#Whales 🐋 🐳

[xtruss]

The Stunning Power of ‘Whale Pee’

A single Whale Can Produce More Than 250 Gallons of Urine in a Day. It Helps Sustain Life Across the Ocean.

— By Melissa Hobson | March 11, 2025

For Too Long, Humpback Whales' Urinary Contributions to the Ocean Have Been Overlooked. Photograph By Martin Van Aswegen, NOAA

In the deep blue water, a one-month-old humpback whale nuzzles up to its mother. Then, a cloud of dark yellow urine gushes into the water, like a golden smoke bomb, and everything becomes tinged with green.

Scientists have spent a lot of time thinking about how the nutrients in whale feces—also known as whale pump—benefit species in shallow waters, as whales swim up from the deep sea, where they feed, to poop near the surface.

But they had overlooked another important nutrient source: urine.

Now, a study published in Nature Communications corrects the knowledge gap. It finds that whale urine is an essential part of a thriving marine ecosystem.

“The big surprise of the study is that urine far outweighs the other sources of nitrogen,” like carcasses, for example, says co-lead author Joe Roman, PhD, a conservation biologist at the University of Vermont. Plus, whales don’t tend to produce nutrient-rich poop during breeding season, but they do still urinate.

Essentially, baleen whales transport nitrogen and phosphorous from their polar feeding grounds to tropical breeding spots where those elements are lacking—and without those critical nutrients, marine plants and animals wouldn’t survive.

Humpback Whales (Like These in the Coastal Waters of the Antarctic Peninsula) Have Long Been Observed Creating Rings of Bubbles to Corral Prey. Photograph By Whale Research Solutions

Whales Pee When They Migrate, Spreading Nutrients Around The World

The study analyzed the nutrients baleen whales — whose members include gray, blue, humpback, and fin whales — add to the ocean through their urine, carcasses, and placentas. All these sources unleash 3,784 tons of nitrogen and 46,512 tons of organic matter to low-nutrient areas. And urine accounts for most of the nitrogen. (A single fin whale alone can produce 250 gallons of urine in a day.)

In summer, whales bulk up by feeding in nutrient-rich polar regions. Then they migrate to mate and reproduce in warm tropical waters, which are typically low in nutrients. During the winter breeding season, they rely on the energy reserves stored in their blubber and muscles; the process of breaking these down to release energy creates water and waste products, which become urine.

“That’s why they’re excreting this nitrogen,” he says.

These enormous mammals also release energy and nutrients into the environment through placentas—which are a few hundred pounds each, according to Roman—and carcasses. And, all told, these whale excrements move significantly more nutrients than natural physical processes like weather events. “In a place like Hawaii, the whales are bringing in more nitrogen than is being transported by wind and currents,” Roman says.

Humpback Whales, Photograph By Brian Skerry

Whale Pee is Good For the Sea

Whale urine contains high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, which all living organisms need to survive.

“These nutrients stimulate phytoplankton growth at the ocean surface and also enrich deep sea ecosystems,” says Heidi Pearson, PhD, professor of marine biology at the University of Alaska Southeast, who was not involved in the study.

By bringing these elements to ecosystems that lack them, these weeing whales keep the whole ocean ship-shape.

Why Conservation is Essential to Ocean Health

The researchers estimate that these figures would have been around three times higher before commercial whaling nearly wiped out some species before it was banned in 1986 (although Japan, Norway, and Iceland still hunt them).

“Some whale populations have still not recovered from industrial whaling and most whales are imperiled by a myriad of threats including vessel strikes, fisheries entanglement, pollution, and climate change,” says Pearson.

A Humpback Whale, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Photograph By Ethan Daniels/Alamy

Without Whales, The Rest of The Ocean is in Trouble Too.

“The ocean is spluttering along like an old car with rusty parts that aren't functioning properly,” says Ed Goodall, head of intergovernmental engagement at Whale and Dolphin Conservation, which partly funded the study. “We've removed vital processes delivered by whales that help keep the ocean functioning like a well-oiled machine.”

If we want a resilient and healthy marine ecosystem, we must protect whales, adds Pearson: “The ocean would be a very different place without whale poo or urine.”

“The ocean is spluttering along like an old car with rusty parts that aren't functioning properly,” says Ed Goodall, head of intergovernmental engagement at Whale and Dolphin Conservation, which partly funded the study. “We've removed vital processes delivered by whales that help keep the ocean functioning like a well-oiled machine.”

If we want a resilient and healthy marine ecosystem, we must protect whales, adds Pearson: “The Ocean Would Be a Very Different Place Without Whale Poo or Urine.”

