A blue whale can live to be 80 years old, yet the one in this picture was only four. She had been stranded on a beach in Ireland. Typically blue whales are about 25 meters long and 100 - 120 tonnes. They feed on krill, and during the summer can consume up to 4 tonnes in a day. Normally they feed alone or in pairs. Larger groups are only seen if there in an abundance of food in one place. Blue whales are the biggest mammal to ever exist on earth; including the dinosaurs. A child could crawl through the blue whale's largest artery with ease and their hearts are around the size of a Volkswagen Beetle.
Sadly Blue Whales are endangered today. In 1931 their slaughter peaked because of industrialization. In one whaling season 26,000 were killed. From 1904 to 1967 260,000 blue whales were taken. In 1966 the hunting of blue whales was banned.
Today they are still very vulnerable. Any disruption or destruction of their environment could cause their extinction. Their population is increasing by about 7% each year. The mother can only carry one baby at a time for 10-11 months, and maturity is not reached until 7 to 10 years of age. It is a very long road to their secured survival.
Citation:
Arkive. www.arkive.org. Wildscreen, 2013. Web. 23 June 2013.
BBC. www.bbc.co.uk. BBC, 23 July 2010. Web. 23 June 2013.
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