BWB – The blue wonder

Blue whales are scientifically called Balaenoptera musculus. Blue whales belong to the baleen whale family. This whale species is the largest known animal that has ever lived on earth. It reaches a length of up to 30 metres and a weight of over 150 tonnes. This makes it even bigger than the largest dinosaurs. Despite its enormous size, the blue whale is a gentle giant. It feeds mainly on tiny krill crustaceans.

They can be found in all the world’s oceans, but they prefer cool waters and undertake long migrations between their feeding and breeding grounds. During the summer, they stay in polar regions to take advantage of the abundant food supply there. In winter, however, they move to warmer waters. There they reproduce and give birth to their calves.

The skin of a blue whale is individually coloured bluish-grey with light spots. This colouring makes each individual unique. Their slender physique helps them to glide quickly through the water despite their size. They can reach speeds of up to 30 km/h. Blue whales have an enormously large heart, which can weigh up to 600 kilograms. To make a comparison, this is roughly equivalent to the weight of a small car. Their heartbeat is so strong that it can be heard several kilometres away. Their lungs have the impressive ability to take in around 10,000 litres of air with each breath.

These marine mammals communicate via low-frequency sounds that travel hundreds of kilometres through the water. These calls help the whales to stay in contact with each other in the vastness of the oceans. This range plays a particularly important role during the mating season.

Blue whales play an enormously important role in the ocean ecosystem. Their faeces contain nutrients that promote the growth of phytoplankton. One of the most important producers of oxygen on our planet. Without this whale faeces, the oxygen tap on our planet would be turned off. Their protection is not only important for their survival, but also for the balance of marine ecosystems.

Although blue whales have no natural predators, they are severely threatened by human activities. In the 20th century, they were hunted so intensively that their population was reduced so dramatically that their survival was highly endangered. With the ban on commercial whaling in the 1960s, their population slowly began to recover.

Today, blue whales are mainly endangered by pollution, wind turbines installed in the sea and increasing shipping traffic. Collisions with large ships are one of the most common causes of death for these animals. Underwater noise caused by ships and industrial activities also disrupts their communication and can affect their behaviour. Despite the challenges, there is hope: thanks to conservation measures, the population of blue whales is slowly increasing again. But much remains to be done to ensure that these impressive sea creatures can continue to roam our oceans in the future.

By Fatima Kutzschbach