Blue Whale
Balaenoptera musculus
- Where
- Global oceans, from polar waters to warm equatorial seas
- Habitat
- Open ocean, deep waters (up to 3,900 meters depth)
- Diet
- Krill and small fish, sometimes plankton and tiny crustaceans
- Size
- Up to 33 meters long (108 feet) - longer than a school bus!
- Lifespan
- Around 80-90 years in the wild, though exact ages are hard to track
- Conservation
- Endangered due to historical hunting (over 300,000 killed between 1800-1970), entanglement in fishing gear, and habitat disruption from ships and noise pollution
Fun Facts
- Blue whales can drink up to 40 million liters of water per day.
- They produce sounds louder than any other animal - we call it 'whale song'.
- Newborns weigh around 2.8 tons (6,000 pounds) at birth.
Learn More
Blue whales have huge hearts that pump over 100 liters of blood per beat.
Their skin is almost black and has a thin layer of blubber to keep warm.
They can dive as deep as 500 meters in search of food, staying underwater for up to 30 minutes.