BLUE WHALE The blue whale belongs to the type of baleen whales are large whales can measure

up to 108 feet and weigh about 190 tons. The blue whale is the largest of all the whales in the world, in fact, is the largest animal in the world. However, it is also very thin, due to the length of his body, which allows all the weight is evenly distributed. As a result, the blue whale can move quickly in the water. To help with moving blue whales have fins very long, with an average of 10-13 inches long when fully developed. They are able to move at a speed of about 30 miles per hour in the water when they want though, a normal rate for these whales, is 12 miles per hour. BEHAVIOR You will not find blue whales in groups very often. These whales tend to be solitary world of whales. Sometimes you'll see a couple of them, but no more than that. Most of the time be a mother and her baby. Sometimes, however, can appear in large clans. Probably due to the abundance of food in a region. They can only stay under water for about 20 minutes before surfacing for air. As a result, they are often seen by those interested in seeing the world's largest animal. DIET / FEEDING The blue whale consumes large amounts of krill and other small life forms in the ocean every day. They tend to look for squid, and feed him only when it is abundant. On average, a blue whale consumes about 8,000 pounds of food every day, if available. Feeding a baby blue whale is a full time job can consume between 100 and 150 liters of milk from his mother every day. DISTRIBUTION There are many subspecies of blue whale, so often confused with other types of whales. They can be found mainly in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Some have been identified along the Indian Ocean. They used to be found in all bodies of water in the world's oceans, but the numbers have fallen too low.

REPRODUCTION Blue whales have a long season when it comes dereproduccin process. It starts in the late fall and runs through the winter. We do not have much information on the process used to find a partner. Females mature at about 10 years of age and males around 12 years old. A female will have one calf every two or three years. Hatchlings are about 23 feet long at birth and weigh up to three tons. CONSERVATION Conservation efforts have been in place for blue whales since the mid 1960s. Now numbers are about 12,000 individuals. Some experts believe there may be more of them in the ocean. This is due to some possible sightings along the Arctic region, where they were once common. A blue whale can live a very long life, up to 80 years in nature conservation if these efforts continue.