In: Biology
Explain why a systematist working on vertebrates might tell you that the blue whale is the biggest fish.
The blue whale is the largest vertebrate which uses baleen filter to catch prey and the reason someone working on vertebrate will say blue whale is the largest fish is because of the evolutionary finding. It is found that the blue whale were smaller in size but gradually they evolved to become large in size and hence became very massive. One of the major reason might be mostly due to climatic change that has led to the change in the size of the blue due to evolutionary change. The reason why they would say it is the largest fish is because of the evolutionary process through which it has changed. They have strong resemblance to hippos but are does not share any ancestral connection. It is the presence of the blowholes that connect to lungs of the whales which enable them to breath air after coming up which has gradually evolved. The reason why it can be considered as largest fish is able to swim in the ocean and the curvature of the spine of the whale which enables it to swim like the fish.