BLUE WHALE

Size

• Length 72-92 ft. (22-28 m)
• Weight 60-170 tons (61,000-73,000 kg).

Habitat

• All, oceans, often on the edge of continental shelves but also in deep water and in shallow inshore water.

Diet

• Feeds almost exclusively on krill.

Reproductive

• A single calf is born in late fall or winter.
• Calves are nursed for 7-8 months and gain up to 200 lb. (90 kg) per day.
• Females are sexually mature at 5 years and breed every 2-3 years thereafter.

Behavior

• Blow hole is followed by view of long back; after 3-4 seconds the small dorsal fin appears.
• Usually resurfaces to breathe up to 20 times at 20-second intervals.
• On the last breath before diving, the tail flukes may appear just above the water.
• one of the fastest whales , it can travel at 30 mph (48 km/hr)
• Usually seen alone or in small groups
• In fall, travels south from feeding grounds and probably does not feed until the next spring.

Nesting

• Usually seen alone or in small groups.
• North to n. Alaska in Pacific and to Baffin I. in Atlantic.
• Found worldwide.

Call or Noise

• Makes loud but very-low-frequency calls (in-audible to humans) that can travel thousands of miles in deep water.

Physical Characteristics

• Largest animal that has ever lived.
• Female larger than male.
• Skin bluish, mottled with pale gray.
• Baleen back.
• Head broad, U-shaped when viewed from above.
• Body very long.
• Small dorsal fin.