The most reliable age estimations are from ear plugs. Blue whales secrete earwax (cerumen) throughout their lives forming long, multilayered plugs. Each chronologically deposited light and dark layer (lamina) indicate a switch between fasting during migration and feeding, and one set is laid down per year, and thus the number of these layers can be used as an indicator of age. The maximum age determined from earplug laminae for a pygmy whale is 73 years (n=1133). Prior to the development of ear plugs as an ageing method, layers in baleen plates were used, but these wear down and are not a reliable measure.
Life span
Blue whale
Blue whale | Life span
73 years The maximum age determined from earplug laminae for a pygmy whale is 73 years . 73 years. The maximum age determined from earplug laminae for a pygmy whale is 73 years (n=1133).
who makes up most of the population of antarctica
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5,000 in the summer and much lesser in winter
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where did it get the name from?
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It is the romanised version of the Greek compound word "antarktiké" meaning "opposite to the Arctic", "opposite to the north"
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what kinds of animals can be seen there?
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Some species of marine animals include penguins, blue whales, orcas, colossal squids and fur seals
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what sort of weather conditions it has?
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It is the coldest of Earth's continents.
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how big is the second marine animal mentioned?
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A maximum confirmed length of 29.9 meters (98 feet) and weight of 173 tonnes (190 tons), it is the largest animal known to have ever existed.
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how fast is it while swimming?
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Blue whales leisurely traveling rates is 4.6 mph. The maximum speed of a blue whale while being chased or harassed has been reported at 20 to 48 km/h
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what does it feed on?
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Their diet consists almost exclusively of euphausiids (krill)
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how long does it live?
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In addition, the ovaries of female blue whales form a permanent record of the number of ovulations (or perhaps pregnancies), in the form of corpora albicantia. These fibrous masses are permanent scars that have been used in the past as an indication of age. In pygmy blue whales, one corpus albicans is formed every 2.6 years on average, which matches the two- to three-year interval between calves.
Blue whale | Life span
Among cetaceans, whales are distinguished by an unusual longevity compared to other higher mammals. Some species, such as the bowhead whale ("Balaena mysticetus"), can reach over 200 years. Based on the annual rings of the bony otic capsule, the age of the oldest known specimen is a male determined to be 211 years at the time of death.
Cetacea | Lifespan
The most reliable age estimations are from ear plugs. Blue whales secrete earwax (cerumen) throughout their lives forming long, multilayered plugs. Each chronologically deposited light and dark layer (lamina) indicate a switch between fasting during migration and feeding, and one set is laid down per year, and thus the number of these layers can be used as an indicator of age. The maximum age determined from earplug laminae for a pygmy whale is 73 years (n=1133). Prior to the development of ear plugs as an ageing method, layers in baleen plates were used, but these wear down and are not a reliable measure.
Blue whale | Life span
The blue whale diet consists almost exclusively of euphausiids (krill) except off Sri Lanka. Blue whales have been observed near Magdalena Bay (along the western coast of Baja California, Mexico) feeding on pelagic red crabs. However, this has not been confirmed by recent observations or fecal samples. Other accidental or opportunistic consumption of copepods and amphipods have been documented. Blue whales feed on krill at the surface and at depths greater than 328 ft (100 m), following their prey’s diel vertical migration through the water column. The main prey species of krill targeted by blue whales varies among habitat in the different ocean basins.
Blue whale | Diet and feeding
Captives have reduced life expectancy, on average only living into their 20s, although some live longer, including several over 30 years old and two, Corky II and Lolita, in their mid-40s. In the wild, females who survive infancy live 46 years on average and up to 70–80 years. Wild males who survive infancy live 31 years on average and can reach 50–60 years.
Cetacea | Killer whales
Using the number of earwax lamina deposited in the earplug and development of sexual organs from dead whales, it has been determined blue whales reach sexual maturity at about 10 years old and at an average length of 23.5 m for female Antarctic blue whales. Another method for determining age at sexual maturity, involves measurements of testosterone from the baleen of male blue whales. Testosterone concentrations measured from baleen suggest that the age at sexual maturity for one blue whale was 9 years. Male pygmy blue whales averaged 61.4 ft (18.7 m) at sexual maturity. Female pygmy blue whales are 68.9–71.2 ft (21.0–21.7 m) in length and roughly 10 years old at age of sexual maturity.
Blue whale | Reproduction and birth
Sperm whales can live 70 years or more.
Sperm whale | Introduction
Pygmy blue whales were estimated to give birth every 2.6 years (95% CI=2.2–3.0). Pregnant females gain roughly 4% of their body weight daily, amounting to 60% of their overall body weight throughout summer foraging periods. Gestation lasts 10–11 months. No records of natural births are known, although a blue whale that ended up in Trincomalee harbor gave birth to a calf before being towed back to sea the following day.
