A blue whale or blue whale is a sea animal, which is a representative of the order of cetaceans. The blue whale belongs to the baleen whales of the kind of minke whales. The blue whale is the largest whale on the planet. In this article you will find a description and a photo of a blue whale, you will learn many new and interesting things about the life of this huge and amazing animal.
What does a blue whale look like?
The blue whale looks very huge, but it has a long and slender body. The big head of this whale is equipped with small eyes and a sharp muzzle with a wide lower jaw. The blue whale has a breathy, when you exhale from which it lets out a vertical fountain of water up to 10 meters high. On the head in front of the mouth of a blue whale there is a noticeable longitudinal ridge, which is called a “breakwater”.
The blue whale has a dorsal fin, which is strongly shifted back. This fin is very small and has the shape of a pointed triangle. The rear edge of the whale fin is covered with scratches that form an individual pattern for each whale. In such drawings, researchers can distinguish each individual. The length of this fin is only 35 cm.
The blue whale has narrow elongated pectoral fins that reach up to 4 meters in length. The tail fin of a blue whale is up to 8 meters wide, it has a thick tail stem and a small cutout. All of these elements help a blue whale to easily control his large body in the water.
The blue whale looks very unusual, thanks to its longitudinal stripes. Like all whales, the blue whale has many longitudinal strips on the lower part of the head, which continue on the throat and belly. These bands are formed by the folds of the skin and help the blue whale's throat to stretch when it swallows a large amount of water with feed. These bands in blue whales are usually around 60-70, but sometimes more.
The blue whale is the largest whale of all cetaceans at present. Also the blue whale is the largest animal on earth. The size of the blue whale is huge and impressive. Giants 30 meters long and weighing more than 150 tons are astounding. In blue whales, females are somewhat larger than males.
The largest blue whale is known - it is a female, which was 33 meters long, with a body weight of 190 tons. Among males, the largest blue whale weighed 180 tons, with a body length of 31 meters. Huge blue whales longer than 30 meters are extremely rare today. Therefore, in our time, the length of the blue whale has somewhat decreased. The weight of the blue whale also became slightly smaller.
The length of the blue whale in males varies from 23 to 25 meters. The length of the blue whale in females ranges from 24 to 27 meters. The weight of a blue whale is no less striking than its length. The weight of a blue whale ranges from 115 to 150 tons. Individuals that live in the Northern Hemisphere are a couple of meters smaller in size than those in the Southern Hemisphere.
The vision and sense of smell in a big blue whale are weakly developed. But his sense of hearing and touch are well developed. The big blue whale has a huge amount of light. The amount of blood in a large blue whale is over 8 thousand liters. The blue whale tongue weighs up to 4 tons. Despite such impressive figures, the blue whale has a narrow mouthful, its diameter is only 10 cm. The heart of a blue whale weighs a ton and is the largest heart in the entire animal world. Moreover, his pulse is usually 5-10 beats per minute and rarely more than 20 beats.
The skin of a blue whale looks smooth and even, except for the existing bands on the throat and belly. Blue whales almost do not overgrow with various crustaceans, which often settle on other whales in large numbers. The blue whale looks pretty monotonous. It has a predominantly gray color of skin, with a blue tint. Sometimes a blue whale looks more gray, and it happens that its color has more blue tones. In blue whales, the lower jaw and head have the darkest coloring, the back is lighter, the sides and belly are the lightest throughout the body.
The body of the blue whale has gray spots, they have a different shape and size. By these spots you can distinguish one or another whale. Thanks to this color, the blue whale looks like it is made of marble. In the tail part the number of spots increases. The pectoral fins of a blue whale on the inner side are much lighter in color than the rest of the body. However, the lower side of the tail is much darker than the rest of the body. Through the water column, this whale looks absolutely blue, and therefore the blue whale is called the blue one.
In cold waters, the color of a blue whale acquires a greenish tint, as the skin of this mammal acquires microscopic algae, which form a film on its skin. The acquisition of such a shade is typical for all baleen whales. Upon the return of the whales to warmer waters, this patina disappears.
