Content
- How does the blue whale eat?
- What does the blue whale eat?
- What do blue whale offspring eat?
- Blue whale hunting and population
THE Blue Whale, whose scientific name is Balaenoptera Musculus, it is the largest animal on the entire planet, as this mammal can measure up to 20 meters in length and weigh 180 tons.
Its name is due to the fact that when we see it under water its color is completely blue, however, on the surface it has a much more grayish color. Another curiosity about its physical appearance is that its belly has a yellowish color due to the large amount of organisms that inhabit its skin.
If you want to know more about this majestic animal, in this article by Animal Expert we show you all about blue whale feeding.
How does the blue whale eat?
Did you know that not all whales have teeth? Those that do not have teeth are the ones with humps, and this is the case of the blue whale, a mammal capable of covering all the nutritional requirements of its large organism without using its teeth, since it does not have them.
The bumps or beards can be defined as a filtration system which is found in the lower jaw and which allows these whales to feed slowly absorbing everything, as the food will be swallowed but the water will be later expelled.
A blue whale's tongue can weigh as much as an elephant, and thanks to the hump system, water can be expelled through multiple layers of skin that forms your huge tongue.
What does the blue whale eat?
The blue whale's favorite food is krill, a small crustacean whose length varies between 3 and 5 centimeters, in fact, daily a whale is capable of consuming 3.5 tons of krill, although it also feeds on various small life forms that inhabit the ocean.
Another favorite food of the blue whale and which it tends to seek out are squid, although it is also true that it only eats them when they are in plentiful numbers.
Approximately one blue whale eat 3,600 kg of food daily.
Learn more about whale feeding in the article "What does the whale eat?".
What do blue whale offspring eat?
The blue whale is a large mammal, which is why it has characteristics of this type of animal, including the lactation.
However, the baby blue whale, after a gestation period in the womb of approximately one year, requires practically all the time of the mother, because in just one day it will consume between 100 to 150 liters of breast milk.
Blue whale hunting and population
Sadly, the blue whale is in danger of extinction due to massive whaling and the slow reproduction of this species, however, currently and due in part to the ban on hunting, the data are more positive.
In the Antarctic region it is estimated that the blue whale population has increased by 7.3%, and the increase in the population that inhabits other geographic areas was also calculated, but the increase in individuals from these regions is not as significant.
The navigation of large boats, fishing and global warming are other factors that put at risk the survival of this species, so it is urgent to act on these points and ensure the reproduction and existence of the blue whale.