Blue whale | Reproduction and birth
The species tend to have a lifespan of approximately two years. This can vary depending on factors such as nutrition, temperature and the intensity of light in its habitat.
Blue-ringed octopus | Introduction
Sperm whales can live 70 years or more. They are a prime example of a species that has been K-selected, meaning their reproductive strategy is associated with stable environmental conditions and comprises a low birth rate, significant parental aid to offspring, slow maturation, and high longevity. How they choose mates has not been definitively determined. Males will fight with each other over females, and males will mate with multiple females, making them polygynous, but they do not dominate the group as in a harem. Males do not provide paternal care to their offspring. Females become fertile at around 9 years of age.
Sperm whale | Life cycle
Lifespan estimates, based on earwax plug samples, indicate these whales can live up to 85 years. At ~4m at birth, growing to ~10m, these are the largest whales belonging to the family Ziphiidae. The kurotsuchi is much smaller, with adult males having a length of ~7m. This article currently largely treats four-toothed whales as monospecific, due to a lack of species-specific information.
Berardius | Introduction
Females may live up to 43 years of age.
Antarctic minke whale | Natural history
Males sexually mature at the age of 15, but do not typically reproduce until age 21. Wild males live around 29 years on average, with a maximum of about 60 years. One male, known as Old Tom, was reportedly spotted every winter between the 1840s and 1930 off New South Wales, Australia. This would have made him up to 90 years old. Examination of his teeth indicated he died around age 35, but this method of age determination is now believed to be inaccurate for older animals. One male known to researchers in the Pacific Northwest (identified as J1) was estimated to have been 59 years old when he died in 2010.
Killer whale | Life cycle
They are preted on by a variety of piscivorous mammals and birds, as well as by larger fish species. They may attain a life span of 8 years
Mylocheilus caurinus | Biology
By comparison, the blue whale reaches in length.
Maraapunisaurus | Size
Species such as humpbacks and blue whales are capable of travelling thousands of miles without feeding. Males typically mate with multiple females every year, but females only mate every two to three years. Calves are typically born in the spring and summer months and females bear all the responsibility for raising them. Mothers of some species fast and nurse their young for one to two years.
Whale | Introduction
Most of the length of the back, including dorsal fin and blowholes, appears at once when the whale surfaces to breathe. Minke whales typically live for 30–50 years; in some cases they may live for up to 60 years.
Minke whale | Description
This discovery showed the longevity of the bowhead whale is much greater than originally thought. According to researchers at CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, the genome sequence revealed bowhead whales' maximum lifespan to be 268 years.
Bowhead whale | Lifespan
Research on the closely related bowhead whale exceeding 210 years or more suggests this lifespan is not uncommon and may even be exceeded.
Right whale | Lifespan
The dorsal fin varies in shape from triangular to highly falcate, whilst the fluke is about one-quarter the body length. They live for around 40 years.
Cuvier's beaked whale | Description
Before reaching adulthood, baleen whales grow at an extraordinary rate. In the blue whale, the largest species, the fetus grows by some per day just before delivery, and by per day during suckling. Before weaning, the calf increases its body weight by and grows from at birth to long. When it reaches sexual maturity after 5–10 years, it will be long and possibly live as long as 80–90 years. Calves are born precocial, needing to be able to swim to the surface at the moment of their birth. Most rorquals mate in warm waters in winter to give birth almost a year later.
Baleen whale | Reproduction and development
m. indica" in the Northern Indian Ocean, and "B. m." unnamed subsp. in the waters off Chile. The blue whale diet consists almost exclusively of euphausiids (krill). The blue whale was once abundant in nearly all the oceans on Earth until the end of the 19th century. It was hunted almost to the point of extinction by whaling until the International Whaling Commission banned all hunting of blue whales in 1967. The International Whaling Commission catch database estimates that 382,595 blue whales were caught between 1868 and 1978. The global blue whale population abundance is estimated to be 10,000–25,000, roughly 3–11% of the population size estimated in 1911.
Blue whale | Introduction
A 2006 study using radiocarbon dating of the dentin layers showed the deposit of this material occurs with a lesser frequency (once per year) than was previously thought. The study therefore estimated belugas can live for 70 or 80 years. However, recent studies suggest that it is unclear as to whether belugas receive a different number of layers per year depending on the age of the animal (for example young belugas may only receive an additional one layer per year), or simply just one layer per year or every other year.
Beluga whale | Longevity
The most recent analysis estimates that the Balaenopteridae family diverged from other families in the late Miocene, between 10.48 and 4.98 million years ago.
Blue whale | Evolution
The largest of these, the blue whale ("Balaenoptera musculus"), grows to long weighing 84 tonnes. Many of these species are migratory, and travel to tropical waters during the Antarctic winter.
Southern Ocean | Mammals
Life expectancy is 2 years in females and about 3 years in males.
