The Falling Whales of the South China Sea Are Beautiful, But Do You Know How Long Whales Live?
When whales die in the ocean, their bodies will eventually sink to the seabed, and biologists call this process 'whale fall'. A whale's body can be a food source for deep-sea life, which is its final gentle gift to the sea. Whale fall, like deep-sea hydrothermal vents and cold seeps, is a green oasis for deep-sea life, nurturing a diverse range of deep-sea organisms. In the deep north Pacific, at least 43 species and 12490 organisms depend on whale fall for survival, some of which are unique to whale fall. At the same time, whale fall also promotes the transport of organic matter from the upper ocean to the deeper layers of the ocean, playing an role in the ocean's carbon sink.
Recently, Chinese scientists aboard the 'Deep Sea Warrior' manned submersible discovered a whale fall approximately three meters long in the South China Sea at a depth of 1600 meters. This is the first time Chinese scientists have discovered this type of ecosystem, which is of great significance for China's deep-sea scientific research.
So, how long do whales live?
Humans have observed over many years that larger animals tend to live longer than smaller ones. For example, the lifespan of the giant elephant can reach 70 years, while bats can only live for 20 years. In addition to the intuitive size difference, the main factor affecting animal lifespan is the metabolic rate. The lower the metabolic rate, the longer the lifespan.
Although whales are large in body size, they are constantly active, even when sleeping. Therefore, considering the proportion of body size, whale's metabolic rate is much higher than that of other large animals, so their lifespan is relatively not long, estimated to be 40-50 years, with a maximum of 90-100 years.
In fact, people have also discovered a way to estimate the lifespan of whales. Just like the tree rings, observing the earplug stripes of whales can also estimate their approximate lifespan. The lifespan of different whale species, and of the same species of different sexes, is not the same. For example, orcas generally live 50 years for female whales, while male whales live 29 years; even some people speculate that female whales can live 90 years, and male whales are 50-60 years old; in general, female whales have a longer lifespan.
