BLUE WHALE

 

Blue Whale Facts

The blue whale (balaenoptera musculus) is part of the (mysticeti) baleen whale suborder and is thelargest animal alive growing as large as 100 ft in length and weighing as much as 150 tons or more.

In addition to their size they are also one of the loudest mammals in existence and can be heard from hundreds of miles away.

Some scientist believe that blue whales use their sound not only for communication but are looking into the possibility of it being used for echo location which allows them to better navigate the ocean.

Whale Facts:Echolocation was once believed to only exist within the toothed whalespecies, but recent studies show that it may also exist within baleen whales as well, although no sufficient data is found as of yet.

Surprisingly as compared to their massive size these whales primarily eat krill which resemble small shrimp.

These mammals travel an average of 3-12 miles per hour but can reach speeds of over 25 miles per hour when they feel threatened or agitated.

Other than humans (many countries have adopted policies against hunting whales) blue whales are rarely attacked by other animals.

On rare occasions blue whales may come under attack by sharks or killer whales.

Blue Whale Facts: The largest blue whale ever recorded is estimated to have measured in 115 feet in length although some say it’s closer to 109 ft.

Diet

Blue whales primarily eat krill although other small ocean creatures such as copepods can be ingested as well.

Blue whales are almost always found in area’s with high concentrations of krill.

These whales hunt for their food by opening its mouth, lunging at the krill and ingesting large amounts of krill and water.

As they ingest the water the small krill get stuck in the whales baleen plates.

The whale than expels the water by pushing it out with its tongue and swallowing the trapped krill.

Blue Whale Facts: Blue whales can eat up to 8000 pounds of krill per day or as much as 40 million krill per day!

Physical Characteristics

At the surface blue whales are actually a greyish blue color although they appear purely blue underneath the water.

Blue whales can grow to be 100 feet long (average is around 70-80 ft) and weigh more than 150 tons.

Compared to their length their bodies are generally slim and streamlined for speed and long distance travel allowing them to swim up to 20 miles per hour or more (average speed is closer to 5 mph).

The blue whale also has a very small triangular dorsal fin as compared to the larger dorsal fin of many other whales and short flippers which only measure about 12% of the whales length.

Migration

Blue whales can be found swimming throughout the worlds oceans.

Blue whales will migrate towards colder polar waters during feeding season and warmer tropical waters during mating season and can travel thousands of miles during their migration.

While they migrate most whales will forgo eating food and live primarily off of body fat and stored calories.

Migration trips can last for 4 months depending on where they are traveling from and going to.

Older, pregnant and sexually mature whales typically travel first and furthest during migration due to experience and excess body fat which allows them to deal with colder waters more effectively than younger whales.

Social Structure

Blue whales are solitary animals often traveling alone or in small groups.

They communicate to one another by using loud low-pitched sounds which can be heard many miles away.

Although they prefer being solitary blue whales can be found traveling in larger groups during periods of feeding and migration.

Breeding

Little is known about how blue whales breed.

Females breed on average every 2-3 years.

Birth usually takes place 10-12 months after mating.

Blue whales usually mature around 8-10 years of age.

When they reach adult hood the female whales grow to be larger on average than their male counterparts.