Inside the mouth of this giant there are plates of whalebone, about a meter long, which consist of keratin. The longest plates of the whalebone are in the back rows, and in the front part their length is reduced to 50 cm. These plates reach a width of about half a meter. One whalebone plate can weigh up to 90 kg. There are 800 plates in the upper jaw of a blue whale, 400 on each side. US blue whale has a rich black color. The baleen plates have the shape of an inverted triangle, the top of which is crushed into a hairy fringe, which is rather coarse and hard.
There are three subspecies of blue whale - northern, southern and dwarf, which differ slightly among themselves. Sometimes, another subspecies is distinguished - the Indian blue whale. The first two subspecies prefer cold circular polar waters, while the rest inhabit mostly tropical seas. All subspecies have almost the same lifestyle. The life span of a blue whale is long enough and can be 90 years old; the oldest of the whales was 110 years old. The average lifespan of blue whales is 40 years.
Previously, the habitat of the blue whale was the entire world ocean. In the early 20th century, the number of huge blue whales began to decline rapidly due to active fishing. The gigantic size of the animal carcass attracted the whalers. After all, from one big blue whale it was possible to get a lot of fat and meat. So by 1960 the blue whale was almost destroyed and was on the verge of complete extinction, there were no more than 5 thousand individuals.
Now the big blue whale is still very rare - the total number of these animals is about 10 thousand individuals. The main threat to blue whales is the pollution of the seas and the violation of their usual way of life. Also, the growth of the number of blue whales is affected by their slow natural reproduction.
Where does the blue whale dwell?
The blue whale lives in the waters of many states and territories throughout our planet. Previously, the habitat of the blue whale occupied the entire world ocean. Now the blue whale lives in different waters, depending on the subspecies. The northern and southern subspecies of blue whales live in cold waters. The southern subspecies is mainly found in cold sub-Antarctic waters. Dwarf whales prefer life in warmer waters.
The animal blue whale rises very far to the north - southern blue whales were seen off the coast of Chile, South Africa and Namibia. In the Indian Ocean, the blue whale lives in equatorial waters all year round. Especially often they are seen in Ceylon and the Maldives, as well as in the Gulf of Aden and the Seychelles. These are the best places on the planet for those who want to see whales.
In the Pacific, blue whales are found off the coast of Chile. But off the coast from Costa Rica to California, they are missing. At the same time in the waters of California, blue whales become numerous. The blue whale dwells from the coast of Oregon to the Kuril Islands and to the Aleutian Ridge, but does not go far into the Bering Sea.
In the waters around Japan and Korea, big blue whales are now absent, but they used to be seen before. In Russian waters, blue whales are extremely rare. Minor groups and solitary animals were observed at Cape Lopatka (the extreme southern point of the Kamchatka Peninsula).
In the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean, blue whales are few in comparison with the number of individuals in the southern hemisphere. In the North Atlantic, a blue whale lives off the coast of Canada, in the areas between Nova Scotia and the Davis Strait.
Blue whales are found in Iceland and in the Danish Strait. Previously, the blue whale lived off the northwest coast of the British Isles, on the Faroe Islands and off the coast of Norway. Occasionally blue whales can be found off the coast of Spain and Gibraltar.
Blue whales are known to migrate. Whales spend the summer in the high latitudes of both hemispheres, but with the onset of winter, they migrate to warmer areas of low latitudes. Winter migrations of blue whales in the North Atlantic are poorly understood. It is still not clear why blue whales always leave Antarctica by winter and go to the north, to warm waters. Despite the fact that the old place still has enough feed.
Probably, this happens because females at birth give birth to pups from cold areas. Since the young blue whales have a poorly developed fat layer and therefore are not sufficiently protected from the cold. After all, the developed fat layer contributes to maintaining the body temperature of blue whales, even in the coldest waters.
How does a blue whale live?
Blue whales live alone, sometimes in small groups. But even in groups they swim apart. Mammal blue whale is a diurnal. The blue whale lives using voice signals to communicate with congeners. The sounds that the blue whale makes are infrasounds. They are very intense. Blue whales use infrasound signals to communicate at large distances during migrations.
Blue whales are able to communicate using signals at a distance of up to 33 km. The blue whale's voice is extremely loud. There are cases of registration of a very intense voice of a blue whale at a distance of 200, 400 and even 1600 km. The blue whale also uses its signals to find a partner to create a family.
