Blue+Whale+2010



By: Corey G

The Blue Whale weighs up to 170-190 short tons and is up to 98 ft long. Long, and slender, the blue whale’s body can be various shades of bluish-gray dorsally and somewhat lighter underneath. Blue Whales can reach speeds of 31 mph for short burst but usually swim at 12 mph. Blue whales can be found in all of the world’s oceans but most are found from the Arctic to Antarctic in the Pacific Ocean. Blue Whales most commonly live alone or with one other individual. Mating starts in late autumn and continues to the end of winter. Females usually give birth once every two to three years after a gestation of ten to twelve months. Blue Whales are mammals and for the first seven months of its life it only nurses from its mother. A baby blue whale can drink about 100 gallons of milk per day. A mature blue whale eats up to 7,900 pounds of krill a day. In spite of their size they cannot swallow an item larger than a beach ball. They are endangered because of over hunting in the 1700’s and 1800’s. Hunting Blue Whales has been banned since the 1960’s but several nations ignore this ban. Also blue whales have been wounded fatally after colliding with ocean vessels. We can save the blue whale from extinction by reinforcing the law world wide.