Today, when we look around us, we see ourselves at the top of the food pyramid as humans. It is true when we are on land with our weapons in hand, but let’s dive into the mysterious waters of the ocean; that’s where we come across blue whales. The blue whale can reach even larger sizes and higher weights than some dinosaurs, which we consider the largest animal to have ever lived.
It is not possible to encounter blue whales while drinking tea on the beach or swimming from shore to shore, but even if we meet them in an ordinary underwater documentary, we cannot help but question our place in the world. Because its height is big enough to hurt our neck when trying to look at the top even on land. Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at some extraordinary information about blue whales, many of which you will hear for the first time.
Unusual facts about blue whales:
- Blue whales are big, very large.
- He has a big heart.
- The puppies are very cute, but not the kind to be cuddled.
- Blue whales are not the right animals to chat.
- It would not be a lie if we say that they are fed with cookies.
- Don’t be fooled by their size, they swim very well.
- A blue whale may live long enough to bury you and me.
- There were once hundreds of thousands of blue whales in the oceans.
- There won’t be any blue whales in the near future.
Blue whales are big, very large:
Imagine a 10-story building, lay it on its side and float it under water; Here’s a blue whale. Blue whales range in length from 24 to 30 meters, with some reaching up to 33 meters. So it’s like three big buses joined end to end. Of course, its weight also varies between 100 and 150 tons, befitting its height, but it can also weigh up to 220 tons. Considering that the African elephant, one of the largest living land creatures, weighs a maximum of 6 tons, it would be difficult to even imagine the weight of a blue whale.
He has a big heart:
Of course, we don’t know, maybe he is a really loving animal, but the phrase he has a big heart is not just a phrase. The heart of the blue whale, which is responsible for pumping blood through its huge body, can weigh up to 450 kilograms. A small person can crawl through the arteries that pump 6500 liters of blood. 50 people can stand side by side comfortably if we say let’s spread its tongue, which can weigh up to 6 tons. If we reduce the number, it is possible to have a picnic.
Their puppies are adorable but not cuddly:
Like all living things, the babies of blue whales are very cute. When our cute puppies are born, they are about 8 meters long and 4 tons in weight. I mean, they’re not exactly the kind we can hold and love. Even more interestingly, a blue whale calf gains an average of 90 kilograms per day. When weaned after sucking for 18 months, their tissue growth is billions of times. This feature makes it the fastest growing creature in the animal kingdom.
Blue whales are not the right animals to chat:
Technology has developed, we dived into the water, we found a blue whale, we started chatting. No, you can’t stand it. Because the sound of a blue whale can reach up to 188 decibels. Considering that a jet engine operates at an average noise of 140 decibels, it is impossible to withstand this sound. These sounds, which are the basis of communication between individuals, can be heard even at a distance of about 1600 kilometers. Even more interestingly, despite all these features, the blue whale is the second loudest animal in the world, with the first place being held by the sperm whale at 230 decibels.
It would not be a lie if we say that they are fed with cookies:
First, think about what you eat to stay big, and then think about what blue whales should eat. Unfortunately, your thinking is wrong because blue whales are toothless creatures and therefore feed on incredibly small shrimp-like creatures called krill. A blue whale can eat 1 ton of krill at once. It needs to be fed about 4 tons of krill per day. 4 tons of krill means 40 million krill. If he dives into a herd of anchovy like this, everything will be fine, but that’s evolution.
Don’t be fooled by their size, they swim very well:
It is surprising how even a 150-ton creature can move, but when we consider underwater conditions, this can be an advantage. Blue whales that feed in the polar regions during the summer migrate to the equator region in winter. Average swimming speeds are 20 kilometers per hour, most often 50 kilometers per hour. However, when necessary, their speed can reach up to 300 kilometers per hour.
A blue whale can live you long enough to bury me:
Blue whales are one of the longest living creatures known in the world. The average lifespan of blue whales is thought to range from 80 to 90 years. The oldest known blue whale was 100 years old. If you say how do we know which one lived how long, the answer is in the neck fins. The rings on the fins found here, like tree rings, allow us to learn the average age of a blue whale.
Once upon a time there were hundreds of thousands of blue whales in the oceans:
Humanity has been whaling since 3 thousand BC. Since it was impossible to hunt a 150-ton creature under primitive conditions, blue whales were not the target of hunters for a long time. In the 19th century, as technology improved and the number of smaller whales decreased, blue whales also began to be hunted. According to figures released by the World Wildlife Fund, more than 350,000 blue whales were caught between 1904 and 1967. In 1931, known as the golden age of whaling, the number of blue whales caught in a single hunting season was 29 thousand. Moreover, these are only official figures recorded, you think about the rest.
Soon there will be no blue whales:
Over time, the popularity of whaling has declined, but ship traffic in the oceans has increased in the meantime. Having a lot of ships means that the blue whale cannot communicate with other individuals. And on top of that, what happened to the blue whales when climate change turned everything upside down. About 25,000 known blue whales live today. It is not known how long the rest will live at this rate.
We talked about the extraordinary information, many of which you have heard for the first time, about the blue whale, the world’s largest living mammal. Considering that we have discovered only five percent of the oceans today, what other interesting creatures await us on the ocean floors?
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