There's a Surprising Reason We Need More Whale Poop in Our Oceans
The importance of whale poop has been severely underestimated over the last century. According to data gathered by researchers for almost 10 years, the decline in the whale population — and their poop — resulted in a stark change to the ocean's ecosystem (and climate) in ways they couldn't deduce until now.
The study, as detailed in Nature, explained the feeding patterns of different whale species — such as the humpback whale — and why those patterns matter now more than ever. They found that whales had eaten three times more krill in the years before.
With estimates so far off, it changes the entire ecosystem's balance of power. If there are less whales now, that means less krill eaten, and less whale poop. But why does any of it matter?
When eaten, the iron-laden krill are re-deposited back into the ocean when a whale poops, therefore fertilizing the surface. That fertilizer feeds the krill and it all comes back around to the whales eating the krill. Everything works together to make the earth go 'round and that includes feces.The good news is, researchers think there's a fix, though it might take awhile.
"Our results say that if we restore whale populations to pre-whaling levels seen at the beginning of the 20th century, we'll restore a huge amount of lost function to ocean ecosystems," co-author of the study Nicholas Pyenson said in a statement. "It may take a few decades to see the benefit, but it's the clearest read yet about the massive role of large whales on our planet."
But that's not the only reason whale poop continues to fascinate.
Some fecal matter is valuable outside of the ocean. In 2015, an eight-year-old New Zealand boy stumbled upon a rare find that turned out to be worth $65,000. Ambergris, which is also found in some perfumes, is called "whale vomit" by some, and it's in high demand.
Creating a chunk of ambergris requires "one unlikelihood piled on top of another," according to molecular biologist Christopher Kemp. Apparently, "only one percent of the 350,000 sperm whales [on Earth] can actually make it," he told ABC News.
Sometimes sperm whales release hundreds of pounds of ambergris at a time. Then, the matter floats through the oceans for many years before it hardens and becomes worth anything of value. Marie Antoinette used ambergris in an expensive perfume two-hundred years ago, but others, like Chanel, utilize the whale's personal contribution to this day.
