Marine Species under Threat: Blue Whale

The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), the largest animal on the planet is a marine mammal belonging to the baleen whales (Mysticeti). At 30 metres (98 ft) in length and 170 tones (190 short tons) or more in weight, it is the largest existing animal and the heaviest that ever existed.

The blue whale, i.e. is weighing as much as 200 tons (approximately 33 elephants). The blue whale has a heart the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. Its stomach can hold one ton of krill and it needs to eat about four tons of krill each day. They are the loudest animals on Earth and are even louder than a jet engine. Their calls reach 188 decibels, while a jet reaches 140 decibels. Their low frequency whistle can be heard for hundreds of miles and is probably used to attract other blue whales.

Blue whales have a long-body and comparatively slender shape, a broad, flat "rostrum" when viewed from above, a proportionately smaller dorsal fin than other baleen whales, and a mottled gray color pattern that appears light blue (hence, the "blue" whale) when seen through the water.

Blue whales are found worldwide, from sub-polar to sub-tropical latitudes. Pole ward movements in spring allow the whales to take advantage of high zooplankton production in summer. Although blue whales are found in coastal waters, they are thought to occur generally more offshore than other whales.

Main stats/ Species Description of Blue Whale:

Weight:	up to 330,000 pounds (150,000 kg)
Length:	up to nearly 110 feet (33 m), depending on location (blue whales are largest in the Antarctic)
Appearance:	long body with mottled gray color pattern that appears light blue when seen through the water
Lifespan:	unknown, but sexually mature around 5-15 years
Diet:	primarily krill
Behavior:	births and mating mostly take place in the winter