Order Cetartiodactyla
Family Balaenopteridae
Scientific Name
Balaenoptera musculus
Thumbnail Description
Blue whale is the largest living mammal on earth. It is also the heaviest known to have existed. An adult blue whale can eat up to 40 million krill in a day.
Size and Weight
Length: 27 metres (89 ft);
Longest specimen: 33.6 and 33.3 metres (110 and 109 ft)
Weight: 150–170 tonnes (170–190 short tons)
Habitat
Cold and temperate waters, coastal to deeper ocean waters
Distribution
North Atlantic, North Pacific, Southern Hemisphere
Diet
Krill, copepods, zooplankton, Meganyctiphanes norvegica, Thysanoessa raschii, Thysanoessa inermis, Thysanoessa longicaudata, Euphausia pacifica, Thysanoessa inermis, Thysanoessa longipes, Thysanoessa spinifera, Nyctiphanes simplex, Nematoscelis megalops, Euphausia superba, Euphausia crystallorophias, Euphausia valentini, and Nyctiphanes australis
Reproduction
1
Population
5,000 – 12,000
Lifespan
80 years
Speed
50 km/h (31 mph)
Predator
Orca
Conservation Status
Endangered
