They are also at threat from large fishing nets. Activists suggest changes in and better management of shipping lanes as a solution. These incidents usually kill a few blue whales a year. These occur when whales are killed when they run into, or running into, ships. Some other threats blue whales face include ship strikes. The latter has had a sizeable impact on the number of krill available in the waters, something incredibly detrimental, especially when one considers how crucial these creatures are for the blue whale’s diet. But, the most prominent threat these animals face is a loss of habitat, the introduction of toxins into the ocean water, and climate change. Blue whales then live to around 80-90 years (NOAA).ĭespite efforts to curb whale hunting, blue whales are still killed everywhere by commercial fishermen. It is thought to occur in the fall and winter with fierce competition between males, with gestation lasting around 10-12 months. Unfortunately, little is known about their mating behavior or birth. They are solitary animals that spend most of their lives alone. The mother-calf bond is the strongest in the whale community. Blue whales reach maturity around ten years old, which’s measured through testosterone in male whales or the use of earwax lamina in an earplug (a common way of measuring a whale’s age). They eat their mother’s milk for the first year of their lives and grow up to 200 pounds every day. When blue whale calves are born, they are around three tons and 25 feet long. Scientists have studied these vocalizations for years, but the purpose behind them is not fully understood. They can vary by time of day, region, species, and season. These sounds can be used to tell blue whale groups apart. According to National Geographic, they emit a series of pulses and groans that can be heard by other whales up to 1,000 miles away. A subspecies of blue whale, the pygmy blue is found around Australia, Madagascar, and New Zealand (NOAA).īlue whales have a famous method of communication. There’s also a population of whales in the Indian Ocean, with sightings retried in the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, and other smaller bodies of water. They migrate to Central America during the winter. North Pacific blue whales live around the western coast of the United States. They live in the North Atlantic Ocean, from the subtropics to the Greenland Sea and off the coast of the eastern United States and Canada. They can swim up to twenty miles an hour when they’re threatened. It can also result in safer waters for calving. This improves their access to prey in the winter and may, according to Biology Letters, reduce parasitism and pathogens. They usually live alone or in pairs and spend their winters migrating toward the Equator. They push the water out of their mouths with their tongueīlue whales live around the world, in every ocean except the Arctic. According to NOAA, blue whales push the water out of their mouths with their tongue and swallow the krill. They filter feed, meaning that they swim toward large groups of krill with their mouths open. The females are larger than the males, with the mature female reaching an average length of between 70 and 79 feet, depending on the species.īlue whales primarily eat krill but have also been documented eating crustaceans and fish. There have been a total of 88 whales longer than 98 feet and one reaching 108 feet, according to the IWC. These whales are considered to be the largest known animals to have ever lived on earth. Their underside has a yellowish tint due to the accumulation of diatoms ( “Whales, dolphins, and porpoises of the western North Atlantic”). Lawrence, Canada.” They also have flat, broad heads, slender flippers, and a small dorsal fin. Their bodies also feature unique mottling patterns on their backs and pigmentation around the dorsal fin, as described by “Photographic identification of the blue whale in the Gulf of St. They have long slender bodies that appear blue underwater. Depending on the animal, the whale can vary between shades of blue and grey. The largest confirmed size of a blue whale is 29.9 meters or 98 feet with a weight of 173 tonnes.
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