Blue Whale

Whales are separated into two groups, the baleen and the toothed whales. The blue whale is the largest animal that ever lived on earth, including the dinosaurs. Baleen is made of keratin, the same material as our fingernails. They live in pods, they have two blowholes. The blue whale has about 2-14 inch thick layer of blubber. They are one of seventy-six species and are marine mammals. Blue whales grow up to about eighty feet long on an average, weighing about one hundred-twenty tons. The females are generally larger than the males; this is the case for all whales. The largest whale that was found was a female. She was ninety-four feet long weighing more than one hundred-seventy four ton. The head of the blue whale forms up to a quarter of the total body length. Compared to other whales, the head is very broad. The blue whale’s heart is the size of a small car and can pump almost ten tons of blood throughout the body. They have very small dorsal fins that are located near the fluke, or tail. Blue whales have long, thin flippers eight feet long and flukes that are twenty five feet wide. The blue whales skin is usually blue-gray with white-gray spots. The underbelly has brown, yellowish-gray specks. During the winter in the cold water diatoms stick to the underbelly, giving it a yellow to silver to sulfur colored sheen, the blue whale is nick-named Sulfur Bottom. Other names include Sibbalds Rorqual and Great Northern Rorqual. Blue whales like all baleen whales, are seasonal feeders and carnivores that filter feed plankton, and small fish from the water. Krill or shrimp like creatures that are no longer than three inches. It is amazing that the world’s largest animal feed on the smallest marine life. Blue whales are gulpers, filter feeders that alternatively swim the gulp a mouthful of plankton or fish. An average sized blue will eat 2-9 pounds of plankton each day during the summer feeding season in cold, arctic waters. The blue whale has twin blowholes with exceptionally large fleshy splashguards to the front and sides. It has about three hundred twenty pairs of black baleen plates with dark gray bristles in the blue whales jaws. These plates can be 35-39 long, twenty-one inches wide, and weigh two hundred pounds. This is the largest of all the rorquals, but not the largest of all the whales. The tongue weighs four tons.
Blue whales live individually or in very small groups. They frequently swim in pairs. When the whale comes to the surface of the water, he takes a large breath of air. Then he dives back into the water, going to a depth of three hundred fifty feet. Diving is also the way in which whales catch most of their food. Whales can stay under water for up to two hours without coming to the surface for more air. Blue whales breathe air at the surface of the water through two blowholes located near the top of the head. They breathe about 1-4 times per minute at rest, and 5-12 times per minute after a deep dive. Their blow is a single stream that raises forty to fifty feet above the surface of the water. Blue whales are very fast swimmers they normally swim 3-20mph, but can go up to 24-30mph in bursts when in danger. Feeding speeds are slower; usually about 1-4mph. blue whales emit very loud, highly structured, and repetitive low-frequently sounds that can travel from many miles underwater. They are probably the loudest animal alive, louder than a jet engine. These songs may be used for locating large masses of krill and for communicating with other blue whales. The blue whales have a life expectancy of 35-40 years. However, there are many factors that limit the life span of the whales. Man also hunted the whales until the international whaling commission declared them to be protected species in 1966 because of a huge decrease in their population. The blue whale was too swift and powerful for the 19th century whalers to hunt, but with the arrival of harpoon canons, they became a much sought after species for their large amounts of blubber. They were also hunter years ago for their baleen, which was used to make brushes and corsets. But it was their size and high amount of oil that made them the target of choice for modern commercial whalers. Before man’s intervention there were 228,000 blue whale swimming the ocean of the world. Between 1904 and 1978, whalers searched the seas for this huge creature; most were taken in the Southern Hemisphere, many illegally. Also they were relentlessly slaughtered for every reason imaginable, almost to the point of extinction.
Another reason why Blue Whales are almost extinct is pollution. Most of their illnesses are contracted by pollution. It is estimated that there are about 10,000-14,000 blue whales world-wide. Blue whales are an endangered species. They have been protected worldwide by international law, since 1967. The blue whale was listed as endangered throughout its range on June 2, 1970 under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969. They are not to be hunted by anyone for any reason at all. Suggestions are that some populations may never recover.
Although blue whales are not protected, we still must not kill them in their delicate balance of life. Some people believe that whales and dolphins are animal of mystery and beauty, and that a dead whale is an omen, good or bad. Most people say that all humans must protect all whales. We need to save these great water giants.