Blue Whale

OrderCetacea
FamilyBalaenopteridae
Genus & SpeciesBalaenoptera cetacea
LengthMales average 82 feet; Females, 85 feet
Weight175000-285000 pounds
Sexual maturityMales at a lenght of 74 feet Females at 75 feet
MatingMost females breed only once every 3 years
Gestation11-12 months
Number of YoungSingle calf
CallLow-frequency moan. Produces ultrasonic chirps and whistles when feeding
HabitSocial and migratory
DietPlankton
Lifespan80 years


Like other marine mammals, blue whales are descended from early land animals. Millions of years ago, the richness of life in the sea lured them to water, and aquatic life gradually changed their physical characteristics. Today, they spend most of their time in the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans, where plankton is plentiful. In winter, the whales migrate to the warm waters of the tropics. But food in the tropics is scarce, so the whales depend on their thick layer of blubber for nourishment.


Blue Whale

Blue whales form close ties with one another and are often seen in groups of two or four. Mating takes place in the warm waters of the tropics, where the young are born. The mother gives birth to a single calf with the aid of other females, who help her deliver the calf and then nudge the newborn to the surface for its first breath of air. At birth, the calf measures about 23 feet and weighs 16000 pounds. The baby suckled in the water, drinking more than 160 gallons of milk a day. At 7 months, it is able to catch its own food.

In the Antarctic, blue whales feed on vast quantities of a plankton called krill. In Arctic waters, they feed on only three species of crustacean (shelled) plankton. Icy water contains more oxygen and carbon dioxide than warm water, which makes it rich in marine life. Plankton is up to twenty times more abundant in the Arctic and Antarctic than it is in the warm waters of the tropics. In spite of its bulk, the blue whale can reach speeds of 10-15 knots. But it catches most of its food by diving. It can dive to depths of 1650 feet and lie submerged for up to 2 hours. Rising from the depths, the whale feeds by collecting a large amount of seawater in its mouth and then straining out the plankton.


Blue Whale

Because of its great size, the blue whale was a prime target for the whaling industry. Its body was a source of oil and the baleen was used to make women's corsets. Antarctic whalers slaughtered 30000 blue whales from 1930 to 1931. The population has since recovered, but there are probably less than 10000 alive today; they are now protected.


DID YOU KNOW?
The biggest blue whale ever recorded was 102 feet long.
The heaviest one recorded weighed 390,000 pounds
Blue whales were once called sulphur-bottom whales by sailors
because their bodies became covered with algae
which was greenish-yellow like sulphur

Information is Copyright IMP BV/IMP Inc. Wildlife Fact File

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