Whales

General Information

North Sea

Baltic Sea

Clyde Marine Region

Adriatic Sea

Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Whales

Layer Info
Category	Ecology
Sub-category	Birds and mammals

Description

Whales roam throughout all of the world's oceans, communicating with complex and mysterious sounds. The largest animal on earth, the blue whale can reach lengths of more than 100 feet and weigh up to 200 tons — as much as 33 elephants.

Despite living in the water, whales breathe air. And like humans, they are warm-blooded mammals who nurse their young. A thick layer of fat called blubber insulates them from cold ocean waters.

Some whales are known as baleen whales, including blue, right, bowhead, sei, and gray whales. This refers to the fact that they have special bristle-like structures in their mouths (called baleen) that strain food from the water. Other whales, such as beluga or sperm whales, have teeth.

Whales are at the top of the food chain and have an important role in the overall health of the marine environment. Whales play a significant role in capturing carbon from the atmosphere; each great whale sequesters an estimated 33 tons of CO2 on average, thus playing their part in the fight against climate change.

Unfortunately, their large size and mythical aura does not protect them; six out of the 13 great whale species are classified as endangered or vulnerable, even after decades of protection. An estimated minimum of 300,000 whales and dolphins are killed each year as a result of fisheries bycatch, while others succumb to a myriad of threats including shipping and habitat loss.

https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/whale image: https://www.marinemammalcenter.org/animal-care/learn-about-marine-mammals/cetaceans/humpback-whale

Diet: Whales exhibit a wide range of feeding behaviors and diets. Some species are filter feeders, consuming tiny plankton and small fish, while others are active hunters, capturing larger prey like fish and squid.

Threats: Whales have been the target of extensive hunting for their meat, blubber, and oil by commercial enterprises. Noise pollution from sources like shipping, oil drilling, and military activities can interfere with cetacean communication, navigation, and feeding. This can lead to stress and reduced reproductive success. Additionally overfishing of key prey species for whales, can lead to food scarcity and overall population declines.

Return to Birds and Mammals.

Not applicable. This layer is not yet available in the MSP Challenge North Sea Edition.

Not applicable. This layer is not yet available in the MSP Challenge Baltic Sea Edition.

Not applicable. This layer is not yet available in the Clyde Marine Region Edition.

Not applicable. This layer is not yet available in the MSP Challenge Adriatic Sea Edition.

Information

Types

• Very Low Density
• Low Density
• Medium Density
• High Density
• Very High Density

Metadata

Data Source

Whales is a month-by-month, computer generated data layer following calculations made by the ecosystem simulation (EwE). The simplified EwE Eastern Mediterranean model was adjusted for use in the MSP Challenge by Eyal Ofir.

For more information on how Ecopath-with-Ecosim (EwE) works, please visit our Wiki page or visit the official EwE website at https://ecopath.org.