How long does a whale hang? Dimensions of the Blue Whale

Representatives of the class of mammals - whales - are marine animals that amaze with their impressive size. In Greek the meaning of the word kitoc is “ sea monster", from which the name of this mammal comes from. At a time when fishermen were just beginning to notice such a large creature as a whale, there were frequent disputes about whether it was a fish or an animal. Surprisingly, the ancestors of all cetaceans are artiodactyl land animals. Although the whale looks like a fish outwardly, one of its modern ancestors- this is a hippopotamus. Despite all these facts, debate continues about what whales are - fish or mammals.

Whale - description and characteristics

The size of whales exceeds the dimensions of any mammal: the body length of a blue whale reaches twenty-five to thirty-three meters, its weight is more than one hundred and fifty tons. But there are also smaller, dwarf whales. Their weight does not exceed four tons, and their body length is six meters.

All cetaceans have a body shaped like an elongated drop, which allows them to glide easily in the water column. The large head with a narrow and blunt rostrum allows the whale to cut through the water when swimming. The nostrils are shifted closer to the crown, and the eyes are small relative to the body. Different individuals have differences in the structure of their teeth. Toothed whales have sharp cone-shaped teeth, and baleen whales, instead of the usual teeth, filter water and thus obtain food using bone plates (or whalebone).

The whale's skeleton provides special plasticity and the ability to perform maneuvers due to the spongy structure and elasticity of the intervertebral discs. The head goes into the body without a neck interception; towards the tail the body becomes narrower. The mammal turns and slows down with the help of flippers, which have been transformed from pectoral fins. The motor function is performed by the tail, which is distinguished by its flat shape, extreme flexibility and developed muscles. At the end of the tail section there are horizontally arranged blades. Many whales use their tail to stabilize their movements underwater.

Hairs and bristles grow only on the faces of baleen whales; the body is covered with absolutely smooth and hairless skin. The color of the animal's skin can be monochromatic, anti-shadow - dark top and light bottom, or spotted. As whales age, they can change the color of their skin. Cetaceans lack olfactory receptors and also have poorly developed taste receptors. The whale can only distinguish the taste of salty food, while other mammals have a full range of taste buds. Poor eyesight and frequent myopia are fully compensated by the conjunctival glands. Mammalian hearing distinguishes sounds ranging from muffled noises to ultrasonic frequencies, due to the complex anatomical structure inner ear. Under the skin is a large number of nerves, which provides the animal with an excellent sense of touch.

Whales communicate with each other using echolocation. Absence vocal cords did not prevent the whale from communicating with other individuals by playing sounds. The role of a reflector and a sound lens is performed by a layer of fat in the concave bones of the skull. Whales have slow, smooth movements, but sometimes their speed can reach forty kilometers per hour.

The whale's body temperature does not depend on environment, these are warm-blooded animals. A thick layer of fat protects cetaceans from hypothermia. Huge lungs with well-developed muscles allow animals to spend under water from ten minutes to an hour and a half. Swimming to the surface of the ocean, the whale releases air whose temperature is much higher than the surrounding air. That is why, when exhaling, a fountain appears - a sheaf of condensate, and along with it, due to the high power, a trumpet roar breaks out in some large animals.

Lifespan. How long do whales live?

The question of how long whales live can be answered differently depending on their species. Small animals live up to thirty years, the lifespan of large whales does not exceed fifty years.

The habitat of whales is the world's oceans. Mammals are scattered across all latitudes, but in cold weather most migrate to warm waters and live near the coast. These are herd animals that prefer to live in groups with several dozen or hundreds of individuals. Whales migrate depending on the season. In winter and during the birthing period, whales and their females swim to warm waters, and in summer they are in waters of temperate or high latitudes.

A whale's diet depends on its species. Plankton is preferred by planktivores; mollusks act as food for teutophages. Ichthyophages, decomposed, feed on live fish organic matter consumed by detritivores. Killer whales are the only representatives of cetaceans that hunt not only fish, but also pinnipeds such as seals, penguins and sea lions. Dolphins and their offspring can also become victims of killer whales.

