Whales are mammals, but so are humans. If humans drank just seawater, they'd die. So how come this isn't true with whales and fish in general?
2007-05-16 15:13:04 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
It is because of the relative efficiency of the whales' kidneys. They can concentrate their urine much more than humans can, and get rid of the salt that way.
By the way, baleen does not filter salt out of the water. It filters the small animals, krill that the whales eat. The whale's tongue pushes its mouthful of water and animals against the baleen; the water is pushed out (like in a collander), and all that is left is the krill, that the whale eats.
2007-05-16 15:33:43 · answer #1 · answered by kt 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Whales stay in the water, the salt would eventually wash off them anyway. And they breather air by going to the surface so they wouldn't need to breathe water. And they have a filter system or food and salt I guess. ALso they use their blowhole to take out any excess water so the salt would go with the water too.
2007-05-16 15:17:06 · answer #2 · answered by t_nguyen62791 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
these animals have evolved living in the ocean and so their anatomies and physiologies are suited to tolerate seawater. in other words, their cells do not burst/shrivel in the presence of saltwater.
2007-05-16 15:29:09 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is because they take water in and filter then expell it.
2007-05-16 15:16:30 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