THE BASIS OF LIFE IN THE SEA 



What is the biological significance of a large whale? The 

 immediate answer is that the largest whale, the Blue or Sul- 

 phur-bottom, is the largest animal known, living or extinct, 

 reaching a length of 90 feet. The weight of such a monster 

 has not been determined; but a torpedo boat of the same 

 length with approximately the same under water contour 

 would displace 32 tons. If we assume a weight of 30 tons for 

 the largest whale we shall not be far out of the way. 



Size, of course, is only relative. I once was in a whale-boat 

 from which a 70-foot whale had been harpooned. The creature 

 did not make off up the wind as he should have done, but 

 sulked and came to the surface under the boat, spilling us all 

 into the sea. As he came up through the clear water he looked 

 like a small island, and from the water he looked like an ocean 

 liner as he moved away. But now another boat was fast to 

 him and he was killed and dragged ashore, where he seemed 

 to shrink to relatively diminutive proportions. 



All whales are carnivorous; but all the fishes, cuttle-fish and 

 smaller creatures upon which they feed are ultimately dependent 

 upon plant life for their existence. How much vegetable 

 material does it take to support a whale? 



If the 30 tons represented by a very large whale were in- 

 corporated in the bodies of cattle, these cattle would require 

 for their support each day the amount of fats and carbohy- 

 drates present in the hay yielded by an acre of good meadow 

 land in a whole season's growth. A whale requires much less 

 food than its equivalent in cows, since it is entirely supported 

 by the water and is much less active. On the other hand, 

 consuming only other animals, many of which themselves are 

 two or three or more steps removed from a vegetable diet, 



