Chapter 73 68．mysterious costume

Now, I have a figure that will give you a good idea of ​​how big the whale thing really is. The oil we cut from this sperm whale this time is estimated to be able to refine about 100 barrels of whale oil. And you have to know that just ten barrels can make up one ton, that is to say, the fat we cut from this sperm whale can be refined into a total of about ten tons of whale oil. And that's not all the fat in this sperm whale. At best, we only refined three quarters of the total amount that should be refined, and the remaining quarter was wasted due to our craftsmanship. Therefore, the total amount of oil contained in the blubber of this sperm whale should be about fourteen tons.

Think about what it would be like to pour these fourteen tons of whale oil on land. It can almost form a small lake. Now imagine how big the whale is, it should be easier, right? Will you, after hearing me tell of our method of cutting blubber from great whales, raise the question, namely: Why not cut off the skin first before cutting the blubber?It's like peeling off the hide first when slaughtering a cow. You are right. Although this question is simple to ask, it is not easy to answer. What exactly is whale skin?Where?Is it the same thing as whale blubber? These issues are very worthy of discussion, and I have repeatedly discussed and even argued with many whalers and scholars.

The current conclusion is this: whale blubber is just whale blubber, and has no necessary connection with whale skin, just like the suet in a pig's body, it just covers the whole body of the whale evenly. The blubber is hard, strong, and elastic, with tight lines, about a foot or so thick, and some even a foot and a half. Since blubber is not skin, where is the skin? I can let you guess first, how thick is the whale skin in your imagination? The usual result you guys would say is at least a few inches thick. You are dead wrong. It's not that you lack logical ability, but from the anatomy of the whale, the whale skin is something incredible because it doesn't match the size of the whale.

When the whale has just been shot to death and the body is not damaged, try to scratch it with your hands if you have the opportunity. Perhaps, a very thin layer can be grasped. This thing is like a layer of transparent silk, very soft and can be dried. What I want to tell you now is: this is the skin of a whale! You probably won't believe it at all, how could you?Such a giant, its skin will be more tender than the skin of a baby. But this is an indisputable fact. There are several other surprises about the appearance of whales. One is that its body is covered with countless lines.

These lines are very exquisite, and many of them can form regular graphics, which makes people think of pictographs. What's even more amazing is that these graphics seem to be carved on the body of a whale. The figures on the whale may be compared with the pictographs on the cliffs of the Mississippi, the pictographs on the walls of the pyramids, and the stone marks on the rocks of the New England coast. Second, because the whole body of the whale is covered with this thick layer of blubber, it seems to be wrapped in a layer of natural body-friendly velvet blanket, or wearing a fur coat.

It is with this layer that whales can live freely in a variety of environmental conditions. You know, a whale is a mammal just like us humans. It has blood and lungs. It needs to keep its body temperature constant, otherwise it will die when the blood freezes. But even in the North Pole, the North Pole where people will die immediately after falling, their blood is also hot. Some people have done experiments, and the blood of whales under such conditions is hotter than that of blacks near the equator. So we should sincerely praise this behemoth and its ability to survive in various environments.

It fears perhaps nothing but the savagery of man.