To get enough food, the whale takes a huge mouthful of seawater and krill, its throat will expand to let the water in. Baleen is a tough bendy, fibrous material used to filter their food. At this time of year, the whales travel to the Poles to feed, growing a thick layer of blubber, or fat all over it’s body and creating a food store for the winter when the sea has frozen over.īlue whales are part of a group of ‘baleen’ whales instead of teeth they have hundreds of baleen plates hanging from their top jaw. Due to their enormous size, a blue whale must eat huge amounts - during certain times of the year an adult blue whale can eat around 30 million krill in just one day!īillions of krill live in the waters around the north and south Poles in the summer months the sea can look pink because there are so many.
The oldest blue whale found using this method was estimated to be around 110 years old.īlue whales eat krill, a tiny pale pinkish shrimp-like creature that is around the size of your little finger. However, scientists have discovered that by counting the layers that have formed in a deceased whale's waxlike earplugs, they can estimate their age. Scientists believe that these calls are used to navigate, detect food and also to communicate with each other.īlue whales are amongst Earth's longest-lived animals and typically live for between 80 and 90 years. It gorges on nothing but its mother's milk for its first year and gains about 200 pounds every day - its growth rate is astonishing and probably the fastest in the animal kingdom.Ī blue whales’ call is so loud that it can travel for thousands of miles through the sea. Blue whale calves are already amongst the world’s largest creatures when they are born, weighing up to 2,700kgs and are nearly eight meters long. Male and female blue whales tend to mate during the winter months, the babies are born a year later.
They migrate to the Poles for the summer months to feed, returning to the calm warmer seas near the Equator for the winter. Despite their size, their body is relatively slim and streamlined for efficient long distance travel.īlue whales travel alone or in small groups, but have also been found in much larger pods of up to sixty individuals, particularly during periods of feeding. Blue whales are graceful swimmers and cruise the ocean at more than five miles an hour but can reach speeds of more than 20 miles an hour when needed.