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Ep368: Blue Whale · Kidcast Daily

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  Spin the wheel, let's take a ride.
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  Sports and science bursting from inside a world of wonder open
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  wide. Come on kids, let's amplify kid
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  cats. Daily starts your day.
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  Fun and laughter come your way. Sports and trivia games galore.
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  Hey kids, Kid Cast Daily is here with another packed episode.
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  Get ready for science, sports, cool history, and facts so
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  surprising you won't believe they're real.
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  Today we are heading out onto the open ocean to meet a
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  record-breaking animal that lives entirely in the water.
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  So let's get on with today's episode.
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  The blue whale is the largest animal on Earth.
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  It is a mammal, which means it breathes air, is warm blooded,
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  and mothers feed milk to their babies.
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  Adult blue whales can reach more than 30 meters in length and can
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  weigh well over 150 tons. Their skin is mottled blue,
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  Gray, and underwater their bodies often look blue.
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  Each one has a small dorsal fin near the back, a wide tail
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  called flukes, and long pectoral fins that help with steering.
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  Their bodies are strong and streamlined for long distance
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  swimming in the open ocean. Blue whales live in all the
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  world's oceans except the Arctic Ocean.
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  In most seasons, they often travel long distances between
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  cooler feeding areas and warmer waters where they breed and give
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  birth. Scientists call this migration.
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  They can swim at a steady speed for hours and sometimes make
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  short bursts that are faster when they need to move quickly.
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  Here comes a yes or no question to open a brand new idea.
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  Do blue whales have teeth? No, blue whales do not have
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  teeth. They have baleen plates that
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  hang from the upper jaw. Baleen is made of a material
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  similar to fingernails. When a blue whale feeds, it
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  takes a huge gulp of seawater, then closes its mouth and pushes
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  the water out through the baleen, trapping small shrimp
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  like animals called krill. The whale then swallows the
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  krill. During a busy feeding day, one
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  adult blue whale can eat several tons of krill.
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  Feeding works especially well because of elastic throat
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  grooves that let the mouth expand during those big gulps.
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  After the whale pushes out the water, its massive tongue helps
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  move the krill to the back of the mouth.
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  Did you know blue whales have very large tongues that can
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  weigh as much as an elephant? Did you know their throats are
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  surprisingly narrow so they cannot swallow large objects?
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  Now for a fresh trivia challenge about breathing.
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  How many blowholes are on top of a blue whale's head?
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  2 Blue whales have two blowholes.
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  They must surface regularly to breathe, and when they exhale, a
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  tall spout of air and mist can rise several meters into the
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  air. The spout happens because warm
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  air from the lungs meets cooler outside air, and some water
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  around the blowholes gets blown upward.
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  After several breaths. They arch their backs and often
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  lift their tail flukes as they dive.
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  Inside their bodies, blue whales have a thick layer of fat called
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  blubber. Blubber keeps them warm in cold
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  water and stores energy. In some adults, blubber can be
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  more than 20 centimeters thick. Their hearts are very large and
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  pump blood all around their long bodies.
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  When a blue whale dives, its heart rate can slow To help save
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  oxygen for important organs. Let's switch to sound.
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  Because sound travels well in seawater and whales use it for
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  communication, here is a new trivia question that adds
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  something you have not heard yet.
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  How far can a blue whales call Travel through the ocean Under
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  good conditions, hundreds of miles, blue whales make very low
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  sounds that can be below what many human ears easily hear.
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  These low frequencies travel far, which helps whales find
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  each other across long distances.
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  Scientists use underwater microphones called hydrophones
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  to record these calls and learn about where blue whales go.
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  Here is a yes or no question that opens another new topic.
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  Can a blue whale sleep with 1/2 of its brain resting at a time?
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  Yes, like other whales, Blue whales practice a kind of rest
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  where one side of the brain sleeps while the other side
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  keeps the body moving enough to reach the surface for air.
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  This type of rest looks calm and slow, and it keeps the whale
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  safe because it still needs to breathe consciously.
