Untitled Document
 The
blue whale is a truly amazing animal. It
is the largest animal that ever lived on Earth. Blue whales grow to be about 25 meters
long on average, weighing about 109 tons.
The females are larger than the
males. The largest of the
blue whales has a heart that weighs about 450
kilograms. The heart is about the size of a small car!
The blue whale is also the loudest animal on Earth.
In fact, its sound is louder than a jet! Blue whales make very
loud sounds that can travel for many kilometers
underwater. These songs may
be used for communicating
with other blue whales.
Blue whales can dive for up to an hour, going
to a depth of 105 meters. Blue
whales are very fast swimmers, too.
Blue whales are warm-blooded mammals like us. The female
blue whale usually gives birth to one
calf in winter to early spring. The gestation period is about
11-12 months. The calf is born tail first. Within 30 minutes of its
birth, the baby whale can
swim. The newborn calf is about 7.6
meters long and weighs about 5.4-7.3 tons. The baby is raised with
its mother's milk. Calves drink 23-90 kilograms of milk each day.
The mother and calf may stay together for a year
or longer until the calf is about 13 meters long. Blue whales have
a life expectancy of 35-40
years.
Blue whales are found in all the oceans of the world. But
sadly, they are endangered.
Today, there are only about 10,000-14,000 blue whales worldwide. These
whales were over hunted for many years. This was because their meat, oil, and other body parts
are very valuable. |
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