[CINC] 65%??

[Valerie Olson]

Hi All,

With regard to an earlier posting on Humpbacks, Shirley posted the  
following today ...

Do you think this is true?

"There would be enough krill near Antarctica to fatten up for future  
years, Van Opzeeland said. Later in their lives, after giving birth  
and suckling a calf, each female will lose up to 65 percent of her  
body weight."

Females would lose SIXTY FIVE percent of body weight?!   I always  
thought the figure was one third body weight.    Over half - 65% well  
over a half -  is a heck of a change.
Has anybody heard this figure before?    Maybe I missed it.
    Shirley

I sent Shirley the following and it may be helpful to others  
interested in this question.

Hi Shirley,

As it turns out I was asked an interesting question in both 2011 and  
2013.  And ... the question was "What percentage of a whale's body is  
blubber?"  I collected lots of data on that subject, both times.  In  
neither search for the answer to this question, did I encounter any  
numbers higher than 40% i And ... it seems to me that if a whale is  
losing more than blubber (the other 25% that would add to 65%), it  
will be losing muscle, organ tissue etc. and soon it would be a dead  
whale.  All of the above leads me to the conclusion that the 65%  
number is very questionable.

(Please reply directly to me ... rather than the whole rain list ...  
if any of you want to discuss this issue any further.  I can send  
data to any who want it.)
Hope this helps,

Valerie Olson

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