Chinese name: blue whale
Latin scientific name: blue whale
Nickname: razor whale
Two-name method: Balaenoptera musculus
Field: animal kingdom
Phylum: Chordata phylum
Subphylum: vertebrates
Class: mammals
Subclass: True Mammals (True Mammals)
Objective: Cetacea (Cetacea)
Suborder: baleen whale suborder
Family: Papilionidae.
Genus: Lepidoptera
Species: blue whale
Subspecies: Southern Blue Whale, Northern Blue Whale and Little Blue Whale.
Distribution: Ocean from the North Pole to the South Pole.
The blue whale (scientific name: Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder baleen whales. The blue whale is considered to be the largest animal in the history of the earth, with a body length of 33 meters and a weight of 160 tons. The blue whale has a slender body and a blue-gray back, but sometimes it looks lighter in water. At present, there are at least three subspecies of blue whales: B.M. musculus, who lives in the North Atlantic and the North Pacific, the middle blue whale in the Antarctic Ocean and the short-tailed blue whale in the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific. B. m. indica found in the Indian Ocean may be another subspecies. Like other baleen whales, blue whales mainly feed on small crustaceans (such as krill) and small fish, sometimes including squid. Until the beginning of the 20th century, there were quite a few blue whales in almost every sea area in the world. After more than 40 years, they were almost extinct because of whaling. It was not until 1966 that the international community began to protect blue whales that the number of blue whales gradually increased. A report in 2002 estimated that the number of blue whales in the world ranged from 5000 to 12000, and they were distributed in at least five ethnic groups. Recent research on pygmy blue whales shows that this number may underestimate the actual number. Before whaling began, the largest population of blue whales was in Antarctic waters, with an estimated population of about 239,000 (ranging from 202,000 to 365,438+065,438+0,000). At present, the number of northeast Pacific Ocean, Antarctic Sea and Indian Ocean has been greatly reduced (about 2000 each). There are two large groups in the North Atlantic and at least two groups in the Southern Hemisphere. Habitat: There are many waters near the South Pole in the ocean from the North Pole to the South Pole.
Photo Gallery of Blue Whales (18 photos) Feeding habits: mainly feeding on krill, but also swallowing some crustaceans such as copepods. Characteristics and habits: the habits of the group are not obvious. Pregnancy: 12 months.
Edit the classification and evolution of this paragraph.
The blue whale is one of the species of the baleen whale family, and the members of this family also include large wing whales, humpback whales, plug whales, brucellosis whales and minke whales. The baleen family is thought to have been separated from other families of the suborder baleen as early as the middle Oligocene. However, it is still unknown when the members of the whale family began to separate and evolve from each other. Blue whales are usually classified as a kind of baleen whales. Although some scholars classify it as another haplotype-sibbaldus, this classification method has not been accepted by other scholars. DNA sequence analysis shows that blue whales are closer to humpback whales and gray whales than other species to which they belong. If further tests can confirm this relationship, it is necessary to reclassify baleen whales. The blue whale is one of the seven species of Zombie. However, DNA sequencing analysis shows that blue whales are closer to humpback whales and gray whales than other species in their genus. There are at least 1 1 articles about adult offspring of blue whale/fin whale hybridization. At present, it is also known that blue whales and large-winged whales have crossed. Aronson and Gerberg (1983) think that the difference between blue whales and fin whales is similar to that between humans and gorillas. It is generally believed that cetaceans were separated from other families of baleen suborder as early as the middle Oligocene. But I don't know when the members of these departments separated. Phylogenetic Tree of Animals Related to Blue Whale Some authoritative organizations divide this species into three subspecies: small blue whales, including populations in the North Atlantic and the North Pacific; Intermediate pomfret, including the Southern Ocean population; Brevica
Blue whale picture appreciation (20 photos) uda (also known as pygmy blue whale), including the Indian Ocean and South Pacific population. Early authorities listed the Indian Ocean population as a subspecies called B. m. indica. But unlike the other three subspecies, the name of the last subspecies did not appear on the red list of endangered species. At present, these two classification methods are still questioned by some scientists; Genetic analysis shows that there are only two subspecies. The species name of the blue whale musculus comes from Latin, which means "strong", but it can also be translated as "little mouse". In 1758, Linnai completed the naming of this species in his groundbreaking book "Natural System". He probably knew this, and then humorously used this ironic pun. Herman melville called the blue whale "sulfur bottom" in Moby Dick. Because diatoms are attached to the skin of blue whales, their underside is orange-brown or yellowish, so they are also called sulfur whales. Other common names are Sebad whale, Sibbald Rorqul (named by Robert Sebad), Great Blue Whale, Great Northern Whale and Great Northern Rorqul, but these names have been gradually forgotten in recent decades. At present, authoritative experts divide the blue whale into three or four subspecies: the northern blue whale includes ethnic groups in the North Pacific and the North Atlantic, the southern blue whale living in the Antarctic Sea, the pygmy blue whale found in the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific, and another subspecies still in doubt: the Great Indian blue whale, also found in the Indian Ocean, although this subspecies was previously suspected to be pygmy blue whale.
