BLUE WHALE

Although blue whales feed in deep water they are still mammals, and must come to the surface to breathe. They exhale air in a cloud of pressurized steam that rises straight up for about 20 feet.

HABITAT

Like other marine mammals, blue whales are descended from early land animals. Millions of years ago, the richness of life in the sea lured them to water, and aquatic live gradually changed their physical characteristics. 

Today, they spend most of their time in the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans, where plankton is plentiful. In winter, the whales migrate to the warm waters of the tropics. But food in the tropics is scarce, so the whales depend on their thick layer of blubber for nourishment.

BREEDING

Blue whales from close ties with one another and are often seen in groups of two or four. Mating takes place in the warm waters of the tropics, where the young are born. The mother gives birth to a single calf with the aid of other females, who help her deliver the calf and then nudge the newborn to the surface for its first breath of air.

FOOD & HUNTING

In the Antarctic, blue whales feed on vast quantities of a plankton called krill. In Arctic waters, they feed on only three species of crustacean (shelled) plankton.

Icy water contains more oxygen and carbon dioxide than warm water, which makes  it rich in marine life. Plankton is up to twenty times more abundant in the Arctic and Antarctic than it is in the warm waters of the tropics.

In spite of its bulk, the blue whale can reach speeds of 10-15 knots. But it catches most of its food by diving. It can dive to depths or 1650 feet and lie submerged for up to 2 hours. Rising from the depths, the whale feeds by collecting a large amount of seawater in its mouth and then straining out the plankton. 

WHALE & MAN

Because of its great size, the blue whale was a prime target for the whaling industry. Its body was a source of oil and the baleen was used to make women's corsets.

Antarctic whalers slaughtered 30,000 blue whales from 1930 to 1931. The population has since recovered, but there are probably less than 10,000 alive today; they are now protected.

KEY FACTS

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