Types of whales

The largest representative of the mammal family is the blue whale. One hundred and fifty tons of weight and a length of thirty meters give the blue whale the right to be considered the largest animal on the planet. The narrow head and slender body allow the mammal to move smoothly under water, cutting through its thickness. The skin looks like marble stone thanks to the gray spots scattered across the blue body of the whale. The blue whale lives in every ocean and feeds mainly on plankton and small fish. Blue whales prefer to live and move alone. The size of the blue whale attracts poachers and scientists to it.

The blue whale dives into deep water in moments of fear or injury. Whalers, using harpoons, measured the maximum depth to which the animal descends - five hundred and forty meters, although during a normal dive a whale does not descend into water deeper than one hundred meters. After a deep dive, the mammal makes a series of surfacings in order to inhale air. The length of the blue whale makes it dive and emerge rather slowly. The animal spends three quarters of its life under water. The blue whale reproduces more slowly than other cetaceans: calves are born no more than once every two years. During one birth, only one baby is born, and the pregnancy period itself is very protracted.

The animals were practically exterminated in the last century, so now scientists are trying to increase their numbers. Today, the number of blue whales across the planet does not exceed ten thousand individuals. Poachers destroy blue whales because of the value of their baleen. It has a rich pitch black color and a triangular shape. The fringe located on the baleen plates allows the whale to feed on large crustaceans and small plankton.

The songs of an animal like the blue whale are considered very depressing. The blue whale lives about eighty to ninety years, the maximum recorded age of the animal is one hundred and ten years.

Because of the convex hump-shaped fin on the back, one of the whale representatives was called humpback. The animal has a short body - at least fourteen meters, while its mass is about thirty tons. The humpback whale differs from other species in the form of a variety of skin colors and the presence of several rows of warty, leathery growths on the top of the head. The body color of the mammal can vary from brown to dark gray and black, the chest and belly are covered with white spots. The upper part of the fins can be completely black or covered with light spots, the bottom is completely white. The animal has long pectoral fins, the mass of which is a third of the total weight of the whale. Humpback whales have individual growths as well as coloration.

This mammal lives in the waters of all oceans, excluding the areas of Antarctica and the Arctic. Migration of the humpback whale can be either localized or seasonal, depending on the availability of food or ocean water temperature. Animals don't choose certain territories for habitat, but prefer to be near the shore, in shallow water. During the migration period, whales come to deep waters, but usually stay near the banks. At this time, mammals hardly eat, feeding on reserves subcutaneous fat. Crustaceans, mollusks and small fish make up the diet of the humpback whale in the warm season. Groups of these animals quickly disintegrate. Only mothers and cubs can swim and hunt together for long periods of time.

The humpback whale is known for the sounds it makes. During the breeding season, males make long-lasting sounds that resemble melodic songs to attract females. Scientists who became interested in these sounds, through research, were able to determine that the songs of the humpback whale, like human speech, consist of individual words, forming sentences.

The pygmy whale is considered the smallest species of cetacean. Its mass does not reach three tons, and its body length does not exceed six meters. This is the only whale that moves in waves. The dwarf whale has a streamlined body with a gray or black color with gray spots. The animal’s head is completely free of any growths, the pectoral fins are very short, have a rounded shape, and the sickle-shaped dorsal fin does not exceed twenty-five centimeters in height. Unlike the blue whale, the pygmy whale has a baleen white with a yellowish tint.

Scientists provide little information about the lifestyle of this animal, as it is rare. The dwarf whale does not jump out of the water and does not raise its tail fin above its surface. The fountains that he releases when exhaling are not striking in their size and are not accompanied by a hum. The mammal can be distinguished by its light gums and a white spot on its jaw. The dwarf whale swims rather slowly, bending its body in waves.

The mammal leads a solitary lifestyle, but sometimes it can be seen in groups of sei whales or minke whales.

These whales in open ocean They are rarely found, more often they swim in small bays. During the warm season, young pygmy whales move to coastal waters. Animals do not migrate long distances. Plankton, crustaceans, and invertebrate marine animals act as food for dwarf whales. This is the rarest and smallest species of cetacean.

