New research reveals how giant whales apparently use highly elastic nerves that function like bungee cords in order to open their mouths wide to sweep into feeding massive amounts of fish.

Whales especially humpback, blue and fin whales from the rorqual family apparently possess nerves inside their mouths and tongues that double in length which allows their jaw to open extra wide in time for feeding. Scientists have just recently identified these nerves and were discovered to have the ability to fold and unfold when the cetaceans' mouths open and close during hunting.

Like Us on Facebook

Biologists believe that this is an unusual finding since nerves are usually not allowed to stretch in great lengths as stress can create siginificant damage to them. For example, a normal vertebrate nerve that is pulled by 10 percent its size can prevent it to send signals and 30 percent can automatically break this delicate fiber. Nerve damage can cause serious pain and can also lead to total paralysis.

However, the whales' nerves are found to be in bundles within the nerve cores and are also covered in collagen and elastin. The nerve segments then unfold when the mouth is expanding that lets vast amounts of water and fish and when the maximum limit is reached, the collagen reacts and stiffens that prevents the nerve from stretching out further. The elastin finally acts like a bungee cord that snaps the nerve back to its relaxed, normal state.

During a dissection of a fin whale, scientists found the nerves that are next to a muscle as the team examined the fiber further and determined that it was apparently not a blood vessel. According to A. Wayne Vogl from the University of British Columbia, it was really unlike anything they had seen before as they realized it was actually a nerve. 

Blue whales are considered to be the biggest animals on the planet that can weigh up to 200 tons. The fin whale is just as massive that weighs a hefty 130 tons. Researchers now believe that this stretchable nerve helped these colossal creatures evolve into larger sizes over millions of years.

Whales in the rorqual family use their gigantic mouths to feed by taking in massive amounts of water where their tongues can filter the marine life through their baleen plates.

Their favorite food are krill which are similar to shrimp which are so small like planktonic crustaceans and are also the main source for the baleen whales' diet that includes sardines, herrings and other small fish. Each mouthful can measure up to a half a million calories.

This study is published in the journal, Current Biology.

Tagsgiant whales, blue whales, humpback whales, whales, whales bungee cord nerves mouths, how do whales feed on fish