This is the case of a blue whale which died just a couple of days ago (on May 11, 2012) after being hit by a huge container ship. The accident happened in the Indian Ocean, just off the coast of Sri Lanka. The poor thing was resting at the ocean surface and did not know what hit her, literally. The busy ship struck the whale during the night. In the Sri Lanka area, huge ships travel at high speed during both daytime and night time, which is why numerous such accidents happen on a frequent basis. Given the impressive size of the whale, you are probably wondering how can a ship kill such a giant. Well, despite being huge, whales do not stand a chance in front of a fully loaded ship and there is no way of them surviving a direct hit. The picture of the whale was captured by diver Tony Wu, who wanted to show the whole world how whales are often killed by devastating ship strikes.

He also said that when a whale is hit by a big ship, the impact is so high that it would not even register. It is just like a tractor hitting a butterfly. As numerous similar cases go unrecorded, people have no idea of how endangered blue whales are. More often than not, they are considered collateral damage and the accident is forgotten right away. This means that tragedies like this happen all the time, without ordinary people even finding out about them. And since most container ship are fully loaded with consumer goods such as cars, appliances and electronic goods, most people do not even care. Something needs to be done about this aspect, though. Otherwise, the number of blue whales will decrease even more and they will eventually become extinct.

In the human actions that can reduce the number of blue whales category, we can include pollution first. This is a factor that affects the lives of all living organisms in general and therefore that of the blue whales as well. Through the chemicals and toxins that are eliminated into the waters, the natural habitat of these species is greatly altered, leading to numerous issues and health problems. The sonars used in the underwater vehicles projected by humans can also affect the life of these animals. The sounds released by the sonars intervene between the sounds made by the blue whales, which stops them from communicating between each other in the proper way. At a larger scale, global warming can lead to the diminishing of the exemplar numbers, through the change produced in the water temperature. The animals will not find their usual migration spots, nor the food they used to have there. 

On the other hand, the blue whales are also threatened by elements of the animal world. Even through they are very large, they can be harmed by killer whales or by entering a collision with an underwater object. Death through these instances is not immediate, but the usual wounds created can be very damaging to their health and lead to this process after all. Conservation methods of the blue whales are to be applied to prevent from losing these amazing species.

Besides this record, the average length of male blue whales is of 82 feet, and of female blue whales is of 85 feet. When they are born, baby blue whales are about 19 1/2 feet long. Regarding the weight of blue whales, the statistics are also impressive. An adult can weigh up to 120 tons in average, while a newborn weighs about 2.5-4 tons. Newborn blue whales drink about 50-150 gallons of milk a day, meaning that they put on about 8 pounds per hours, which sums up in 200 pounds a day. When they are 8 months old and the calf is weened, blue whales measure about 50 feet long and weigh approximately 50,000 pounds. As blue whales can grow up to 100 feet, imagine two city buses parked end to end or an NBA basketball court. blue whales are still bigger.

Blue whales have actually been compared in size to the Boeing Jet, that’s how big they are. They weigh about 15 school buses or 8 DC-9 aircrafts. Imagine that an elephant weighs as much as their tongue alone, which can support 50 people. The mouth of blue whales can fit up to 100 people. And their heart is as big as a VW Beetle or a Mini Cooper, at about 2,000 pounds. This is why the heartbeat of blue whales can be detected from two miles away. Us humans can even crawl with no difficulty through their major arteries. Blue whales are about 25 feet wide, which is the equivalent of a professional soccer net. As you can see, these amazing size facts are proof that blue whales are simply spectacular.

Blue whales can have up to 100 feet (30 meters) and they can weigh up to 200 tones. In fact, a very interesting thing about blue whales is that only their tongue has such an impressive weight, that is can equal the one of an elephant. A blue whale will most likely eat about 4 tones of foods a day. Blue whales feeding habits include krill and plankton. In fact, the krill, a type of ocean creature, is the most preferred meal of blue whales. And since these mammals like krill so much, they can eat up to 10 tones of krill a day. Specialists say that the stomach of blue whales can hold more than 1,000 kg of foods. The way blue whales feed themselves is also really interesting. So, you should know that blue whales are actually able to eat with the help of ocean water, as they swallow the foods along with the water.

In their normal eating habits, blue whales need more than 3 million calories a day. To catch the prey, blue whales are going to swim very close to the surface of the water. Anyway, you should keep in mind that these are only the general facts about the eating habits of a blue whale. Most likely, they are going to include variations depending on the area in which blue whales live and the availability of feeding options there.

One of the most visited and appreciated museums in the world, which holds exhibits on blue whales, is the National History Museum in London. They hold a full skeleton of one of the world’s largest blue whales and a life-size model. They were among the first museums to hold such a piece. The difficulty related to blue whales exhibits is that they are massive structures, which require a large storage space and a careful consideration in terms of preservation. This particular exhibit weights an astounding 10 tons and it is 25 meters long. The blue whales skeleton and remains can be seen in the Large Mammals Hall of the National History Museum. The University of California, located in Santa Cruz, made a replica of the skeleton, which can be seen outside the Long Marine Laboratory. The blue whales have been placed under studies here as well and are a very fascinating subject for many. In the Milstein Family Hall of Ocean Life, at the American Museum of Natural History, in New York City, you can see another model skeleton of the blue whales.

Other blue whales models, skeletons and replicas can be seen at the New Bedford Whaling Museum (in New Bedford, Massachusetts), at the Aquarium of the Pacific (in Long Beach, California), at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum (at the University of British Columbia, in Canada), at the Canadian Museum of Nature (in Ottawa, Canada), at the Museum of Natural History (in Gothenburg, Sweden) and at the Melbourne Museum (in Australia).

