Blue Whales

The largest mammal on earth. Blue Whales. Now classified as endangered species. These majestic, magnificent creatures are slowly dwindling year after year. Blue whales weigh up to 330,000 pounds, grow up till around 110 feet long, and live for about 80 to 90 years. They feed on krill, taking in about 4-5 tons of krill in 1 day. Blue whales are found in all oceans except the Artic and have 5 recognized subspecies.

The number of blue whales in the 1900s, however, only make up a small fraction of their population before, due to the human threats such as modern commercial whaling, vessel strikes, and ocean noises. However, due to recent action there has been a gradual global increase of whale populations.

Several organizations have taken the mission of protecting endangered whooping cranes to their own hands. These organizations include:

- NOAA Fisheries: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/

- American Cetacean Society: https://www.acsonline.org/

- Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society: https://us.whales.org/

General Information about Blue Whales

Blue Whales generally have a long, blue-gray body that appears light blue under the water. They sometimes swim in small groups but are often found alone or in pairs. Blue Whales swim around 5 miles an hour while traveling, but they can also speed up to more than 20 miles per hour for short periods of times. They emit loud series of pulses, groans, and moans that can be heard by other whales up to 500 miles away. Scientists think their communication skills, excellent audio recognition, and sonar-navigation are due to these sound emissions.