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Facts and Knowledge:
The blue whale is the largest mammal ever to have lived on earth. Amazingly, it feeds on some of the smallest ocean life - plankton. Although blue whales feed in deep water they are still mammals, and must come to the surface to breathe. They exhale air in a cloud of pressurized steam that rises straight up for about 20 feet
Habitats: 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, the 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, the whales migrate to the warm waters of the tropics. But food in the tropics is scare, so the whales depend on their thick layer of blubber for nourishment.
Whale & Man: 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 woman's corsets. Antarctic whales slaughtered 30,000 blue whales from 1930 to 1931. The population has since recovered, but there are probably less than 10,000 alive today. They are now protected.
Breeding: Blue whales form close ties with one other 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 weigh 16,000 pounds. The baby is suckled in the water, drinking more than 160 gallons of milk a day. At 7 months, it is able to catch its own food.
Food & Hunting: In the Antarctic, blue whales feed on vast quantities of a plankton called krill. In Arctic waters, they feed o 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 than it is in the warm waters of the tropics. In spite of its bulk, the blue whale can reach speeds of 10 to 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 sea water in its mouth and then straining out the plankton.
Key Facts: Sizes, Weight, breeding, lifestyle, related Species
Height:
Length; Male average 82 ft, Females; 85
feet
Weight: 175,000 to 285,000 lbs
Breeding:
Sexual maturity: Males at the length of
74 ft , females 75 ft
Mating Most females breed only once every
three years
Gestation: 11 to 12 months
No of young Usually 1 calf
Lifestyle:
Habit: Sociable, migratory
Call: Low frequency moan. Produces ultrasonic
chirps and whistles when feeding.
Diet: Plankton
Life span: about 80 years
Related species: Pygmy blue whales (B.m.
brevicauda) are thought to live in the southern Indian Ocean
Distribution: There Limited, scattered
areas all around the world, mainly based in Arctic and Antarctic waters.
Conservation: Once Since 1986, commercial
whaling has largely stopped, and blue whales now show signs of breeding
success. Still, it will take a century of protection before they
are out of danger of extinction.
Features of the Blue Whale:
The blue whale has approximately 320 baleen plates,
measuring 40 inches long by 22 inches wide. Long bristles on the end of
each plate force the water out of it mouth, the whale licks the plankton
off with its fleshy tongue
Instead of teeth, the blue whale has a row of
plates in it mouth, known as baleen, which function as a food collecting
device. The mouth and baleen work like a strainer. Holding up to
5 tons of water and plankton with each mouthful..
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 sulfur.
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