Whale poop isn’t something we come across now and then. Plus, it is considered a treasure courtesy of its market value. The poop of whale cost a fortune. But most people don’t know how their poop looks like. And this makes it harder to find them. So the question is;
What does whale poop look like in real life?
Well, whale poop is quite different from what other animals excrete, including humans. It feeds deep down the ocean and swims to the surface to relieve itself. The poop, which could sometimes be in liquid form, is often seen floating on the water surface and does have a strong smell. Whale poop can also come out as chunk, instead of the cloudy form. The color of the poop is red, thanks to its krill-eating lifestyle. Krill is a creature that looks precisely like tiny shrimps and contains an enormous amount of iron.
Continue reading for more information on the role whale poop play in making our planet safer.
Does Whale Poop Have Any Value?
Almost every living thing excretes, including humans. Besides, it is essential to excrete waste to rid the body of harmful toxins to keep the body in a healthy state.
However, humans are incredible beings. But then, our wastes, particularly poop, have little to no value. Whales have it differently. Their poop, though rare to find these days, is as valuable as gold.
You do not get to see whales, one of the largest animals on earth, pooping all the time. Plus, the stink from the poop can make someone throw up. In spite of that, whales poop is worth a fortune.
The poop is worth a lot of money, and I mean thousands of dollars. So finding it on the beach is as good as finding gold. It will change your life for the better.
So you can see that whale poop does have some value. It is more valuable to human poop, even though we consider ourselves to be more superior. Finding a whale poop will place a whopping $180,000 in your pocket.
How Do Whale Poop Benefit Land And Ocean Animals?
Everything about whales seems valuable. Their bone, meat, and oil are considered precious commodities on the market. What about their poop and vomit? Well, whale poop and vomit command high prices on the market. Their vomit smells lovely and is a popular ingredient for perfume makers.
However, what brings us here to discuss about the whale is the poop. How does a whale poop contribute to improved health for humans and that of our planet? A waste product is supposed not to offer any benefit. So why is the poop from whale different?
Marine biologists and researchers have opened our eyes to the benefits whale poop offers. They have been working on it for long, thanks to increased concern for global warming. It is also believed that the depopulation or reduction in the whale family is partly responsible for global warming.
What Have Marine Biologists Said About Whale Poop?
They have discovered that whale poop is essential for us to have a healthier environment. It doesn’t matter whether you live near the beach or not. Whale poop is considered earth-friendly and beneficial to our dear planet, earth.
But it is important to note that the sperm whale is not the only special whose excrement benefits our environment. Other species of whale out there may offer similar benefits. Also, it is not only those who live on dry land benefits from whale poop. The poop also contributes massively to creating healthier ocean biodiversity.
Phytoplankton, which is a plant, are benefactors of whale’s fecal matter. Phytoplankton feed on the nutrient-packed poop to growth and blossom. Just as whales eat to remain healthy, alive, and have the energy to perform their daily activities, phytoplankton also has the same goal.
How Do Whales Contribute To Improving Our Dear Planet?
Know that whales do not contribute directly. When phytoplankton feed on their fecal matters, it grants them the energy to function as cleaning agents.
As phytoplankton continues to grow, it will start pulling carbon dioxide, a well-known greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere. Through this means, it cleans up our environment and offers a healthier ecosystem that ocean and land animals need to survive.
So, more of this plant is needed to help rid excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. When there is a reduction in the population of plankton, it could lead to an overabundance of this highly devastating greenhouse gas called carbon dioxide. And as you already know, greenhouse gases tend to trap more heat, which melts ice caps and cause ocean levels to rise.
But when there is high number of plankton in the ocean, we might not experience issues of excess carbon dioxide, a gas considered one of the most significant of all greenhouse gases.
Why Phytoplankton Cleaning The Atmosphere Is Essential
Phytoplankton does not pull carbon from the atmosphere, only to release it back sooner. It remains trapped throughout the lifetime of the plant, which could be for many years.
When the phytoplankton decomposes or is eaten, most of its carbon dioxide will be returned to the water surface while some will fall deep down the ocean.
The Impact Of The Whaling Era On Whale Poop Availability
The economic value of whale poop is real. It sells for a mouthwatering sum. But then, it takes massive effort to spot the fecal matter of whales. The reason is not that whales no longer excrete but because their population has drastically reduced.
The whaling era did bite hard on the whale population. At that time, whales were hunted and killed voraciously. So their population was severely affected, and this makes finding their nutrient-packed fecal matter difficult.
But today, we are a victim of an acted perpetrated long ago. The whaling era contributed to the decreased whale population. And this means phytoplankton will find it hard to get the nutrient-rich excrement from whale to grow and remove carbon from the atmosphere.
What Would Have Happened If The Whaling Era Did Not Exist?
Well, your guess is as good as mine! Tons of whales were killed during that era. So, assuming whale hunting didn’t happen and it was illegal to hunt or trail whales, most of the earth’s problem with regards to global warming would have been laid to rest.
We would have had the opportunity to feed our lungs with healthier air and enjoy more robust and stable biodiversity in the atmosphere over the oceans.
Challenges Decreased In Whale Poop Is Causing
Let’s thrash this out once again. The decrease in whale poop poses a lot of threat to the health and general wellbeing of humans. How? We earlier discussed how plankton feeds on whale poop. Researchers, including marine biologists, have also raised the alarm over this issue.
The challenges decreased in whale poop can cause includes
- Decreased phytoplankton population
- Global warming
- Clean oxygen reduction in the environment
- Increased in new and emerging infectious diseases
The above challenges are a product of global warming, which the whaling era indirectly has a hand in. It’s an era that will always remain in our history as one that brought harm to our ecosystem. The whaling era, which involved large-scale hunting of whales, has also made diverse whale species to become species that are endangered.
The Growth Of The Whaling Industry: What Is The Reason?
Everything has a reason, including the growth of an industry that is now one we should never have ventured into. It’s called the whaling era. During this time, whales were hunted in large numbers. They were killed mercilessly and traded on the market.
Now, the reason this era became so popular was that the essential role whales play in maintaining a balanced ecosystem was not known. Whales were seen and treated like other marine animals, and nothing more.
Individuals hunted whales to fetch their meat, oil, and bone. They also trailed them to get their poop and vomit, which are two highly-priced commodities.
Status Of The Whaling Industry Today
Our eyes are now open to the dangers endangering whales can cause. These dangers are more severe than the pennies that go into the pocket of a few individuals who hunt whales. Today, whale hunting has taken a different turn. It is now illegal in many countries.
These laws are necessary to rebuild the population of whales, which has reduced drastically in the past. Now people are no longer permitted to track or hunt whales. The tracking of whales alone to collect their vomit or poop commands hefty fine or jail time.
Time will tell if these laws will help stop the killing or tracking of whales. But in all, we hope to have an increased whale population for the betterment of our ecosystem and health.
Conclusion
What does whale poop look like is a question we have thrashed out. So I hope you now know the color and forms. Whale poop is highly expensive and also easy to spot. You can identify it from a distance, only that it is rare. Marine biologists and researchers have also discovered that their poop help to contribute to the betterment of our ecosystem. It’s said to have the power to address issues relating to global warming. Whale’s nutrient-packed fecal matter serves as food to plankton, a plant that helps to clean off carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
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