European squid | Biology
Fin whales have a maximum life span of at least 94 years of age, although specimens have been found aged at an estimated 135–140 years. The fin whale is one of the fastest cetaceans and can sustain speeds between and and bursts up to have been recorded, earning the fin whale the nickname "the greyhound of the sea".
Fin whale | Life history
Mating occurs in temperate, low-latitude seas during the winter, followed by an 11- to 12-month gestation period. A newborn weans from its mother at 6 or 7 months of age when it is in length, and the accompanies the mother to the summer feeding ground. Females reproduce every 2 or 3 years, with as many as six fetuses being reported, but single births are far more common. Females reach sexual maturity between 6 and 12 years of age at lengths of in the Northern Hemisphere and in the Southern Hemisphere. Calves remain with their mothers for about one year. Full physical maturity is attained between 25 and 30 years.
Fin whale | Life history
The sei whale (, "Balaenoptera borealis") is a baleen whale, the third-largest rorqual after the blue whale and the fin whale. It inhabits most oceans and adjoining seas, and prefers deep offshore waters. It avoids polar and tropical waters and semi-enclosed bodies of water. The sei whale migrates annually from cool, subpolar waters in summer to temperate, subtropical waters in winter with a lifespan of 70 years. Reaching long and weighing as much as , the sei whale consumes an average of of food every day; its diet consists primarily of copepods, krill, and other zooplankton. It is among the fastest of all cetaceans, and can reach speeds of up to (27 knots) over short distances.
Sei whale | Introduction
The life expectancy is between 1 and 2 years. The species feeds on small and juvenile fishes.
Alloteuthis subulata | Biology
The lifespan of rorquals ranges from 45 to 100 years.
Humpback whale | Behavior
In captivity, they often develop pathologies, such as the dorsal fin collapse seen in 60–90% of male killer whales. Captives have vastly reduced life expectancies, on average only living into their 20s, although there are examples of killer whales living longer, including several over 30 years old, and two captive orcas, Corky II and Lolita, are in their mid-40s. In the wild, females who survive infancy live 46 years on average, and up to 70–80 years in rare cases. Wild males who survive infancy live 31 years on average, and up to 50–60 years. Captivity usually bears little resemblance to wild habitat, and captive whales' social groups are foreign to those found in the wild.
Dolphin | Controversy
The initial period begins with "mobile scavengers" such as hagfish and sleeper sharks actively consuming soft tissue from the carcass. Consumption can be at a rate of per day. This stage typically lasts months up to 1.5 years.
Whale fall | Stage 1
Organizations such as World Animal Protection and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation campaign against the practice of keeping cetaceans, particularly killer whales, in captivity. In captivity, they often develop pathologies, such as the dorsal fin collapse seen in 60–90% of male killer whales. Captives have vastly reduced life expectancies, on average only living into their 20s. In the wild, females who survive infancy live 46 years on average, and up to 70–80 years in rare cases. Wild males who survive infancy live 31 years on average, and up to 50–60 years. Captivity usually bears little resemblance to wild habitat, and captive whales' social groups are foreign to those found in the wild.
Marine mammal | Aquariums
Bowhead whales are considered to be the longest-living mammals, living for over 200 years. In May 2007, a specimen caught off the Alaskan coast was discovered with the head of an explosive harpoon of a model manufactured between 1879 and 1885, so the whale was probably harpooned sometime between those years, and its age at the time of death was estimated at between 115 and 130 years. Spurred by this discovery, scientists measured the ages of other bowhead whales; one specimen was estimated to be 211 years old. Other bowhead whales were estimated to be between 135 and 172 years old.
Bowhead whale | Lifespan
The sea gooseberry is only alive for around 4–6 months.
Pleurobrachia bachei | Lifespan
In 2015, with funding from the Methuselah Foundation and Life Extension Foundation, the bowhead whale genome was sequenced by João Pedro de Magalhães and his team at the University of Liverpool. The bowhead whale is possibly the longest-lived mammal, capable of living over 200 years. The genome project was undertaken to learn more about the mammal's mechanisms for longevity and resistance to age-related diseases, which are unknown. An assembly of the bowhead whale genome has been made available online to promote further research.
Methuselah Foundation | Bowhead Whale Genome
Females reproduce every 2–3 years, usually to a single calf. In the Northern Hemisphere, males are usually and females at sexual maturity, while in the Southern Hemisphere, males average and females . The average age of sexual maturity of both sexes is 8–10 years. The whales can reach ages up to 65 years.
