Blue Whale
~Animal of the Arctic~
Description
- Mammal (Ark)
- Streamlined body longer than the head (Ark)
- Grayish blue (Ark)
- 30 meters or 98 feet long (Ark)
- 170 tones or more in weight (Ark)
- Largest known animal (Ark)
- Spout (30 feet,biggest spout) (NG)
Habitat
- Open ocean (Ark)
- Along the edge of a continent (Ark)
- Near polar ice (Ark)
- Migrate toward equator (as winter approaches) (NG)
Food Chain
- Carnivores (couldn't make their own food) (Redlist)
- Krill (through the baleen plates) (Ark)
- Pleated grooves in the throat expand during the feeding (Ark)
- Swallow down the food (Ark)
- Expelled the water through the baleen plates (Ark)
Video: Arkive
Adaptation
Endangerment and Critical Information
- After 1900, whaling industry start focusing on blue whales (Ark)
- The knowledge of exploding harpoon gun (Ark)
- Ship strikes, noise, and chemical pollution are also harmful (Ark)
- Banned in1966 (Ark)
- There are only about 10,000 to 25,000 blue whales left (Ark)
- Protect particular places, because of the human impact (Ark)
- Protect the entire marine ecosystem (a very important part) (Ark)
Blue Whale Spine
Photo: Barry Ferg
Diving
Photo: Feng Zhong
The Spout of the Great Blue Whale - Husavik, Iceland 2
Photo: Chris Goldberg