Upon death, whale carcasses fall to the deep ocean and provide a substantial habitat for marine life. Evidence of whale falls in present-day and fossil records shows that deep sea whale falls support a rich assemblage of creatures, with a global diversity of 407 species, comparable to other neritic biodiversity hotspots, such as cold seeps and hydrothermal vents. [83] Skeat, Walter W. (1898). An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language (3rded.). Clarendon Press. p.704.

North Atlantic Right Whale ( Eubalaena glacialis) Source Document for the Critical Habitat Designation: A review of information pertaining to the definition of "critical habitat" " (PDF). National Marine Fisheries Service. July 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. The physics of bubble rings and other diver's exhausts". Deep Ocean's Diving Science. Archived from the original on 6 October 2006 . Retrieved 19 December 2015. Griffin, Catherine (7 December 2015). "Beluga Bubbles Reveal How These Whales Are Feeling". Science World Report . Retrieved 19 December 2015. Whaling by humans has existed since the Stone Age. Ancient whalers used harpoons to spear the bigger animals from boats out at sea. [85] People from Norway and Japan started hunting whales around 2000 B.C. [86] Whales are typically hunted for their meat and blubber by aboriginal groups; they used baleen for baskets or roofing, and made tools and masks out of bones. [86] The Inuit hunted whales in the Arctic Ocean. [86] The Basques started whaling as early as the 11th century, sailing as far as Newfoundland in the 16th century in search of right whales. [87] [88] 18th- and 19th-century whalers hunted whales mainly for their oil, which was used as lamp fuel and a lubricant, baleen or whalebone, which was used for items such as corsets and skirt hoops, [86] and ambergris, which was used as a fixative for perfumes. The most successful whaling nations at this time were the Netherlands, Japan, and the United States. [89] a b c Reilly, S. B.; Bannister, J. L.; Best, P. B.; Brown, M.; Brownell, R. L. Jr.; Butterworth, D. S.; Clapham, P. J.; Cooke, J.; Donovan, G. P.; Urbán, J. & Zerbini, A. N. (2018). "Balaenoptera musculus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T2477A9447146. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T2477A9447146.en.

Conservation

Whale morphology shows several examples of convergent evolution, the most obvious being the streamlined fish-like body shape. [29] Other examples include the use of echolocation for hunting in low light conditions— which is the same hearing adaptation used by bats— and, in the rorqual whales, jaw adaptations, similar to those found in pelicans, that enable engulfment feeding. [30] Cooke JG (2020) [errata version of 2020 assessment]. " Eubalaena glacialis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020. e.T41712A178589687. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T41712A178589687.en. In general, blue whale populations migrate between their summer feeding areas near the poles and their winter breeding grounds near the tropics. There is also evidence of year-round residencies, and partial or age/sex-based migration. Blue whales are filter feeders; their diet consists almost exclusively of krill. They are generally solitary or gather in small groups, and have no well-defined social structure other than mother-calf bonds. The fundamental frequency for blue whale vocalizations ranges from 8 to 25Hz and the production of vocalizations may vary by region, season, behavior, and time of day. Orcas are their only natural predators. Blue whales off the Chilean coast may be a separate subspecies based on geographic separation, genetics, and unique song types. [26] [27] [28] Chilean blue whales may overlap in the Eastern Tropical Pacific with Antarctica blue whales and Eastern North Pacific blue whales. Chilean blue whales are genetically differentiated from Antarctica blue whales and are unlikely to be interbreeding. However, the genetic distinction is less with the Eastern North Pacific blue whale and there may be gene flow between hemispheres. [29] Description A blue whale with its bow wave, showing the blowhole According to the Novel, the Land Whale is roughly the size of four sky-elephants standing side by side with another four standing on top of them.

The Captain guy was talking now. Sounded official. Trim build. Looked in good shape for someone in his fifties. From what he could scope out. Interesting. Not all Americans were landwhales by thirty.The greatest dive depth reported from tagged blue whales was 315 meters (1,033ft). [63] Their theoretical aerobic dive limit was estimated at 31.2 minutes, [64] however, the longest dive measured was 15.2 minutes. [63] The deepest confirmed dive from a pygmy blue whale was 506 meters (1,660ft). [65] A blue whale's heart rate can drop to 2 beats per minute (bpm) at deep depths, but upon surfacing, can rise to 37 bpm, which is close to its peak heart rate. [66] Diet and feeding The small dorsal fin of this blue whale is just visible on the far left.

The main difference between each family of mysticete is in their feeding adaptations and subsequent behaviour.

University of Vermont (12 October 2010). "Whale poop pumps up ocean health". Science Daily . Retrieved 18 November 2011. Thewissen, J. G. M.; Perrin, William R.; Wirsig, Bernd (2002). "Hearing". Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 570–572. ISBN 978-0-12-551340-1. Hovhannes, Alan (1970). "And God Created Great Whales (1970) for Orchestra and Whale Songs". Archived from the original on 24 May 2005 . Retrieved 10 October 2007.