Edit the biological distribution of this section
It is distributed all over the world, with the largest number of Antarctic waters, mainly in temperate and frigid waters with water temperature of 5 ~ 20℃, and a few whales have been to the Yellow Sea and the waters of Taiwan Province Province. Blue whale is one of the most important economic species and contains a lot of fat. Internationally, it is stipulated that the oil production of blue whales should be used as the conversion unit, that is, 1 blue whales =2 fin whales =2.5 humpback whales =6 fin whales. Since modern whaling began, blue whales have been caught indiscriminately. During the peak period of 1930 ~ 3 1, nearly 30,000 blue whales were killed worldwide. 1966, the international whaling commission declared the blue whale as a protected object. Before the development, there were at least 200,000 blue whales, and now it is estimated that there are at most13,000 blue whales. According to the statistical report published by the International Whaling Commission 1989, there are only 200 ~ 453 blue whales. This is based on an eight-year survey in the southern hemisphere, which is on the verge of extinction. Since whaling was banned, the number of blue whales in the world has remained basically unchanged, about 3000-4000. Since the establishment of the Red List of Endangered Species, the blue whale has been listed as an endangered species on the Red List. There are about 2,000 blue whales in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, which are concentrated between Alaska and Costa Rica, but they are common in California in summer. In the long run, this number is the hope of increasing the number of blue whales. Sometimes they drift to the northwest Pacific; It is recorded between kamchatka peninsula and the northern end of Japan. The population of southern ocean blue whale is between 750- 1200, and the migration mode of this population is not well understood. They may be different from the uncertain people who often appear on the northeast coast of Sri Lanka. Some blue whales in the Southern Ocean population are close to the east coast of the South Pacific. In Chile, people found blue whales gathering on the coast of Lu Zhi Island for food, so the Chilean Whale Conservation Center, with the support of the Chilean navy, conducted extensive research and protection on them. There are two populations of blue whales living in the North Atlantic. The first one is located in Greenland, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and St. Lawrence Bay. It is estimated that there are about 500 heads. The second one is farther east, in the Azores in spring and in Iceland in July and August. It is speculated that whales move between these two volcanic islands along the mid-Atlantic ridge. In addition to Iceland, although extremely rare, blue whales can also be found in Svalbard and Jan Mayen. Scientists don't know where these blue whales spend the winter. The population of the whole North Atlantic is between 600- 1500. Humans pose a threat to the recovery of the blue whale population. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) chemicals will accumulate in the blood of blue whales, leading to premature death of blue whales. At the same time, the noise caused by increasing ocean transportation will mask the sound of blue whales, making it difficult for them to find a mate.
