Blue whale | Facts & Information

# Blue Whale | Facts & Information

Blue Whale | Discover Fascinating Facts and Information About Blue Whale

Whales appeared about 50 million years ago. Their ancestors were land animals, which by gradually adapting to the marine environment, suffered the loss of the pair of hind legs.

Blue Whale

The Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is the largest animal on Earth and one of the most mysterious inhabitants of the oceans. These impressive creatures can reach a length of up to 30 meters and weigh approximately 200 tons. However, despite its enormous size, the blue whale is an endangered species, which gives it a special importance in the natural world.

One of the remarkable aspects of the blue whale is its immense mouth, which can reach up to 25 meters in length. This characteristic allows it to swallow the large amount of food necessary to sustain its gigantic body. The main food of the blue whale consists of krill, a type of small shrimp, which it ingests during its great feast. An adult blue whale can consume between 3 and 4 tons of krill every day, which is why it needs such a large amount of food each day.

The blue whale is known for its characteristic song, which can be heard over vast distances underwater. The song consists of long and complex sounds, and it is believed to be used for communication between members of the same species. It is believed that males are the ones who sing, and this could be related to mating rituals and asserting dominance within a group of blue whales.

Another interesting characteristic of the blue whale is its reproductive behavior. The female can only become pregnant every few years, and the gestation period can last between 10 and 12 months. At birth, the blue whale calf is already approximately 8 meters long and weighs about 2.7 tons. However, the calf needs to grow quickly and gain weight to survive in the oceanic waters, where there are many dangers.

Unfortunately, the population of blue whales has dramatically declined in recent years due to human activity. Research shows that the main factors threatening the survival of this species are excessive commercial fishing, pollution, collisions with ships, and climate change. Although there are conservation efforts to protect blue whales, global action is necessary to ensure their long-term survival.

In conclusion, the blue whale is one of the most remarkable animals on Earth, with impressive size and unique characteristics. However, it is an endangered species, and therefore, it is important to get involved in its protection and conservation. By raising awareness of our impact on the environment and adopting measures for protection and conservation, we can contribute to preserving this magnificent animal for future generations.

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Origin

Whales, the Giants of the seas, are among the largest and best known animals on Earth, being part of the cetacean family.

Although they look like giant fish, we remind you that whales are mammals, that is, they give birth to live cubs and feed them with their milk. They live in almost all the oceans of the planet, being the largest living creatures on Earth.

Blue Whale food

Despite their huge size, whales do not consume much food. Due to the body conformation meant to save energy, they do not need to eat too large quantities.

They feed on small animal and plant organisms-planktons. It is the richest food source for marine mammals.

The planktons being microscopic, however, cannot fully meet the whale's food needs. Whales that feed more from the surface of the water need larger phanons.

This includes the Greenland whale and the Vizcaya whale. Blue Whale, northern fin whale or Northern whale take a huge water gua "attacking" from below or from the side millions of microorganisms.

The whale's head must be very large and strong to withstand the weight of the pennants and the huge volume of water that is flitrated.

The length of the head of the vizacaya whale (light-colored whale) represents 40 percent of the total body length, and the cervical vertebrae are welded together to maintain body weight.

All species of whales lead a migratory life. They travel regurally, the roads between polar waters, cold and rich in food and tropical waters, suitable for raising chicks.

In the Antarctic area whales consume exclusively floating crayfish and Antarctic krilli. When studying the stomach of a whale, 450 kg of krilli were found. In the waters of the North Pole it feeds on three species of crayfish.

In frozen waters oxygen and carbon dioxide are in greater quantities than in tropical waters, so the living world is richer in these waters.

Blue Whale appearance

They have a long, pointed and smooth body. The whales are about 25 meters long (almost as long as a 10-story block) and weigh over 100 tons!. Females are larger than males of the same age, and the largest specimen of its kind captured weighing about 150 tons.

Let's say that if it lived on Earth, an animal the size of a blue whale could be crushed by its own weight if it did not have some very wide and extremely strong bones to support it.

But for an aquatic animal, its body being supported by water, the role of" resistance " of Bones has disappeared.

Whales have developed formations called phanons in the course of their evolution, which allow them to feed on plankton. These end with brush-shaped extensions that function as a sieve.

Thus, from the tons of water circulated through the mouth, they retain only plankton. Different species of whales have developed their own types of phanons so that they retain different components of plankton.

This is an adaptive modification that allows them not to compete for food sources.

Blue whale behavior

Blue whales can be seen alone or in small groups, but most often in pairs. Sometimes they move in large groups of 50-60 specimens, but this happens rarely, the most suitable periods to be observed being those in which they multiply.

They are powerful flippers, capable of reaching a speed of almost 50 km/h when in distress. Whales usually travel at up to 20 km/h.

Blue whale breeding

Recent research indicates that blue whales reach maturity (at which they can make cubs) at 6-10 years or when the male is 23 meters long and the female, 24 meters.

Puppies are born at intervals of 2 – 3 years, staying in the belly of the "mother" 12 months.The cub is 7-8 meters long at birth and about 3 tons in weight (as many as 1,000 babies).

Its breastfeeding period is 7-8 months, during which time it reaches 16 meters in length and 23 tons in weight.

During the breastfeeding period, puppies consume a total of 379 liters of Mother's milk, rich in fat, daily.

Also in terms of food, it would be to say that the blue whales feed on a lot of tuna, but also with small shrimps, the amount of the latter, during the summer, rising-as a total consumption – to 4 tons daily, even more.

That means the cetaceans in question consume 40 million shrimp a day.

#Photo Gallery of Blue Whale