10 Fascinating Blue Whale Facts

Blue whales are one of the largest creatures known to man. Despite their monstrosity, they are known to be gentle marine creatures. There are still many things we don’t know about them and how they have lived for this long. If you are fascinated by these gentle marine creatures, you are in for a treat. 

Just like with everyone else, there’s a lot that we don’t know about these creatures, and lucky for you, we’ve got you covered. In this article, take a look at the 10 fascinating blue whale facts that should leave you mesmerized and amazed by these large creatures of the ocean. 

Top 10 Blue Whale Facts

If you’re fascinated by whales, then you must know these interesting blue whale facts that will blow your mind. 

They are the largest creatures in this world 

Blue whales are, without a doubt, the biggest living marine mammal in this world. They can grow up to 100 feet and weigh around 200,000 kilograms! In context, a full-grown blue whale is as big as three school buses combined, and one of their organs is considered the largest in the animal kingdom.

A blue whale’s heart is estimated to be around 180 kilograms. However, they have a relatively small brain, around 7kgs. It is thought that blue whales are descended from land-living creatures and began their transition about 50 million years ago. One of the reasons why blue whales grow as much as they can is the low-gravity saltwater. 

There were plenty of Blue Whales before 

Back in the day, it was estimated that the overall population of blue whales was around 250,000. But intensive blue whale hunting reduced the overall population of blue whales by more than 99%. In addition, it was reported that Blue whale poaching that happened from 1904 to 1967 killed almost 350,000 blue whales, drastically reducing their population to a minimum.

Thankfully, the 1966 Whaling commission put an end to blue whale poaching and further protecting them. Thanks to this law, the number of blue whales are increasing over the years, and although the number is not where it is, there’s plenty of room for optimism when it comes to the blue whale population.

Each Blue Whale have distinct marking 

Back in the day, there’s little to no information at all regarding blue whales. But as the years went by and intensive research commenced on blue whales, it noted that each blue whale has a distinct marking; the mottled pigmentation on a blue whale’s body is different from anybody else, thanks in large part to photo-identification. 

They have a small diet 

A small diet means blue whales prey on small creatures of the ocean. Creatures such as krill and other small aquatic life forms are one of their main sources of food. Despite being the largest creature on the planet, they require as much as 40 million krill per day, or roughly around 8,000 pounds of krill every day. 

They have one of the biggest babies on earth 

Since whales are one of the largest creatures here on earth, their babies are inevitably by far one of the largest newborn creatures. Reality speaking, even blue whale babies already rank among the largest full-grown creatures here on earth, and yet they still have plenty of years to grow! Once delivered, these babies grow almost 90kilograms a day! 

Blue whales have a diverse seasonal migration pattern 

When blue whales go for the hunt, they go for extremely cold waters that are highly abundant in krill around the polar regions, and when mating season starts, blue whales traverse through the warm and tropical waters to mate. Once successfully mated, they give birth in warm tropical waters as well. 

Blue whales have a long lifespan 

While they may not be earth’s longest-living creatures, blue whales have a very long lifespan. The average lifespan of blue whales is around 80 t0 90 years old. However, the oldest living blue whale ever discovered was estimated to be around 100+ years of age! That’s quite a long life to live, isn’t it?

Uncertainty for their future 

Another interesting blue whale fact is their future. Although commercial whaling is not a threat to their lives anymore, blue whales take time to mate, and blue whales take longer than usual to be sexually mature and reproduce. With climate change and ship strikes being a threat, their future remains uncertain. 

Thankfully, humans and organizations have made progress in helping these gentle giants be protected. It may take a while before this creature can roam aplenty, but there’s a good sign that we are going in the right direction. 

Blue whales are everywhere 

They can be found in all ocean waters in the world, except in the arctic. Blue whales can often be found swimming in a group or pairs. However, if an area has plenty of krill or any food source, you can witness a lot of blue whales hovering in those areas. It can even go for 60 whales if the area is abundant in krill or any type of food. 

Baby Blue Whales grow very fast 

As mentioned above, baby blue whales gain almost 90kilograms a day, and that is because these babies drink up to 100 gallons of their mother’s milk every day; a mother’s milk contains almost 35% to 50% fat, is the reason why. 

In almost all cases, they are weaned for the next six months and grow up to almost 50 feet long! Once weaning is over, they are then introduced to solid foods and can now hunt their prey. 

Wrapping Things Up

Blue whales are fascinating creatures here on earth, and they too have plenty of fascinating things about them. Although it may seem that humans are one of the reasons for their decline, there is still plenty of hope that these gentle creatures of the ocean are protected for years to come. 

While they are still roaming the free waters of the world, we have to protect them and hope that their population continues to multiply over the years! 

Show your support and love with the gentle giants by joining us here at ATOLEA on our mission of keeping their natural habitats at its best. With every purchase you made from our Ocean-inspired jewelry, part of it goes to Ocean conservation charities.

So dive into our elegant Sea-inspired jewelry collections now and wear your love with the Ocean!