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Whales and Plankton ExerciseHow could a huge whale possibly survive on such small creatures as copepods and krill? During the summer months, the zooplankton become so numerous that there may be miles and miles of zooplankton in the feeding grounds of the whales. So You Want to Be an OceanographerTo get some idea of how abundant krill are during a summer plankton bloom, we will make some mathematical estimates of the number of krill eaten by blue whales. In the Gulf of St. Lawrence Estuary in Quebec, Canada, over 200 blue whales have been identified by researchers. In this activity, assume that only 50 blue whales spend the entire summer in the Gulf. Also assume that a single blue whale will eat up to four tons of krill in a day. 1. How many tons of krill are eaten in a day by all of the blue whales? __________________________________________ 2. How many pounds of krill are eaten in a day (2,000 pounds = 1 ton)? __________________________________________ 3. Blue whales remain in the Gulf of St. Lawrence from approximately July 1 to October 15. How many tons of krill are eaten in a season by all of the whales? __________________________________________ 4. How many pounds of krill are eaten in a season by all of the whales? __________________________________________ 5. There are roughly 100 krill/pound. How many actual krill are eaten by blue whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in one summer? __________________________________________ For more information, check out Chapter 5 in Whales in the Classroom Presents: Oceanography. Then, check your answers in the answer section! copyright © 2005 Singing Rock Press: http://www.whalebooks.com (home) |