Blue whales can reduce rate to two beats per minute as it searches for food
5 years, 1 month ago

Blue whales can reduce rate to two beats per minute as it searches for food

Firstpost  

The larger the animal, lower the heart rate as it minimizes the heart’s work while distributing blood in the body. The blue whale, which can reach up to 30 meters long and weigh 1,81,437 kgs, lowers its heart rate to as little as two beats per minute as it lunges under the ocean surface for food, researchers said on Monday. The maximum heart rate they recorded was 37 beats per minute after the air-breathing marine mammal returned to the surface from a foraging dive. During feeding dives, the whale exhibited extremely low heart rates, typically of four to eight beats per minute and as low as two. After surfacing to breathe following foraging dives, the whale had heart rates of 25 to 37 beats per minute.

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History of this topic

Science Says: Diet plays big role in how huge whales can get
5 years ago

Science Says: Diet plays big role in how huge whales can get

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Whales are big, but why aren’t they bigger? Size estimates vary, but the American Cetacean Society says blue whales can grow about 100 feet long and weigh more than 100 tons. The study found that as body size increases in such whales, they become progressively less efficient as they hunt — they recover fewer calories from their …

Heartbeat of blue whale recorded for first time
5 years, 1 month ago

Heartbeat of blue whale recorded for first time

India TV News  

Scientists have recorded the heart rate of the blue whale for the first time, and revealed surprising operating extremes of the heart that may limit the size of the largest animal on the Earth. Analysis of the data suggests that a blue whale's heart is already working at its limit, which may explain why blue whales have never evolved to …

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