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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
blue
whale, sulpher-bottom |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Cetacea |
| SUBORDER: |
Mysticeti |
| FAMILY: |
Balaenopteridae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Balaenoptera
musculus |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Blue
whales, named for their bluish-gray coloration,
are known for their immense size. Their coloration
often includes grayish or whitish areas. When viewed
from above, the rostrum appears broad and U-shaped
and a large splashguard surrounds two blowholes.
A blue whale's slender, vertical blow can reach
a height of 9 m (30 ft.). Blue whales have 55-68
vertical grooves extending back almost to the navel.
The dorsal fin is very small and set ¾ of
the way back and the trailing edge of the flukes
are smooth except for a small notch in the center. |
| FEMALE |
Females
tend to be slightly larger than males |
|
| SIZE: |
For
adults, a maximum of 33.5 m (110 ft.), but lengths
of 21 m (70 ft.) are more common. Blue whale calves
measure about 7 m (23 ft.) in length. |
| MALE |
For
Antarctic adults at physical maturity, lengths of
25 m (82 ft) are common; specimens from the Northern
hemisphere are typically smaller |
| FEMALE |
For
Antarctic adults at physical maturity, lengths of
27 m (88.6 ft) are common; specimens from the Northern
hemisphere are typically smaller |
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| WEIGHT: |
Long
ago, Antarctic blue whales weighed 145,280 kg (320,000
lb.). Newborn calves weigh 2,700-3,600 kg (6,000-8,000
lb.). |
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| DIET: |
Krill
and occasionally pelagic crabs |
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| GESTATION: |
12
months |
| NURSING
DURATION |
Calves
are weaned at eight months, when they gain as much
as 90 kg (200 lb.) a day |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
At
about 6-10 years of age |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
At
least up to 30 years, possibly to well over 40 years |
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| RANGE: |
Oceans
worldwide, most abundant in eastern north Pacific |
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| HABITAT: |
Primarily
found along the edges of continental shelves and
ice fronts |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
About
10,000-14,000 |
| LOCAL |
Off
California, about 2,000 |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Endangered |
| CITES |
Appendix
I |
| USFWS |
Endangered |
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| 1. |
Blue
whales belong to the cetacean suborder Mysticeti
- the baleen whales. Whales in this suborder lack
teeth. Instead, they have stiff, hair-like baleen
plates that hang from their upper jaws. With the
baleen plates, blue whales filter vast quantities
of krill (tiny shrimp-like crustaceans), consuming
as much as four tons per day. |
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| 2. |
Blue whales typically travel either singly or in
pairs, although sometimes more whales may be found
within close range in areas high in krill concentrations. |
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| 3. |
Blue whales are capable of producing low-frequency
sounds, which can travel hundreds of miles in deep
water. The function of these long-ranging vocalizations
is not quite known although it is theorized that
some of the vocalizations aid in navigation by imaging
seamounts, islands and other underwater masses. |
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| 4. |
The
blue whale is the largest animal in the world -
probably the largest that ever lived. Long ago,
Antarctic blue whales measured 30.5 m (100 ft.)
and weighed 145,280 kg (320,000 lb.). Whale hunters
took the most massive whales - the biggest blue
whales today measure about 26 m (85 ft.), but lengths
of 21 m (70 ft.) are more common. A blue whale's
heart alone may weigh 908 kg (2,000 lb.), as much
as a small car. |
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| 5. |
For
more information about baleen whales, explore the
baleen
whales info book. |
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| Widespread
commercial whaling during the 19th and 20th centuries,
severely depleted blue whale populations. The current
worldwide population is a fraction of the more than
200,000 blue whales that once roamed the seas.
Several
U.S. and international treaties and agencies including
the International Whaling Commission, the U.S.
Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the U.S.
Endangered Species Act of 1973 protect blue whales.
But despite more than 50 years of protection,
blue whale populations have not recovered.
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|
|
Jefferson,
T.J. Leatherwood, S. and M.A. Webber. FAO Species
identification Guide. Marine Mammals of the World.
Rome. FAO, 1993.
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| |
|
Leatherwood, Stephen, and Reeves, Randall R. The
Sierra Club Handbook of Whales and Dolphins.
San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1983. |
| |
|
Nowak, Ronald M. (ed.). Walker's Mammals of
the World. Vol. II. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins
University Press, 1991.
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| Parker,
S. (ed.). Grizmek's Encyclopedia of Mammals.
Vol. IV. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Co.,
1990. |
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| Reeves,
R. R., Stewart, B.S., Clapman, P.J., and J.A. Powell
(Peter Folkens illustrator). National Audubon
Society: Guide to Marine Mammals of the World.
New York: Random House, 2002. |
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| http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu |
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