You need to know these amazing facts of information about blue whales, because they are really enormous creatures, existing as the world's biggest creatures. Blue whales exist as the most giant ones in the oceans.
Nonetheless, they're gentle creatures, not dangerous, you can swim beside them (or maybe not, yeah, consider not please). Blue whales are also referred to as sulfur-bottom whales. They're often seen alone and sometimes they could be spotted together.
Blue whales exist as an important part of the aquatic ecosystem; you will love to see them. This article explains the top 10 amazing blue whale’s facts (+Size and Habitat), their
- Size
- Reproduction
- Habitat
- Feeding
- Respiration
- Communication
- Predators
- Appearance
- Socialization
- Life span
Also, you will get to know the reason blue whales’ lives are endangered and the need for them to be conserved.
1. Size
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| Blue Whale's heart. Image credit: Deskarati |
Facts about the enormous size of blue whales and their organ sizes are incredible. The blue whales are so enormous that mature blue whales are capable of weighing between two hundred to three hundred tons (200,000 to 300,000kg).
That weight corresponds to the weight of over 30 mature elephants. Since a single adult elephant weighs 6 tons (6,000kg), meaning the total weight of 30 adult elephants equals the weight of a single blue whale. In which they are usually a hundred feet lengthy (30 meters).
Moreover, a blue whale is so enormous animal that its tongue alone weight corresponds to the weight of a single adult elephant. It is so big that the size of its heart is like a mini-vehicle size(check the above picture). The heart measures 400 pounds (180kg).
The big heart simply beats twice per minute. Whereas pygmy shrews have the fastest heartbeat that is 1200 beats per minute. Some veins are so large that a baby can crawl in them.
They have massive flippers and tails; they often like to display their tail outside water. The males are smaller compares to the females; females are greater in size possibly because of reproduction.
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2. Reproduction
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In order to breed, they habitually move to the equator. A female blue whale procreates a young blue whale describes as a calf. The females deliver one calf every 3 years.
The blue whale's conception period is 12 months. Calves are so enormous that they are still amidst the world’s biggest animals even at birth, despite being zero years old. Calves are characteristically twenty-five feet long (8 meters) that weigh 3 tons (3,000kg).
The calves are nourished on the mother’s milk. The texture of the milk is like toothpaste. A calf can suck up to 600 liters of milk per day. They are usually weaned when they are 8 months old, their length then will be around 49 feet (15 meters).
Calves continue to grow every day adding about 200 pounds day after day before it reaches a year old. They are among the animals that grow very fast, which is amazing facts about the blue whale, despite of their large size.
Female that are mothers care a lot for their calves, they assist their calves to take breathe from the surface.
3. Habitat and Swimming
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| Image credit: Free-Photos/Pixabay |
In all oceans around the globe, Blue whales may be seen. Though they are slow at swimming, they can go in swimming at a speed of 20 meters every hour. Also,they will swim to other areas, they migrate each season.
During wintry weather, blue whales stay mostly at the equator. When summer comes, they move to the antarctic areas. They are more numerous in the southern hemisphere.
While blue whales go swimming, researchers found out they can swim while sleeping with one eye closed. The second eye opened, possibly to stay alert to predators.
See also:
4. Feeding
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| Krill, Blue Whale's favorite meal. Image credit: Oystein Paulsen/Wikipedia |
However, as giant as blue whales may be, here, is another astounding reality about the blue whale. Blue whales get sustained on tiny crustaceans, krill. Day by day, one completely grown-up blue whale will eat krills that are as much as four tons each day, that is a great amount of krill gone each day. Krills are among the world's most plentiful creatures. So a blue whale will consistently track down its favorite meal.
Their stomach is very big to have accommodated that a large amount of food. They get their favorite meal through their mouth while diving. The mouth contains almost 800 plates of whalebone with coarse brittle for easy catch and for filtering their feed. And then force the water out from their mouth.
5. Respiration
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Blue whales are mammals, they breathe through their lungs, not gills. At the back of their head, is the blowhole which serves like a nostril. The blowhole gives them the ability to breathe while swimming or even when submerged.
When they breathe out, they usually eject moist water additionally with it. Blue whale breathes once every four or five minutes. They are capable of seizing their breathing underwater for about 90 minutes before surfacing to breathe. Isn’t those breathing facts about the blue whale amazing?
6. Communication
They are exceptionally loud, existing as the world’s loudest
animals. They are very noisy that their sound is able to be heard by other blue
whales 1600 kilometers (1000 miles) from where they are. They possibly make the
noise to attract other blue whales.
7. Predators
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Though belonging to the giants of the sea, this didn’t shield blue whales from predators. These calm giants creature are vulnerable. The blue whale has three major predators. People, killer whales, and sharks. Not just that, lots of blue whales have died because of harm caused by big boats.
Between the period 1900 and 1960s, there is very much encroachment on blue whales, they were almost extinct. Before government comes in 1966, for the conservation of blue whales. During those years of blue whale hunting, about 360,000 blue whales were excessively hunted.
They are majorly hunted for blue whale oil. Sadly, the blue whale’s life is still seriously endangered despite the law against hunt on blue whales. Presently, there are few left, about ten thousand to twenty-five thousand, in which the number may be decreasing annually.
See also:
8. Appearance
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| Image credit: Janeb13/Pixabay |
While underwater, the blue whale appears blue, for this reason, they are called the blue whale. But on the surface of the water, its actual color is bluish-gray.
Underneath the blue whale’s body, that is from the neck part to their tummy is yellowish in color. Due to this coloration, below their body, they are called sulfur-bottom whales. Their bodies inhabit so many microorganisms which bring about coloration.
9. Socialization
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Though they are often seen alone, they rarely socialize. Whales in groups are called pods. For blue whales, pods are very rare. They may
be seen as a pod in areas where they find large food, but they do not come
together to socialize.
10. Life span
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The 10th astonishing fact about blue whales is their life
span. Blue whales are recorded among certain creatures that live long. They
have an overall life expectancy is between eighty to ninety years. There is a
record of a blue whale that lived 110 years.
Which facts about the blue whale interest you the most? Please share your thought with us in the comments section (Post a comment). And please don’t forget to share this article with your friends. Thanks for reading :)
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