Chapter 543 Caring for Teeth
Xiao Peng cannot be seen in the live broadcast room, only his voice can be heard. The pictures in the live broadcast room are now taken by the drone.
"I have to say, DJI's cameras are just great. Look, those two big guys in the camera are a gray whale mother and calf. The father is quite irresponsible, basically saying 'I'll have my fun and then I'll leave,' leaving the mother alone to give birth and raise the calf. Of course, this process hasn't been smooth sailing, and they've now faced their biggest challenge yet—the killer whales."
"Killer whales are the dominant species in the ocean, with no natural enemies. The reason they prey on gray whale calves remains a mystery, as hunting gray whales is likely a thankless task. The entire hunt often lasts several hours, and it's easier for them to hunt other prey. Even great white sharks are much easier than gray whales. Khedira, fly closer."
After hearing Xiao Peng's words, the people in the live broadcast room started discussing again:
"Killer whales preying on great white sharks? Are you kidding me?"
"Exactly, great white sharks are so ferocious! They're almost like eating killer whales."
Xiao Peng explained, "Great white sharks aren't as ferocious as you think. They don't dare approach killer whales. When they see a killer whale, they simply avoid it! Killer whales are much larger and stronger than great white sharks. Killer whales usually hunt great white sharks in groups. And hunting great white sharks is really simple for them. They can just bump the shark on its belly and kill it at will. Some of you may not know this, so let me explain. When a shark lies on its belly, it enters a state of suspended animation called 'tonic immobility.' In this state, the shark is unable to do anything and can only be slaughtered. As the ocean's top hunters, killer whales don't rely on speed or strength. Their most powerful weapon is their brains. Their intelligence is beyond many people's imagination, as evidenced by their hunting of gray whales. Okay, camera closer!"
"As you can see, killer whale hunting of gray whales isn't as gory as you might imagine. It's rare for a killer whale to just bite a gray whale. After all, gray whales have thick skin and are large, so a direct bite wouldn't cut it. So they adopt another strategy: You see, they're desperately trying to push the calf into the sea, intending to drown it. Although the calf is large and heavy, its swimming skills aren't great. And whales are mammals, after all, so without oxygen, they'll surely die. And interestingly, after killing the calf, the killer whales only eat its tongue. Can you guess why?"
After hearing Xiao Peng's question, people on the barrage began to speculate.
“Picky eater!”
"Gray whale tongues contain essential nutrients for killer whales!"
"It has a deterrent effect on other animals!"
"Our goal is: no cavities! Good teeth mean good health, and everything you eat tastes delicious, and you're in great shape!"
"That's enough upstairs!"
Xiao Peng laughed at the comments. "Someone actually got it right! That's right, it's about protecting their teeth! It's a bit embarrassing to say this: although killer whales are the ocean's top predators, they have a mouthful of rotten teeth. After all, they're mammals, and they can't replace their teeth every day like sharks. Their lifespans are similar to humans, and living to seventy or eighty is a piece of cake. How could they survive without teeth? Therefore, they must protect their teeth well. If you've ever seen killer whales hunting great white sharks, you'll notice they only bite the shark's vulnerable belly. This is to protect their teeth. Similarly, they now drown gray whales instead of biting them for the same reason. A gray whale's tongue is its most vulnerable part, so after killing it, they only eat the tongue. So, you'd never have thought that what many people consider aquarium stars has such a brutal side, right? In fact, it's not just gray whales; many baleen whale calves have also been attacked by killer whales."
"Because of what you said, I don't even dare to go to the aquarium to see killer whales!"
"Yeah, when I watched the killer whale show at SeaWorld, I never imagined they had such a ferocious side."
"Do they eat people?"
Xiao Peng shook his head and said, "Orcas are nicknamed 'killer whales,' and I still don't understand where that nickname came from! Orcas, like dolphins, have a natural affinity for humans. So far, there have been no cases of wild orcas attacking humans. There have been cases of orcas in aquariums attacking humans, but I understand that. If I were imprisoned for decades, I'd fight back like crazy. Of course, I'm not speaking up for the orcas. We always talk about the importance of environmental protection, and I acknowledge that. But there's a problem: the proliferation of one species will inevitably squeeze the living space of others. After all, the Earth is so small. More humans means a greater demand for marine fish. If 7.5 billion people each eat one fish per year, that's 7.5 billion fish per person! This creates competition with whales, who are also predators. Every bite a whale eats means fewer for humans. So, the question is: who gets to eat less? Should we all stop eating fish? That's unrealistic! Okay, this is too big a matter for us mere mortals to consider. Let's continue watching this hunt!"
"I heard that gray whales are the natural enemies of killer whales."
"I've also heard that gray whales come to the rescue when killer whales are hunting."
"I even saw a picture online of a humpback whale uppercutting a killer whale out of the water!"
"Come on, that's a photoshopped picture!"
Xiao Peng explained with a smile, "Adult gray whales do disrupt hunting killer whales. These gray whales are generally those who were attacked by killer whales when they were young. Whales are mammals, and you can see from this hunt that they are also highly intelligent and have good memories. That was a trauma in their childhood for the killer whales, and now that they've finally grown up, how could they not seek revenge? However, their revenge is just to disrupt the killer whales, and they can't do anything else. After all, gray whales are baleen whales, a bit like the relationship between elephants and lions."
"Look, of course, the gray whale mother and calf didn't sit still and wait for death. The mother whale desperately dragged the calf to the surface, then used its body to try to push the killer whale away, looking for a way to escape. The mother gray whale was also using infrasonic calls to seek help, but this also depended on luck, after all, there might not be other gray whales nearby. It was a life-and-death struggle. This process would continue for several hours."
At this time, someone suddenly asked in the barrage: "You are too cruel! The gray whale mother and child are so pitiful, why don't you help them?"
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