The Evolution of Filter Feeding and Gigantism in the Ocean
We are living amongst the time of giants. The baleen whales are larger than any known dinosaur and ANY animal that has come before them. The Blue whale itself, is capable of weighing 180 metric tonnes (the same weight as 30 African elephants stacked on top of each other) and can be longer than a basketball court… But why is this so? Many will tell you about how it has something to do with predator avoidance or how the restraints of gravity are significantly less restrictive in the ocean, but the most important reason for the whales’ size has something to do with the icy inhospitable continent of Antarctica... The Antarctic Circumpolar Current is one of the most productive upwelling’s the world has ever seen. This, and similar upwelling’s found around the globe (and specifically around arctic areas), generate a humungous nutrient glut that creates masses of food for these mighty animals. The ocean has NEVER been quite as productive. But even this isn't enough: it ...