The Blue Whale
They are the most largest thing on the Earth
Description
- The Blue Whale is the largest mammal in the world.
- They can be 82 to 105 ft (25 to 32 m) long. They can weight up to 200 tons (181,437 kg). ( NG)
- Blue whales look true blue underwater, but on the surface their coloring is more a mottled blue-gray.
- When the Blue whale exhale their spray of water can reach up to 30 ft (9m).
- They communicate by using sonar which also lets them find food and navigates them.
Habitat
- The Blue Whale is found mostly in cold and temperate waters. It prefers deeper ocean waters to coastal waters.
- They are found in all of the major oceans in the world.
- They are seen migrating to the coast of Mexico and Costa Rica.
- They also are seen where most krill schools are found.
Food Chain
- Blue whales feed almost exclusively on krill.
- Adult blue whales eat about 40 million krill a day.
- They are carnivore and ussualy eat during day.
- The whales always feed in the areas with the highest concentration of krill, sometimes eating up to 3,600 kilograms (7,900 lb) of krill in a single day. (WIKI)
- Adult blue whale eat 80 million krill before leaving for migration
- The Blue whale finds food in the Arctic and Antarctica regions of the Earth.
- Due to their size they have no predators.
Critical Information
- Hunting blue whales is banned nationwide by the International Whaling Commission.
- Current threats include destruction or modification of habitat, vessel collisions, and entanglement in fishing gear.
- Whale watching and scientific research is are also disrupts their normal behavior.
- The NOAA(National Ocenaic and Atmospheric Adminstriation) are trying to ban international hunting and has issued a warrant that you are not to come 10ft within the Blue whales habitat.
- The NOAA Fisheries is working to save the blue whales by:
*encouraging the ban on hunting blue whales.
*protecting blue whale habitat and access to
feeding areas used by blues.
*reducing ship collisions with blue whales.
*understanding how pollution may affect blue
whales.
*providing guidelines to whale watching boats
so they will not harm the animals.
Reason for Endangerment
- The Blue Whale in the 20th Century were hunted for their meat and oil.
- The U.S. Navy uses this new type of sonar which disrupts the Blue Whales navigation causing them to run ashore.
- The Blue Whale near the Baja, California Coast are attacked by orcas which don't kill them but the wounds might.
- The Blue Whale also collide into the fishing nets, and/ or vessels which injure them.
Adaptation
- The Blue Whale has an adaptation that does not allow it to sleep instead only one half of their brain is asleep when the other is awake.
- Due to the fact that Blue Whales are warm-blooded animals they have a blubber which keeps them warm.
- A Blue Whale's heart beats every 10 seconds pumping 20,000 pounds of blood throughout the body.
- Their lungs exchange 80-90% of oxygen, while humans only exchange 10 - 15%.