Sei whale | Reproduction
The blue whale is the largest species of whale, and the largest species of animal known to have existed. Blue whale may also refer to:
Blue whale (disambiguation) | Introduction
The blue whale ("Balaenoptera musculus") is a marine mammal belonging to the baleen whale suborder Mysticeti. Reaching a maximum confirmed length of 29.9 meters (98 feet) and weight of 173 tonnes (190 tons), it is the largest animal known to have ever existed. The blue whale’s long and slender body can be various shades of grayish-blue dorsally and somewhat lighter underneath. There are currently five subspecies of blue whale, recognized by the Society for Marine Mammalogy’s Committee on Taxonomy: "B. m. musculus" in the North Atlantic and North Pacific, "B. m. intermedia" in the Southern Ocean, "B. m. brevicauda" (the pygmy blue whale) in the Indian Ocean and South Pacific Ocean, "B.
Blue whale | Introduction
Lifespan estimate is unknown. Sexual maturity might be reached at 9 years old. Calving interval and gestation period are unknown.
Blainville's beaked whale | Reproduction
Growth, longevity, and reproduction of the whale shark are poorly understood. There was uncertainty as to whether vertebrae growth bands are formed annually or biannually, which is important in determining the age, growth, and longevity of whale sharks. A 2020 study compared the ratio of Carbon-14 isotopes found in growth bands of whale shark vertebrae to nuclear testing events in the 1950-60s, they found that growth bands are laid down annually. The study found an age of 50 years for a female and 35 years for a 9.9m male. Various studies looking at vertebrae growth bands and measuring whale sharks in the wild have estimated their lifespans from ~80 years and up to ~130 years.
Whale shark | Growth and reproduction
Orcas held in captivity tend to live less than those in the wild, although this is subject to scientific debate. To avoid inbreeding, males mate with females from other pods. Gestation varies from 15 to 18 months. Mothers usually calve a single offspring about once every five years. In resident pods, births occur at any time of year, although winter is the most common. Mortality is extremely high during the first seven months of life, when 37–50% of all calves die. Weaning begins at about 12 months of age, and is complete by two years. According to observations in several regions, all male and female pod members participate in the care of the young.
Killer whale | Life cycle
There remain only much smaller concentrations in the Eastern North Pacific (1,647), Central North Pacific (63–133), North Atlantic (1,000–2,000), Antarctic (2,280), New Zealand (718), Northern Indian Ocean (270) and Chile (570-760).
Blue whale | Introduction
Very little is known about the life span of right whales. One of the few well-documented cases is of a female North Atlantic right whale that was photographed with a baby in 1935, then photographed again in 1959, 1980, 1985, and 1992. Consistent callosity patterns ensured it was the same animal. She was last photographed in 1995 with a seemingly fatal head wound, presumably from a ship strike. By conservative estimates (e.g. she was a new mother who had just reached sexual maturity in 1935), she was nearly 70 years to more than 100 years of age, if not older.
Right whale | Lifespan
The Eastern North Pacific population of blue whales have been well studied. The greatest dive depth reported from tagged blue whales was 315 meters. Their theoretical aerobic dive limit was estimated at 31.2 min, however, the longest dive duration measured was 15.2 minutes. The deepest confirmed dive from a pygmy blue whale was 1,660 ft (506 m).
Blue whale | Diet and feeding
Females deliver a single calf with gestation lasting about a year, dependency until one to two years, and maturity around seven to ten years, all varying between the species. This mode of reproduction produces few offspring, but increases the survival probability of each one. Females, referred to as "cows", carry the responsibility of childcare as males, referred to as "bulls", play no part in raising calves. Most mysticetes reside at the poles. So, to prevent the unborn calf from dying of frostbite, they migrate to calving/mating grounds. They will then stay there for a matter of months until the calf has developed enough blubber to survive the bitter temperatures of the poles.
Whale | Life cycle
Narwhals can live an average of 50 years, however research using aspartic acid racemization from the lens of the eyes suggests that narwhals can live to be as old as 115 ± 10 years and 84 ± 9 years for females and males, respectively Mortality often occurs when the narwhals suffocate after they fail to leave before the surface of the Arctic waters freeze over in the late autumn. As narwhals need to breathe, they drown if open water is no longer accessible and the ice is too thick for them to break through. Maximum aerobic swimming distance between breathing holes in ice is less than which limits the use of foraging grounds, and these holes must be at least wide to allow an adult whale to breathe.
Narwhal | Life span and mortality
The 2015 study has been criticised by Trevor Willis, senior lecturer in marine biology at the University of Portsmouth, who stated that the study is misleading, "clearly wrong" and indicative of "poor practice". He stated that it is misleading in two ways: "First, it compares two completely different circumstances: the controlled environment of a swimming pool, with highly trained vets on hand; and the wild ocean. "There are no predators in a swimming pool. Second, and in the absence of any other information, it appears they’ve looked at the survival rate of calves in the first two years of life and extrapolated it out 50 years into the future." He also stated that no captive orca has lived for 55.8 years, the recorded average life expectancy of adult orcas at SeaWorld.
