Rolled tongues, jointed ribs, flexible penises — whales have come a long way from their land- mammal ancestors.
Their tongues fold into straws so they can nurse as babies.
Nature has given baby whales creative ways to nurse underwater. Sperm whale calves, for instance, can roll their tongues into straws, and little finger-like fringes called papillae grab onto the nipple, according to whale anatomist Joy Reidenberg. “It’s necessary because they don’t have lips and cheeks to keep the fluid contained,” she told BuzzFeed News.
That tongue sends the thick milk straight down a calf’s throat, so it doesn’t float away. Whale milk is 50% fat, with a consistency like toothpaste, which makes it clump together in the water.
Chris Bangs / ASSOCIATED PRESS / Via apimages.com
They have penises that can wriggle like worms.
When whales want to make a baby, they can’t use their hips to thrust, like most mammals do. Instead, they have long, flexible penises attached to strong muscles, so the penis can wiggle its way into the vagina from any direction.
giphy / Via giphy.com
They're also very well endowed...
A blue whale’s penis can be 10 feet long and weigh hundreds of pounds.
JasonParis / Via Flickr: jasonparis
...and they ejaculate five gallons of semen at a time.
This chart shows the testicle volume of blue whales of different lengths. The largest blue whale testicle ever found was more than 30 gallons, Trevor Branch, a blue whale researcher at the University of Washington, told BuzzFeed News. He estimates that's about 5.4 gallons of spunk every time the massive mammal got off.
Since blue whales don't settle down with one partner, all that liquid might help wash out the ejaculate of any previous paramours, increasing the chances a male will be a future father.
Mackintosh NA, Wheeler JFG (1929) Southern blue and fin whales. Discov Rep 1:257-540 / Via archive.org
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