Whales and Their Diets Game Online

This page features a Whales and Their Diets Game Online. Whales are the biggest living creature in the world. Although they live in water, they are actually mammals. This exercise will teach you some facts about whales in a fun game. This science game is a multiple choice test online for 3rd to 7th grades.

 

If you are wondering about whales and their diet, it's helpful to know that on average they eat less than 0.4% of their body weight. Blue whales and fin whales have a relatively low feeding rate because they feed primarily on blubber. Fin whales and right whales, on the other hand, have a high percentage of blubber, ranging from 36% to 45% of their weight. While a right whale feeds by filtration, it also "grazes" by swimming slowly through schools of small zooplankton with its mouth open. A large gap in its anterior baleen plates allows water to flow into its mouth, where the zooplankton become entangled in a finely fringed baleen mat.

Humpback whales eat between 2000kg and 2500kg of food per day

When it comes to diet and lifestyle, humpback whales are not completely sedentary. They typically consume between two and three thousand kilograms of food daily. During their first year, humpback whales nurse their young. They do not cling to their food as humans do, but squeeze the milk out of their mouths with the help of their compressor muscles.

To maintain their enormous body weight, humpback whales must eat thousands of kilograms of food every day. Their main diet consists of plankton and small fish. These large marine mammals are known for their behavior of breaching. They usually hunt in groups of two or more. They use bubble nets to catch prey by forming a vertical cylindrical ring and contracting the fish in their mouths.

Humpback whales nurse their calves for about eleven months. During this time, a humpback whale calf weighs more than a ton. It can stay with its mother for a year and feed on her fatty milk for at least five months. Young humpback whales grow rapidly, reaching an average size of eight or nine meters. During their first year of life, they stay close to their mothers and often touch their calves with their flippers.

Humpback whales form circles about 10 feet in diameter in the ocean. They suck in large amounts of water and sometimes swallow snorkeling humans. In rare cases, lone whales have been eaten by sharks. However, attacks on individual sharks are extremely rare. However, they remain the main threat to humpback whales, and humans can kill them.

Baleen whales filter-feed

Baleen whales, also known as whalebone whales, are carnivorous marine mammals that use their baleen plates of keratin in their mouths to filter planktonic organisms from the water in which they live. Members of the families Balaenidae, Cetotheriidae, and Mysticetidae feed by filtering plankton in their stomachs.

Baleen whales filter their food by sucking large amounts of water into their mouths and collecting plankton and small fish through their filter hairs. They filter their food differently than other whale species, and each has its own method of filtering prey. Right and minke whales filter their food by feeding near the surface, while humpback whales dive deeper to catch their prey.

Scientists have found that whales using filtering methods can filter up to three times more plankton than previously thought. Their ability to filter plankton could be responsible for a major change in ocean food webs. While this is a major change in the way whales consume their food, it does not mean that baleen whales are any less omnivorous. The benefits of their omnivorous diet are great for the environment.

A baleen whale's gestation period lasts between ten and fourteen months. During this time, the pregnant female increases her food intake by fifty to sixty percent. This is done to prepare her calves for a colder climate. Baleen whales mate several times with a single female. They may mate more than once, and both females and males appear to compete with each other.

Baleen whales use their upper jaws, which are filled with keratin, to filter feed. The keratin-containing particles in their teeth and gills contain the same protein as human hair and fingernails. Baleen whales filter feed continuously and sporadically. Among the various species that filter feed, the right whale uses its comb-like structures to search for prey. In addition to filtration, bowhead whales pounce on their prey while taking large gulps of water.

Rorqual whales gulp large mouthfuls of prey

The long-snouted skull of a rorqual whale is the most notable aspect of its body, making it a unique example of a multifaceted animal. Its mandibles, which are attached to the base of its skull by giant pads, can open almost 90 degrees. The streamlined shape of the rorqual's head and neck allows for efficient and steady swimming, allowing it to consume prey without compromising its ability to breathe.

