Blue Whales are magnificent creatures. One of the very best places to view them is on a boat from Southern California. Whale watching trips go out regularly from San Diego, Los Angeles, Oxnard, Ventura and Santa Barbara.
Blue Whales are the biggest animals that have ever lived on the face of the earth " far bigger than the largest dinosaurs. They have been weighed up to 180 tons which is 20,000 pounds heavier than a DC-10. The largest elephants only weigh a bit over five tons. Blue Whales have been measured by scientists up to 100 feet long, although today the largest average around 75 - 80 feet. They have been measured at more than 110 feet - compare that to the longest dinosaur skeleton of less than 90 feet from tail to nose.
A common myth is that the heartbeat of these magnificent creatures can be heard twenty miles away. Not only is that not true, but their heart cannot be heard from even ten feet away!
Surprisingly, one of the tiniest seabirds in the world, the Cassins Auklet, and the Blue Whale, the largest animal ever to have lived on the face of the earth, both eat the same diet, a tiny shrimp-like animal named krill. Blue Whales don't have teeth, instead they have a series of rods and plates (baleen) that they use to strain their food. They can consume four tons of krill each day.
Blue Whales have been known to interbreed occasionally with the second largest animal on earth, the Fin Whale. Four of these hybrids have been scientifically documented by DNA analysis.
Blue Whales are often found alone or with one other Blue Whale. We do not know for sure how long Blue Whale pairs might stay together because it is so difficult to track them as they cross entire oceans. Blue Whales can rarely be found in groups 45 whales if there is a lot of food (krill) in the area - however this is very rare because they do not usually form large pods like some other species of whales.
Blue Whales are very strong swimmers and usually travel at 12 miles per hour. When they are excited they have been clocked at 30 miles per hour!
Blue Whales populate seas all around the world. The warm waters off California and Mexico are home to one quarter of the worlds entire population during the spring and summer when these areas have a good food supply.
Blue Whales can be found in every ocean on earth, but experts still don't know where they breed or give birth. They are known to frequent feeding grounds in tropical, moderate and cold polar oceans, and it is suspected that they give birth in warmer climates.
In the 1800's there were hundreds of thousands of Blue Whales all over the world. Then man developed weapons such as guns and exploding harpoons an proceeded to nearly eliminate these wonderful animals in the early twentieth century. Blue Whales were hunted mercilessly for 40 years until they were nearly extinct. Protection began in 1966 and their population is slowly recovering with perhaps 6,000 to 8,000 Blue Whales left worldwide today.
Blue Whales are the biggest animals that have ever lived on the face of the earth " far bigger than the largest dinosaurs. They have been weighed up to 180 tons which is 20,000 pounds heavier than a DC-10. The largest elephants only weigh a bit over five tons. Blue Whales have been measured by scientists up to 100 feet long, although today the largest average around 75 - 80 feet. They have been measured at more than 110 feet - compare that to the longest dinosaur skeleton of less than 90 feet from tail to nose.
A common myth is that the heartbeat of these magnificent creatures can be heard twenty miles away. Not only is that not true, but their heart cannot be heard from even ten feet away!
Surprisingly, one of the tiniest seabirds in the world, the Cassins Auklet, and the Blue Whale, the largest animal ever to have lived on the face of the earth, both eat the same diet, a tiny shrimp-like animal named krill. Blue Whales don't have teeth, instead they have a series of rods and plates (baleen) that they use to strain their food. They can consume four tons of krill each day.
Blue Whales have been known to interbreed occasionally with the second largest animal on earth, the Fin Whale. Four of these hybrids have been scientifically documented by DNA analysis.
Blue Whales are often found alone or with one other Blue Whale. We do not know for sure how long Blue Whale pairs might stay together because it is so difficult to track them as they cross entire oceans. Blue Whales can rarely be found in groups 45 whales if there is a lot of food (krill) in the area - however this is very rare because they do not usually form large pods like some other species of whales.
Blue Whales are very strong swimmers and usually travel at 12 miles per hour. When they are excited they have been clocked at 30 miles per hour!
Blue Whales populate seas all around the world. The warm waters off California and Mexico are home to one quarter of the worlds entire population during the spring and summer when these areas have a good food supply.
Blue Whales can be found in every ocean on earth, but experts still don't know where they breed or give birth. They are known to frequent feeding grounds in tropical, moderate and cold polar oceans, and it is suspected that they give birth in warmer climates.
In the 1800's there were hundreds of thousands of Blue Whales all over the world. Then man developed weapons such as guns and exploding harpoons an proceeded to nearly eliminate these wonderful animals in the early twentieth century. Blue Whales were hunted mercilessly for 40 years until they were nearly extinct. Protection began in 1966 and their population is slowly recovering with perhaps 6,000 to 8,000 Blue Whales left worldwide today.
About the Author:
Terry Hunefeld retired from a CEO career in 2007 to follow his bliss of going to sea to observe birds and marine mammals. He and his wife Ann own the lovely Inn at Moonlight Beach on the Pacific Ocean of San Diego. If you would like to stay at a Bed and Breakfast in Del Mar or a Carlsbad Bed and Breakfast, be sure to check out Inn at Moonlight Beach.
No comments:
Post a Comment