Alexei Volkov
Plastic pollution is a growing problem in the world's oceans, with an estimated 8 million metric tons of plastic entering the ocean each year. This waste breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, which are then swallowed by whales. Blue whales, the largest creatures on Earth, are estimated to ingest 10 million pieces of microplastic daily, while humpback whales may consume around 4 million pieces or up to 38 pounds of plastic per day. In one tragic case, a young cuvier beaked whale died with 88 pounds of plastic in its stomach, causing it to starve to death.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| How much plastic do whales eat? | Scientists estimate that blue whales swallow 95 pounds of plastic daily, or 10 million pieces of microplastic. |
| Humpback whales likely consume around 4 million microplastic pieces each day, or up to 38 pounds of plastic. | |
| A young cuvier beaked whale that died in the Philippines had nearly 90 pounds of plastic in its stomach. | |
| How does plastic end up in whales' stomachs? | Whales feed by gulping up mouthfuls of krill and other tiny creatures, and then pushing the seawater out through a bristle-like filter called a baleen. In the process, they are prone to swallowing large amounts of plastic. |
| Whales predominantly feed 50 to 250 meters below the surface, a depth that coincides with the highest concentrations of microplastic in the open ocean. | |
| Why is plastic in the ocean? | Plastic is cheap and easy to produce but almost impossible for nature to destroy. Chunks of plastic linger for decades, breaking down into smaller and smaller pieces. |
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What You'll Learn
- Blue whales swallow an estimated 95 pounds of plastic daily
- Humpback whales consume around 4 million pieces of microplastic per day
- Plastic waste is rapidly accumulating in the world's oceans
- Plastic is cheap and easy to produce but almost impossible for nature to destroy
- Whales starve to death because their stomachs are full of plastic
Blue whales swallow an estimated 95 pounds of plastic daily
Blue whales, the largest creatures on Earth, are estimated to swallow 95 pounds of plastic daily. This is equivalent to 10 million pieces of microplastic. Blue whales feed by gulping up mouthfuls of krill and other tiny creatures, and then pushing the seawater out through a bristle-like filter called a baleen. In the process, they are prone to swallowing large amounts of plastic.
Humpback whales, who also favour krill over fish, likely consume around 4 million microplastic pieces each day, or up to 38 pounds of plastic.
The root cause of whales ingesting plastic is that plastic is cheap and easy to produce but almost impossible for nature to destroy. Chunks of plastic linger for decades, breaking down into smaller and smaller pieces. This waste then churns in the ocean in massive gyres. Roughly 8 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean each year.
In March 2019, researchers pulled nearly 90 pounds of plastic waste out of the stomach of a young cuvier beaked whale that died in the Davao Gulf of the Philippines. The whale starved to death because of the plastic in its belly.
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Humpback whales consume around 4 million pieces of microplastic per day
Humpback whales are estimated to consume around 4 million pieces of microplastic per day, or up to 38 pounds of plastic. This is because humpback whales feed by gulping up mouthfuls of krill and other tiny creatures, and then pushing the seawater out through a bristle-like filter called a baleen. In the process, they are prone to swallowing large amounts of plastic.
Scientists have been able to estimate the weight of plastic ingested by tracking the foraging behaviour of humpback whales, as well as fin and blue whales. All three species were tagged with a camera, microphone, and GPS device that had been suction-cupped to their backs.
The planet's biggest creature, the blue whale, ingests the most plastic, at an estimated 10 million pieces per day. This is because blue whales feed almost exclusively on shrimplike animals called krill, which are found at depths with the highest concentrations of microplastic in the open ocean.
The root cause of these stranded, plastic-filled whales is that plastic is cheap and easy to produce but almost impossible for nature to destroy. Chunks of plastic linger for decades, breaking down into smaller and smaller pieces.
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Plastic waste is rapidly accumulating in the world's oceans
The root cause of these plastic-filled whales is that plastic is cheap and easy to produce but almost impossible for nature to destroy. Chunks of plastic linger for decades, breaking down into smaller and smaller pieces. This waste then churns in the ocean in massive gyres. Roughly 8 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean each year.
Whales predominantly feed 50 to 250 meters below the surface, a depth that coincides with the highest concentrations of microplastic in the open ocean. This means that whales are at a high risk of ingesting plastic. In March 2020, researchers pulled nearly 90 pounds of plastic waste out of the stomach of a young cuvier beaked whale that died in the Davao Gulf of the Philippines. The whale starved to death because of the plastic in its belly.
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Plastic is cheap and easy to produce but almost impossible for nature to destroy
Whales are ingesting large amounts of plastic. The planet’s biggest creature – the blue whale – ingests the most plastic, at an estimated 10 million pieces per day as it feeds almost exclusively on shrimplike animals called krill. Scientists estimate that humpback whales who favour krill over fish likely consume around 4 million microplastic pieces each day, or up to 38 pounds of plastic. In the Philippines, researchers pulled nearly 90 pounds of plastic waste out of the stomach of a young cuvier beaked whale that died. The whale starved to death because of the plastic in its belly.
With plastic waste rapidly accumulating in the world’s oceans, researchers sought to gauge how much is consumed by humpback, fin, and blue whales off the U.S. Pacific Coast. All three feed by gulping up mouthfuls of krill and other tiny creatures and then pushing the seawater out through a bristle-like filter called a baleen. In the process, they are prone to swallowing large amounts of plastic.
The whales predominantly feed 50 to 250 meters below the surface, a depth that coincides with the highest concentrations of microplastic in the open ocean.
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Whales starve to death because their stomachs are full of plastic
Whales are starving to death because their stomachs are full of plastic. This is a direct result of the vast amount of plastic waste that has accumulated in the world's oceans. Scientists estimate that blue whales, the largest creatures on Earth, are ingesting 10 million pieces of microplastic daily. This is because they feed by gulping up mouthfuls of krill and other tiny creatures, and in the process, they swallow large amounts of plastic. Humpback whales are also estimated to consume around 4 million microplastic pieces each day, or up to 38 pounds of plastic.
The root cause of this issue is that plastic is cheap and easy to produce but almost impossible for nature to destroy. Chunks of plastic can linger for decades, breaking down into smaller and smaller pieces that churn in the ocean in massive gyres. As a result, whales are ingesting massive amounts of plastic, which can lead to starvation as their stomachs become filled with plastic rather than food.
For example, in the Davao Gulf of the Philippines, a young cuvier beaked whale died with nearly 90 pounds of plastic waste in its stomach. The curators at a natural history museum in Davao City received a call from the local marine agency, reporting that the whale was vomiting blood, listing badly as it swam, and was very likely going to die shortly. This tragic incident highlights the devastating impact of plastic pollution on whale populations and the urgent need to address this issue.
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Frequently asked questions
Scientists estimate that whales are swallowing up to 95 pounds of plastic daily.
Whales feed by gulping up mouthfuls of krill and other tiny creatures and then pushing the seawater out through a bristle-like filter called a baleen. In the process, they are prone to swallowing large amounts of plastic.
Whales can starve to death because their stomachs are full of plastic, not food.
Reducing the amount of plastic waste in the ocean is key to preventing whales from eating plastic. This can be done by reducing plastic production and improving waste management practices.
