Home / Marine Life / Whales
Marine Life · Cetaceans
Blue Whale
Balaenoptera musculus
Endangered
Whales are the largest animals ever to have lived, including the blue whale, which can exceed 90 feet in length. They are divided into two groups — baleen whales, which filter-feed on tiny prey, and toothed whales, which hunt fish and squid — and are found in every ocean, from polar waters to the tropics.
Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetacea
Parvorder: Mysticeti (baleen whales)
Family: Balaenopteridae
Genus: Balaenoptera
Species: musculus
Related species: Humpback, sperm, gray & orca whales — order Cetacea
Size
Up to 98 feet long — the largest animal known to have ever existed.
Weight
Up to 200 tons, with a heart alone weighing as much as a small car.
Habitat
All major oceans, from polar feeding grounds to tropical breeding waters.
Description
A mottled blue-gray body, broad flat head, and rows of baleen plates instead of teeth.
Diet
Almost exclusively krill — up to 4 tons a day during feeding season.
Diving ability
Typically dives 100–500 feet for 10–20 minutes; some toothed whales dive far deeper.
Communication
Low-frequency calls and songs that can travel tens to hundreds of miles underwater.
Migration
Among the longest migrations of any mammal, traveling thousands of miles between feeding and breeding grounds.
Gestation
10–17 months, depending on species.
Birth & Calf
A single calf, nursed on extremely fat-rich milk and able to swim at birth.
Sexually Mature
Roughly 5–10 years, varying widely by species.
Life Span
50–90+ years, depending on species.
Did You Know?
A blue whale's heart can weigh as much as a small car and its beat can be detected from over two miles away.
Did You Know?
Humpback whale songs can be heard by other whales tens of miles away and can last for over 20 minutes.
Did You Know?
Sperm whales have the largest brain of any animal on Earth, weighing up to 20 pounds.
Types of Whales
Blue Whale
Balaenoptera musculus — largest animal on Earth
Balaenoptera musculus — largest animal on Earth
Humpback Whale
Megaptera novaeangliae — known for complex songs
Megaptera novaeangliae — known for complex songs
Sperm Whale
Physeter macrocephalus — deepest-diving whale
Physeter macrocephalus — deepest-diving whale
Orca (Killer Whale)
Orcinus orca — largest member of the dolphin family
Orcinus orca — largest member of the dolphin family
Gray Whale
Eschrichtius robustus — longest coastal migration
Eschrichtius robustus — longest coastal migration
Whale in Foreign Languages
Frenchbaleine
GermanWal
Italianbalena
Portuguesebaleia
Spanishballena
Russiankit
Polishwieloryb
Japanesekujira
Mandarinjīngyú
Koreangorae
Dutchwalvis
Swedishval
Norwegianhval
Finnishvalas