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  Blue whale skin often shows lighter spots or patches that
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  form a unique pattern. Researchers can identify
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  individuals by photographing these patterns near the dorsal
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  fin and on the sides. Did you know?
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  Scientists can also estimate a blue whale's age by studying
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  layers and its earwax. The layers build up over time
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  and form bands that can be counted.
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  Let's talk about babies. Here is a brand new trivia
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  question before we explain more. How long is a blue whale
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  pregnancy? From conception to birth, about
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  11 to 12 months. A newborn blue whale calf is
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  already very large, measuring several meters long and weighing
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  a few tons. The mother produces rich milk
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  and the calf can gain many kilograms each day.
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  During the first months, calves usually stay with their mothers
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  for about six to seven months before they are ready to eat
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  krill on their own. Blue whales prefer areas with
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  lots of krill. These areas often form where
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  cold, nutrient rich water rises toward the surface.
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  When tiny plants called phytoplankton grow well, krill
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  feed on them and blue whales move into feed on the krill.
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  Did you know that when blue whales release waste, it adds
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  nutrients to surface waters which can help tiny plants grow?
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  This process supports a healthy ocean food web.
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  Blue whales need to be careful around ships in busy shipping
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  lanes. The risk of injury increases
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  because whales sometimes cross paths with large vessels.
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  Scientists and ocean managers study ways to reduce risk, such
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  as adjusting ship routes and speeds in certain areas.
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  They also listen with hydrophones to learn where
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  whales are most active. Blue whales are strong swimmers.
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  They commonly cruise at around 5 to 10 knots, and they can
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  sometimes go faster for short periods.
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  They take deep dives to reach patches of krill, often staying
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  underwater for 10 to 20 minutes depending on the dive.
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  Before a deep dive, they take several breaths at the surface
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  to fill their lungs with air. Did you know a blue whale's tail
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  flukes can span more than 7 meters from tip to tip?
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  Did you know their baleen plates can be over half a meter long
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  and there can be hundreds of plates in a single mouth?
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  Did you know the small dorsal fin is set far back on the body
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  and very slightly in shape from whale to whale?
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  Blue whales do not have a set home, cave or nest.
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  Their home is the open ocean. They follow food and seasons.
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  In cooler months, many feed in high latitude waters that have
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  lots of krill. In warmer months, many move
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  toward lower latitude areas. Tagging studies, where small
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  trucking devices are gently attached to the skin, help
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  scientists map these routes. The tags fall off after a while
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  and float, and the data can be collected.
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  Here is a bonus trivia question that teaches one more fresh
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  detail. When a blue whale takes a single
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  big breath, about how much air can its lungs hold?
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  Roughly a few 1000 liters. This huge breath let's the
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  whales store enough oxygen for a long dive.
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  At the surface, its heart rate rises to move oxygen quickly.
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  During the dive, the rate drops to save it.
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  Before we wrap up, let's do a quick recap.
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  Blue whales are the largest animals on earth and are mammals
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  that breathe air and nurse their young.
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  They live in all major oceans and migrate long distances.
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  They do not have teeth. They use baleen plates to filter
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  tons of krill from seawater. They breathe through 2 blowholes
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  and make powerful low sounds that can travel hundreds of
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  miles. They can rest 1/2 of the brain
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  at a time. Calves are born after about 11
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  to 12 months and grow quickly on rich milk.
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  The lubber keeps them warm, and their bodies are built for long
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  swims and deep dives. Scientists study blue whales
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  using photos, sounds and tags to learn where they go and how to
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  help keep the ocean safe for them.
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  Thanks for listening to Kid Cast daily.
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  Keep your curiosity switched on, pay attention to the details
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  around you, and remember that learning about one amazing
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  creature can teach you a lot about the whole planet.
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  Until next time, keep exploring the real world, one fact at a
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  time. And.
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  Beyond breakfast, Feeling fine, adventures waiting.
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  Don't be late. Today's the day we celebrate.