Bigger than life itself…… the Blue Whale
Throughout history, different species of animals have come and gone. In this constant cycle of life and death, there has been one animal that tops the charts both in size and uniqueness. These ancient and magnificent creatures are known as the Blue Wale and they are currently living today. The Blue whale, or as scientifically known as Balaenoptera musculus, is to date the largest creature to ever live on earth. Ranging from 82 to 105 feet (25 to 32 meters), the blue whale length is about 40 humans or 10 elephants. Scaling in around 200 tons, their tongues alone can weigh as much as an elephant and hearts can equal that of a car. According to the IUCN Redlist, there are approximately 10,000-25,000 …show more content…
A blue whale's stomach can hold about a ton of krill and it needs to eat four tones of krill each day. During the summer feeding seasons, a blue whale can eat an average of around 40 million krill each day. Blue whales, despite popular belief, are actually not all blue. They are lightly mottled blue-grey, with light grey or yellow-white undersides. Blue whales mostly travel alone or in groups of two and three. Yet, larger groups around 60 whales have been reported but they are normally in feeding ground areas.
At birth, a blue whale calf is the largest baby on earth. Scientist report, they grow at a rate of 90 kg per day. Once they reach 15 meters in length, and are able to follow the normal migration pattern alone. The blue whale has a several billion-fold increase in tissue mas in just over a year and a half. This growth rate is amazing and is probably the fastest growing species in the animal …show more content…
They are both unique in size and physiology, which has unfortunately led to their ultimate population decline. This article details the causes of population decline in the blue whale species. Today, the blue whale is listed as endangered. Population decline in the species is due to overharvesting (whaling), ship strikes and fishery entanglements, and climate change. These effects are causing serious problems for population recovery. Small populations, caused by constant population decline, correlates to random probability distribution of uneven sex ratios, inbreeding depression and the Allee effect. During the 20th century, the species was almost exterminated due to these several population threats. The species has slowly recovered following multiple conservation efforts but it remains endangered and faces a number of serious threats including fishery entanglements and ship strikes, whaling, and the impact of climate
Throughout history, different species of animals have come and gone. In this constant cycle of life and death, there has been one animal that tops the charts both in size and uniqueness. These ancient and magnificent creatures are known as the Blue Wale and they are currently living today. The Blue whale, or as scientifically known as Balaenoptera musculus, is to date the largest creature to ever live on earth. Ranging from 82 to 105 feet (25 to 32 meters), the blue whale length is about 40 humans or 10 elephants. Scaling in around 200 tons, their tongues alone can weigh as much as an elephant and hearts can equal that of a car. According to the IUCN Redlist, there are approximately 10,000-25,000 …show more content…
A blue whale's stomach can hold about a ton of krill and it needs to eat four tones of krill each day. During the summer feeding seasons, a blue whale can eat an average of around 40 million krill each day. Blue whales, despite popular belief, are actually not all blue. They are lightly mottled blue-grey, with light grey or yellow-white undersides. Blue whales mostly travel alone or in groups of two and three. Yet, larger groups around 60 whales have been reported but they are normally in feeding ground areas.
At birth, a blue whale calf is the largest baby on earth. Scientist report, they grow at a rate of 90 kg per day. Once they reach 15 meters in length, and are able to follow the normal migration pattern alone. The blue whale has a several billion-fold increase in tissue mas in just over a year and a half. This growth rate is amazing and is probably the fastest growing species in the animal …show more content…
They are both unique in size and physiology, which has unfortunately led to their ultimate population decline. This article details the causes of population decline in the blue whale species. Today, the blue whale is listed as endangered. Population decline in the species is due to overharvesting (whaling), ship strikes and fishery entanglements, and climate change. These effects are causing serious problems for population recovery. Small populations, caused by constant population decline, correlates to random probability distribution of uneven sex ratios, inbreeding depression and the Allee effect. During the 20th century, the species was almost exterminated due to these several population threats. The species has slowly recovered following multiple conservation efforts but it remains endangered and faces a number of serious threats including fishery entanglements and ship strikes, whaling, and the impact of climate