Captive killer whales | Disease and lifespan
Gestation ranges from 9 to 16 months. Duration is not necessarily a function of size. Porpoises and blue whales gestate for about 11 months. As with all mammals other than marsupials and monotremes, the embryo is fed by the placenta, an organ that draws nutrients from the mother’s bloodstream. Mammals without placentas either lay minuscule eggs (monotremes) or bear minuscule offspring (marsupials).
Cetacea | Reproduction and brooding
In the third stage, sulfophilic bacteria anaerobically break down the lipids embedded in the bones. Instead of oxygen, they reduce dissolved sulfate () and excrete hydrogen sulfide. Due to the toxicity of , only resistant chemosynthetic bacteria survive. The bacterial mats provide nourishment for mussels, clams, limpets and sea snails. As whale bones are rich in lipids, representing 4–6% of its body weight, the final digestion stage can last between 50 and possibly 100 years.
Whale fall | Stage 3
They reach sexual maturity when long. Baleen whales are K-strategists, meaning they raise one calf at a time, have a long life-expectancy, and a low infant mortality rate. Some 19th century harpoons found in harvested bowheads indicate this species can live more than 100 years. Baleen whales are promiscuous, with none showing pair bonds. They are polygynous, in that a male may mate with more than one female. The scars on male whales suggest they fight for the right to mate with females during breeding season, somewhat similar to lek mating. Baleen whales have fibroelastic (connective tissue) penises, similar to those of artiodactyls.
Baleen whale | Reproduction and development
A closely related Lesser Caymans iguana ("C. nubila caymanensis") has been documented as living 33 years in captivity.
Blue iguana | Longevity
Blue whales capture krill through lunge feeding, a bulk filter-feeding strategy that involves accelerating toward a prey patch at high speeds, opening the mouth 80–90°, and inverting the tongue, creating a large sac. This allows them to engulf a large volume of krill-laden water, up to 220 tons of water at one time. The water is then squeezed out through their baleen plates with pressure from the ventral pouch and tongue, and the remaining krill are swallowed. Blue whales have been recorded making 180° rolls during lunge-feeding, allowing them to engulf krill patches while inverted; and they rolled while searching for prey between lunges, which has been hypothesized as allowing them to visually process the prey field to find the densest prey patches.
Blue whale | Diet and feeding
The Cape fox has a life expectancy of about six years, but can live for up to 10 years.
Cape fox | Reproduction
The lifespan of killer whales in captivity versus wild killer whales is disputed. Several studies published in scientific journals show that the average mortality rate for captive killer whales is approximately three times higher than in the wild. A 2015 study in the "Journal of Mammalogy", authored by SeaWorld's vice-president of theriogenology, Todd Robeck, concluded that the life expectancy for killer whales born at SeaWorld is the same as those in the wild. In the wild, female killer whales have a typical lifespan of 60–80 years, and a maximum recorded lifespan of 103 years. The average lifespan for males in the wild is 30 years, but some live up to 50–60 years.
Captive killer whales | Disease and lifespan
A female will usually stop reproducing once reaching the age of 40 years, even though the maximum lifespan exceeds 60 years.
Short-finned pilot whale | Reproduction
Captives have vastly reduced life expectancies, on average only living into their 20s. In the wild, females who survive infancy live 46 years on average, and up to 70–80 years in rare cases. Wild males who survive infancy live 31 years on average, and up to 50–60 years. Captivity usually bears little resemblance to wild habitat, and captive whales' social groups are foreign to those found in the wild. Critics claim captive life is stressful due to these factors and the requirement to perform circus tricks that are not part of wild killer whale behaviour, see above. Wild killer whales may travel up to in a day, and critics say the animals are too big and intelligent to be suitable for captivity.
Killer whale | Captivity
Female killer whales begin to mature at around the age of 10 and reach peak fertility around 20, experiencing periods of polyestrous cycling separated by non-cycling periods of three to 16 months. Females can often breed until age 40, followed by a rapid decrease in fertility. As such, orcas are among the few animals that undergo menopause and live for decades after they have finished breeding. The lifespans of wild females average 50 to 80 years. Some are claimed to have lived substantially longer: Granny (J2) was estimated by some researchers to have been as old as 105 years at the time of her death, though a biopsy sample indicated her age as 65 to 80 years.
Killer whale | Life cycle
Blue whales exhibit no well-defined social structure other than mother-calf bonds from birth until weaning. They are generally solitary or found in small groups. Little is known about mating behavior, or breeding and birthing areas. As a traveling pair, a male blue whale typically trails a female, and is generally successful at repelling an intruder male after a short and vigorous battle. Blue whale anatomy, specifically a small testis-to-body weight ratio and documented visual observations of a second male joining the traveling pair, suggest a polygynous, antagonistic male-male competition strategy. Mating is thought to occur fall through winter. Female blue whales give birth every two to three years, depending on body condition and lactation period.
