Do blue whales eat phytoplankton?

While their diet consists mainly of tiny phytoplankton and some zooplankton, these animals are vital to the ocean’s ecosystem as they feed a wide range of oceanic animals.

Do whales eat phytoplankton?

There, the iron-rich whale feces acts as a fertilizer for phytoplankton, microscopic organisms that draw energy from sunlight to conduct photosynthesis. The fertilized phytoplankton then get devoured by hungry krill, which then get eaten by whales, and so on.

What are three things blue whales eat?

krill
Blue whales eat mostly krill. Fin whales eat krill, copepods, squids, and variety of small schooling fishes. Humpback whales, Bryde’s whales, and minke whales prey mostly on krill and small schooling fishes.

What are all the things that blue whales eat?

The blue whale’s diet consists almost entirely of krill, but they also eat a small percentage of copepods and fish. The blue whale’s diet consists almost entirely of krill. These are small marine crustaceans that look a bit like shrimp.

Which whale eats plankton?

The blue whale, the world’s largest animal, can consume up to 16 tons of plankton daily, which has major implications for ocean health. Humpback whales (pictured, an animal off California) excrete huge amounts of iron-rich feces that’s vital to the ocean’s nutrient cycle.

Are blue whales vegetarian?

CarnivorousBlue whale / Trophic level

How can blue whales survive by eating phytoplankton and krill?

One of the main constraints to eating, for baleen whales, is to open their mouths wide enough to swallow massive amounts of krill-containing water. For baleen whales, feeding efficiency increases with mouth size, which in turn increases with large body sizes.

Do ducks eat phytoplankton?

Herbivores, such as ducks, small fish and many species of zooplankton (animal plankton) eat plants. Omnivores are animals (including humans) that eat both plants and animals.

Do starfish eat phytoplankton?

Starfish can be primary or secondary consumers. This means that they may feed on algae, phytoplankton, or the small critters that eat them. Starfish are most likely to go after prey that cannot defend itself. Clams, mussels, oysters and other shellfish are the favorite food of most species.

Do orcas eat phytoplankton?

The 10 pounds of salmon produced by feeding on small fish will yield only one pound of killer whale. Each pound of whale is supported by 10,000 pounds of phytoplankton. The inefficient transfer of energy limits the number of killer whales which can live and reproduce.

Do blue whales have any predators?

Because of their size, power and speed, adult blue whales have virtually no natural ocean predators. The only sea creature known to attack blue whales is the orca whale (scientific name: Orcinus orca) also known as the “killer whale”. But blue whales probably see orcas as more of a pest than a predator.