One of the representatives of cetacean mammals is the beluga whale. The name of the animal comes from its color. Beluga whale calves are born with dark blue skin, which then changes to light gray, and adults are pure white. The animal is distinguished by a small head with a high forehead. The beluga whale can turn its head because its cervical vertebrae are not fused. Most whales do not have this ability. The animal has no dorsal fin, and the small pectoral fins are oval in shape. Because of these features, the name of the mammal is translated from Latin as “wingless dolphin.” Thirty to forty years is how long these whales live.

These whales live in Arctic latitudes, but migrate seasonally. Beluga whales spend summer and spring off the coast, in areas for molting and feeding. During the molting season, whales rub in shallow water against sea pebbles, thus trying to shed their old skin. Every year the beluga whale visits the same places, remembering the place of its birth, where it returns after wintering. In winter, whales live in glaciated zones, breaking through thin ice with their powerful backs. But at moments when ice holes are covered with a thick layer of ice, beluga whales can become captured by ice. The danger comes from polar bears and killer whales, for which beluga whales can become food. Whale migration takes place in two groups: one contains several females with calves, and the second contains adult males. Communication between individuals is carried out using sound signals and clap of fins on the water. During the study of beluga whales, more than fifty types of sounds that it makes were counted.

Mating of whales takes place on the coast, several times a year. Males can organize tournament fights for a female. During birth, one baby whale appears, which the female feeds for one and a half to two years.

One of the brightest cetaceans is the sperm whale. Unlike other whales, sperm whales prefer a gregarious lifestyle, moving and hunting in groups of hundreds of individuals. Their speed does not allow sperm whales to move quickly through the water column. The sperm whale is known for its ability to dive deep underwater and stay at depth long time. The large content of fat and fluids in the sperm whale's body provides it with protection from water pressure. The mammal stores its air supply in the air sac and muscles containing a large amount of myoglobin. In rare cases, the animal has caused accidents with deep-sea cables. The sperm whale got entangled in the cable with its tail and lower jaw and choked, this was discovered already during the repair of the cable. A sperm whale was recovered off the coast of the Iberian Peninsula after it became entangled in a cable located at a depth of more than two thousand meters. At the same time, the whale uses echolocation, emitting ultrasound, which not only allows it to communicate with other sperm whales, but also to scare away dangerous animals. High-frequency signals block the movements of other ocean inhabitants, which makes it easier for the sperm whale to hunt them.

This mammal has been exterminated for several centuries, which is why its numbers have sharply declined. In conditions of polluted ocean waters and continued fishing, sperm whales are very slowly restoring their population. When wounded and attacked, the animal shows great aggression, so hunting it involves great risk. A wounded sperm whale is capable of sinking a whaling ship along with its entire crew. What does a whale eat? It eats small crustaceans, mollusks, squid, octopuses, and small sharks. To grind food, the sperm whale swallows small stones. This whale is the only mammal in whose mouth a person can completely fit. During whaling ship accidents, sperm whales swallowed whalers.

Many researchers are still arguing about whether the killer whale is a whale or a dolphin. Despite the fact that the killer whale is called a killer whale in the media mass media and in Everyday life whalers, this animal belongs to the dolphins. This animal is confused with a whale because of the shape of the fin: dolphins have sharp, long fins, while killer whales have rounded and wide fins.

Mating and reproduction of whales

The whale is a monogamous animal that reproduces once every two years. The mammal fully matures by the age of twelve, but it becomes able to reproduce by the age of four. Males mate throughout the whole year, so mating season very drawn out. Pregnancy depends on the species of cetacean and can take from seven to fifteen months. To give birth, females migrate to warm waters.

