Blue Whale Facts

The blue whale is arguably one of the most fascinating creatures on earth. This is, in part, due to their enormous size. It's considered common knowledge that the blue whale is the largest mammal on Earth - but it gets even more interesting than that. The blue whale is the largest animal EVER known to have lived on our planet. That's right, bigger than the larger-than-life T-Rex and all his dinosaur buddies. There's a lot more to blue whales than just their size, however. Keep reading for more interesting facts about the blue whale.

Considering most of us have never seen a blue whale up close, fathoming just how enormous they are is difficult. According to National Geographic, these magnificent creatures can grow to a length of 100 feet and weigh up to 200 tons each. Four hundred people can fit in their mouth at once. They have tongues which weigh as much as an elephant, and a blue whale's heart is as big as your car!

Keeping those big bodies fueled is no small task. Blue whales' diet is made up primarily of krill, small shrimp-like crustaceans. A blue whale may feed on up to about 4 tons of krill daily. Blue whales have no teeth, relying instead on thin, jagged plates across their top jaw called baleens to help them eat. To eat, whales take in a big mouthful of water, then close their mouth and "exhale". This pushes out any water in their mouth, but lets food stay behind the baleens to be eaten.

Baleens are made from keratin, a protein that also makes up fingernails, hooves, and hair in other species. In humans, keratin treatments for hair are common - betcha didn't think you were rubbing your tresses with the same stuff whale teeth is made of!

Blue whales belong to the Balaenopteridae family, also referred to as rorquals. All of the whales in this family count baleens among their characteristics, leading them to be known as "baleen whales". Other baleen whales include the fin whale and the humpback whale. Research has found that the whales' closest evolutionary relative is a land mammal - the hippopotamus.

One trait shared by blue whales and hippos is their capacity for "speech". Both these types of animals are known for having a sort of communication via sound. Blue whales are among the loudest animals on the planet, but also have excellent hearing - scientists believe that under ideal conditions, whales can hear each other from up to 1,000 miles away. The reasons for whales' vocalization isn't currently known, but several theories abound. It's believed that whales make vocal noises not only to communicate with each other, but also as a sort of sonar to help them navigate the dark depths of the ocean. Pygmy blue whales in particular are also known to "sing"; samples of their songs can be heard for free on the Wikipedia page for the blue whale.

In 2001, BBC News reported on fossilized findings proving that whales' ancestors once walked on land. They were originally quadripeds, about the size of a fox with an elongated snout similar to that of a dog. The whales' ancestors were reportedly at home both on land and in the sea, using hind legs to aid them in swimming. If the blue whale were on land today, they would be crushed by their own weight, due to their lack of bones. As they evolved into sea creatures, the need for such bones was eliminated.

Blue whales were once found in every ocean, with a large concentration in the Antartic. In the early 1900s however, blue whales were hunted nearly to the point of extinction. National Geographic estimates 360,000 blue whales were killed between 1900 and 1960, equaling up to 99% of their population. It's estimated that there remain only between 10,000 and 25,000 blue whales in the world. Since 1966, blue whales have been protected by hunters and are currently protected under the Endangered Species Act. In recent years their numbers finally began to replenish, but at a very slow pace. Whales can still be found in every ocean, but they have a tendency to migrate toward the equator during winter months to mate and give birth.

Blue whales have long pregnancies, with calves gestating for about a year. When a baby blue whale is born, it is about 25 feet long and weighs approximately 3 tons. According to the American Cetacean Society, blue whale calves nurse on 100 gallons of their mother's milk daily until they reach a length of 52 feet at age 7-8 months. During those first months, calves grow by an inch and a half in length and 200 pounds in weight - every day! Mothers are only pregnant with one calf at a time; there are no whale "litters". Mothers typically wait about 2-3 years after the birth of a calf before becoming pregnant with another. Since the pregnancy period is about a year, blue whales mate and birth in the same season.

Blue whales begin mating at a young age, reaching sexual maturity between the ages of 6 and 10 years old. They enjoy one of the longest lifespans of any mammal, typically living to be between 80-90 years old. Scientists use the earplugs of deceased whales to determine their age. The oldest whale to have been found thus far had lived to be about 110 years old.

Though they appear blue underwater, blue whales are actually more of a blue-gray in color. Their underbellies are often lighter-colored, tinged with yellow due to the various lifeforms that take up residence on and in their skin.

Please visit my sources below to find out even more about these magnificent animals. Whales even have their own charity, aptly titled Save the Whales. Visit this link for information on how you can make a difference.

Sources:

American Cetacean Society. "Blue Whale | Cetacean Fact Sheet."

BBC News. "Hippo is Whale's Cousin."

BBC News. "When Whales Walked the Land."

Blue Whale Project. "Facts About Blue Whales."

National Geographic. "Blue Whale."

National Parks Conservation Association. "Blue Whales."

Save the Whales. "Blue Whale."