(CNN) For the first time, scientists have recorded the heart rate of a blue whale, uncovering new information about the biology of the world's largest mammal.

After measuring the heart rates of diving emperor penguins and captive whales , researchers from the University of Stanford decided to try to measure the heart rates of wild whales.

Using suction cups, biologists attached electronic sensors to a blue whale's left flipper to measure its heart rate -- with surprising findings.

The experts discovered that the blue whale lowered its heart rate to as little as two beats per minute when it dived for food.

At the bottom of a foraging dive, the whale's heart rate increased to about 2.5 times the minimum, then decreased again. Once the mammal began to surface, its heart rate increased again.

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