As a result of the birth, one whale appears, which emerges from the female with its tail first. The born baby immediately has the opportunity to move and develop independently, but it stays near its mother for some time. The baby whale is fed underwater, because whale milk has a high density and high fat content, as a result of which it does not spread in water. After finishing feeding, the cub almost doubles in size. The male accompanies the mother and the calf throughout the entire feeding period.

man hunted whales for whalebone, fat and bones. Margarine, glycerin and soap were made from fat and lard. Whalebone and bones were used for the production of corsets, figurines, jewelry, and dishes;
in production decorative cosmetics actively use spermaceti, which is located in the whale’s head;
many species of whales are listed in the Red Book, as they were practically exterminated by whalers;
more than a dozen blue whale skeletons can be seen in various natural museums around the world;
The trainable whale is the beluga whale. It can be seen in circuses and dolphinariums. Researchers of the ocean floor trained beluga whales to search for objects lost at the bottom, deliver equipment to divers, and conduct underwater photography;
O different representatives A large amount of literature has been written about whales, with mammals acting both as assistants to humans and as dangerous predators;
The names of whales, such as beluga whale or sperm whale, are used to name some types of sea or land cargo transport.

Scientists have put forward a theory that the ancestors of whales were mammals that previously lived on land. The skeletal structure of these animals now living in the sea confirms this hypothesis. They are not like fish, since they do not spawn, do not breathe with gills, and their young are born fully formed and are fed with mother's milk. What are whales? The size of some representatives of this order is impressive. Let's look at them.

The biggest whale

The dimensions of the largest giant, according to some sources, were: body length about 34 meters with a weight of 180 tons. Blue, or as it is also called, according to the classification, belongs to vertebrate mammals. On average, representatives of this species grow up to 30 meters. They weigh about 150 tons.

The sizes of whales (photos) of other species are more modest. For example, a toothy sperm whale has a body length of about twenty meters, and a killer whale - no more than ten. Dolphins are also cetaceans. The size of these mammals is even smaller. The largest dolphin rarely grows longer than three meters.

Many people consider whales big fish. In fact, this is a misconception. The only thing similar about them is general structure bodies and habitat. There are significant differences in nervous activity, blood circulation, skeletal structure, skin. Reproduction of offspring and their feeding are the same as for land mammals.

Whales: sizes and varieties

Scientists divide representatives of these mammals into two suborders. They differ significantly in lifestyle and nutrition. One group is another - toothed ones. The names already contain characteristics of their way of life.

Baleen whales are peaceful animals. They feed on plankton and mollusks, filtering them from the water column through the baleen plates. Most of them have a body length of more than ten meters in adulthood. The species characteristics of representatives of this suborder and their lifestyle differ little.

Toothed whales are predators. Their food is fish and other suborders are more diverse. Most representatives have body sizes up to ten meters. The following families are distinguished: oceanic and river dolphins, sperm whales, beaked whales. They, in turn, are divided into subfamilies and genera, depending on the characteristics of the lifestyle and habitat.

Belukha

In the suborder of toothed whales there are representatives distinguished by their special skin color. They have it white. Hence the name - beluga whale. The animals belong to the narwhal family. Size white whale up to six meters. The weight of adult males reaches two tons. For comparison: a newborn blue baleen whale calf is approximately the same size.

Belukha lives up to forty years. Preys on schooling fish, crustaceans and mollusks. Lives in northern latitudes. Features of the species: a thick layer of epidermis and fat that protects against hypothermia, a “lobed” head and short oval-shaped pectoral fins.

The beluga whale does not have a specific color from birth. The cubs are born dark blue. At the age of one year they lighten and become grayish in color. And only after three years (usually by five years) do they acquire a characteristic white color.

Despite the fact that it is a large animal, the beluga can be hunted by another representative of the cetacean - the killer whale. Polar bears can also pose a threat to them. This happens when beluga whales find themselves trapped in ice holes by dense ice. They cannot stay under water for a long time, as they come up every two minutes to get some air.

Blue whale

It's on the planet. Scientists distinguish three types. Two of them: northern and southern, live in different latitudes. The third representative is the dwarf blue whale. Its dimensions are much more modest. An adult reaches only the baby weight of its normal counterpart. Dwarfs are quite rare and are found only in the southern seas.

With big animals, everything is big. The size of a whale's heart is comparable to a small car; it can weigh up to 700 kg. This is not surprising, because this organ constantly pumps up to 10 tons of blood. The diameter of the giant's artery is 40 cm, and a child can easily fit into it. The tongue weighs up to three tons. With this, the whale pushes large volumes of water out of its mouth through its baleen, the area of which is more than twenty square meters.

