We’re heading back to the oceans today to talk about the largest mammal on this beautiful planet. The Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) can get up to 110 feet in length and weigh up to 200 tons. For reference, a school bus weighs around 14 tons. I have a hard time even imagining what this could look like. Interestingly, they have a similar life span as humans, about 80-90 years.
Strangely, the largest animal on the planet eats some of the smallest. They eat krill, krill, and more krill. On a good day, they can eat FOUR TONS of krill. Just bonkers. Again, for reference, this is equivalent to eating the weight of an African elephant a day. Basically they take a huge gulp of water, squish the water through their baleen mouths, and keep the krill.
In general, these beautiful whales live alone or in a pair. Occasionally small groups. They live in all of the oceans except the Arctic, traveling around the world, ending up near the equator during winter. When they need to move, they can move up to 20 mph.
Even though they are fairly solitary creatures, their voice can carry across the ocean, keeping them in contact with their songs. They are, in fact, as loud as a jet engine.
Blue Whales mate about every 2-3 years and are pregnant for about a year. The calf drinks milk for about 6 months and is weaned off in time for the summer months.
In the 1900’s over 300,000 Blue Whale’s were killed to make whale oil. They still haven’t recovered from that atrocity and are listed as Endangered. They became protected after the 1966 International Whaling Commission, but still have a long way to go. Their biggest dangers now are being hit by large ships, becoming entangled in fishing equipment, and general destruction of their habitat through toxins, plastic, and garbage.
Brief stories of amazing creatures 