Live Wilderness Adventure

Chapter 702 The Whale Family

The lonely ice field is covered with white snow, there is no wind, and the whole world is extremely quiet, except for a short interspersed with the mournful cry of the gray whale.

One male, one female, one small.

When Bi Fang fished the drone out of the sea, his hands were already red from the cold, and the water he flung out was frozen into ice slag before it hit the ground.

Using drones, everyone further explored the situation in the water, and Bi Fang also deduced the relationship between the three gray whales from the size and possibility of the gray whales.

As guessed before, it really is a family, a complete family.

Many people have seen this unique family structure for the first time, especially the presence of parents, which is very novel.

For many people, this pattern of monogamy and one child highly matches the modern human family pattern, which is indeed very rare in nature.

In particular, the animals that modern people come into contact with are basically cats, dogs, pigs, cattle and sheep, so there is no such pattern.

Generally speaking, if the reproductive route is K-type, the closer the family structure is to us humans. Bi Fang thought for a while and said, This should belong to high school biology knowledge. I don't know if you remember it.

【I forgot】

【Who remembers this (covers face)】

[Fang Shen, give us a word]

The whales in the cave are still breathing. Judging from the amount and time of spraying icicles just now, the time these three big guys have stayed here is not measured in hours, but in days.

Since the problem can't be solved in a while, Bi Fang, who has no clue, doesn't mind talking about it with the audience.

The reproduction methods of organisms in nature can be divided into two basic types: asexual reproduction and sexual reproduction, which reflect two different reproduction strategies: r reproduction strategy and K reproduction strategy.

r Species with reproductive strategies are more tolerant to abiotic environmental factors, that is, wide fluctuations in natural conditions such as climate, and pursue population numbers without hesitating to die in large numbers. Therefore, the sex of reproduction is relatively low, while the sex of survival The price is high.

That is, quantity is exchanged for quality. As long as the quantity is large enough, some will survive. From the perspective of genetic variation, it is easier for individuals to adapt to the environment.

Usually the lower part of the food chain.

On the contrary, the K reproductive strategy is mainly to adapt to the product of relatively mild biological environmental evolution. It is derived from the basis, pursues the quality of life, and focuses on improving the survival rate. Therefore, the sexual cost of reproduction is relatively high , and the sex price of survival is low.

They are generally at the top of the food chain.

It is precisely because the cost of reproduction is relatively high that the raising of cubs becomes a problem, requiring more energy and environment.

This situation is more common in birds. Many birds are very loyal and monogamous, because their breeding route is K-type, and they require less intensive breeding, which requires a lot of food and energy support.

Bi Fang pointed to the giant whale in the ice cave. There was a significantly smaller whale inside, about half the size of the largest one, with a body length of about eight meters.

The gray whale cub is more than four meters long when it is born, and it can reach nine meters a year later. The smallest one in the cave should be about ten months old.

These big guys usually mate in January-February, and the female beasts will breed once every other year. The gestation period is 12 months, and each litter only gives birth to one litter. If you calculate it like this, it is just right to go backwards. It was January of the year before last, just right.

After doing some calculations, Bi Fang knew when the family in front of him was formed.

ten months.

The corners of the audience's mouths twitched. In less than a year, it can grow dozens of tons.

It can only be said that it is indeed a giant in nature, a giant in the ocean, who can gain the weight of an adult in a day, and the growth rate somewhat challenges human imagination.

During this period, the young whales will always be raised by the female whales, and the females refuse to contact the males after giving birth, and the males can only look for other unborn females to mate.

The male beast has a strong attachment to the female beast, and the female beast has a strong attachment to the cub, but the female beast is not attached to the male beast, so if the female beast or the cub is threatened, both the male beast and the female beast will Rise up to help, but if the male beast is in danger, it will not be rescued.

However. Bi Fang shrugged, It is also this joint attachment that causes the three of them to usually get together and act as a family.

【Good guy, this father deserves a bit of licking】

[The air is shaking and cold, when will our male whale stand up. 】

【Also an infatuated whale】

[Whales are very smart, I always think so]

[I can't do it anymore, I have giant phobia]

[Add one, when the drone went down, the gray whale was swimming in the water, I felt like I was about to suffocate]

[So do this now? The gray whale has always been here and something will happen, right? 】

【Fang Shen, quickly use your invincible survival skills to find a way】

There are quite a few gray whales in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, numbering over 10,000, but there are only about 200 gray whales in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Moreover, according to genetic research and differential recovery models, the Northwest Pacific subgroup of gray whales is independent from the Eastern Pacific subgroup and has been listed as a critically endangered species. It would be a pity if these three were really suffocated and starved to death. matter.

Trouble.

Bi Fang paced beside the ice cave, walking round and round the huge hole.

Whales are not fish, but beasts, belonging to the order Cetacea. Although they swim in the ocean, they breathe with lungs and have no gills. Therefore, they have to float to the surface of the water every once in a while to take a breath, otherwise they will suffocate.

I don't know how far it is from the coastline now, but it's at least five miles, and whales usually have to go to the surface of the water to breathe once in about half an hour, and they have to come out once in as little as 10 minutes. From the perspective of time.

Walking around, Bi Fang was explaining to the audience and at the same time sorting out his thoughts.

[How did this thing get trapped here]

It may have come during the days when the polar night came. Bi Fang guessed, After entering the polar night, the temperature has been dropping these days, and there may not be ice near here.

Grey whales are the species with the longest migration distance among all mammals. The migration distance is even between 10,000 and 22,000 kilometers. You must know that the circumference of the earth's equator is only 40,000 kilometers.

From late May to the end of October every year, gray whales will pass through the Bering Strait and the northwestern part of the Bering Sea, search for bait in the Arctic Circle where the water temperature and light are more suitable, and then start moving south, passing through the Aleutian Islands, along the North The coast of the American continent goes south, traveling an average of about 185 kilometers per day.

The whale family in front of me may have passed through Greenland during the migration process. As a result, when passing through the coast with floating ice on one side, due to the arrival of the polar night, the temperature dropped sharply, and the entire sea of ​​floating ice froze into a whole ice sheet. Block their chance to breathe!