Peculiarities

The color of blue whales is actually gray. But if you look at them through the water, they seem to have a bluish tint. The sense of smell, taste and vision of these giants is poorly developed. But they hear well. Communication is carried out by transmitting ultrasonic signals, and orientation in space is carried out using echolocation.

Is the blue whale dangerous to humans? The size of these animals is enormous by our standards. However, they cannot eat a person. They have different food preferences. The diameter of the pharynx is only 10 cm. This is enough to pass plankton, small fish, crustaceans and mollusks. The only harm that a blue whale can cause is to accidentally overturn a ship that will be in close proximity to it when surfacing.

Cetaceans breathe atmospheric air. They must rise to the surface from time to time for the next portion of oxygen. In its normal state, the blue whale dives for 10-15 minutes. When ascending during exhalation, a characteristic fountain of water appears.

and lifestyle

The whales' habitat is extensive. Scientists do not have sufficient capabilities to track all their movements. It has been established that, depending on the season, blue whales migrate in search of food and optimal conditions. According to other observations, some animals are constantly located in the equatorial part Pacific Ocean.

It is believed that blue whales can live for hundreds of years. They are loners. Only sometimes do they gather in small groups during seasonal migrations. The mother feeds the cubs for at least six months. During the day, a growing “baby”, weighing up to ten tons, can drink 600 liters of mother’s milk.

Population and commercial catch

Scientists suggest that before the start of activity in the waters of the World Ocean, there were at least 250 thousand individuals of the largest animals on the planet. Today, according to the most optimistic forecasts, there are no more than 10 thousand of them left.

What value do whales have for humans? The body size of these animals is large by commercial standards. From one carcass, whalers received not only meat, but also blubber and whalebone. The meat is still popular in Japan, and it is not surprising that the fishery there is most active.

The blue whale population has decreased significantly. Over the past decades, a large number of adult individuals have been destroyed. Female whales reach sexual maturity at ten years of age. Once every two years they can give birth. But the situation is such that most of the young animals become victims of fishing without ever reaching maturity.

Today, blue whales are protected. They are listed in the Red Book. But humans and the consequences of their activities associated with environmental pollution still pose a serious threat to the entire population.

We rarely come across wild animals in our lives, so most often we simply forget how big they can be. Cats, dogs, birds, less often cows or horses - against their background, a person can really seem like the king of nature. King...

But as soon as you move away from civilization, everything immediately falls into place: crocodiles, 7 meters long, elephants, sea and land, bears, giraffes, hippos, gorillas... it’s hard to keep the crown on your head next to you. But still, there is a creature on Earth that can easily outshine them all - the whale.

Underwater giants

These giants live underwater, where the laws of gravity do not operate as harshly as on the surface. This allowed them to grow to such an impressive size that only dinosaurs, and even then not all, managed to outdo it. And the largest whale in the world is swimming the seas right now.

This is quite interesting, because most often the creatures that exist today are smaller copies of those that inhabited the planet previously. Ancient whales, on the contrary, were much smaller. This is easy to explain: they were not born waterfowl, but replaced their legs with flippers and fins during development. Accordingly, relatively small animals descended under the water, and, having fallen into favorable conditions, began to gradually change their shape to hydrodynamic.

Being underwater kings, they still breathe air, bear and give birth to young, and even have hands and feet, although atrophied. It's just external signs, experts will list a dozen more.

But not all whales can boast of such sizes; among them there are also relatively small ones. But the biggest interest is still the huge whales. Let's talk about them in more detail.

Blue whale

At the moment, the blue whale is the absolute champion in size. Try to imagine: the length of his body is up to 30-35 meters (we remind you that 30 meters is the approximate height of a nine-story building). The mass of such a giant can reach 100-150 tons. Of course, most representatives of the species are somewhat smaller, but there were also larger specimens.

For example, a documented case was recorded when whalers caught a 190-ton female; there were also smaller ones, for example, a 178-ton specimen and many others.

And that's just the tail...

Some researchers argue that today's blue whales were being crushed, blaming barbaric extermination that reduced the number of whales from 275 (19th century, before fishing) to 5 thousand (1994). According to the stories and reports of whalers, at the beginning of the fishery, larger specimens were also encountered, so the longest whale could reach 40 meters, and 37-38 meter individuals were encountered regularly.