Blue whale | Reproduction and birth
Diet and feeding
Atlantic blue marlin | Lifecycle
Very little is known about the life history of beaked whales. The oldest recorded age is 84 years for a male Baird's beaked whale and 54 years for a female. For all other beaked whale species studied, the oldest recorded age is between 27 and 39 years. Sexual maturity is reached between seven and 15 years of age in Baird's beaked whales and northern bottlenose whales. Gestation varies greatly between species, lasting 17 months for Baird's beaked whales and 12 months for the northern bottlenose whale. No data are available on their reproductive rates. Determining group size for beaked whales is difficult, due to their inconspicuous surfacing behavior.
Beaked whale | Life history
Among krill-feeding whales, only blue whales ("Balaenoptera musculus") and minke whales ("B. acutorostrata") extend their range as far south as the pack ice where the crabeater seals are most frequent. While no reliable historical population estimates have been done, population models suggest crabeater seal populations may have increased at rates up to 9% a year in the 20th century, due to the removal of large baleen whales (especially the blue whale) during the period of industrial whaling and the subsequent explosion in krill biomass and removal of important competitive forces.
Crabeater seal | Diet
They may forage the surface, underwater or even the ocean bottom. During courtship, males gather into large groups to compete for a single female, suggesting that sperm competition is an important factor in mating behavior. Although the blue whale is the largest animal on the planet, the testes of the right whale are actually ten times larger than those of the blue whale – with each weighing up to , they are by far the largest of any animal on Earth. Gestation tends to last a year, and calves are born at in weight and in length. Weaning occurs after eight months.
Right whale | Introduction
It is not known how long red knots typically live.
B95 (bird) | Introduction
Specimen measurements indicate that a blue whale measuring in length had a vestigial mammary slit of width and length, with a penis measurement of . In another specimen in which the length of the whale was and weighed 50.9 metric tons, the brain weighed only .
Blue whale penis | Scientific studies
With whales, the length of the penis can be an indication of the maturity of the organism. Sei whales for instance are divided into categories such as immature, pubertal and mature. However, length is not the only factor as it is recorded in relation to the size of the whale's testes and its histology. For instance, research conducted off South Africa found that the longest penis of an immature categorized whale was and the smallest penis of a mature whale was . By comparison the average blue whale penis is nearly 3 times the size of that of a sei whale.
Blue whale penis | Scientific studies
Killer whales are unique among cetaceans, as their caudal sections elongate with age, making their heads relatively shorter.
Killer whale | Life cycle
In 3 years they can reach a total length of and they live for at least 4.8 years and they may live as long as 10 years. They change sex from female to male when they attain a total length of approximately , which is at an age of around 2 years old in New South Wales and may take between at least 3 and 5 plus years in Tasmania.
Pictilabrus laticlavius | Habitat and biology
Eschrichtiidae only has one living member: the gray whale. It is the only benthic feeding baleen whale, filtering small organisms from the mud of shallow seas. They also have a gestation period of over a year, which is unusual for baleen whales.
List of cetaceans | Family Eschrichtiidae: gray whale
These are narrow and approximately long, and are covered in very thin hairs. The plates enable the whale to filter feed. The penis on a right whale can be up to – the testes, at up to in length, in diameter, and weighing up to 525 kg (1157 lbs), are also by far the largest of any animal on Earth. The blue whale may be the largest animal on the planet, yet the testicles of the right whale are ten times the size of those of the blue whale. They also exceed predictions in terms of relative size, as well – they are six times larger than would be expected on the basis of body mass.
Right whale | Anatomy
Antarctic males averaged 112 tons (224,000 lb) and females 130 tons (260,000 lb). Pygmy blue whale males average 83.5 (167,000 lb) and 99 tons (198,000 lb). The largest heart weight measured from a stranded North Atlantic blue whale was 0.1985 tons (397 lb), the largest known in any animal.
Blue whale | Size
"Histioteuthis bonnellii" is able to change color. It moves forward by pumping water into his mantle and pushing it out again through the siphon. It is a carnivore and its food consists mainly of fish, crabs, lobsters and molluscs caught with its suckers. These cephalopods are predated by Northern bottlenose whale ("Hyperoodon ampullatus"), Sperm whale ("Physeter macrocephalus"), Blue shark ("Prionace glauca"), Swordfish ("Xiphias gladius") and Cuvier's beaked whale ("Ziphius cavirostris").
Histioteuthis bonnellii | Biology
The Bermuda blue angelfish can live up to 20 years.
