The
blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), the largest animal on the planet is a
marine mammal belonging to the baleen whales (Mysticeti). At 30 metres (98 ft)
in length and 170 tones (190 short tons) or more in weight, it is the largest
existing animal and the heaviest that ever existed.
The
blue whale, i.e. is weighing as much as 200 tons (approximately 33 elephants).
The blue whale has a heart the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. Its stomach can
hold one ton of krill and it needs to eat about four tons of krill each day.
They are the loudest animals on Earth and are even louder than a jet engine.
Their calls reach 188 decibels, while a jet reaches 140 decibels. Their low
frequency whistle can be heard for hundreds of miles and is probably used to
attract other blue whales.
Blue
whales have a long-body and comparatively slender shape, a broad, flat
"rostrum" when viewed from above, a proportionately smaller dorsal
fin than other baleen whales, and a mottled gray color pattern that appears
light blue (hence, the "blue" whale) when seen through the water.
Blue
whales are found worldwide, from sub-polar to sub-tropical latitudes. Pole ward
movements in spring allow the whales to take advantage of high zooplankton
production in summer. Although blue whales are found in coastal waters, they
are thought to occur generally more offshore than other whales.
Main
stats/ Species Description of Blue Whale:
Weight:
|
up
to 330,000 pounds (150,000 kg)
|
Length:
|
up
to nearly 110 feet (33 m), depending on location (blue whales are largest in
the Antarctic)
|
Appearance:
|
long
body with mottled gray color pattern that appears light blue when seen
through the water
|
Lifespan:
|
unknown,
but sexually mature around 5-15 years
|
Diet:
|
primarily
krill
|
Behavior:
|
births
and mating mostly take place in the winter
|
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