Information
The
Blue Whale is extremely rare and was first placed on
the endangered species list on June 2, 1970. They are
severely depleted in all of the worlds oceans because
of overfishing. Their meat, fat, oil and bones are used
for many things. In recent years their numbers in the
pacific and the North Atlantic have begun to increase
by approximately 5.1 percent. The numbers for this animal
are not exactly known. But there are probably about
500 in both the southern and northern hemispheres respectively.
They can grow to a maximum length of 30 meters and 135
metric tons in weight. Their body color is bluish-grey
which is where they get their name from. Their bodies
are also covered by light grey and white spots. They
feed on the surface of the ocean on the krill in the
Southern Oceans and the small-sized schooling fish in
the Northern Hemisphere. Their gestation period is approximately
12 months in length and females give birth to 2 to 3
calves 7 to 8 meters in length.
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