In general, the blue whale lives, showing the greatest inclination to solitude than all other cetaceans. But sometimes blue whales live in small groups. In areas of abundance of food, they can create noticeable clusters, which are divided into small groups. In these groups, blue whales are kept separately. But the total number of such concentrations of blue whales can reach 50-60 individuals.
The blue whale can dive quite deep. Blue whale can dive to a depth of 500 meters for a time up to 50 minutes. Conventional blue whale diving, which feeds, are within 100-200 meters of depth. Such dives last from 5 to 20 minutes.
A feeding whale dives quite leisurely. After the ascent of the whale, breathing is accelerated, while it emits a fountain. When breathing is restored, the whale dives again. The blue whale in a calm state breathes up to 4 times per minute. Young whales breathe more often than adults. After a long dive in depth, the blue whale performs a series of short diving and shallow diving. During this time, the whale swims 40-50 meters.
The blue whale looks very impressive and impressive when jumping out of the water. The most spectacular dives are the first after climbing from the depths and the last before diving. The whale emerges showing the very top of the head, then the back, dorsal fin and tail stem.
When the blue whale dives to a depth, he tilts his head down strongly. When the head is already deep under water, a part of its back with a fin is shown on the surface, which always goes under the water of the latter. The whale sinks lower and lower until it disappears under the water, without showing the tail. The blue whale lives, spending under water 94% of the time.
At short distances, the blue whale can reach speeds of up to 37 km / h, and in some cases up to 48 km / h. But the whale can not keep such a speed for a long time, because it is too much load on the body. The whale produces power up to 500 horsepower at that speed. The feeding blue whale moves slowly, within 2-6 km / h. But during migration, its speed increases to 33 km / h.
Since the whale is of such impressive size, adult blue whales do not have natural enemies. But juvenile blue whales may be the victims of a killer whale attack. These predators flock the whale to the depths, where it weakens from lack of oxygen. A weakened orca animal will be able to break and eat.
There are currently no direct threats to the blue whale population. But there is a danger that for them are long networks of 5 km. In such networks, a huge number of marine inhabitants are killed, although only one case of the death of blue whales in them is known. In other cases, according to fishermen, large blue whales - without difficulty overwhelmed such networks. Off the coast of Western Canada, blue whales have many markings on their skin from various fishing gear.
Also, blue whales die in collisions with vessels in the Pacific Ocean, the average is 1-2 cases per year. Some animals in the St. Lawrence Bay area have scars from collisions with ships. This is caused by a high concentration of blue whales in combination with rich navigation in the area of these waters. Today, despite the protection of blue whales, even in the places of their greatest numbers there are still no restrictions on shipping. There are only recommendations to slow down in these waters, which are not carried out by captains.
Now, however, the greatest threat to blue whales is pollution of the seas, including oil products. Poisonous chemicals that enter the sea accumulate in the fatty tissue of blue whales. It is especially dangerous when these substances accumulate in the body of females who are expecting the appearance of young.
Also, human impact affects the number of blue whales by disrupting their communications. The noisy background of the sea has recently increased too much and the voice signals of large baleen whales are often muffled. After all, the noises that ships produce have the same frequency as the voices of the whales.
In this connection, it becomes more difficult for whales to navigate and search for their relatives, which also makes it difficult to find a partner in the mating season. The greatest damage in this case is caused by the hydroacoustic systems of warships that operate in active mode.
What does a blue whale eat?
The blue whale feeds on plankton, which is typical of baleen whales. The blue whale mammal has an excellent filtering apparatus, which is formed by whalebone plates.
The blue whale feeds on krill - this is the main food in its diet. Sometimes the blue whale feeds on larger crustaceans and small fish. But still in the composition of the feed of blue whale small crustaceans prevail. Mass accumulations of such crustaceans are called krill. Below in the photo you can see the accumulation of krill in the ocean.
Fish plays a minor role in feeding blue whales. When ingested masses of krill, a huge blue whale may accidentally swallow small fish, small squids and other marine animals. Sometimes the blue whale feeds on small crustaceans that do not belong to krill.
The blue whale feeds like the rest of the whales of the minke whale. The whale slowly swims with an open maw and collects water with a mass of small crustaceans. The mouth of the whale is very stretched due to the bands on the throat and the movable bones of the mandible. Scooping water from the crustaceans, the whale closes the mouth. In this case, the blue whale tongue pushes water back through the whalebone. And the plankton, which is a donkey on the fringe of the usa, is ingested.
