Blue whales
Learn more about the gentle giants that flood the San Diego coastline over the summer! Don't miss out on an opportunity to be the most knowledgeable one on the water.Blue whale season in San Diego starts in May. Blue whales are the largest whales, hence why we call them our gentle giants, and seeing them up close is impressive. This continues in San Diego all the way through the end of July and beginning of August.
Despite claiming the title of largest creature ever to have been on our planet, the blue whale is still a somewhat mysterious and fantasy beast. Although these animals once roamed the sea, they now are part of the endangered species. Following huge efforts to prevent the extinction of the blue whale, their populations have been on the rise over the past 50 years or so.
the basics on blue whales
Blue Whales live throughout the worlds oceans and feed in high latitudes and migrate to the tropics to breed and give birth. These creatures can measure up to 100 ft (30.5 meters) and new born blue whales can measure up to 23 feet (7 meters) and can gain up to 200 pounds a day!
Astonishingly, however, these giants of the ocean feed on the smallest marine life; tiny krill. Most of the time whales travel alone, in small groups, or in pairs. These giants can be found in every ocean except the Arctic and enclosed seas. Despite this, they are still one of the rarest of the whale family only numbering around 10,00-25,000.
how can you help this endangered species?
“Under the ESA, NOAA Fisheries is required to develop and implement recovery plans for the conservation and survival of listed species. The ultimate goal of the Blue Whale Recovery Plan is to recover the species, with a temporary goal of downlisting its status from endangered to threatened.” Learn more about the conservation and management of Blue Whales at the link below.
Habitat-Range:
Blue Whales are found throughout the World, inhabiting every ocean and sea on Earth. They can survive in cold and hot temperatures. They cannot survive for long above water and they’re biome is the ocean.
The blue whales during their feeding season (which typically occurs during the summer months) feed up on large quantities of food in preparation for their migration.
Reproduction:
Blue Whales almost always give birth to a single offspring. The baby Blue Whale can measure in at 20 – 25 ft. long when born. During the first couple of months the mother must help the young go up to the surface and breathe.
In addition, for the first 6 – 9 months the newborn feeds on milk from its mother’s nipple. The milk that is provided from the mother is full of fat and nutrients. This helps the calf develop during its first months of life. After the calf stops being nursed by its mother it will begin to start consuming solid foods. This also means it will have to start migrating to colder waters to hunt. Once the young whale matures around the ages of 5 – 10 years it can begin mating and reproducing on its own.
Feeding:
Blue Whales tend to eat a lot because they need to eat to maintain health and have a lot of blubber to keep warm. Whales also to maintain balance in the oceans ecosystems. Blue Whales tend to eat a lot of fish, shrimp, larvae, plankton, crabs, krill and squid. One of the most useful techniques whales in general use to hunt for food is called echolocation.
Echolocation:
Echolocation is a trait found in all the species of toothed whales (Blue Whales, Humpbacks, Gray Whales etc.) Echolocation works by emitting noises and then listening to the echoes that bounce off of the objects in the area. The amount of time it takes the echo to return to the whale can provide them with vital information. Such as how far the object is, how dense it is, whether it is hard or soft, and whether or not the object is moving or still. By using echolocation these whales are able to detect whether the object is prey or predator.
Blue Whales are a sight that you do not want to miss out on, especially during the beautiful summer season of San Diego!
Now that you know the most in your friend group about these magestic creatures, invite them all on an Adventure on the water and wow them with these facts!
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