Scientists distinguish three subspecies of blue whales: southern, northern and dwarf. As is most often the case, the southern ones are the largest, the northern ones are slightly smaller. The funniest sound is the “dwarf blue whale”, because on average this “dwarf” is only 3 meters shorter than its larger counterparts.

The fin whale is the second largest. The weight of this whale can reach 40-80 tons, but it greatly depends on the chosen habitat. There are two subspecies of this animal - northern and southern types. Animals that prefer cold northern waters, are more compact, their length rarely exceeds 24-25 meters, while their southern counterparts often reach 27 meters.

Fin whales are the blue whale's closest relatives. In some cases, they even give birth to babies together.

bowhead whale

The third largest, the bowhead whale prefers cold northern waters. Perhaps if he had chosen warmer ones, he would have grown even larger, but even a length of 20-22 meters cannot but command respect. Interestingly, male bowhead whales are somewhat smaller than their beautiful halves, which grow up to 18 meters. But such injustice is characteristic of all cetacean species.

By the way, this large whale boasts not only its size, but also its life expectancy. Research in this area has not been going on for too long, but there are already known representatives of the species, whose age has exceeded the century mark. There are even references to a male aged 211 years. True, it was determined by an insufficiently accurate method, and even if the error is 20-30%, this whale remains one of the longest-livers.

The only representative of the sperm whale family today, the sperm whale is the largest of the toothed whales. With luck, males can grow up to 20 meters in length and weigh 50 tons, although on average they are somewhat smaller. It is interesting that, unlike whales, the females of sperm whales are more fragile and petite. But they can hardly be called inches: 13 meters is an impressive size.

Not as graceful as the blue whale, but doesn't suffer from it at all

Interestingly, the sperm whale is the only representative of the cetacean order that can swallow a person whole. But it is also difficult to find such live-eaters in other orders. Several similar cases have been recorded. In one of them (extremely controversial and refuted), the victim even survived.

Such giants cannot but command respect, but they remain in the minority even in their own family. And the smallest whale looks like a real dwarf in comparison. For example, a dwarf whale rarely grows longer than 4-5 meters, and a baby sperm whale is even smaller - 2.4-3 meters in length, weighing up to 250-300 kilograms. Here's a mini-kit.

We hope that now you know which whale is the largest and which is the smallest. This will help you better understand who exactly should give the crown.

Several tens of thousands of animal species live on our planet, but only a few of them have. Animals live everywhere: on land, in the air, underground, and in water. On last place residence of living beings we will stop. Since childhood, everyone knows that whales are the largest animals living in aquatic environment. But few people realize that among them there are also incomparable giants. We present to the reader information about what the largest whales in the world are.

Length 10.7 meters

The top of the world's largest whales is opened by the smallest whale from the minke whale family. The animal, which feeds on plankton and small fish, has white fins and belly, and a dark gray upper body color. Distinctive feature The minke whale's white stripes are at the back of its head.

It lives in the waters of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The length of the largest individual reached 10.7 meters.

The leader in the number of minke whales caught annually is the “Country Rising Sun" - Japan. The whaling population is approximately 900 individuals. Norway and Iceland are in second and third places, respectively.

Length 13-17 meters

The whale's speed is no more than 8 km/h. As a result, it becomes easy prey for humans. Currently on the verge of extinction. The number of surviving whales does not exceed 300 individuals.

Length 17-18 meters

Another animal in our ranking of the largest whales in the world, from the minke whale family. It got its name from its hump-shaped dorsal fin. The largest individuals of this animal species reach sizes of 17-18 meters. Weight does not exceed 50 tons. The whale has a specific body shape and coloring, very long pectoral fins (30% of the entire body), and a large caudal fin. The species is distributed throughout the world's oceans, except the Arctic Ocean. In Russia it is found only in a small part of the Barents Sea.

Length 18 meters

Another species of the right whale family. The animals, measuring 18 meters in size and weighing up to 80 tons, have colors ranging from dark brown to blue-black. A distinctive feature of southern right whales are growths under the jaw and above the eyes. The head size is 1/3 of the body size. The dorsal fin is missing. Female southern right whales are physically larger than males.