The huge lower jaw, which is filled with water with food, becomes very heavy. Sometimes the weight is so big that it is difficult for a blue whale to move its jaw to close its mouth.
Therefore, the blue whale, gathering feed into the mouth, to facilitate its closure, turns over on its side or back. In this position, the mouth slams itself under the action of gravity.
Because of its size, the blue whale is forced to consume a lot of feed - a blue whale can eat from 3 to 8 tons of krill per day. Per day, a blue whale needs approximately 1.5 tons of feed.
Blue whale cubs
The natural growth of the blue whale is very slow. The blue whale is an animal whose process is the slowest among all baleen whales. Blue whale females produce offspring once every two years. This period may increase or decrease, it depends on the density of the population of blue whales. In recent decades, he, unfortunately, declined. The blue whale is a monogamous animal. Blue whales form durable pairs. The male always keeps close to the female, both during pregnancy and after the appearance of the baby.
The duration of pregnancy in the female blue whale lasts about 11 months. Most often, one blue whale cub is born. A small giant is born to a length of 6-8 meters and weighing 2-3 tons. After the birth, the blue whale can move independently. The birth of a baby takes place by the tail. Females have very developed maternal instinct, they are deeply tied to their young.
Детеныши синего кита в сопровождении самок начинают встречаться с декабря по март. Молочное вскармливание у детенышей синего кита длится около 7 месяцев. За это время детеныш синего кита достигает до 16 метров в длину и веса в 23 тонны.
За сутки детеныш синего кита употребляет до 90 литров молока. Достигая возраста в 1,5 года, детеныш синего кита вырастает до 20 метров длины и 45-50 тонн веса. Молоко самки синего кита очень жирное и богато белком. Содержание жира в нем составляет от 37 до 50%.
Синие киты становятся способными к выведению потомства в возрасте 8-10 лет. Females by this age reach 23 meters and weigh about 90 tons. The blue whale reaches its full length and body maturity by the age of 15.
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Minke Minke
Growing up to 10.7 meters in length, the representative of the family of whorlids is the smallest of a huge family. Three species of this mammal colonized the waters from northern latitudes to Antarctica.
A distinctive feature are the stripes behind the head. And the body itself has a dark gray color, but the belly and fins are white.
Minke whale does not like the team, and mostly makes lonely swimming. But in places where there is an accumulation of food one can meet huge herds of this amazing whale.
Northern smooth whale
In the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean, you can meet the majestic whale, the size of which reaches from 12 to 16 meters in length.
It is easy to distinguish the northern smooth whale among the relatives by the absent dorsal fin. White spots of organisms parasitizing on his body are clearly distinguished on the black color of the giants.
Due to the thoughtless fishing, the habitat of this species has significantly decreased. Hunting for the northern smooth whale is prohibited, but the process of natural recovery of the population is very slow.
Humpback whale
The whale received its specific name because of the shape of the dorsal fin. From a distance, it resembles a hump, as well as out of habit, when moving, gracefully arch the back.
The average length of humpback whales is about 14-15 meters, but some individuals grow to 19.5 meters. Often above the water, in addition to the back of a humpback whale, one can see large pectoral fins.
This mammal is not tied to a certain territory, and you can meet with humpback whales anywhere in the world's oceans. There is evidence that the humpback whale occasionally visited the Baltic Sea.
Southern smooth whale
One of three species of smooth whales chose the subtropical latitudes of the Southern Ocean as their habitat. At one of the islands near Argentina, scientists have equipped a center for monitoring these handsome men.
The inhabitants of the southern seas grow up to 18 meters, and with such dimensions weigh over 80 tons. They often swim up to ships and small boats, jumping out of the water, showing all their power and beauty.
Since 1937, the whale has been protected, and unlike other species, it has been systematically restored, although scientists still cannot determine which factors influence the birth rate of cetaceans.
Japanese whale
China, which looks like its North Atlantic cousin can be found in the waters of the North Pacific. There is evidence of its location off the coast of Mexico, but for some reason, females swim to give birth to females only to the Japanese islands.
