Hey, there! Can you guess
what a whale’s mission is?

uh, no?

It’s to feast until
they’re blubbery
and happy!

That makes sense,
ha ha!

The largest mammal
on the planet accumulates
fat by feasting on
the one of the smallest

Nature must
love a paradox  

But hey, how do they
eat all of those little creatures?

They filter seawater
through plates of keratin,
called 'baleen'

What’s so
mysterious about that?

What?
(and why 
you changed 
your face?)

Inspired by
story in 

Hey, you!
No peeking
unless you sign in!

No one knows how
baleen whales find
their food!

But don’t
dolphin and beluga whales
use sonar?

Yes, but not
our baleen buddies

So?
Why does that
matter?

Because one of them,
the North Atlantic right whale,
is about to go extinct!

* Fewer than 350 of them remain, 
only 70 of them are female
capable of reproducing

Why else?
Because they’re integral
to the ocean’s ecosystem.

They release
many nutrients
through their feces.

Their tissues trap
carbon dioxide,
which could otherwise
contribute to global warming.

* An estimated 33 tons of
carbon dioxide is present
in a single whale’s body.

And it matters
because humans are one of
the reasons for
their endangerment.

We should do
something! 

Well, what is it?

Scientists are currently
testing a hypothesis
concerning a certain chemical.

Dimethyl Sulfide (DMS) 

DMS is a chemical
that is released by
phytoplankton when
it’s eaten by zooplankton

Grosss!!!

No, it’s actually similar
in smell to fermented
corn and cabbage.

Oh! Not bad!

But to certain birds,
it signals an
“all-you-can-eat” buffet.

So, they can find
zooplankton just by
the small of DMS?

That’s right!


In fact, we now have reason
to believe that mustache whales
can smell their prey.

That's 
amazing!

Scientist are still
trying really hard
to test the hypothesis

Whoa, there’s burning
the midnight oil…
and then there’s that!

If it’s confirmed,
the whales will
be able to find
their prey via scent.

I get it.
Target acquired,
right?

Forget your
yellow brick road,
mine’s pink and tasty!

So, the danger of human
interference is avoided.

We’re gonna
save you,
don’t worry!

(You again?)

What do you 
think I say to you?