Bermuda blue angelfish | Lifespan
Molecular evidence has suggested that common and pygmy hippopotamus, extant members of the family Hippopotamidae, are the closest living relatives to the order Cetacea. This monophyletic clade is nested in Cetartiodactyla, which includes the even-toed ungulates. Whole genome sequencing of blue whales and other rorqual species suggests that blue whales are most closely related to sei whales with grey whales as a sister group, which is curious given the most common hybrids are with fin whales. This study also found significant gene flow between minke whales and the ancestors of the blue and sei whale. Blue whale also displayed a high degree of genetic variability (i.e., heterozygosity).
Blue whale | Related species
The lifespan of nautiluses may exceed 20 years, which is exceptionally lengthy for a cephalopod, many of whom live less than three even in captivity and under ideal living conditions. However, nautiluses typically do not reach sexual maturity until they are about 15 years old, limiting their reproductive lifespan to often less than five years.
Nautilus | Reproduction and lifespan
Adults will live from five to eight weeks.
Rhynchophorus palmarum | Biology & behavior
The average length of sexually mature female blue whales is 72.1 ft (22.1 m) for Eastern North Pacific blue whales, 79 ft (24.1 m) for central and western North Pacific blue whales, 92 ft (28.1 m) for North Atlantic blue whales, 83.4–86.3 ft (25.4–26.6 m) for Antarctic blue whales, 77.1 ft (23.5 m) for Chilean blue whales, and 69.9 ft (21.3 m) for pygmy blue whales. In the Northern Hemisphere, males weigh an average 100 tons (200,000 lb) and females 112 tons (224,000 lb). Eastern North Pacific blue whale males average 88.5 tons (177,000 lb) and females 100 tons (200,000 lb).
Blue whale | Size
For most of the Oligocene and Miocene, whales generally stayed well below in length. Large size in baleen whales was thought to be linked to the evolution of baleen and bulk feeding behavior, however "Llanocetus" is evidence that gigantism evolved multiple times in baleen whales. The size of "Llanocetus" is probably due to its polar environment or potential long-distance traveling.
Llanocetus | Description
Beaked whales live very short lives in captivity when compared to other cetaceans such as common bottlenose dolphins and short-finned pilot whales, most surviving only a few days out of the ocean. The longest time period for a beaked whale living in captivity was 25 days. Alexander and Nicholas, two male beaked whales—their species unknown, though they were thought to be either Hubbs' beaked whale or Blainville's beaked whale—had become stranded in California on 24 August 1989. They were taken to Marine World California. Both of the whales would die of pneumonia; Nicholas died on 8 September and Alexander died 10 days later.
Beaked whale | Captivity
Smaller species may live up to 10 years, whereas the larger species have been reported to live more than 20 years in captivity.
Phelsuma | Description
Preliminary investigations suggested a beluga's life expectancy was rarely more than 30 years. The method used to calculate the age of a beluga is based on counting the layers of dentin and dental cement in a specimen's teeth, which were originally thought to be deposited once or twice a year. The layers can be readily identified as one layer consists of opaque dense material and the other is transparent and less dense. It is therefore possible to estimate the age of the individual by extrapolating the number of layers identified and the estimated frequency with which the deposits are laid down.
Beluga whale | Longevity
Petersburg, Russia); Iceland Husavik Museum (Húsavík, Iceland), the Museum of South-East Sulawesi (Kendari, Indonesia), the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (Wellington, New Zealand) and the Marine Science Museum at Tokai University (Tokyo, Japan). Skulls are kept in the Paris Museum of Paleontology (France), Phan Tiet City, Vietnam, and the Regional Museum of Ancud (Chile). The Göteborg Natural History Museum (Sweden) contains the only taxidermized blue whale in the world, a 52 ft (16 m) juvenile killed after stranding alive in 1865, with its skeleton mounted beside the mount.
Blue whale | Museum specimens
The last gray whale, J.J., beached itself in Marina del Rey, California, where it was rushed to SeaWorld San Diego and, after 14 months, was released because it got too big to take care of. Reaching and , J.J. was the largest creature to be kept in captivity. The Mito Aquarium in Numazu, Shizuoka, Japan, housed three minke whales in the nearby bay enclosed by nets. One survived for three months, another (a calf) survived for two weeks, and another was kept for over a month before breaking through the nets.
Baleen whale | In captivity
Infants may also have fewer cerata. The lifespan of nudibranchs can range from a few weeks to a year, depending on the species.
Nudibranch | Lifecycle
Adult males can also have long white ‘scratch’ scars. Males reach at least 4.4 m (14 ft 5 in) and 800 kg (1,800 lb), whereas females reach at least 4.6 m (15') and 1 tonne (2200 pounds). Juveniles are 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) long when born and weigh 60 kg (130 lb). No data on lifespan is available.
Blainville's beaked whale | Description
Most cetaceans sexually mature at seven to 10 years. An exception to this is the La Plata dolphin, which is sexually mature at two years, but lives only to about 20. The sperm whale reaches sexual maturity within about 20 years and a lifespan between 50 and 100 years. For most species, reproduction is seasonal. Ovulation coincides with male fertility. This cycle is usually coupled with seasonal movements that can be observed in many species. Most toothed whales have no fixed bonds. In many species, females choose several partners during a season. Baleen whales are largely monogamous within each reproductive period.