Some individuals grow to 19 meters. The huge mammal is threatened with extinction.
Experts estimate that today there are no more than 400 Japanese whales in the world that live in the Sea of Okhotsk, and about 100 individuals live in the eastern part of the ocean.
The largest of the suborders of toothy whales, the sperm whale likes to stick in large groups. So they more easily overcome long distances and feed.
Males of sperm whale grow to 20 meters, but the females are much smaller. Among other whales the sperm whale is distinguished by a large head, therefore it is difficult to confuse with other cetaceans.
Sperm whale lives on the whole expanse of the boundless world ocean, except for the most northern and southern of its suburbs. Perhaps the only one of the large family of cetaceans, which is very aggressive, and if wounded, is able to sink the ship.
The seyval is also called the ivase whale, and some representatives reach 20 meters in length. Interestingly, females are more males. The habitat of saves is the entire world ocean, where the water is above 8 degrees Celsius.
In addition to large sizes, these mammals also reach speeds of up to 25 kilometers per hour, while they dive almost 300 meters deep.
In Russia, this marine animal is widespread in the Kuril Islands, less common in the Barents Sea.
Due to the sharp decline in the population, the hunt for saves was completely banned in the mid 80s of the last century.
Bowhead whale
The Greenland whale, a sea giant growing up to 22 meters and weighing 150 tons, chose the cold waters of the northern latitudes for life.
The only species that spends all its life in the northern seas, and feeds only on plankton, passing a huge amount of water through the gills. Populations of the inhabitants of the north today have about 10 thousand individuals.
In ancient times, the tribes inhabiting the islands of the northern seas actively hunted the giant, dwellings were made of bones, and meat and fat were used as food.
Finval, which belongs to the common family of whales, lives in both hemispheres, but rarely comes close to the coastline.
They grow up to 27 meters, and among the congeners are fast, and with huge sizes and weights they can quickly move and dive deeper than all cetaceans.
Despite the relatively large population, the Finvala are considered an endangered species, which is why their hunting is strictly limited.
This handsome man, growing to 33 meters with a weight of 150 tons, is the biggest whale.
Blue whale is a loner and loves to travel across the ocean in proud solitude, while overcoming long distances. On the blue body, there is a triangular shaped back, and the pectoral fins are rather wide and powerful.
Many museums in the world can boast that in their expositions amazing and huge skeletons of the blue whale are exhibited. And its impressive size can be seen in the photo.
Blue whale photo
Conclusion
So we learned how much the whale weighs, but the photos will not convey the beauty of these sea giants. With their large size, whales are the most harmless creatures on earth, feeding on plankton and small fish. Meeting with them among the ocean expanses causes a lot of positive emotions and indescribable joy.
The whale - for some reason, the largest animal has a very low birth rate, due to which almost all species are close to extinction. Many countries have banned the hunt for this unique animal, and those who continue fishing, sharply reduced its scope.
Want to know everything
The blue whale is the largest whale, the largest modern animal, and probably also the largest of all animals that ever lived on Earth. Its length reaches 33 meters, and the weight can significantly exceed 150 tons. Up to 40 million small crustaceans can be eaten per day.
Let's find out more about him ...
This is truly a huge animal, just a giant. Previously, its range was from the Antarctic to the Arctic. Whaling almost destroyed the blue whale. Today it is listed in the International Red Book and the Red Book of Russia.
At one time, blue whales plied all the oceans of the world, and it is estimated that up to 250,000 of these creatures were counted in Antarctica alone. However, in recent years, ruthless fishing left less than 1% of the above figures. To determine the total number of these huge animals is very difficult, so the size of the Antarctic blue whale population according to modern estimates ranges from a few hundred to 11,000. But whatever the exact number, it seems dangerously low anyway compared to the previously existing number.
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However, the world's largest whale is not only a huge body size. He has just incredibly large internal organs. And only one language weighs so much that it is difficult to imagine: 4 thousand kilograms. Well, the heart of a blue whale weighs about 700 kilograms. However, such impressive dimensions for the ocean are not uncommon. Few people know that back in 1870, near the shores of North America, they found the largest jellyfish. The jellyfish Tsianeya in length was more than 35 meters. To visualize its value, you can compare it with the height of a 9-storey building.
