Endangered: Blue Whales
by Joanne Kim
Some Information About Me, the Blue Whale
DESCRIPTION
- white patches and blubber underneath - a baby blue whale averages 23 feet long and 4,400 pounds when they're born (KDE Santa Barbara) - They are 30 meters in length and 170 tons or more in weight (Wikipedia) - a blue whale vocalizes by means of low-frequency moans, pulses, buzzes, rasps, and ultrasonic clicks (KDE Santa Barbara) - largest living animal on Earth. - they have two blowholes, and the spray can reach up to 30 feet into the air! - can sustain speeds of 6 to twelve miles per hour and can also go 23 miles per hour. - their body is not supported by bones, but by water or else they would be crushed (The bones) - blue whales have lungs and not gills, and they are not considered fish, for they are warm-blooded - Blue whales look true blue underwater, but on the surface their coloring is more a mottled blue-gray. (National Geographic) - Their underbellies take on a yellowish hue from the millions of microorganisms that take up residence in their skin. (National Geographic) - The blue whale has a broad, flat head and a long, tapered body that ends in wide, triangular flukes. (National Geographic)
FOOD CHAIN AND HABITAT
- a whale gulps a mouthful of water and krill, which is a type of zoo plankton. - then, they close their mouth and push out the water with the tongue, and swallows its catch of krill - a blue whale is 1, 250 times the size of a krill! (Monterey Bay Aquarium) - a blue whale's esophagus is only 4 inches in diameter, so swallowing large fishes isn't possible (Monterey Bay Aquarium) - Blue whales live in open waters, and every ocean. - Blue whales have no official predators, except for the orca, or killer whale, who can severely injure or cause mortality, especially to baby whales - blue whales live mostly in cold and temperate waters, and deeper ocean waters (WWF)
ADAPTATIONS
- blue whales have blubber for warmth. - to help them swim, they have a stream-like shape - One of their adaptations is one that doesn't help them to sleep, only to take short naps, because if they sleep, they would drown - their baleen plates help to filter the krill that they eat for food - they have a large fluke and it can propel itself through the water at about 30 miles per hour (w3 shorecrest) - blue whales have excellent hearing, and good eyesight. - they use vocalization to communicate with other whales. (w3 shorecrest) - they sleep with one half of their brain turned on- or else they would drown - they can communicate to thousands of miles! - their blowhole helps give ease in breathing - an elongated tail is for extra power and force for while they are swimming - because their feed, krill, migrate, blue whales also follow them, with the current
REASONS FOR ENDANGERMENT AND CRITICAL INFORMATION
- the threats are vessel strikes, fisheries interactions, anthropogenic noises, habitat degradation, pollution, vessel disturbance, and long-term climate changes (Office of Protected Resources) - whaling also hurts whales, and ships can strike and hit whales and cause injury - entanglements from fishing gear - luckily, hunting blue whales is banned nationwide, but unfortunately, they were a bit late; many whales have been hunted, killed, hurt, and have been decreasing in number. - in order to protect blue whales, it would help to reduce ship collisions and providing guidelines to whale watching boats so that they will not harm the animals
WHERE THEY CAN BE FOUND
Blue whales have been found in every ocean of the world. Blue whales swim individually or in small groups. Pairs are very commonly seen. Approximately 2,000 blue whales live off the California Coast and migrate to Mexico, and Costa Rica. (The Marine Mammal Center)
DID YOU KNOW...
Did you know? - The blue whale is bigger than 25 elephants; It is almost twice the size in weight of most large dinosaurs (WWF) - The blue whale's tongue alone weights around 2.7 tonnes. (WWF) - A young blue whale grows at a rate of 90 kg per day (WWF) - Blue whales are among Earth's longest-lived animals. (Nat. Geographic) - Scientists have discovered that by counting the layers of a deceased whale's waxlike earplugs, they can get a close estimate of the animal's age. (Nat. Geographic) - The oldest blue whale found using this method was determined to be around 110 years old. (Nat. Geographic) - Average lifespan is estimated at around 80 to 90 years. (Nat. Geographic)
Blue Whale
Though I may be the largest living animal on Earth,
do not worry; I am a gentle, calm, and serene whale.
I was hunted for my oil, and hurt by ships and pollution.
Please save me from being vulnerable or from becoming
extinct!
Thank you,
-the Blue Whale
Location: All oceans