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In 2010, researchers found whales carry nutrients from the depths of the ocean back to the surface using a process they called the whale pump. [29] Whales feed at deeper levels in the ocean where krill is found, but return regularly to the surface to breathe. There whales defecate a liquid rich in nitrogen and iron.
Krill are crustaceans and, like all crustaceans, they have a chitinous exoskeleton. They have anatomy similar to a standard decapod with their bodies made up of three parts : the cephalothorax is composed of the head and the thorax , which are fused, and the abdomen , which bears the ten swimming appendages, and the tail fan .
The nutrient rich waters that provide this feeding ground for the whales often do not have good visibility. The only indication of a bubble net occurring that can be sighted on the surface is a ring of bubbles coming up. It is also common to see birds flock to the area where the whales will feed hoping to catch the fish being brought to the ...
Krill feeding in a high phytoplankton concentration (slowed by a factor of 12). Filter feeders are aquatic animals that acquire nutrients by feeding on organic matters, food particles or smaller organisms (bacteria, microalgae and zooplanktons) suspended in water, typically by having the water pass over or through a specialized filtering organ that sieves out and/or traps solids.
The whale then pushes the water out, and animals such as krill are filtered by the baleen and remain as a food source for the whale. Baleen is similar to bristles and consists of keratin, the same substance found in human fingernails, skin and hair. Baleen is a skin derivative. Some whales, such as the bowhead whale, have
Killer whales play an important role in our ocean's ecosystem. Female orcas can live up to 90 years, and male orcas live up to 60 years. Whales can communicate through sounds ranging from clicks ...
Typically, gray whales feed only in Arctic and sub-Arctic waters during the summer months, when the cold seafloor is filled with life and millions, if not billions, of small shrimp-like critters ...
Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) are a keystone species, forming an important part of the Antarctic food web. At least 235 marine species are found in both Antarctica and the Arctic, ranging in size from whales and birds to small marine snails, sea cucumbers, and mud-dwelling worms.