Edit the body features of this paragraph.
blue whale
Females are bigger than males, and southern blue whales are bigger than northern blue whales. Seen from above, the kiss is wide and flat. The dorsal fin is small, about 0.4m high, and 1/4 is at the back of the body. The flippers are small, accounting for 15% of the body length. The caudal fin is 1/3 to 1/4 in length, and the trailing edge is straight. There are 55 ~ 88 puncture grooves, the longest of which can reach the navel. 270 ~ 395 whiskers per side. The back of the body is dark gray-blue, the abdomen is slightly light, and the mouth must be black. Blue whales are different from other kinds of whales. Other kinds of whales are short and strong, while the vertebral body of blue whales is very long and looks like it has been elongated. The head is flat and U-shaped, and the pores from the upper lip to the back have obvious ridges. There are dense baleen plates at the front of the mouth, and about 300 baleen plates (about 1 m long) hang down from the upper jaw and pass through the mouth for about half a meter. 60-90 grooves (called abdominal folds) are parallel to the body along the throat. These folds are used to discharge seawater that has been swallowed in large quantities (see the section on "predation"). The dorsal fin of the blue whale is so small that it can only be seen briefly when diving. The shape of dorsal fin varies from individual to individual; Some fins have only one protrusion just visible, while others are very eye-catching and sickle-shaped. The dorsal fin is located about three-quarters of the body length. When reaching the surface to breathe, blue whales lift their shoulders and stomata off the water to a greater extent than other large whales (such as fin whales and pomfret). This can usually be used as a useful clue to identify marine species. When breathing, if it is calm, the spectacular vertical water column (up to 12 m, usually 9 m) ejected by the blue whale can be seen thousands of meters away. The vital capacity of the blue whale is 5000 liters. The fin foot of a blue whale is 3-4 meters long. The top is gray and the narrow side is white. The bottom is all white. The head and caudal fin are generally gray. But the back and sometimes flippers are usually variegated. The degree of variegated color varies from person to person, and the difference is obvious. Some may be gray all over, some are dark blue, and gray and dark blue are quite mixed (gray-blue). When blue whales interact with other whales, they can sprint at a speed of 50 km/h (30 mph), but usually swim at a speed of 20 km/h (12 mph). Slow down to 5km/h(3 mph) when eating. Blue whales in the North Atlantic and the North Pacific lift their tail fins when diving, but most other blue whales don't. The blue whale is the largest animal on the earth at present, and an adult blue whale can grow to more than twice the weight of the largest dinosaur brachiosaurus that once lived on the earth. The blue whale is also the largest animal that has ever lived on the earth. The largest known creature in the dinosaur era is the Mesozoic Argentinean dragon, which is estimated to be 90 tons (100 short tons). The weight of the largest blue whale is uncertain. Most of the data are taken from blue whales killed in Antarctic waters in the first half of the 20th century, and the data are measured by whalers who are not proficient in standard animal measurement methods. The longest whales recorded are two females, 33.6 meters (1 10 ft 3 in) and 33.3 meters (109 ft 3 in) respectively. However, the reliability of these measurements is controversial. The longest whale measured by scientists at the National Marine Mammal Laboratory (NMML) is 29.9 meters (98 feet), which is about the length of a Boeing 737 or three double-decker buses. The head of the blue whale is so big that 50 people can stand on its tongue. Its heart is as big as a car. Babies can climb through its arteries, and newborn blue whale cubs are heavier than an adult elephant. In the first seven months of life, young whales drink 400 liters (100 US gallon) of breast milk every day. Young whales grow very fast, gaining 90 kilograms (200 pounds) every 24 hours. Because the blue whale is huge, we can't weigh it directly. Most blue whales are not weighed by the whole head, and whalers will cut them into appropriate sizes before weighing them. This way underestimates the weight of the blue whale, because it will lose blood and other body fluids. Even so, it is recorded that a whale 27 meters (88 feet 6 inches) long weighs 150- 170 tons (160- 190 short tons). NMML scientists believe that whales 30 meters (98 feet) long are estimated to exceed 180 tons (200 short tons). At present, the maximum weight of blue whale accurately measured by NMML scientists is 177 tons (197 short tons). Females are bigger than males, and southern blue whales are bigger than northern blue whales. Seen from above, the kiss is wide and flat. The dorsal fin is small, about 0.4m high, and 1/4 is at the back of the body. The flippers are small, accounting for 15% of the body length. The caudal fin is 1/3 to 1/4 in length, and the trailing edge is straight. There are 55 ~ 88 puncture grooves, the longest of which can reach the navel. 