* Time of year: They eat more during the spring and summer when their prey is abundant.
* Location: Food availability varies geographically.
* Individual whale's size and age: Larger whales need to consume more food.
Estimated daily consumption:
* Average: 2-3 tons of krill per day
* Maximum: Up to 6 tons of krill per day
To put this into perspective:
* That's equivalent to about 4,000-6,000 pounds of krill per day!
* An average person might consume 1-2 pounds of food per day.
Interesting fact: Right whales have baleen plates instead of teeth. These plates are made of keratin (the same material as human hair and nails) and act like a sieve to filter out small crustaceans from the water.
It's important to note that these are estimates, and the actual daily food consumption of a right whale can vary significantly.