Why do whales use blubber?

Whales are warm blooded marine mammals that can tolerate cold water temperatures. Whales use blubber as an insulation layer to help maintain the energy and warmth when they dive to cool depths or travel to cold waters such as in Alaska. The blubber layer is a thick (6 inches) layer of fat that is found under the skin.

How do whales maintain energy balance?

The energy balance of any animal is maintained by matching energy intake with energy expenditures over time. For large whales, the general strategy is to optimize energy intake by selecting seasonally high caloric food in large quantities in areas where it is abundant (Lockyer, 1981, Thomson, 2002, Costa and Williams, 1999).

Are whales warm blooded?

Whales are warm blooded marine mammals that can tolerate cold water temperatures. Whales use blubber as an insulation layer to help maintain the energy and warmth when they dive to cool depths or travel to cold waters such as in Alaska.

Who contributed to the research on whale insulation?

Thomas Albert, James Gessaman, John Reynolds III, Matthew Sturm, Doug Goering, Pham Quang, and Judy Zeh offered suggestions and assisted with the heat flow analyses and statistical modeling. We appreciate Edward Hopson Sr.’s comments on whale insulation.

What is a large whale energy estimate?

Most large whale energetic estimates are based on an allometric relationship between body mass and basal metabolic rate, known as the Kleiber law (Kleiber, 1975, Costa and Williams, 1999, Fortune et al., 2013, Laidre et al., 2007, Lockyer, 2007).

What is whale oil used for?

Whale oil was a primary ingredient in soap, margarine, and oil-burning lamps. Today, some indigenous Arctic communities, such as the Inuit, still harvest blubber and render it for use in traditional whale-oil lamps. The whaling industry dwindled as petroleum and natural gas replaced whale oil as a major fuel source.