FACTS ABOUT THE BLUE WHALE

Image from unitedstatesfauna.com

Listen to A Blue Whale song

Common name:– Blue whale. Also known as Sibbald’s rorqual and sulphur bottom whale

Scientific name: Balaenoptera musculus which means “mouse-like finned whale”

What kind of animal is it? The blue whale is a mammal, meaning that it is warm blooded and has glands to provide milk for its offspring.

Where is it found? In all the oceans.

Does it migrate? Yes. During summer a blue whale migrates towards the Poles in search of cooler waters to feed. It then travels back towards the Equator during winter to breed in warmer waters.

How many blue whales exist in the wild nowadays? 3000-5000 individuals.

What is its status? It is considered to be endangered. The blue whale was hunted a lot during the 20th century, even after it became a protected species and commercial whaling was banned in 1964. Today commercial whaling is no longer a threat, but global climate change is affecting ocean euphausiids (krill – a shrimp-like crustacean), the blue whale’s main prey. This means that its food resources are decreasing.

Is it being protected? A number of South Pacific countries have declared their marine waters as whale sanctuaries, which means that whales cannot be hunted in these areas.

How big is a blue whale? On average, males reach a length of 23 metres and females of 24.5 metres. . This means that one blue whale is actually bigger than 25 elephants put together! It is also larger than a Brontosaurus and a Tyrannosaurus rex combined!!!! The largest blue whale known measured 33.6 metres (110 feet).

It has a row of 300-400 baleen (whalebone) plates on each side of the mouth, which act as filters for catching small fish and floating animals (zooplankton). These are black in colour and range in size from 50 cm at the front up to 100cm at the back.

Did you know that its heart is the same size of a Volgswagen Beetle???!!! In fact, its heartbeat can be detected from 2 miles away!!!! Incredible, isn’t it? Even its stomach is so large that it can hold up to one tonne of krill at one go!

Image by Richard Seaman

Yet while its tongue is as large as an elephant, the size of its throat is such that it cannot swallow anything wider than a beach ball.

How much does it weight? A full-grown adult of around 24 metres in length could weigh close to 200 tonnes, or 400,000 pounds.

What is the colour of its body? It is lightly speckled blue-grey, with light grey or yellow-white undersides.

How long can it dive for and till what depth ? It can dive and stay underwater for 10 to 20 minutes. It feeds at depths of less than 100 m. Distressed blue whales can dive as deep as 500 metres to avoid predators and other hazards.

How fast can it move? A blue whale travels at an average speed of 22km/hr, although it can reach a speed limit of 48km/hr if it senses danger in the vicinity.

How good is its hearing? Its hearing is excellent, especially at low frequencies.

How does it communicate? It emits low-frequency sounds and a series of clicks. It is known to be the loudest animal on Earth, even louder than a jet engine. Its call reaches 188 decibels, while that of a jet reaches 140 decibels. The low frequency whistle that it emits can be heard for hundreds of miles, and is probably used to attract other blue whales.

What does it eat? The blue whale’s favourite food are euphausiids (krill). It needs to eat four tonnes of these every day.

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