Question

Body Length, Filter Time, and Lunges per Dive for Four Whale Species
Whale species Typical adult body length (meters) Average time to filter all engulfed water (seconds) Average number of lunges per dive deeper than
\[50\] meters
fin
\[18-22\]
\[31.30\]
\[3.95\]
humpback
\[11-17\]
\[17.12\]
\[6.28\]
minke
\[7-10\]
\[8.88\]
\[7.48\]
blue
\[24-34\]
\[60.27\]
\[4.02\]
Some whale species practice lunge feeding, in which they lunge toward prey with their mouths open at wide angles, collect the prey and the surrounding water, and then filter out the water through baleen plates in their mouths. Although the volume of water engulfed increases with whales’ body length, the surface area of whales’ baleen plates, which influences the rate at which water can be filtered, does not increase with body length to the same degree, which helps explain why ______
Which choice most effectively uses data from the table to complete the statement?
Choose 1 answer:
A
minke whales and humpback whales show similar average filter times.
B
blue whales show the longest average filter time and the highest average number of lunges per dive.
C
humpback whales show an average of 6.28 lunges per dive.
D
fin whales show a longer average filter time than minke whales do.

Answer 1

D

Fin whales (31.30 s) have a much longer average filter time than minke whales (8.88 s), which supports the point that larger whales take longer to filter engulfed water.