Species - Blue Whale
Long and streamlined, the Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is the largest
animal ever to appear on earth. This colossus of the deep has been reported to
reach over 100 ft. in length and weigh up to 160 tons. The average weight range
for both sexes is about 90-144 tons. Calves, born in April or May, are 20 to
23 ft. at birth, weighing in around 8 tons.
The Blue Whale is a plankton feeder and its appetite is enormous. Marine biologists estimate this creature can eat 4 tons of its favorite planktonic crustaceans a day.
Heavily hunted, the population of Blue Whales has dramatically decreased over
the last 60 years. The species is almost extinct in the eastern North Atlantic
and total estimates put the worldwide number somewhere between 7,000
and 13,000.
Copyright Whales, LLC 1996.