270 ~ 395 whiskers per side. The back of the body is dark gray-blue, the abdomen is slightly light, and the mouth must be black. Blue whales are different from other kinds of whales. They are short and strong, while the vertebral body of blue whales is very long and looks like it has been elongated. The head is flat and U-shaped, and the pores from the upper lip to the back have obvious ridges. There are dense baleen plates at the front of the mouth, and about 300 baleen plates (about 1 m long) hang down from the upper jaw and pass through the mouth for about half a meter. 60-90 grooves (called abdominal folds) are parallel to the body along the throat. These folds are used to discharge seawater that has been swallowed in large quantities (see the section on "predation"). The dorsal fin of the blue whale is so small that it can only be seen briefly when diving. The shape of dorsal fin varies from individual to individual; Some fins have only one protrusion just visible, while others are very eye-catching and sickle-shaped. The dorsal fin is located about three-quarters of the body length. When reaching the surface to breathe, blue whales lift their shoulders and stomata off the water to a greater extent than other large whales (such as fin whales and pomfret). This can usually be used as a useful clue to identify marine species. When breathing, if it is calm, the spectacular vertical water column (up to 12 m, usually 9 m) ejected by the blue whale can be seen thousands of meters away. The vital capacity of the blue whale is 5000 liters. The fin foot of a blue whale is 3-4 meters long. The top is gray and the narrow side is white. The bottom is all white. The head and caudal fin are generally gray. But the back and sometimes flippers are usually variegated. The degree of variegated color varies from person to person, and the difference is obvious. Some may be gray all over, while others are dark blue. Gray and black are quite mixed together. When blue whales interact with other whales, they can sprint at a speed of 50 km/h (30 mph), but usually swim at a speed of 20 km/h (12 mph). Slow down to 5km/h(3 mph) when eating. Blue whales in the North Atlantic and the North Pacific lift their tail fins when diving, but most other blue whales don't.
Edit the living habits of this paragraph.
Blue whales feed on plankton, mainly krill. A blue whale consumes 2 ~ 4t food every day. blue whale
The swimming speed is 2 ~ 6 km/h when feeding, 5 ~ 33 km when migrating, and the maximum forced speed is 20 ~ 48 km per hour. General 10 ~ 20 dive is followed by a deep dive. Shallow dive interval 12 ~ 20 seconds, deep dive sustainable 10 ~ 30 minutes. The spray column is narrow and straight, with a height of 6 ~ 12m. The blue whale is sexually mature at the age of 10. Northern blue whales breed and mate in late autumn and early winter. The southern hemisphere mates in the south in winter, with the peak in July. The reproductive period between the northern and southern hemispheres is half a year apart. The gestation period is 10 ~ 1 1 month. The calf is 6 ~ 7 meters long and weighs about 6 tons. The lactation period is half a year, and the weaning time can reach 16m. The highest age is estimated to be between 30 and 80-90. Whales will woo by calling.
Edit the copy of this paragraph.
Most blue whales breed in winter. The mother whale was pregnant for one year before giving birth to her calf. This newborn whale is about 7.5 meters long and weighs about 6 tons. After feeding for 24 hours, its weight can increase by about 100 kg, with an average increase of about 75 grams per minute. After seven months of breastfeeding, the young whale can reach about 23 tons in weight and 0/6 meter in length, and begins to learn to swallow all kinds of plankton with its mouth open. Little blue whales don't come of age until they are five years old.
Edit the predation characteristics of this paragraph
Krill is the main food of blue whales, and the plankton eaten by blue whales belong to different species according to different marine areas. In the North Atlantic, northern krill, African krill, African krill and long-tailed krill are the main foods of blue whales. In the North Pacific, krill, sea mulberry, sea mulberry with long handle, sea mulberry and sea mulberry are the main foods; In Antarctica, Antarctic krill, Crystal krill and Varan krill are the main foods of blue whales. blue whale
Blue whales usually prey on the densest krill they can find, which means that blue whales need to feed in deep water (100 meters or more) during the day and can only feed on the surface at night. The diving time of blue whales foraging is generally 10 minute. It is not unusual to dive for 20 minutes, and the longest diving time is 36 minutes (Sears, 1998). In the process of hunting, blue whales swallow a large group of krill at a time and a lot of seawater at the same time. Then squeeze the abdominal cavity and tongue, and squeeze the seawater out through the baleen. When the seawater in the mouth is completely discharged, the blue whale will swallow the remaining krill that cannot pass through the baleen whale board.
