Blue Whale
Balaenoptera musculus
Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is a species in the genus Balaenoptera, family Balaenopteridae, order Artiodactyla.
Scientific classification
| Rank | Taxon |
|---|---|
| Domain | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Artiodactyla |
| Family | Balaenopteridae |
| Genus | Balaenoptera |
| Species | Balaenoptera musculus |
Description
The blue whale is the largest animal known to have lived — larger than any dinosaur described from reasonably complete remains. Individuals reach about 30 metres and 150 tonnes; the tongue alone can weigh as much as an elephant, and the heart is roughly the size of a small car.
It is a rorqual: the throat carries pleated grooves that allow the mouth to balloon enormously during a lunge, taking in a volume of water comparable to the whale's own body, which is then forced out through baleen plates that retain the prey.
Diet
Almost exclusively krill. An adult can consume on the order of several tonnes per day during the feeding season, concentrated into a few months at high latitudes; feeding is largely suspended during the migration to warmer breeding waters.
Behaviour
Blue whale vocalisations are among the loudest sounds produced by any animal, reaching about 188 decibels and consisting mostly of infrasonic moans that carry across ocean basins. Their function is not settled; long-range communication and possibly acoustic assessment of the environment have both been proposed.
Conservation
Endangered. Twentieth-century industrial whaling removed the great majority of the global population — the Antarctic population was reduced by something over 99 per cent before protection in
- Recovery has been real but slow. Current threats are ship strikes, entanglement in fishing
gear, and ocean noise that may mask communication.
References
- Cooke, J. G. (2018). Balaenoptera musculus. IUCN Red List assessment 2477.
- Branch, T. A. et al. (2007). Past and present distribution of blue whales. Mammal Review 37.