The Blue Whale
There are only about 2,000 blue whales left in this world. You may say that’s a still a lot, but it’s not. Only 2,000 blue whales out of the entire world seem almost like none. Many animals are abundant; the average animal’s population is usually around the hundred thousands for one type.
The average size for the blue whale is 70 or 80 feet in length. Even though they are giants, they are also one of the nicest marine mammals you could come across. There has never been a sour record on the blue whale such as it killing people and eating them. Blue whales are known to come right up to a boat and allow people to touch it. People have also been given the privilege of swimming by a mother and its calf. All mothers are protective of their young, but the blue whale seems to trust us more then any other whale.
The adult blue whale’s can weigh an average of 85 to 150 tons (170,000 to 300,000 pounds.) Calves usually weigh around 2 tons (4,000 pounds) when first born.
The blue whale’s fur isn’t really blue; they have a dark grey colored fur. Some blue whales appear blue because their fur is such a light grey. When a blue whale is first born it appears to be blue, and as the whale ages it starts turning a darker grey.
During the winter, the blue whale spends it’s time in subtropical waters and then while in summer the blue whale travels back to the polar regions. The blue whale can swim up to 14 miles per hour, and they can have sudden burst of 30 miles per hour. When a blue whale has a sudden change in speed it last for about a minute or two then it tends to slow back down. The blue whale can dive to a depth of 1,640 feet, but they usually feed at a depth of 300 feet. A blue whale can hold its breath up to 20 minutes until it needs another breath.
Blue whales usually travel in groups of two or four members, but there have been a couple groups of sixty spotted in California.
A blue whale calf usually stays with its mother up until the age of two, and then they begin to wonder off by themselves.
Blue whales don’t have teeth like other whales; they have what’s called plates. The blue whales plate is designed to take food from the water. The blue whale eats what’s called krill (tiny shrimp like creatures that live in the ocean. One blue whale can eat at least 7,000 pounds of krill a day.
It is estimated that the blue whale will live about 80 years of age. As a blue whale ages it becomes very weak and slow and sometimes left to fend for itself. Blue whales are also known to create groups just of old whales. This is best for the blue whale because then they’d be able to keep up with each other.
