Researchers Explain How Big Whales Easily Gulp Food

Big whales make gulping food look so easy and researchers finally have an explanation for it. The mammals have stretchy nerves in their jaws that allows their tongue and mouth to nearly double in size.

The unique nerve structure was discovered by researchers at the University of British Columbia.

While most nerves are inelastic, researchers found the ones in Rorquals, a family including blue and fin whales, were stretchy and similar to bungee cords.

According to experts, the discovery is significant because it is unlike anything that has ever been pinpointed in vertebrates.

"This discovery underscores how little we know about even the basic anatomy of the largest animals alive in the oceans today," Nick Pyenson, a postdoctoral fellow who worked on the study said in a statement. "Our findings add to the growing list of evolutionary solutions that whales evolved in response to new challenges faced in marine environments over millions of years."

The findings were published in the journal Current Biology.