When a small whale is born (or, more precisely, water), it already weighs about three tons. The length of the cub is comparable to a small tree - 6-7 meters. For a person, it is already unimaginable dimensions, it is difficult to imagine a living creature of similar dimensions. Every year, whales only grow, and a small whale pulls at high speed. At the same time, according to various sources, whales can live up to a hundred years. However, despite active growth and longevity, whales produce very slowly. Females of the largest whale in the world reach sexual maturity by only ten years, and they give birth no more than once every two years. Fetus mammals, unlike humans, bear about 12 months. Despite such circumstances, now powerful and noble mammals are destroyed mercilessly.
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And they do it with such speed that the blue whales do not even have time to reach their maternal age, that is, they die in childhood. The largest whales are now not so abundantly colonizing the oceans, their population is decreasing exponentially. They are now on the verge of extinction. In Japan, for example, fishing is so active that there are practically no whales left there. Initially, the number of blue whales (this is before the start of intensive fishing) was estimated at 215 thousand individuals. But modern livestock count is quite difficult. And the reason is pretty simple. For many decades, this mammal has not been studied very actively. Under the data for 1984, no more than 1,900 whales live in the Northern Hemisphere, and more than 10,000 live in the South. True, half of them are dwarf subspecies. Now, according to some information, there are no more than 2 thousand blue whales in the entire world ocean. True, according to estimates of other specialists, the figures are more optimistic - at least 8 thousand individuals.
Photo 3.
However, blue whales can die not only from human hands. A mammal can also become a victim of its sea neighbors. You would think that in adult whales, because of their gigantic size, there are no natural enemies. However, they may still fall under the favor of killer whales. The latter gather in flocks, tear blue whales and eat them. And cases of attacks have already been reported. So, in 1979, a flock of 30 killer whales attacked a young blue whale.
Killer whales threw themselves at their prey, tore pieces from it. Moreover, the attackers did not even understand where to bite - in the head, sides or back. And in 1990, two large whales were described, which were seen in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. They had scars in the form of parallel strips, judging by them, the mammals were left with the traces of the teeth of a killer whale.
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The color of the blue whale, surprisingly, is not blue, but mostly gray, but with a blue tint. And they called the blue mammal because when you look at a whale through the water, but it seems to be blue, or blue. At the same time, the fins and belly of the animal are lighter than the rest of the body. Blue whales live in warm and cold waters. These are the polar and tropical seas. The creatures do not have teeth, but despite this, they feed on any small marine life, for example, plankton or a small fish. The largest whale in the world has a whalebone for food. This is a device that looks more like a brush or a huge sieve. It is able to pass through the elements unnecessary for powering, and besides, to filter water. A blue whale cannot eat a person, even if it so desires. Therefore, the mammal is considered almost safe for humans. However, a dweller of the seas and oceans can easily turn over a medium-sized watercraft, and not by accident, but simply by accident.
Photo 5.
There is a theory that whales descend from land. As proof of this - the structural features of the skeleton of a mammal, which is not very similar to fish. Blue whales even have finger tassels on their fins. Moreover, the blue whale does not lay eggs and spawn, it produces already living organisms.
It is worth noting that whales have a very bad sense of smell and vision. Therefore, the biggest whale in the world communicates with its tribesmen exclusively with the help of sounds. And so that other mammals hear the cry, the whale has to invest in the message up to 20 hertz. And this is enough to transmit information over a great distance - individuals are able to hear each other at a distance of 800 kilometers and even more. However, if the whale is overdone and shouts with more or less force, then the brethren will not hear it. And whales are not able to understand someone. Most of these mammals are loners. The blue whale, as a rule, does not form herds. But sometimes mammals are still collected in groups, but they are few, only 2-3 heads. Only where there is a lot of food, you can find large clusters. However, even in such collectives, blue whales keep apart from each other.
Photo 6.
The mammal is not as maneuverable as other large cetaceans. Whale movements are slow and clumsy. And they are active only in the daytime, this is evidenced by the fact that, for example, individuals cease their movements at night off the coast of California. In general, the life of blue whales at night is still poorly understood.
Photo 7.
