Chapter 699 The Whale Family
The lonely ice field was covered with snow. There was no wind and the whole world was extremely quiet, with only the brief cries of gray whales.
One male, one female, and one baby.
Bifang fished the drone out of the sea. His hands were already red from the cold, and the water he shook out had frozen into ice chips before it even hit the ground.
Using drones, the group further explored the situation in the water, and Bifang also deduced the relationship between the three gray whales based on their size and likelihood .
Just as I had guessed before, they are indeed a family, a complete family.
This unique family structure is the first time for many people to see it, especially for those parents who are present, it is very novel.
For many people, this model of monogamy and one child, which highly matches the modern human family model, is indeed very rare in nature.
Especially since the animals modern people come into contact with are basically cats, dogs, pigs, cows and sheep, this pattern does not exist.
"Generally speaking, the more K-shaped the reproductive route is, the closer the family structure is to us humans." Bifang pondered for a moment and said, "This should be high school biology knowledge. I wonder if you still remember it."
[I forgot it long ago…]
[Who still remembers this (covering face)]
[Fang Shen, please give us some advice]
The whales in the cave are still breathing. Judging from the amount and duration of the "icicles" they just sprayed, these three big guys have been here for not just hours, but days.
Since the problem cannot be solved in a short time, Bifang, who has no clue, does not mind explaining it to the audience.
The reproduction methods of organisms in nature can be divided into two basic types: asexual reproduction and sexual reproduction, which reflect two different reproduction strategies: r reproduction strategy and K reproduction strategy.
r Reproductive strategy species are more tolerant of abiotic environmental factors, that is, wide fluctuations in natural conditions such as climate. They pursue population size at the expense of large numbers of deaths. Therefore, the "sexual" cost of reproduction is lower, while the "sexual" cost of survival is higher.
That is to say, quantity for quality. As long as the number is large enough, some will always survive. From the perspective of genetic mutation, it is also more likely that individuals that adapt to the environment will appear.
They are usually lower in the food chain.
The K reproductive strategy, on the contrary, is the product of evolution mainly to adapt to a relatively mild biological environment. It is derived on the basis of the pursuit of quality of life and focus on improving the survival rate. Therefore, the "sexual" cost of reproduction is higher, while the "sexual" cost of survival is lower.
They are usually at the top of the food chain.
Precisely because the cost of reproduction is relatively high, raising cubs becomes a problem and requires more energy and environment.
"This is more common among birds. Many birds are very loyal and monogamous because their breeding route is K-type, which requires less and more intensive breeding, which requires a lot of food and energy support."
Bifang pointed at the giant whale in the ice cave. There was a whale inside that was obviously much smaller, only about half the size of the largest one, and was about eight meters long.
"Gray whale calves are over four meters long when they are born, and can reach nine meters after a year. The smallest one in the cave should be around ten months old."
"These big guys usually mate in January and February. Females reproduce approximately once a year. The gestation period is 12 months, and only one cub is born each time. If you calculate it this way, it was exactly January of the year before last, which is just right."
Bifang did a quick calculation and found out when this family was established.
Ten months...
The audience's mouths twitched. In less than a year, dozens of tons can be grown...
All I can say is that it is worthy of being a giant in nature, a "giant" in the ocean. It can gain the weight of an adult in one day, and its growth rate somewhat challenges human imagination.
"During this period, the calf will be raised by the female whale, and the female will refuse to contact the male after giving birth. The male can only look for other females that have not given birth to mate."
"Male animals are very attached to female animals, and female animals are very attached to their cubs, but female animals are not attached to male animals. So if a female animal or a cub is threatened , both male and female animals will rush to rescue them, but if a male animal is in danger, he will not be rescued."
"But..." Bifang shrugged, "It is precisely because of this joint attachment that the three of them usually get together and act as a family."
[Boy, this dad is quite a licker]
[I am so angry. When will our male whale be able to stand up? ]
[Also a love whale]
[Whales are very smart, I always think so]
[I can’t do it anymore, I have gigantic fear]
[Plus one, when the drone went down, gray whales were swimming in the water, and I felt like I was suffocating]
[So what should we do now? If the gray whale stays here forever, something bad will happen, right?]
[Shen Fang, use your invincible survival skills to think of a solution!]
There are many gray whales in the eastern Pacific Ocean, with a number of over 10,000, but there are very few in the North Atlantic Ocean, with only about 200.
Moreover, according to genetic research and differential recovery patterns, the Northwest Pacific subpopulation of gray whales is independent of the Eastern Pacific subpopulation and has been listed as a critically endangered species. It would be a great pity if these three really suffocated or starved to death.
It's troublesome.
Bifang paced beside the ice cave, walking around the huge hole again and again.
Whales are not fish, but mammals, belonging to the order Cetacea of the class Mammalia. Although they swim in the ocean, they breathe with lungs and have no gills. Therefore, they have to float to the surface to breathe every once in a while, otherwise they will suffocate to death.
"I don't know exactly how far we are from the coastline, but it's at least five miles away. Whales usually have to come to the surface to breathe once every half an hour or so, and sometimes even once every ten minutes or so. Judging from the time..."
While pacing, Bifang was explaining to the audience while organizing his own thoughts.
How did this thing get stuck here?
"Maybe they came here during the polar night," Bifang guessed. "After entering the polar night, the temperature has been dropping in the past few days, so the area around here may not have frozen yet."
"Gray whales have the longest migration distances of all mammals, ranging from 10,000 to 22,000 kilometers. Considering that the circumference of the earth's equator is only 40,000 kilometers."
From late May to late October every year, gray whales will cross the Bering Strait and the northwestern Bering Sea to forage for food in the Arctic Circle where the water temperature and light are more suitable. They then begin to migrate south, passing through the Aleutian Islands and heading south along the coast of the North American continent, traveling an average of about 185 kilometers a day.
The family of whales in front of us may be passing through Greenland during their migration. As a result, when they passed the coast covered with floating ice on one side, the temperature dropped rapidly due to the arrival of the polar night, and the entire floating ice ocean froze into a single ice field, blocking their opportunity to breathe!
