Life History of a Blue Whale
![Picture](/uploads/5/0/7/3/50735987/9126839.jpg?250)
Genus: Balaenoptera
Species: Balaenoptera Musculus
Appearance
Reproductive strategy (how they have babies)
Species: Balaenoptera Musculus
Appearance
- They are the LARGEST creatures to have ever lived on earth.
- The blue whale is about 70-90ft long. (As long as THREE school buses)
- Their average weight of an adult is about 200,000-300,000 pounds.
- Their heart alone is the size of a small car.
- They are overall a blue-grey color.
- They have a small dorsal fin and have black baleen plates which are “Whale teeth.”
- Blue whales are long and streamlined which makes them graceful swimmers.
- One of the loudest animals on the planet and they communicate using low-frequency moans and groans.
- Their mouths have a row of plates fringed with bristles to help filter its’ main source of food.
Reproductive strategy (how they have babies)
- They are pregnant for about one year before giving birth.
- The females give birth to calves every two to three years.
- They give birth to one offspring at a time.
- When the offspring is born it immediately swims up to the surface for oxygen.
- They usually have one mating partner.
- The offspring is nursed for 7 months and then reaches sexual maturity at 5-15 years.
- Their lifespan is an average of 80-90 years.
- They are sort of like humans, they live pretty long and then die on later in their lives.
- They seek protected coastal areas to give birth.
- They migrate to warmers temperate and tropical waters to breed and give birth.
- The are warm-blooded.
- They travel alone or in groups or 2-3. (There are larger groups of up to 60 whales)
![Picture](/uploads/5/0/7/3/50735987/3695315.jpg?557)
This is the phylogenetic tree of whales. The Blue whale is the Balaenoptera Musculus