance of the ecosystem as a whole and will invite instability of the resources in question.” Overpopulated whales are not depleting fishing stocks. Most of them eat squid, crabs, krills, crustacean, shrimps, and much more than just fish. Furthermore, whales have rarely even competed for fish. Continuing this, a marine biologist at the University said, “… Human fishing and whale feeding take place in completely different zones of the

The blue whale is one of the largest animals on the planet. These beautiful, long creatures have been on Earth for billions of years. It is said that they have the loudest sound on Earth, and can be heard by other whales many miles away. During the 1900’s the blue whale was on the verge of extinction due to commercial whaling (Whale, 1). In 1946, multiple countries passed a law to regulate whale hunting, in an attempt to revive the blue whale population. Unfortunately, this law was loosely followed and hunting of the blue whale still continues. A study has shown that, “worldwide numbers of blue whales have reduced from 220,000 to as little as 3,000” (Geer,1). A common use for the blue whale is their meat. In 2015, a Santa Monica restaurant

In the article “Whale Facts” it says, “When it comes to the environment and the oceans ecosystem whales help regulate the flow of food by helping to maintain a stable food chain and ensuring that certain animal species do not overpopulate the ocean” (1). This shows how whales help other species make sure that they do not overpopulate the ocean. Also in the article “Whale Facts” it states, “In additional to feeding carbon fighting phytoplankton the fact that whale poop stimulates the growth of phytoplankton means that it also helps feed other species that feed on phytoplankton for their survival” (1). This shows that when whales poop it helps feed other species near the

Antarctic krill are one of the most recent sources of bio-inspired computing [15]. Krill are tiny crustaceans similar to prawns.(with large black eyes and are usually around only two inches in length). By volume, krill constitute a significant portion of living beings under the oceans [16] [15]. (The worldwide population of Krill has been estimated to outweigh the human population of the world). Krill are considered to be one of the most abundant and successful animal species on earth, and they provide the driving force behind the marine ecosystems of the planet. Many consider Krill to be the “fuel” that the planet’s marine ecosystem runs on; without them, most of the life in the Antarctic would begin to

The humpback whales will travel hundreds of miles to the south pacific, where the water is warmer, to mate and give birth to calves. The temperature in the Antarctic tends to start to drop in may, as the orbit and axial tilt of the Earth swings the lower hemisphere into the shade for the next six months. During their time away from the Antarctic, the whales do not hunt or eat. Instead relying on fat stores built up over their feeding season. The south pacific also provides a safe place for the birthing of calves, whose small bodies would suffer in the freezing waters, not to mention the aforementioned killer whales. In the north, the calves have time to grow and, like many mammals, live off their mothers milk until they are large enough to eat solid foods. Typically when their colouring changes from a light skinned youth to the typical grey of the adults. A calf will stay with it's mother for around a year, before setting off on it's

Antarctic krill play a crucial role within the southern ocean food web. They feed primarily on phytoplankton, especially small diatoms. They also feed on a lesser extent zooplankton, such as copepods, amphipods and other small zooplankton. Living near the bottom of food chains and converting the phytoplankton and zooplankton to a form suitable for larger animals, including fish, penguins, seals and wales, they have been considered as an important trophic level connection. Other popular organisms are not preferred food source

There are now many barriers to animal migration. Not only are these cities and dams, but also roads and highways. Because of these barriers, most migrations now involve animals that swim or fly, such as whales and bats. Baleen whales spend the summer in the polar seas eating plankton. Then they migrate thousands of miles to temperate or tropical seas where they sometimes go all winter without eating. Whales have excellent vision as well as echolocation,