Blue Whale

Amazing Facts

By Ruben Cantoni
 Contents

Habitat and Food 2

Features of Blue Whales 3

Social Behavior and Migration 4

5
Fact Sheet
Habitat and Food
Blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) are the
largest animals ever known to have lived on
Earth and they get the name from their gray to
blue coloration. These magnificent marine
mammals rule the oceans at up to 100 feet long
and upwards of 200 tons. Their tongues alone
can weigh as much as an elephant. Their hearts,
as much as an automobile.
WHERE AND DIET
Blue whales are found in all the world’s oceans.
Some live in the northern Pacific and Atlantic.
Others live around Antarctica. Many blue
whales migrate during the year. For example, in
the summer they may feed in cold waters near
the poles. Then, in the winter they may move to
warmer waters to mate. Blue whales reach
these mind-boggling dimensions on a diet
composed nearly exclusively of tiny shrimplike
animals called krill. During certain times of the
year, a single adult blue whale consumes about
4 tons of krill a day.

Krill are shrimplike animals that live in the ocean.

They belong to the group of animals
called crustaceans, which also includes shrimp,
crabs, and lobsters. There are about 85 species, or
types, of krill. They are an important source of food
for fish, squid, whales, seabirds, and other animals,
especially around Antarctica.
Features of blue whale
Features of blue whale
Social behavior
The social structure for whales is one that is very
interesting. They are avid communicators. A
group of whales that live together is known as a
pod. They do almost everything together
including hunting and migrating. They size of the
pod can vary from only a few whales to about
ten. To communicate with each other, blue
whales make a series of super-loud vocal
sounds. Their calls are the loudest of any
creature on the planet, in fact, and can be
heard underwater for hundreds of kilometres.
Migration
The blue whale follows a yearly migration
pattern between their feeding grounds in
polar waters to their breeding grounds in
tropical waters. It is the oldest and largest
blue whales that travel the farthest north.
Iceland is the perfect place to see them in
these waters during the summer months.
During the winter months the blue whale’s
migratory routes take it towards the
equator.