Blue whales swim in 2 or 3 individuals, and sometimes alone. To the coast trying not to swim. Several groups may gather in places where plankton accumulates. The speed of the blue whale is 9-13 km / h. If the whale is frightened or runs away, it reaches a speed of 25 km / h, and releases small fountains every 30 seconds.
Blue whale dives for 10-12 minutes, if the state is calm. After a long and deep immersion, it first appears on the surface of the breath, on the crown of the head. A small dorsal fin is visible when the front of the whale is already under water. After the fountain, the whale arches its back. Blue whale, tail fin as a rule does not show, but strongly exposes the tail stem in a semicircle
Photo 8.
The blue whale has an elongated, slender bluish-gray, flat on the side, body with gray spots of different size and shape. The back and sides of the light color, lighter than the general tone. And the head and jaw of a dark shade. The head has the shape of an angle of 45 °, wide at the top. The pectoral fins have a narrow, pointed and long shape. Caudal fin wide, with pointed edges. The blue whale has about 60 submandibular throat folds.
Whales are extremely hardy. It can be in motion for many days without a single stop. But despite the strength they need the constant help of a person to survive.
Photo 9.
During the day, a blue whale eats about 1 ton of krill (which is approximately 1 million calories) which it mainly eats. The whale swallows krill, along with thousands of liters of water, swimming through its accumulations, and then filters it by pushing all this mass with the tongue through a whalebone. By the way, the blue whale's language weighs more than an elephant, and its thickness is more than 3 meters.
Female pregnancy blue whale lasts 11 months. Offspring bring once every three years. One kiten weighing up to 3 tons, up to 7 meters long is born in water. It feeds on fat (42%) and thick mother’s milk for about seven months. Kitenok gets a portion of milk by reducing the muscles of the mother. In one day, the cub drinks over 600 liters of milk. Baby grows literally by leaps and bounds. During the day, gaining weight up to 100 kg, and the length of the kitten is increased by 4 cm. Wow baby! A loving mother is always there, touchingly taking care of her child. When the whalebone plates are fully developed, the grown-up kiten is able to swallow food. This usually occurs at the age of seven months.
Photo 10.
Blue whales are almost completely blind and lack of smell, so the only way to explore the world that they use is echolocation with the help of sounds. Whales spend an enormous amount of time analyzing sound signals from outside, which is facilitated by the structure of the animal's skull. In front of the animal’s head, there is a sound reproducing system, which serves as a lens that reproduces and captures sounds. The famous songs of blue whales, reaching 188 dB, are most often associated with the breeding season. Usually males “sing”, but sometimes females also “sing” to their children (you can listen to the songs of blue whales below). With the help of echolocation, individuals can communicate with each other, even at a distance of up to 1600 km from each other.
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Blue whale anatomy
The blue whale, like all mammals, breathes exceptionally light. Of the senses, blue whales have a very developed ear and sense of touch. A blue whale, which is the largest living creature on planet Earth, has the same amazing size of internal organs - for example, one language of an adult can weigh more than 4 tons! The whales' pulse is very low - 5-10 beats per minute, and the heart weighs a whole ton! This is an absolute record among all living beings. The whale can be up to 33 meters long, and the weight of an adult individual is about 150 tons! In blue whales, females are larger than males.
Blue whales have a very large head and a long, slim body. On the back of the head is a breathing hole, which is formed by the two nostrils of the animal. At the bottom of the head of a blue whale are bands that are formed from the folds of the skin. Они помогают киту при растягивании глотки, когда он открывает рот для поглощения пищи. В этот момент рот кита может растягиваться в 1,5 раза! Всего таких складок у синих китов может быть от 55 до 90.
Размножение синих китов
Размножение — больная тема для синего кита. Он крайне медленно воспроизводит свое потомство, настолько медленно, что некоторые ученые склонны думать, что прирост рождаемости синих китов не способен покрыть их смертность. Прирост особей синего кита — самый медленный из всех китов. Синий кит моногамен. The male, finding his female protects her and never moves away from her. The female may become pregnant once in two years, after which another year bears a cub.
Cub born weighing about 2 - 3 tons and a length of 6-9 meters. It feeds on mother's milk for about 7 months. Sexual maturity is reached at about 10 years of age. At the age of 15, the blue whale is already fully formed physically and is gaining its weight and body length. The whales live for quite a long time - about 90 years.
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