Knowra Blubber Blubber Blubber is a thick, vascularized layer of fat beneath the skin of many marine mammals. It stores energy, reduces heat loss, and contributes to buoyancy and body shape.
Thermal insulation : The reduction of heat transfer between an organism and its surroundings. Blubber slows heat loss from warm-bodied mammals into cold water.
Cetacea : The mammalian order comprising whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Many cetaceans rely on blubber for insulation and energy storage.
Fatty acid : A carboxylic acid with a hydrocarbon chain, commonly forming part of fats and oils. Fatty acids are the principal molecular units stored in blubber lipids.
Fur : The dense hair covering that insulates many mammals and protects their skin. Unlike fur, blubber insulates beneath the skin and remains effective underwater.
Spermaceti : A waxy substance found in the head of the sperm whale, historically used in lamps and lubricants. Sperm-whale hunts targeted both this substance and oil rendered from blubber.
Adipose tissue : Connective tissue specialized for storing energy as fat and releasing it when needed. Blubber is a specialized, unusually thick layer of adipose tissue.
Pinniped : A semiaquatic mammal in the group containing seals, sea lions, and walruses. Pinnipeds use blubber to retain heat while swimming and resting in water.
Triglyceride : A lipid made from glycerol bonded to three fatty acids. Triglycerides form much of the energy-rich fat stored in blubber.
Brown adipose tissue : A fat tissue that produces heat through specialized mitochondria. Blubber mainly stores energy and limits heat loss rather than generating heat directly.
Marine mammal oil : Oil obtained by rendering the fatty tissues of marine mammals. Blubber supplied oils used historically for lighting, lubrication, and other products.
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