Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) eat lots of raw seafood (Credit: Brandon Cole/NPL)
The world's largest carnivore, it dives deep down into the ocean to feed on giant squid, eating about one tonne of fish and squid a day. On their way through the whale's digestive tract, squids can pierce the whale's intestines with their beaks. In response, the whale excretes a waxy goo to protect itself.
The end result is a ball of decomposing squid mixed in with the waxy goo. This often finds its way onto beaches and is called ambergris.
BBC Earth, continue reading
No comments:
Post a Comment