Diagram: The Great Whale Pee Funnel (IMAGE)

University of Vermont

Diagram: The Great Whale Pee Funnel

Caption

Many whales travel thousands of miles from their summer foraging areas to winter grounds for breeding and calving. Nitrogen and other elements can be released in the form of urine, carcasses, placentas, sloughing skin, and feces (primarily from nursing calves). Humpback whales of the Central North Pacific, shown here, primarily feed off the coast of Alaska and spend winters in the shallow waters of the Hawaiian archipelago. (Illustration by A. Boersma; text adapted from original study in Nature Communications).

Credit

Illustration by A. Boersma

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License

CC BY

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