Our planet is unique and amazing. It is inhabited by a variety of creatures of various shapes and sizes, high and low, small and large. Many of them are real giants. For example, the blue whale is the largest marine animal.
Instructions
Step 1
On January 23, 1922, a 135 ton blue whale was caught in the Panama Canal. Its length reached 30 meters. It is worth noting that the typical size of female and male blue whales in the northern hemisphere is about 23 meters. The heart of large individuals weighs more than half a ton.
Step 2
The dark gray body of a blue whale with a bluish tint is mottled with a marble pattern and spots. Moreover, there are more spots on the belly and in the back half of the body than, for example, on the back.
Step 3
The blue whale is widespread from Novaya Zemlya, Svalbard, Greenland and the Chukchi Sea to the ice of Antarctica. Rarely enough, it can be found in the tropical zone. The blue whale hibernates in warm waters: in the southern hemisphere - at the latitudes of Madagascar, South Africa, Ecuador, Peru, Australia; in the northern hemisphere - at the latitudes of the Caribbean Sea, North Africa, Mexico, California, Taiwan, and southern Japan.
Step 4
In summer, the blue whale prefers to spend time in the waters of the Chukchi and Bering Seas, and the North Atlantic. However, it should be noted that recently its number has begun to decline.
Step 5
Blue whales are kept in isolated herds. So in 1959, in the southern hemisphere, near the islands of Heard, Kerguelen, Crozet and Marion, a well-isolated herd of dwarf blue whales was discovered. Japanese scientists have calculated their number, it was about 10,000 heads. These animals were found to be 3 meters smaller than common Antarctic blue whales. Dwarf pygmies had a lighter color and a short tail.
Step 6
To date, experts distinguish 3 subspecies of blue whales: pygmies, southern and northern. Animals feed on smaller crustaceans, black-eyed. As a rule, blue whales do not eat fish. According to the facts, a full stomach of a mature animal contains 1.5-2 tons of crustaceans. Often during the wintering period, their stomachs are empty.
Step 7
Blue whales breed every two years, mainly in winter, in warm waters. Pregnancy lasts about 11 months on average. A blue whale calf is born with a body weight of 2-3 tons and a length of 6-8 m. Females feed their milk for about 7 months.
Step 8
A blue whale in a calm state moves at a speed of 10-15 km / h. An animal frightened by something can reach speeds of up to 30-40 km / h. In this rhythm, he moves only for a few minutes.
Step 9
On the surface of the skin of a blue whale, parasites of the crustacean class often live: barnacles (xenobalanus, coronal) and whale lice. Their shells sink into the skin of the animal with their base.
