SC - Chicken Fricasee OT OOP

[PhlipinA@aol.com]

In a message dated 9/3/98 1:24:47 PM Eastern Daylight Time, mermayde at juno.com
asks:

<< 	Is there no actual meat on a whale?  I knew eskimos ate a lot of
 whale blubber, but from a fresh whale I would think there was at least
 some meat to be had? >>

Blubber on a whale is fat on human beings, and it is necessary on whales as
well as other sea mammals as protective insulation against the deadly chill of
sea water- Sea mammals such as whales also have other modifications,
particularly to their circulatory systems, for that purpose. Meat is muscle,
and obviously if a critter moves, it needs muscles to do so. Whale muscles are
buried deep under layers of blubber so that the circulatory system supplying
the muscles with oxygen and other nutrients does not also supply the sea with
all of the animal's body heat. Whale circulatory systems also appear to be
more controllable so that when the animal makes one of its deep dives, all
unnecessary systems (digestion, renal functions, skin functions) are shut
down, thus using less oxygen, and allowing the critters to stay down for some
of the incredible (to us) amounts of time which have been recorded. For future
thought, think of all mammals as being constructed the same way as humans, or
for that matter, dogs, with all of the same systems either in place or at
least vestigially there- with occasional other organs doing duties which
another species may have no use for- they're just shaped a bit differently. As
examples, dogs have no pancreas to digest sugar, which is why it's not a good
idea to feed them sugary treats, and humans, unlike rabbits, have vestigial
vermiform appendices, which is why it's not a good idea to feed us grass and
bark.

So yes, whales have meat, but it's hidden under thick layers of blubber.

Hope this helps,

Phlip
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