Blue Whale
Balaenoptera musculus
Summary 2
The Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is the largest species of whale. It is a baleen whale, and more specifically a rorqual whale, related to other rorquals such as the fin whale and humpback whale. The Blue whale is not only the largest species of whale, it is also the largest animal that has ever existed on earth. Like other rorqual whales, blue whales have long pleats on the underside of the throat and a streamlined body which allows the blue whale to reach extremely high swimming speeds.
Length 70-100 feet (21-30m)
Weight 200,000-240,000 lb (90,000-108,000 kg)
Blue whales feed almost entirely on small crustaceans called krill. They are found throughout the world's oceans however their distribution and migrations are variable and much less well understood than other whales.
The Blue whale's scientific name was given to it by Carl Linnaeus, the divisor of the scientific naming scheme and the father of modern taxonomic. This scientific name means the "Flying Mouse Whale" which researchers think is meant to be a joke!
Population and Conservation Status 3
Global Population is likely 10,000-25,000 animals
The Blue whale is classified as Endangered
Threats 3
Blue whales were hunted in the first half of the 20th century however they have been protected since 1966, the last recorded hunt was in 1976.
Blue whales can be threatened by fatal collision with ships and entanglement in fishing gear however instances of these impacts are relatively rare. Impacts from climate change, pollution, and excess noise in the ocean are likely greater threats to the Blue whale.
Sources and Credits
- (c) WoRMS for SMEBD, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://images.marinespecies.org/resized/22612_blue-whales-balaenoptera-musculus.jpg
- Adapted by Bodacious Dream - Dave Rearick from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balaenoptera_musculus
- (c) Bodacious Dream - Dave Rearick, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
More Info
- iNat taxon page
- Animal Diversity Web
- ASM Mammal Diversity Database
- Atlas of Living Australia
- Ballena azul CONABIO
- Biodiversity Heritage Library
- BOLD Systems BIN search
- CalPhotos
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
- iNaturalist Mammal Working Group
- Maryland Biodiversity Project
- NatureServe Explorer 2.0
- NBN Atlas
- VertNet
- 日本のレッドデータ検索システム
