Blue Whale Interesting Facts and Features. 4) Blue whales can be found in all of our planet’s oceans, except the Arctic, usually swimming alone or in groups of two to four. ). 2. NMFS Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NOAA) / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain. A blue whale's heart alone is about the size of a small car and weighs about 1,000 pounds. It then pushes the water through its 300-400 baleen plates, which trap the tasty grub to be swallowed. Dan Shapiro / NOAA Photo Library / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0, All whales, including blue whales, are cetaceans. Blue whales are predominantly blue-gray animals whose lower surfaces are lighter gray or white. Although the sizes may vary depending on their genetics, the average blue whale’s penis size measures 8-10 ft long with an average diameter of 30 cm. They have very loud voices - their sounds can be over 180 decibels (louder than a jet engine) and at 15-40 Hz, are usually below our hearing range. Besides being gigantic in size, Blue Whales have many other aspects worth knowing. Doug Perrine / Photolibrary / Getty Images. Their main enemy in the 1800-1900s was humans, who killed 29,410 blue whales from 1930-31 alone. Because blue whales are mammals, they breathe air through lungs, just like we do. When this creature comes to the surface for air, the water-spout that is released from the blow-hole can reach up to 30 feet. The cetacean is also surprisingly fast for its size. During their four-month migration, they eat very little, surviving mostly on reserves of blubber. A healthy blue whale will usually reach maturity (the age when it can begin mating) between the ages of 5 – 10 and can live for up to 90 years. Let’s dive into the marine world to explore some interesting facts about Blue Whale: 1. They grow quickly, too – for seven to eight months, these bulky babies suckle on their mother’s rich, fatty milk, and gain around 90kg each day! The Size of the Heart of a Blue Whale Blue Whale and Human Interaction 5) Despite their humongous size, blue whales eat tiny shrimp-like crustaceans called krill. • Blue whale’s tongue can weigh two to three tons and it big enough for fifty people to stand on it. Blue Whale Facts Infographics The blue whale's penis is the biggest of any animal. Of the creatures that have inhabited the Earth, Blue Whales are the largest. She serves as the executive director of the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation. Join us as we travel the oceans far and wide with these electric jellyfish facts! 10) Sadly, in the late 19th early 20th century, blue whales were heavily hunted. Blue whales evolved from hippopotamuses. facts about the blue whale, the largest animal on Earth. Imagine a creature the size of 2 1/2 school buses laid end-to-end and you'll get a sense of the size of the blue whale. • The sound of a blue whale may reach 188 decibels, making it louder than a jet, which clocks around 140 decibels. Commanding awe, they gr… Migration. These cookies do not store any personal information. Blue whales can consume 4 tons of prey per day. Learn about these seriously super swimmers…. Brace yourselves for a big ocean adventure, gang, with our brilliant blue whale facts. IUCN status: Endangered It is estimated that there were more than 200,000 blue whales worldwide before whaling, and now there are about 5,000. Blue whales are the largest mammal to have ever lived on the Earth, growing to lengths of 30 meters (100 feet), or as… This whale species is located in every ocean across the world. The oldest whale estimated using this method was 110 years. Dr. Mirko Junge / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0. The tongue of the blue whale is as big as an elephant. During this time, they drink about 100 gallons of milk and gain 100-200 pounds per day. It's so cool. When blue whales exhale, the air rises more than 20 feet and can be seen from quite a distance. Blue Whale Skeleton. When they are weaned at 7 months, they are about 50 feet long. The blue whale’s heart is the size of a small car. 3) These blue-grey giants have a long, stream-lined body, a wide head, huge flippers, a powerful tail and a small dorsal fin. A blue whale gulps a mouthful of water and krill, closes its mouth, pushes out the water with its tongue and then swallows its catch of krill. Blue whales give birth to a single calf, every 2-3 years after a gestation period of 10-11 months. The last sighting of Blue whales was in the San Salvador channel, off Puerto Egas, Santiago Island.Long and slender, the Blue Whales body can be various shades of bluish-grey. I have learned so much about blue whales. A blue whale can be rated among the huge mature animals at birth. 6) These marine marvels are a species of ‘baleen’ whale. They can reach 100 feet in length and 150 tons in weight. Due to this, the mind-blowing creature is so large that it actually has a lung capacity of 1,320 gallons (5,000 liters). This … Learn how big these whales get and more facts about these huge marine mammals. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, A Blue Whale's Tongue Weighs About 4 Tons, Blue Whale Calves Are 25 Feet Long When Born, Blue Whale Calves Gain 100-200 Pounds Per Day While Nursing, Blue Whales Are One of he Loudest Animals in the World, The Giant Siphonophore and More of the Largest Living Sea Creatures, The 20 Biggest Mammals, Ranked by Category, Cetaceans: Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises, 10 Facts You Should Know About Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises, Differences Between Baleen and Toothed Whales, Blue Whales Are the Largest Animals on Earth, Blue Whales Eat Some of the Smallest Organisms on Earth, Blue Whales Were Hunted Nearly to Extinction, M.S., Resource Administration and Management, University of New Hampshire, B.S., Natural Resources, Cornell University. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. During their four-month migration, they eat very little, surviving mostly on reserves of blubber. despite their humongous size blue whales eat tiny shrimp like crustaceans called krill. Apparently just one breath from a fully grown adult Blue Whale, … That’s more than 330,000 pounds (150,000 kg). When eating, the whale lets a huge volume of water and krill into its mouth. 8) These awesome aquatic animals follow a seasonal migration pattern. NOAA Photo Library / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain. This is called the whale's blow or spout. They each have huge heads that are broad, long and have a unique U-shaped arch, and can reach up to a quarter of their body lengths in size. Blue whales are mammals. Body size: 30m long Blue Whale Facts Firstly, the amazing Blue Whale is a marine mammal belonging to the baleen whales. Although the blue whale is called a “blue” whale it is actually closer to a grayish blue rather than a solid blue. by silas. When fully grown a 180 ton blue whale can weigh as much as 24 adult elephants; in … 865 views. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Famous for their sheer mass, blue whales glide effortlessly through the ocean, dwarfing all else in their path. We don't know the true life span of blue whales, but the average life span is estimated around 80-90 years. Lifespan (in wild): 80-90 years 9) At birth, blue whale calves measure around 8m long and weigh a massive 4,000kg! Like humpback whales, male blue whales sing songs. 1. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. The Blue Whale is the largest animal ever to have lived on earth. Blue Whale by NOAA Fisheries/Lisa Conger [Public domain] Blue Whale Size. The weight of a blue whale calf is approximately 8800 pounds, and its length is 26 feet. Rorquals have grooves (the blue whale has 55-88 of these grooves) that run from their chin to behind their flippers. Wow that's amazing I never knew baby Blue Wales. Read on to discover more facts about the amazing blue whale, and please don’t miss the videos. It's the largest heart in the animal kingdom, … Dutch National Archives / Wikimedia Commons / CC0 1.0. • Blue whales are about 1250 times larger than their food (krill), which are on average only 1 or 2 centimeters long. Intermedia) is the largest animal on the planet, but it is critically endangered. Family: Balaenopteridae Amazing Facts About the Blue Whale. Diet: Carnivore 10 Interesting blue whale facts for kids. The major blood vessel of a blue whale’s heart is so big that a baby could crawl through it. Here are some blue whale fun facts for kids that are easy to remember: The blue whale blows, also called spouts at the time of their exhalation consists of air and water. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. There isn’t a single animal on Earth today that has … Swimming in this ocean right now, there are blue whales who can grow to more than 90 feet in length and over 200 tons (400,000 lbs) in weight. The Blue Whale is the largest animal on the planet meaning that numerous organs are much, much bigger than those found in any other animal. Scientific name: Balaenoptera musculus This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. I never knew they were the biggest animal in the world. Their calls are the loudest of any creature on the planet, in fact, and can be heard underwater for hundreds of kilometres. Classification: Mammal Their length equals the length of two school busses and their weight equals the weight of 30 adult elephants. The word cetacean comes from the Latin word cetus, which means "a large sea animal," and the Greek word ketos, which means "sea monster.". Some individuals have a yellowy-coloured underside, giving rise to the nickname ‘sulphur bottom’ whales. The blue whale is the largest animal that ever lived and can grow to 90 or more feet and weigh as much as 24 elephants! Their mandibles are the largest single bones on Earth. Imagine in your mind a 10-storey tall animal walking down the street like Godzilla or King Kong. Patricia Curcio / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0. 3. 6. Not only are the Blue Whales the world’s largest animals, but they are … Krill is a small, shrimp-like crustacean, and the blue whale can eat up to four tons of krill per day. But in areas where there’s lots of food available, as many as 60 whales may come together. Get messy, explore and appreciate nature, all from the safety of home! Weighing approximately 150 tons, it may attain a length of more than 30 meters (98 feet). During the feeding season, they fill up on krill in cold polar waters. Blue whales belong to the cetacean suborder Mysticeti, the baleen whales. This website uses cookies (not edible ones! https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/b/blue-whale Diet of the Blue Whale. These grooves allow the rorquals to expand their throat while feeding to accommodate huge amounts of prey and seawater before the water is filtered back into the ocean via the whale's baleen. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Range: 1) The largest animals to have ever lived on Earth, blue whales can grow to over 30m long and weigh more than 130,000kg – that’s longer than three buses and heavier than three lorries! 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