Goldbogen Lab News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

The largest animals ever owe their size to feeding on the tiniest creatures in the sea, but their survival requires a minimum body size.

Scientists studied a unique group of Antarctic minke whales and found that these gigantic mammals actually represent the smallest possible body size required for their style of feeding. The findings could inform which whale species are more vulnerable to future climate change impacts, like shifting food sources.

Scientists observed close to 1,000 fin whales foraging near Antarctica, while fishing vessels trawled for krill in their midst. Without action, such encounters are likely to become more common as this endangered species recovers and krill harvesting intensifies in the Southern Ocean.

For some animals, surviving the cold and lack of food in winter depends on slowing down bodily functions like heartbeat and metabolism.

Earth’s largest whales consume between two hundred thousand and ten million pieces of microplastics per day, Stanford study finds.