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Taxonomy
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum. Chordata
Class: Mammalian
Family: Balaenopteridae
Order: Mysticeti
Genus: Balaenoptera
Species: Balaenoptera
Evolution
Subspecies
musculus musculus Northern blue whale
musculus intermedia Antarctic or Southern blue whale
musculus indica Indian Ocean blue whale: Indian Ocean
musculus brevicauda pygmy blue whale
The Balaenoptera musculus have existed for around 1.2-1.5 m
Evolution/ Ancestors and relatives
the closest living relatives of whales are, the artiodactyls, a group of hoofed mammals that includes deer, cows, sheep, pigs, giraffes, camels and hippos.
Pakicetus
Ungulate
Basilosaurids
Description
The blue whale has a long, torpedo-shaped body. They have blue-gray colored skin, with a slightly lighter colored underside; they have two pectoral fins, a small dorsal fin on their backs, and a large fluke.
Size
The lengthiest blue whales are 110 feet, but they are more commonly between 70 and 80 feet. Adult blue whales weigh up to 150 tons, which makes them the largest animals to ever live.
Females tend to be larger than males Because the female is responsible for providing milk for its babies, she must store extra energy reserves and is consequentially larger than males.
Blue whales live up to 90 years in the wild.
Habitat and what they eat
Blue whales live in all the world's oceans, except the Arctic, occasionally swimming in small groups but usually alone or in pairs.
They live in all oceans except the Arctic so any animal that lives in a ocean not including ones that live in the arctic live with blue whales
The primary diet of blue whales is krill tiny shrimp like animals, but fish and copepods tiny crustaceans may occasionally be part of the blue whale's diet.
Blue whales typically swim at about 5 miles an hour while they are feeding and traveling, but can accelerate to more than 20 miles an hour for short bursts. They need to eat constantly because their the biggest living mammal ever.
Social structure
Blue whales sometimes swim in small groups but are more often found alone or in pairs. the pairs mostly consist of mother-calf bonds from birth until weaning. They generally spend summers feeding in polar waters and undertake lengthy migrations towards the equatorial waters as winter arrives.
Whales communicate regularly by sound with each other when they are in groups . Sound travels far better in water than in air and while whales do not have any external ears, they have a very good sense of hearing, their flesh and bone carry the sound to their ears that are buried in their skull.
Reproduction
Once female blue whales reach sexual maturity around 5 to 15 years old, they can give birth every two to three years. Blue whale pregnancies last about one year with calves typically born in December to February in low latitudes. typically occurs during the colder fall and winter months where whales can take advantage of the warmer tropical climates near the equator.
Development
Blue whales are thought to be sexually mature at 5-15 years of age. Females will give birth once every 2-3 years. Blue whale pregnancy lasts for 10-12 months. New born calves are approximately 20-23 feet long, weigh up to 4 tons, and grow quickly feeding on the milk of their mother.
Causes of death
Because of their size, power and speed, adult blue whales have virtually no natural ocean predators. The only sea creature known to attack blue whales is the orca whale. They have been known to work in groups to attack blue whales
Like other large whales, blue whales are threatened by environmental change including habitat loss and toxics. Although commercial whaling no longer represents a threat, climate change and its impact on krill shrimp-like crustaceans, blue whales' major prey, makes this cetacean particularly vulnerable.
Competition
Competition for prey resources is possible between blue whales and other sympatric whale species but there is no direct evidence for interspecific competition and it is unlikely blue whales compete with humans for prey resources.
IUCN
the Blue Whale, is listed as Endangered on the IUCN
Population is increasing
Blue whales are still an endangered species and there are thought to be no more than 25,000 living in the world today.
Impact of humans
blue whales face a number of threats, all of which are caused by humans. These threats include entanglement in fishing gear, collisions with ships, and habitat impacts including noise pollution. One of the threats facing blue whales is entanglement in fishing gear. The reason why the blue whale is endanger is because humans or any animals for that fact.
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