The blue whale, whose scientific name is Balaenoptera Musculus, is the largest animal on the entire planet, since this enormous mammal it can reach 20 meters in length and weigh 180 tons.
Its name is due to the fact that when we see it underwater its color is completely blue, however, on the surface it has a much more grayish color, another curiosity about its physical appearance is that its belly has a yellowish color due to the large number of microorganisms that inhabit their skin.
If you want to know more about this majestic animal, in this AnimalWised article we will talk about the feeding of the blue whale.
How does the blue whale eat?
Did you know that not all whales have teeth? Those that are not toothed are baleen, and this is the case of the blue whale, a mammal capable of covering all the nutritional requirements of its large body without using its teeth, since it does not have them.
Baleen could be defined as a filtration system found in the lower jaw and that allows these whales to feed slowly by absorbing it everything, since the food will be swallowed but the water will later be expelled.
A blue whale's tongue can weigh as much as an elephant, and thanks to the baleen system, water can be expelled through the different layers of skinthat form its huge tongue.
Image from searchfunds.com
What does the blue whale eat?
The blue whale's favorite food is krill, a small crustacean whose length ranges between 3 and 5 centimeters, in fact, daily a whale is capable of consuming 3.5 tons of krill, although it also feeds on many small life forms that inhabit the ocean.
Another food that is exquisite for the blue whale and that it tends to look for is squid, although it is also true that it only eats them when they are abundant.
Approximately a blue whale eats 3,628 kilograms of food daily.
What do baby blue whales eat?
The blue whale is a large mammal, which is why it has characteristic features of this type of animal, including breastfeeding.
However, after gestating for about a year in its mother's womb, the blue whale calf requires practically all of her time, since in one day it will consume aboutbetween 100 and 150 liters of breast milk.
Image from gosmesmundo.com
Hunting and population of blue whales
Unfortunately the blue whale has been in danger of extinction due to massive whaling and the slow reproduction of this species, not However, at present and due in part to the ban on hunting, the data is more positive.
In the Antarctic region it is estimated that the population of blue whales increased by 7.3%, an increase in the population that lives in other geographical areas has also been calculated, however, the increase in individuals in these areas is not as significant.
The navigation of large ships, fishing and global warming are other factors that put at risk the survival of this species, for what is urgent is to act on these points and guarantee the reproduction and existence of the blue whale.
