You may not know: Humpback whales consume more than 18,000 tons of food every day

By collecting data directly from the mouths of humpback whales, scientists have measured the incredible amount of food they can consume.

New research shows that humpback whales - which capture krill, fish, zooplankton and squid by filtering seawater through special structures in their mouths - can consume up to three times more bait. compared with previous estimates.

Humpback whales can consume up to three times more bait than previously estimated.

Specifically, krill-eating humpback whales living in the waters between British Columbia and Mexico can swallow about 6.6 million tons per year, or 18,082 tons in a day.

This number is really amazing because it is hundreds of times the weight of an adult humpback whale, when they usually only weigh between 30-36 tons. It can be even higher, as whales don't get food every day.

According to Matthew Savoca, a researcher at Stanford University, humpback whales usually feed about 80 to 150 days a year. So using this estimate of daily food intake, the team was able to get an idea of ​​how many whales left in a feeding season.

Humpback whales can swallow about 6.6 million tons per year.

The humpback whale's special oral cavity structure allows it to capture and consume large amounts of marine life, mostly small fish and krill.

In the past, scientists have examined the stomachs of dead whales to see how much they ate. However, such studies cannot tell how much a whale has eaten in a day, month or year.

However, by applying a new method by taking data directly from the whale's mouth, scientists have been able to get a closer look at the life and feeding of the largest animal on the planet.

An earlier analysis in the early 20th century found that whale species including blue whales, humpback whales, and minke whales in the Southern Ocean likely consume around 473.9 million tons of krill each year.

However, the decline of millions of whales between 1910 and 1970 may have contributed to the subsequent decline of krill, as whale droppings were once a major source of food for crustaceans. corpse.