How Do Baby Whales Nurse Underwater? (Video)

Whales do not reproduce by laying eggs like fish. They are mammals, meaning they give birth to live young and feed them with mother's milk. The most interesting aspect is that baby whales also nurse underwater.

During nursing, the whale calf firmly grasps the mother's mammary gland with its lips. The mother whale then uses special strong muscles to spray the milk directly into the calf's mouth. This prevents the milk from mixing with seawater and dispersing.

Whale milk is much thicker than regular milk and can contain up to 35–50 percent fat. Due to this high fat content, the milk does not dissolve quickly in water, and the baby whale receives a large amount of energy in a short time.

This helps them grow very quickly. Calves of some large whale species can gain 40 to 90 kilograms of weight per day.