The blue whale is one of the largest animals ever to have lived on earth. It is almost as long as a Boeing 737 and is the largest of all cetaceans.

Brief Description:

• Typical full-grown length: 25-26 meters (about 82-85 feet)

• Color: bluish-gray with grayish white patches

• Shape of head: broad and nearly U-shaped when viewed from above

• Dorsal (back): small triangular dorsal fin (about 1 ft. high), located in the last 1/3 of its back

• Tail movement: occasionally raised before a long dive

• Habitat: from tropical to subarctic seas

Feeding, behavior and interesting facts:

Blue whales feed almost exclusively on krill (a small shrimplike crustacean) and pelagic red crabs. Whenever they spend an extended period of time in a given area, it is usually due to an ample supply of these organisms. Blue whales usually occur singly or in pairs; but large groups (40 or more) have been spotted in areas where prey are abundant--particularly off of Mexico.

Blue whales can be seen off the west coast of Baja California from about February through July. Peak numbers have been reported there in April. They appear in the area again in October, but have not been reported between November and January. They are seen fairly frequently off Southern California from June through December. Encounters have been most numerous during July through October. Many of the blue whales appear to be migrating northward just outside the Channel Islands. Catches of blue whales from British Columbia shore stations peaked in June and September, suggesting a northward movement past Vancouver Island in spring and a southward shift in autumn.

There are few reliable data on the abundance of blue whales. Scientists have estimated that around the turn of the century, there were some 4,500 to 5,000 blue whales in the North Pacific. Because they were not exploited (by whalers) prior to the beginning of the 20th century, it is reasonable to suppose that the populations were healthy at that point. In the years between 1910 and 1973, approximately 360,000 blue whales were killed worldwide. Though the vast majority of them were killed in the Antarctic, there were significant catches elsewhere, including 8,200 in the North Pacific. Most of those 8,200 were taken from areas between Japan and Kamchatka and along the south side of the Aleutians. But there were substantial removals from the northeast Pacific as well.

By the time blue whales were protected in 1966, their populations were significantly depressed and there was concern about their numbers recovering. In 1984 it was estimated that there were between 1,400 and 1,900 blue whales in the North Pacific, mostly on the eastern side. It was also reported that the eastern North Pacific population was growing at an unknown rate. This growth has resulted in progressively more sightings of blue whales each year off California (latest estimate: 2,134 near California in 1995).

For a better look at a Blue Whale, take a look at this unfortunate Blue found beached on the shore of one of the Channel Islands.