Have you ever wondered what whales drink?
You probably know all animals require water to live. Humans drink fresh water and get water from the foods we eat. If we eat foods that contain enough water, we could get the water we need without actually drinking it. If we drink seawater the salt overwhelms our kidneys, essentially making us thirstier. However, whales ingest some seawater with the foods they eat, yet are fine. Just like us, whales need fresh water in order to live. They get most of this water from the food they eat (krill, fish, or plankton). Whale kidneys are made to extract water from their food and possibly some seawater. This is similar to the way terrestrial desert animals get water from their food.
Water Intoxication | Sports Drinks Versus Water
You probably know all animals require water to live. Humans drink fresh water and get water from the foods we eat. If we eat foods that contain enough water, we could get the water we need without actually drinking it. If we drink seawater the salt overwhelms our kidneys, essentially making us thirstier. However, whales ingest some seawater with the foods they eat, yet are fine. Just like us, whales need fresh water in order to live. They get most of this water from the food they eat (krill, fish, or plankton). Whale kidneys are made to extract water from their food and possibly some seawater. This is similar to the way terrestrial desert animals get water from their food.
Water Intoxication | Sports Drinks Versus Water
Comments
Fascinating comment, thanks!
But there is a problem.
You see, baleeen whales that eat krill as their main water source, are now in competition with man.
Oil taken from krill (millions of them) is now touted for its healing properties for the human heart (omega 3). Iceland already uses this same reason to slaughter thousands of whales yearly.
Even reports by researchers (placed in many journals and newspapers) point to the “fact” of how many krill can be consumed just by one whale, while ignoring how much the krill industry takes in one season!
The interesting point is this. Fishermen do not replace what they take, like land farming. Whales, on the other hand, help replenish the food chain by their feces (HUGE amounts), which contains nitrogen particulate matter. This matter is eaten by plankton, which in turn, is eaten by many small crustaceans (including krill). And the lack of krill diminshes the food for whales but many other sea creatures.
So the “water” you speak of is growing less and less, due to man, unfortunately!
You said the kidneys absorb water from the whale’s food. This does not make any sense. In Mammals the kidneys are not connected to the digestive tract they are connected to the circulatory system.
If what you say is true then whales must have very salty blood.
There is something missing here