The blue, bowhead, fin, gray, humpback, right and sperm whales are now the largest animals in the world. In fact, the blue whale is the largest creature ever known on Earth, surpassing even the dinosaurs in size. But how did these marine mammals become so big?
A new study has explored the genetic underpinnings of gigantism in whales, identifying four genes that appear to have played critical roles in that gigantism, reports Al-Rai daily quoting Reuters.
The researchers said that these genes not only helped in large size, but also in mitigating negative consequences such as increased risk of cancer and reduced offspring.
“Body size is a complex outcome of many genes, pathways, and physical and environmental processes,” said geneticist Mariana Neri of Estadual de Campinas University in Brazil, a co-author of the study published Thursday in Scientific Reports.
Blue whales can reach a length of about 30 meters, fin whales about 24 meters, sperm whales and bowhead whales to about 18 meters, humpback whales and right whales about 15 meters, and gray whales about 13.5 meters.
After evaluating nine genes, including some associated with increased body size in other mammals, the researchers found that four of them appeared to play a role in large whales.