My Science School

          Blue whales, as most of us know, are the largest animals that ever existed on Earth. They are incredibly huge and weigh as much as 150,000 kg, which is almost equivalent to the weight of 30  elephants!

          Blue whales are known to be found worldwide. Larger individuals grow up to 33.5 metres in length. Typically, they have long bodies with mottled gray colour patterns that appear to be light blue when seen through water. Krills, a kind of Small crustacean, form the major diet of blue whales. These marine animals can eat about four tonnes of krills every day.

          There are numerous other interesting facts about blue whales, but the saddest one is that they are endangered. The animals were almost extinct at a point, when the International Whaling Commission declared them a protected species in 1966.

          The main threat then was commercial whaling, but today, it is climatic changes. The changes in marine environment have badly affected krills, and this in turn, has led to a fall in the blue whale population too. The presence of toxic substances in waters is another factor contributing to this.

Picture credit:  google