Anyone with a little interest in biology knows that the blue whale is the largest whale in the world. Photos and videos that capture this marine mammal always attract viewers. After all, blue is not only the largest whale. He is the largest animal now existing on Earth.
And some paleontologists claim that he is generally the largest animal that has ever existed on our planet. And even in the era of giant reptiles, there was no organism that exceeded its size and mass.
The largest whale, of course, is simply obliged to be the owner of records in terms of all the "very-most." And he did not disappoint. So, the list of blue whale records: the heaviest language in the world (up to four tons), the largest volume of lungs (over three thousand liters). Moreover, according to some estimates (though obviously overstated), the lung capacity reaches fourteen thousand liters … Let's go further: the largest amount of blood is up to eight thousand liters, the largest heart is about a ton in the largest specimens. The whale's pulse in a calm state is five to seven beats per minute, and only after diving does it increase to twelve.
In a minute, a blue whale takes no more than four breaths. It has the largest size of blood vessels: the cross section of the dorsal aorta reaches forty centimeters in diameter. Add to this a huge amount of fat (blubber), the total mass of which is a quarter of the total mass of the animal (and even a little more). According to whalers, they came across whales weighing 180-190 tons. But there are still few of these; most animals do not grow to such enormous sizes.
And although after reaching a record small number of blue whales (five thousand) in the mid-sixties of the last century, thanks to security measures, things went smoothly, its number is now about ten thousand, which is many times less than one hundred and one hundred and fifty years back. The big whale still needs a lot of protection. And this cannot be neglected.
At the same time, the largest whale does not cease to amaze with some features of the body structure, which are not inherent in a giant, but in an animal of medium or even small size. For example, a throat of a blue whale has a diameter of only … ten centimeters! Therefore, he cannot swallow larger foods. The largest whale has a diet consisting of the smallest inhabitants of the ocean, primarily plankton. Along the way, he can swallow another trifle that happened to be nearby. Small squids and fish were found in the stomachs of blue whales. In order to prevent large animals from getting into the throat, a whale filters sea water through a “whalebone” - several rows of horn plates.
Blue whales breed slowly. The female carries the offspring for eleven months and can bring one or two cubs. The percentage of birth of twins is not more than one. The size of the newborn kitten is seven to eight meters, and the mass is two to three tons. The female feeds the kitten with milk until the age of seven months, and every day he receives ninety liters of nutrient fluid. Another record!
Since 1966, the fishing of blue giants has been banned worldwide. But their stock is growing very slowly. And now it’s not about hunting them. Environmental pollution has a greater impact. Oil products entering the ocean are accumulated in the body of female blue whales, and then transmitted to the young, which negatively affects their health. Despite the increase in numbers of these marine mammals, the existence of the species is still at risk.
