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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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