Table of Contents
What does the blue whale eat?
krill
About the Species. Blue whales are the largest animals ever to live on our planet. They feed almost exclusively on krill, straining huge volumes of ocean water through their baleen plates (which hang from the roof of the mouth and work like a sieve). Some of the biggest individuals may eat up to 6 tons of krill a day.
Do blue whales eat other mammals?
Blue whales won’t even attempt to eat small marine mammals, let alone a human. There are no known recorded events of a blue whale ever eating or consuming a person partially or wholly except in stories and mythology.
Do Orca eat dolphins?
Looking at all populations, orcas are generalist eaters, consuming fish, seals and sea lions, dolphins and porpoises, sharks and rays, large whales, cephalopods (octopods and squids), seabirds and more.
Do dolphins and whales eat the same food?
Toothed whales (including all dolphins) are carnivores; they eat other animals. Dolphins eat a variety of fish, squid, shrimps, jellyfish and octopuses. The types of fish and other creatures dolphins eat depend on the species of dolphin, where the dolphins live and the wildlife that shares their habitats.
What is the largest thing a whale can eat?
The blue whale has one of the largest appetites of any animal, eating up to four tonnes of krill every day. Blue whales, which have baleen plates, feed by taking huge mouthfuls of water and food.
How much does a blue whale eat in a day?
When it comes to eating food the blue whale can consume as many as 40 million krill per day, which ends up weighing close to 8,000 pounds of food on a daily basis! Note: Instead of krill the baby blue whale consumes milk during its first 6 – 18 months of birth and can drink as much as 150 gallons…
Why do blue whales only eat krill at night?
It is typically only during the night that blue whales will feed on krill near the surface of the water because krill generally migrates toward the surface during the night and dives back down into the ocean during the day. The reason krill do this is to minimize potential threats from predators while they feed near the surface.
When do Blue Whales start to drink milk?
Note: Instead of krill the baby blue whale consumes milk during its first 6 – 18 months of birth and can drink as much as 150 gallons of milk per day during its first year. This feeding will continue until the young whale is able to hunt for food and survive on its own.
How long does a blue whale stay in the water?
Blue whales are also great travellers and pods undertake an endless cycle of migration, heading to cold waters to feed and then warmer waters to breed and look after their young. They eat very little en route and survive mostly on their blubber reserves, for up to four months at a time.