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The blue whale ( Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. Reaching a maximum confirmed length of 29.9 meters (98 ft) and weighing up to 199 tonnes (196 long tons; 219 short tons), it is the largest animal known ever to have existed.
- What Is The Blue Whale?
- Diet of Krill
- Coloring and Appearance
- Vocalization and Behavior
- Blue Whale Calves
- Longevity
- Conservation
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Blue whales are the largest animals ever known to have lived on Earth. These magnificent marine mammals rule the oceans at up to 100 feet long and upwards of 200 tons. Their tongues alone can weigh as much as an elephant. Their hearts, as much as an automobile.
Blue whales reach these mind-boggling dimensions on a diet composed nearly exclusively of tiny shrimplike animals called krill. During certain times of the year, a single adult blue whale consumes about 4 tons of krill a day. Blue whales are baleen whales, which means they have fringed plates of fingernail-like material, called baleen, attached to ...
Blue whales look true blue underwater, but on the surface their coloring is more a mottled blue-gray. Their underbellies take on a yellowish huefrom the millions of microorganisms that take up residence in their skin. The blue whale has a broad, flat head and a long, tapered body that ends in wide, triangular flukes.
Blue whales live in all the world's oceans, except the Arctic, occasionally swimming in small groups but usually alone or in pairs. They often spend summers feeding in polar waters and undertake lengthy migrations towards the Equator as winter arrives. These graceful swimmers cruise the ocean at more than five miles an hour, but accelerate to more ...
Calves enter the world already ranking among the planet's largest creatures. After about a year inside its mother's womb, a baby blue whale emerges weighing up to 3 tons and stretching to 25 feet. It gorges on nothing but mother's milk and gains about 200 pounds every day for its first year.
Blue whales are among Earth's longest-lived animals. Scientists have discovered that by counting the layers of a deceased whale's waxlike earplugs, they can get a close estimate of the animal's age. The oldest blue whale found using this method was determined to be around 110 years old. Average lifespan is estimated at around 80 to 90 years.
Aggressive hunting in the 1900s by whalers seeking whale oil drove them to the brink of extinction. Between 1900 and the mid-1960s, some 360,000 blue whales were slaughtered. They finally came under protection with the 1966 International Whaling Commission, but they've managed only a minor recovery since then. Blue whales have few predators but are...
Learn about the largest animal ever to have lived on Earth, its diet, vocalization, behavior, and lifespan. Find out how blue whales were hunted to the brink of extinction and how they are recovering today.
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Jun 10, 2024 · Learn about the blue whale, the largest animal ever to have lived, a species of baleen whale that feeds on krill and lives in all oceans. Find out how it was hunted, how it breeds, and why it is endangered.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Learn about the blue whale, the largest animal on Earth, and its endangered status, habitat, diet and behavior. Find out how WWF works to protect this species from whaling, climate change, fishing gear and other threats.
- Blue Whales Can Grow More Than 100 Feet Long. They are gigantic, generally ranging in length from 80 to 100 feet (24 to 30 meters). The longest, accurately measured blue whale is a female who was measured at 97 feet (23.5 meters)—but there are reports of blue whales that reached 108 feet (33 meters) in length.
- They Can Weigh as Much as 30 Elephants. The average weight for these gentle giants is 200,000 to 300,000 pounds (90,000 to 136,000 kilograms), or about 100 to 150 tons.
- They Have Big Hearts. The blue whale's heart is huge. It's the largest heart in the animal kingdom, weighing about 400 pounds (180 kilograms)—about the same weight as a gorilla and roughly the size of a bumper car.
- They Have Big Tongues, Too. A blue whale’s tongue alone can weigh as much as an elephant.
Aug 27, 2017 · Blue whales are the largest animals to have ever existed. Learn why they're larger than any land animal and why they were hunted for years, making them endan...
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- Nat Geo WILD
Learn about the blue whale, the largest mammal in the world, and its diet, habitat, and conservation status. See photos and videos of these amazing creatures and their unique features.
