How Do Baby Whales Drink Milk Underwater? | Learn With Newport Whales

Have you ever wondered how baby whales drink milk underwater? Like any mammal, female whales nurse their young with two mammary glands located in slits near their tail. Stimulated by pressure from the nursing baby, who sticks its face partially into the slit, the mother whale begins to eject milk into the baby's mouth - kind of like a giant gas pump! The baby whale rolls its tongue into a 'taco' to help filter the milk down its throat. The milk is fatty and think (like the consistency of toothpaste) to help those baby whales grow big! Their milk is about 53% fat, and in blue whales can help that baby grow 10 pounds/hour! Baby whales are possibly born with small tooth buds, or no teeth at all. Toothed whales do not have baby teeth and only have one set of teeth that they keep for life. In baleen whales, their hairy teeth grow and wear for their whole life, just like your fingernails. Just like reproduction, nursing is extremely difficult to observe in the wild. But, on a recent trip out of Newport Beach, passengers on the Catallac observed a rare mother and calf Bryde's whale nursing! Notice in the video the cloud of whale milk seen floating on the surface. Not captured on film was the baby Bryde's whale, which began feeding on the excess milk in the water by skimming the surface and using its tiny baleen to filter the thick milk. What a rare and special encounter! Jessica - Educator with Newport Whales *** Whale watching tours that depart in Southern California all year long. Tours are 2.5hrs in length with multiple departure times each day. We offer multiple whale watching boat styles including larger passenger vessels, catamarans, and smaller 6-15 passenger zodiac tours. We have the ability to see whales all year long, with different whale species in our Southern California area year round. We are well known for our Pacific Gray Whale Migration from December to May. We also see humpback whales, blue whales, fin whales, minke whales, Bryde's whales, common dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, Risso's dolphins and more! To learn more and get access to more exciting, educational, and fun content check out our social media pages below! Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newportwhales Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NewportLandi... Website for scheduling: http://www.newportwhales.com/