One of the biggest questions in the natural world is why a whale is the most immense creatures, weighing even more than several elephants. Next to that is why and how these leviathans of the deep get so honking big and whether or not they can still grow bigger.
Whether these whales top the sizing charts or just keep a certain size is a mystery. Even the blue whale which is, in reality, the standard from which sea animals are measured against. But did you know that if these whales get any bigger, there are some consequences that might impact the seas, and the future evolution in size will be staged for these leviathans.
Rise of the Alphas of the Sea
The biggest whales are the baleen whales which are much bigger than the toothed whale, sperm whales, and orcas (killer whales), making it one of the top predators. One aspect is they are carnivores and can kill anything that comes their way. Most notable about these killers is they go after whales as well, but the sperm whale at 60 feet long will go after giant squid. If they evolve and need more nutrition, other species in the oceans are on the dinner list of over-sized toothed whales.
Read: Whales Evolved Into Giants Because Of Ice Sheets, Food Distribution
If whales grow bigger, then both baleen and toothed should be the same size, with the same amount of food available. But, the orcas and sperm whales are limited in size compared to their tooth-less cousin. There is another suggestion about why whales are so big, thus killing the super predator hypothesis. All that the size is attributable to is in holding bigger breath and going deeper. Enabling both types of whales to dive deep, though the orcas are more like dolphins, which do not dive as deep.
One of the limits that nature applies is how much food a whale eats, and this holds true for all animals. Take for example the toothed whales that have to hunt for game, but it is only enough for one meal. Filter feeders just open their mouth and strain kill at one go, with less energy spent. Compared to the toothed whales, they expend less energy from feeding only. This could explain the difference in size, which is also why the biggest toothed whale is only 60 feet.
For now, only the blue whale may have hit the limit, but it might change. Whether we are looking at toothed or filter feeders, Moby Dick might be coming in the future as leviathans get larger.
Related Article: Why Did Whales Get So Massive?