One of the most interesting things about blue whales is their fast speed despite their huge size. This feature is useful when they want to feed, so they can easily catch their prey. Another interesting about blue whales that scientist discovered is their ability to communicate with each other even if they are at long distances, which is incredible! The Atlantic Ocean is their favorite place as temperatures are lower and they like that very much! Pollution puts their lives in danger, so there are campaigns that fight for their right to survive, otherwise, they will extinct. The blue whales are peaceful animals and they look incredible. If you will see blue whales, you will surely like them and you will be impressed by their huge size as they are bigger than a dinosaur or an elephant.

This is a great chance that no one should miss! Blue whales eat by drinking huge amounts of water, but filtrate it and only fish go into the throat. It is important to protect them as many years ago they could be found in all oceans, but today their places have restricted, so extinction is not very far. Not only pollution affects them, but also aggressive hunting which is illegal, but this does not mean it does not happen. It is a sad reality, but it is in our power to make the right changes to help them survive and have a normal life, giving the next generations the chance to admire these beautiful animals.

Blue whales can grow up to 100 feet (30 m). The weigh of blue whales can reach 200 tones, and to really understand the huge dimensions of a blue whale, you should know that the heart of the animal weigh about 2000 pounds (907 kg). Having under consideration the impressive dimensions of the blue whale, the animal will eat about 4 tones of food a day. The heart of blue whales is actually considered to be weigh just as much as a car, while only its tongue is as long as an elephant. Blue whales are some of the most interesting creatures that exist today. The average weigh and the quantity of food they eat a day, are just two of the elements that shock when it comes to blue whales.

Measuring a blue whale is not something easy, as the whole process supposes cutting the animal into pieces. Specialists which study blue whales have actually been able to share facts about the animals only after performing this procedure, and there is no shock in that, as blue whales are considered to be larger than dinosaurs. Still, despite their huge dimensions, blue whales are capable of moving very quickly. Blue whales can actually cover five miles an hour, but they can also move much quicker when needed, being able to cover up to twenty miles in a single hour. Blue whales have an average lifespan of 60 to 70 years, although they can also live up to 110 years. Blue whales usually sleep in the middle of the day. Female blue whales stay pregnant for about twelve months and give birth to one calf at every two or three years. Anyway, the unfortunate reality is that blue whales are endangered species and it has been estimated that there only are 1300 to 2000 blue whales left.

Blue whales are so special because they are among the few mammal species who live exclusively in the water. They are also called aquatic mammals, because they give birth to baby blue whales, but their natural environment is aquatic. Then, another record set by blue whales is regarding their size. Blue whales are the largest animals that have ever lived on Earth. With a maximum length of 100 feet and an average weight of 120 tones, blue whales are even bigger than any dinosaur that has ever lived on this planet. Another impressive thing about the unique blue whales is the fact that they are not only the larger animals on Earth, but also the loudest ones. Their call reaches levels of up to 188 decibels and they can be heard for hundreds of miles. Blue whales are even louder than jets!

Other records held by blue whales involve the gestation period and the life expectancy. Blue whales have a gestation period of 11-12 months, which is longer even than the human pregnancy time. Then, blue whales can live up to 40 years, which is amazing considering the life expectancy of other animals. Unfortunately, the blue whales population has decreased dramatically, because they are heavily haunted. Today, it is estimated that about 10.000 to 14.000 blue whales are still alive, and they mostly live on the west coast of North America. As you can see, there are many fascinating things about blue whales, which make them some of the most unique creatures in the world.

Most commonly, blue whales have 30 meter length and 180 metric tons weight. Of course, the weight is only average, as it can be up to 190 metric tons. When talking about blue whales, you need to know that there are three types of such animals that are known to live today. And unfortunately, because on a period of over a century, they are very much hunted, now the blue whales are animals in the danger of extinction. Because there are just a few blue whales left out there, in 1966, the international community decided to protect these animals.

Because they are so big, blue whales also are very difficult to weight. Of course, to be able to establish the average weight of such animals, they are actually weighted after being caught and cut into pieces. The weight is this way established by summing all the pieces. Having such a situation under consideration, you can surely make a general image about how big these animals really are. The largest blue whales to be weighted until now was found at 190 metric tones. Still, despite their large size, blue whales can move very quick and they can travel on very long distances, being able to cover about twenty miles in one hour. There is no wonder that these animals are found to be so impressive after all.

If in the past, the blue whales could be found in several oceans in the world, now they are only in few of them. In the past they were declared endangered species, this being the effect of massive hunting. Blue whales travel on very long distances through the ocean, trying to find the best temperature they can live in. Blue whales can be found in America, but in Africa also and they move from place to place, depending on the season that follows. Blue whales, due to their huge size, eat several tones of fish every day, so imagine how big they are. Blue whales are bigger than an elephant, but is it a pity that today they are again in danger.

Blue whales do not have teeth, they just take much water and then filters it, while only the fish remain. Blue whales are the biggest mammals from planet and they are the subject of researchings that try to reveal their mystery and to find out more about their lives. The amount of water that the blue whales blow when they are at the surface, is huge and has a very increased pressure. Fortunately, there are programs ready to protect the blue whales and to find that they have the proper habitat in which they can develop and reproduce. Blue whales are interesting animals that have a great adaption to the ocean life. However, they are not so strong as they may look because they need protection on our behalf, as fighting against pollution being one of the possibilities.