Carl Zimmer has written another excellent article for the New York Times. It's all about scientists who are solving "gastronomical mysteries of these leviathans by creating the first detailed biomechanical model of a feeding fin whale." One of these scientists is friend and fellow UBC Ph.D. candidate, Jeremy Goldbogen.
The whale grinds to a halt, the scientists concluded, by opening its mouth. Water floods in, pushing its giant lower jaws back until they hang perpendicularly from its body. Suddenly the whale is producing colossal amounts of drag. "The whales are beautifully streamlined so they can swim fast and efficiently, and then they're throwing it all out the window," Mr. Goldbogen said.
Find out more about the fin whale's big gulp in Zimmer's article. And take that, Seven Eleven.
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This article on The Economist's website may be of interest to you.
"We've spent years listening to greens complaining about the loss of the rainforests, acid rain, and extinctions of mammals, birds and plants. All serious issues. But while weve been worrying about them, we have eaten 90% of the worlds large fish, destroyed much of the worlds coral and nurtured algal blooms the size of entire American states."