The rorqual whales' name derives from the French word rorqual, which in turn derives from the Norwegian word royrkval. Royr is the Norwegian word for "whale" and royr means "red." Rorquals are members of the Balaenopteridae, or blue whale, family.

Researchers suggest that the evolutionary process of rorquals may have evolved a specific organ that allows them to suck a large amount of prey. This unnamed organ may have evolved early in the evolutionary history of whales and is the reason for their large size. The researchers reported their findings in the journal Nature. The team behind the study included Robert E. Shadwick, Canada research chair in integrative animal physiology, A. Wayne Vogl, PhD, and Jeremy A. Goldbogen, postdoctoral researcher at Cascadia Research Collective in Olympia.

Rorqual whales feed by taking in vast patches of water, as well as the tiny prey that floats on the surface of the ocean. Without the protective flap inside their mouths, these animals would choke and drown. Rorquals also filter water from their food before swallowing to avoid the water from reaching their pharynx and moving down their esophagus.

Blue whales consume milk during their first 12 months of life

The female blue whale gives birth to one calf every two to three years and the calves stay with their mother for six to seven months. After six months, blue whale calves double in length and weigh an average of 52 feet. During the first 12 months of life, blue whale calves only consume their mothers' milk. They do not consume krill. During this time, blue whales consume up to 22 to 90 kilograms of milk per day. 

The blue whale is large and sleek, with a slim body. They can reach speeds of up to 25 miles per hour when threatened or startled. During their first twelve months, blue whale calves drink up to 100 gallons of milk daily. This milk can make a baby blue whale weigh approximately 150 kilograms, which is about the same weight as an adult human. After the first 12 months, blue whales move on to eating krill.

The mother of a blue whale has two lactating systems. A mother blue whale produces 50 gallons of milk a day. Of that amount, about 35 to 50 percent is available for growth. Baby whales gain up to 10 pounds per hour during this time. After they reach the age of eight months, they begin to wean themselves from their mother's milk. The milk that the blue whale produces has a high fat content, but it is a good source of nutrition for the calf.

Because of their global distribution, the blue whale's population has reduced significantly in the past years. Prior to the introduction of commercial whaling, there may have been more than two hundred thousand individuals. Unfortunately, the hunt for whale oil led to the reduction of their population by up to 99 percent. From 1904 until 1967, more than three hundred thousand of them died in the Southern Hemisphere alone. The International Whaling Commission finally protected the blue whale in 1966.

Gray whales eat everything that comes up

Like other whales, gray whales are bottom feeders. They feed primarily on small crustaceans and amphipods found in the bottom sediments of lakes and oceans. While feeding planktonically, they also skim the surface of the water with their mouth open and consume sediments. While migrating, gray whales switch between benthic and planktonic feeding. While feeding planktonically, gray whales roll onto their right side and skim the surface with their mouths open. They switch back and forth between these two feeding methods throughout their migration routes.

The abundance of food resources in the past allowed gray whales to increase their numbers. In the Pacific Northwest, they linger in the northern Puget Sound for months between March and May. Scientists now know why these whales hang out in Puget Sound for months at a time. Their brilliant feeding strategy has been confirmed by new research. These whales filter everything that comes up from the seafloor. In this way, they can avoid toxins and parasites that are found on shore.

A gray whale is an opportunistic feeder, and they suck sediment from the ocean floor to feed. They also filter water through their two blowholes that lead directly to their lungs. They can eat up to 2400 pounds of food in a day in their feeding grounds in the Arctic. They feed on a variety of plankton and crustaceans and eat herring eggs and larvae.

As they migrate, gray whales may occasionally feed on swimming prey. When feeding on a prey, gray whales use their large tongue to chew up whatever comes up. They may occasionally take in fish, small mammals, and even humans during their migration. While they do not feed on land, their massive tongue probably helps them catch their prey. While their diet is primarily made of protein, gray whales eat anything that comes up to their mouths.