The animals, which are among the largest whales in the world, live in the Southern Ocean (temperate and subpolar latitudes).

For a long time this species was threatened, but currently the number of individuals exceeds more than 7,000.

Length 19 meters

This type of whale is hardly distinguishable from the North Atlantic smooth whale, but it is larger. Particularly large individuals reach sizes of 19 m. The weight of the Japanese whale does not exceed 80 tons. Individuals are black with a small dorsal fin feed on crustaceans. They swim slowly, but like to jump out of the water often. The birth rate of the Japanese whale is low. Females give birth to one baby every three to four years. At the same time, they themselves must reach the age of 6-12 years. They live in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, sometimes found off the coast of Mexico. Now the Japanese whale is under threat of extinction. There are 400 individuals left on the planet of this species, one of the largest animals in the world.

Length 20 meters

Sperm whales live in groups of several dozen individuals. This species of mammal has pronounced sexual dimorphism, that is, females are smaller in size and differ in body and head shape. The largest males reach a length of 20 meters and weigh 50 tons. Females - 15 meters, 20 tons.

The sperm whale's habitat is distributed throughout the world's oceans, with the exception of the coldest areas.

Length 20 meters

The individual, reaching a length of 20 meters and a weight of 30 tons, belongs to the minke whale family. The dark gray whale with a large dorsal fin feeds on shellfish, schooling fish and crustaceans. Seyval lives for more than 60 years. Puberty occurs at 5-7 years. Develops speeds of more than 25 km/h. Habitat: the entire World Ocean in places with temperatures above 8 degrees, but below 26. In Russia, this species of one of the largest whales in the world can be found near Kuril Islands and in the Barents Sea (rarely).

Length 18-22 meters

The most seasoned whale in the world lives in the polar regions of the Arctic and off the coast of Greenland. It has a size of 18-22 meters and a body weight of 75 to 150 tons, depending on the sex of the animal. The mammal accelerates to a speed of 20 km/h. It dives to a depth of more than 200 meters and can remain there for 40 minutes.

Lives about 40 years. Some individuals can survive for more than 100 years. The life expectancy record for the Bowhead whale was 211 years. The animal, ranked third in the list of the largest whales in the world, feeds on plankton and crustaceans.

Length 27 meters

It is the second largest animal in the world and the closest relative of the blue whale. A species that lives in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, belongs to the minke whale family. Maximum length an adult reaches 27 meters. Female size larger size males, but their weight is approximately the same - 40-70 tons.

The animal with a dark gray back and white belly prefers to live alone. But sometimes it gathers in flocks of up to 5-6 individuals. Considered the fastest whale in the world. Its speed reaches 50 km/h. Immerses to a maximum depth of 230 meters.

Length 33 meters

Blue whales live alone. Sometimes they gather in small groups, but even in them they swim separately from each other. They live throughout the World Ocean. On average, blue whales live about 80 years. The oldest officially recorded age of the animal was 110 years. Currently, the blue whale is on the verge of extinction. And in the 60s of the last century it was practically exterminated. Scientists are doing everything possible to increase the population size. Now the number of mammals is 10,000 individuals.

The power and impressive size of whales stuns people and makes them stand in awe of the power of nature. It is almost impossible to believe that such large and strong creatures. Those who were lucky enough to see the largest whale in the world, the blue one, will remember this meeting for the rest of their lives. Such giants are the pride of our planet. Even looking at you from a photo, these huge mammals stun everyone. They are priceless and unique in their kind, and everyone should know about them.

Blue whale dimensions

George Melville wrote in his iconic novel Moby Dick: “How No matter how unreasonably animals behave, man is disproportionately superior to everyone in his madness.” The same situation happened with the largest whale on the planet. People are mercilessly exterminating it and, perhaps, soon this amazing view animals will disappear from the face of the Earth. Whalers are attracted primarily by the size of this giant and its reserves of meat and fat.

