Blue Whale

• IUCN: Endangered
• Other names: Sulphur-bottom whale
• Swahili name: Nyangumi buluu
• Length: 33m females are larger than males
• Weight: 100-180 tonnes
• Life expectancy: 60-100 years
• Abundance: Worldwide in tropical to temperate waters
• Occurance: September to January (however offshore sightings are not exhaustive)
• Primary prey: Small crustaceans (krill)
• Conservation status: Endangered roughly 10,000 worldwide
• Quick key identification: Very large bluish-grey animal with mottled skin patter, tall blow which can go over 10m in height. Head is a U shaped when seen from above. Dorsal fin is very small in relation to body about ¾ distance from the snout. 60-88 long throat pleats extending near the navel. They have 260-400 pairs of black plates called baleens which can be up to 1m long and connect on either side of the upper jaw.

They are the largest of all whales and the largest living animal on the planet. They can feed up to 4 tonnes of krill a day. Mostly sighted alone, with a partner or scattered about. They combine short dives with one deep dive while displaying their flukes when diving down. Emit very low frequency sounds ranging between 10-30Hz often allowing blue whales to communicate such long distances and even across whole oceans! Can be confused sometimes with Fin or Sei whales.