Cetacea | Reproduction and brooding
It reaches maturity at between three and eight years, and lives for more than ten years.
Acropora kimbeensis | Description
The feces are collected in nets and DNA is separated, individually identified, and matched with known species. The whale competes for food against clupeid fish (herring and its relatives), basking sharks, and right whales. In the North Atlantic, it feeds primarily on calanoid copepods, specifically "Calanus finmarchicus", with a secondary preference for euphausiids, in particular "Meganyctiphanes norvegica" and "Thysanoessa inermis". In the North Pacific, it feeds on similar zooplankton, including the copepod species "Neocalanus cristatus", "N. plumchrus", and "Calanus pacificus", and euphausiid species "Euphausia pacifica", "E. similis", "Thysanoessa inermis", "T. longipes", "T. gregaria" and "T. spinifera". In addition, it eats larger organisms, such as the Japanese flying squid, "Todarodes pacificus pacificus", and small fish, including anchovies ("Engraulis japonicus" and "E.
Sei whale | Feeding
The tip of the penis, which tapers toward the end, is called the "pars intrapraeputialis" or "terminal cone". The blue whale has the largest penis of any organism on the planet, typically measuring . Accurate measurements of the blue whale are difficult to take because the whale's erect length can only be observed during mating. The penis on a right whale can be up to – the testes, at up to in length, in diameter, and weighing up to , are also the largest of any animal on Earth.
Baleen whale | Reproduction and development
The maximum lifespan is 12 and 14 years for males and females respectively.
Lobed stingaree | Biology and ecology
As the largest animal alive, the blue whale has the largest instance of several body parts.
Largest body part | Blue whale
The species has depleted its storage of energy from the egg at 3 days old, with a series of transformations including coiling of the gut and fin formation occurring before flexion at 26 days of age. Digestive enzymes active from hatching to 30 days old show an apparent shift from carbohydrate utilisation to protein and lipid utilisation as the larvae grows older. Measurements from juveniles in Hawaii indicate the fish is around 70 mm by 100 days and 130 mm by 200 days. Otolith data fitted to the von Bertalanffy growth curve shows the species grows to 194 mm in its first year, 340 mm in the second and 456 mm in the third year.
Bluefin trevally | Life history
Whales are fully aquatic, open ocean creatures, and feed, mate, give birth, suckle and raise their young at sea. Whales range in size from the and dwarf sperm whale to the and blue whale, which is the largest known creature that has ever lived. The sperm whale is the largest toothed predator on earth. Several species exhibit sexual dimorphism, in that the females are larger than males. Baleen whales have no teeth; instead they have plates of baleen, a fringe-like structure used to expel water while retaining the krill and plankton which they feed on. They use their throat pleats to expand the mouth to take in huge gulps of water.
Whale | Introduction
The species is native to Canada, Greenland, Iceland and United States. The species has an average lifespan between 1–1.5 years in which most live less than a year. The location of the fishery of the squid is mainly in Mid-Atlantic Bight from between summer and fall.
Illex illecebrosus | Introduction
Some high-latitude species of krill can live for more than six years (e.g., "Euphausia superba"); others, such as the mid-latitude species "Euphausia pacifica", live for only two years. Subtropical or tropical species' longevity is still shorter, e.g., "Nyctiphanes simplex", which usually lives for only six to eight months.
Krill | Lifespan
Shark lifespans vary by species. Most live 20 to 30 years. The spiny dogfish has one of the longest lifespans at more than 100 years. Whale sharks ("Rhincodon typus") may also live over 100 years. Earlier estimates suggested the Greenland shark ("Somniosus microcephalus") could reach about 200 years, but a recent study found that a specimen was 392 ± 120 years old (i.e., at least 272 years old), making it the longest-lived vertebrate known.
Shark | Life history
The average lifespan of the blue-headed vireo in the wild has been measured to be approximately 7 years and 5 months.
Blue-headed vireo | Description
Humpback whales have a vertical throat roughly the size of a grapefruit. They cannot physically swallow anything larger than that. They are carnivores and primarily feed on small fish such as krill, juvenile salmon, and herring. They are also baleen whales, which means that they do not have teeth, so they must be able to eat things that they can swallow whole. They have several vertical grooves running down the length of their body so that they can hold large volumes of water and fish at one time. They feed for up to twenty-two hours a day, taking in anywhere from 4,400-5,500 pounds of food per day.
Bubble-net feeding | Diet
After 14 months, she was released because she also grew too large to be cared for in the existing facilities. At and when she was released, J.J. was the largest marine mammal ever to be kept in captivity.
Gray whale | Captivity