To more clearly imagine the size of the blue whale, let us take as a basis the description of the largest individuals caught in South Georgia and near the South Shetland Islands:

Total weight: 170-190 tons.
Length: 30-34 meters.
Tongue – 3-4 tons.
Liver – 1 ton.
Heart – 700 kg.
Lung volume – 3000-5000 liters.
The size (area) of the mouth is 24 sq.m.
The diameter of the pharynx is 10 cm.
Blood – 8-10 thousand l.

Huge inhabitants of the oceans have shocked scientists more than once. Long ago, in 1870, off the coast North America We caught the Cyanea jellyfish. Its length reached the size of a 9-story building, that is, 35 meters!

Naturally, the data presented above applies only to the largest blue whales in the world that humanity has seen. Scientists believe that previously and even now, especially large individuals live somewhere. On this moment the average blue whale weighs 120-150 tons, and its length does not exceed 23-25 m. By the way, females are always larger than males by a ton or two. Note that the diameter of the throat of this animal is very small, so no whale of this species can swallow anything larger than a soccer ball.

Interesting! One dedicated blue whale researcher has aptly described the sensations that come with encountering them. He said that the feeling is similar to what people experience when they are on a railway platform, when a huge train passes by, and everyone present is afraid that he will be swept away by a gust of wind under the heavy wheels.

Baby blue whales

We are born very tiny. Basically, the weight of a human baby is 2-4 kg. Now let's compare it to a baby blue whale. The weight of the largest baby is 3 tons, and the length is 5-6 m! Unimaginable!

Mothers carry future giants for exactly 1 year, feed them for 7 months, and they can live up to 100 years. These animals reproduce only once every 2 years. The moment when a female can become pregnant for the first time comes after 10 years. Unfortunately, the soft meat of young whales is too valuable for whalers. Most individuals do not survive to sexual maturity.

It is known that in Japan the fishery is so developed and active that they practically no longer have the longest whales in the world. Statistics show that before the start of hunting for these mammals, there were about 330 thousand of them on the planet as a whole. Moreover, their habitat is not limited to any one zone. At the moment, there are just over 5 thousand blue whales left on the planet, or just over 8 thousand according to other sources.

Types of blue whales, their capabilities and behavior

Within their species, these beauties are divided into completely distinct 3-4 subspecies:

Northern(North Atlantic, northern part of the vast Pacific Ocean).
Southern(southern waters of the ocean).
Dwarf(Indian and South part Atlantic Ocean).
Indian (Indian Ocean). This subspecies is not always distinguished in classifications.

Each representative of these huge animals has impressive capabilities:

Speed: 50 km/h – maximum, 37 km/h – normal, 5 km/h – when feeding, 2-6 km/h – grazing vomit (BlueWale).
Power: 500 l. With.
Dive depth: 100 m – normal condition, 500 m – during pursuit.
Breath: 1-4 r./min. – usually adults, 5-10 rubles/min. – young, 3-6 r./min. - when pursued by whalers.
Heartbeat: 5-10 beats/min, 20 beats/min. - during the chase.
Voice strength: 188 dB – maximum, 20 dB – for communication with other individuals. (Audibility at a distance of 1600 km).
Nutrition: capable of eating 3600 kg of krill.
Record time spent under water: 36 minutes, but according to whalers, the maximum is 50 minutes.

The largest whale on the planet helps feed on its baleen. This is something in the form of a brush or sieve that sifts out excess along with water. The mustache consists of more than 790 plates, each of which weighs 90 kg.

Such animals lead a solitary lifestyle and do not gather in a herd. At most, blue whales can unite with 2-3 brothers, and only in the feeding area there are 50-60 whales that stay apart.

Scientists are still debating the origin of these mammals. An interesting fact is that there are finger brushes on their fins, and the structure of their skeletons suggests that they do not look like fish at all.

Who is threatening the world's largest whales?

People can safely be considered a terrible and dangerous enemy of these mammals, but there are also natural threats in the form of evil killer whales. These predators attack the giant of the oceans in a flock of 30-40 individuals and tear it apart.

And in conclusion, I would like to convey a very important idea. The world's largest whales are dying painfully and slowly. We need to fight for their survival with all our might, otherwise we will cease to be human.