BBC - Science & Nature - Sea Life - Fact files: Blue whale

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27 November 2009
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Blue whale
Balaenoptera musculus

Subspecies

Life span
Blue whales are thought to live to about 110 years old.

Statistics
Body length is 24-27m (Pygmy subspecies: 21-22m). They weigh 100-120 tonnes. Blue whales are the largest animals ever to have lived.

Physical Description
Blue whales are a grey/blue colour, mottled with lighter spots. The underside has a yellowish tinge, which has given the blue whale the nickname of 'sulphurbottom'. They have a tiny, stubby dorsal fin set far back with a large, thick tail.

Distribution
Blue whales are found in all the oceans of the world.

Diet
They feed mainly on krill.

Behaviour
Blue whales tend to live in pods of 2-3 individuals, although groupings of 60 or more animals have been reported.

Conservation status
In the 20th century the estimated total kill of blue whales was 350,000 animals. By the 1960s they were on the brink of extinction. Some populations may never recover.

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