[x-heesy]

L o v e

illustrator Canan Esen 🐳 🐋

#contemporaryart #art #artist #painting #artwork #abstractart

#modernart #artgallery #arte #fineart #artoftheday #artcollector #instaart #artistsoninstagram #drawing #contemporarypainting #abstract #contemporaryartist #gallery #photography #sculpture #kunst #abstractpainting #design #interiordesign #oilpainting #illustration #acrylicpainting #digitalart #artlovers #classicart #classicalart #classicpainting #classicalpaintings #zeitgenössischekunst #mfpretty #aesthetic #traditionalart

What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong

[tinydancerfreelancersblog]

[devoti]

he's so cat coded 🐈

[parkerkittycreations]

Round and round the Farris wheel goes, when will it stop? Who will you see? 🎡 These are some of our cheapest items but that doesn't them any less quality than the rest. Each item takes about an hour due to color changing and patterns except the first 2 that take about 25 minutes ❤️

They can be keychains, magnets, wall art or sewn onto a hat or bag (Clothing that moves or bends is not recommended as these patches are stiff) if you wish. If you order online, they will come with everything needed for you to choose how you want them - Made by S, posted by S

[moonchild-in-blue]

Heija friend,

Your trademark is the colour blue 💙 maybe that seems obvious, your url contains it. But it's also everywhere else. In the emojis you use, in you pfp, your blogs colourscheme. But also in all of your art! The blue whales still live in my head rent free. The background of the peeled vessel. So yeah for me you are the colour blue 🐳💙

Ohhhh this is so interesting!! Yeah, I like to keep my theme consistent, but it was actually a coincidence to have it blue! I used to change it quite often (yellow was the longest streak), but then Sleep Token's Atlantic consumed me and yeah. I didn't even realise I've been using a lot of it lately on my art and such, but now that you've mentioned it, I can definitely see the patterns.

The blue on my url is actually from a different song as well - now that I think about it, a lot of my favourites have to do with blue/ocean/water. Hmmm. There's something there.

This is such a cute vibe though, I'll happily embrace it 💙🌙☁️

[dolliciousdarlingdreamers]

Happy World Whale & Dolphin Day! 🐬🐳🐋

[paintaya]

NEW MUTUAL AAAAA BOUNCES AROUND. EATED YOUR ART

SPIT IT OUUUTTT!!!!! HAHHELLO!!!!!! IF WE BOUnce hard enough the whole world will shake and it’ll be like a little dance party….. 🐛🐛 <- (us as caterpillars dancing)

[wild-fleurs]

The way I fucking love this!!

Teen orcas thinking they’ve discovered a trend & older orcas being like oh please dead fish hats were cool when I was a kid

Hahaha

fashion is cyclical

[ozzyfromthecafeteria]

dangling eels like it’s a feather wand toy for cats. no more tar-and-feather of the self we’re Fish. hit the showers and fish. 🐟 🐠

[xtruss]

Japan's Jumping Pink Dolphin Is One of A Kind

— By Jan Piotrowski | Published: 13 April 2015 | NewScientist.Com | Sunday April 6, 2025

Image: Noriko Funasaka /Taiji Whale Museum

No, you’re not hallucinating: it is a pink dolphin. Angel the bottlenose dolphin, pictured above, is the world’s only albino dolphin in captivity.

Angel was captured last year as a baby during the annual “drive fishery” in Taiji, Japan, when hundreds of dolphins are herded into shallow water and killed with spears. The practice came to worldwide attention in 2009 after the release of the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove.

She was then brought to live at the Taiji Whale Museum. Her telltale vivid pink eyes and mouth leave no doubt that she is an albino and not merely white. There have only been a total of 14 recorded sightings of albino bottlenose dolphins since the first was spotted in 1962, so she belongs to a very exclusive club.

Angel’s startling appearance quickly caught the eye of animal rights groups, who sued the aquarium for preventing them from checking up on her health. The attention caused by the court case forced the museum to lift its restrictions.

Angel’s popularity is understandable considering how rare albinism is in dolphin species, says Luca Giovagnoli, a vet from Ric O’Barry’s Dolphin Project based in Santa Monica, California.

— Journal Reference: Mammal Study

Rare Pink Dolphin Photo Goes Viral: Is It Real or Fake?

— Times Of India | Science Desk | Published: June 22, 2024

New Delhi: Viral images shows a pink dolphin leap out of the water and another stranded on Hatteras Beach in North Carolina, that caught attention on social media sparking widespread curiosity among viewers.

As per the information shared on social media, the dolphin had been displaced from its usual environment and was discovered alone on the beach. The striking visuals rapidly spread across the internet, leaving users in awe and disbelief.

The photographs which were initially posted on Facebook, depict a dolphin with a distinctive pink hue breaching the surface.

X (Formerly Twitter): The Figen@The Figen, June 19, 2024. A Rare Pink Dolphin. 🤗, This is a bottlenose dolphin, which can be pink when they are albino but not this pink. This image is just photoshopped. It is importante to clarify this is not an AI image because, not only it is not a true, but it can also create concerns about AI being too real

[jttlpgroup]

Steve B. 💜 10116   http://www.steveb29.com/2025/02/steve-b-10116.html

[thinkingsmart]

Penelope 🪭 20709 Respect and loyalty are not upgrades in a relationship .. they are a requirement. 💫💙   https://ift.tt/y9PSAXu

[twistedwhitesnow]

Gummy Whale

[multimousenette]

🩵🩷🤍🩷🩵

💜🤍🩶🖤

WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME THERES A CYAN HEART EMOJI NOW 🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵 ARE YOU SEEING THIS 🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵LOOK🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵

[myrandomautistichouse]