Edit this life cycle
Blue whales begin to mate after autumn and continue until the end of winter. We know nothing about mating behavior and breeding grounds. Females give birth every 2-3 years, usually in the early winter after 10- 12 months of pregnancy. This calf weighs about 2.5 tons and is about 7 meters long. About six months later, the calf was weaned and its length doubled. Blue whales generally reach sexual maturity at the age of 8- 10, when the males are at least 20 meters long (longer in the southern hemisphere). The female is relatively large and sexually mature at about 5 years old. At this time, the body length is about 2 1 m. Scientists estimate that the life span of blue whales is at least 80 years; However, since individual records cannot be traced back to the whaling era, it will take many years to determine the exact life span of whales. The longest recorded research on a single individual was conducted in the Northeast Pacific for 34 years (Sears 1998 report). The natural enemy of the blue whale is the killer whale. Calambokidis et al. (1990) found that 25% of adult blue whales have scars left by killer whale attacks. However, there is no exact data on the death rate caused by the attack. It is rare for a blue whale to run aground. Because of its special group structure, we have never heard of the stranding of blue whales. But when the grounding does happen, it will attract much attention. 1920, a blue whale ran aground on the beach of Lewis Island, Hebrides Island outside Scotland. It was hit on the head by a whaling ship, but the harpoon didn't explode. Like other animals, blue whales instinctively keep breathing at all costs. Stranding can keep it from drowning. Two whale bones standing on the roadside of Luis Island attracted a large number of tourists.
Edit this passage of the blue whale.
The blue whale is the loudest animal in the world. Cummings and Thompson (197 1 year) and Richardson et al. (1995) said that the sound of the blue whale can reach 1 55-/kloc-0 at the sound source by measuring the reference pressure at the distance from the blue whale1meter. Even considering the different impedances and standard reference pressures of water and air, the equivalent range in air is still 89- 122 dB. In contrast, the sound of a pneumatic drill is about 100 decibel. But humans may not realize that the blue whale is the loudest animal. The fundamental frequency of all blue whale populations is 10-40 Hz, and the lowest frequency that humans can detect is 20 Hz. The sound duration of the blue whale is 10-30 seconds. According to records, the sound of blue whales off the coast of Sri Lanka repeatedly sings a four-note "song", which lasts for two minutes at a time, reminding people of the song of humpback whales. The researchers believe that because this phenomenon has not been seen in other populations, it may be unique to B. m. brevicauda (dwarf) subspecies. blue whale
Scientists don't know why blue whales make sounds. Richardson et al. (1995) gave the following reasons: 1. Keep the distance between individuals. 2. Identify the same species and individuals. 3. transmit environmental information (such as foraging, warning, courtship) 4. Keep in touch with the group (for example, communication between women and men) 5. Positioning geomorphological features 6. Positioning food (adapted from the biological opinion of the National Marine Fisheries Bureau in 2002) Why is the song of the blue whale getting deeper and deeper? In the 1960s, some scientists thought it would be very cool to put a large number of loudspeakers into the world ocean to record the songs of blue whales. Forty years later, some people who have studied the song of blue whales for 40 years have made a strange discovery. The song of every blue whale in the world is getting deeper every year. But as for the reason, they don't know. Although the language or geographical location is different, everyone living on the earth speaks more slowly every year, more like james earl jones. This slowdown is very small, less than one hertz per year, but the overall trend is relatively stable and sustainable. From global warming to increasingly serious noise pollution, people think that many factors may lead to this phenomenon. However, the impact of global warming on the ocean cannot be explained, which is mainly reflected in the change of acidity and density of seawater, and the sound made by blue whales will not change much. In contrast, noise pollution may be a more convincing explanation. Readers may wish to imagine that in a crowded bar, we can only raise our voice to attract the attention of the waiter. Assuming that blue whales can't accept high-pitched calls, it doesn't mean that every blue whale living in every ocean on this cursed planet has changed their behavior in the same way at the same time for 40 years.