They are most commonly seen along continental shelves and ice fronts, but sightings have been reported in the deep ocean and in shallow inshore regions. Blue whales migrate often, which means they move from place to place many times throughout their lives. They like to spend the winters in temperate and subtropical regions, migrating to the polar regions in the spring and summer.
The whales in the North Atlantic migrate to the Arctic during the summer and spring seasons. In the southern hemisphere, blue whales can be found migrating throughout Antarctica, although not much is known about the migration routes from the feeding grounds to the breeding grounds. Blue whales have long and streamlined bodies with the head making up a fourth of its body length.
The head region is broad and U-shaped. Blue whales do not have teeth. Instead, they have - plates of baleen on either side of their jaw. Baleen look like long thin teeth placed very close to one another. They are used to catch small animals swimming in the water, which the whale eats. Learn more vessel strikes and marine mammals.
We work with volunteer networks in all coastal states to respond to marine mammal strandings including all whales. When stranded animals are found dead, our scientists work to understand and investigate the cause of death. Although the cause often remains unknown, scientists can sometimes attribute strandings to disease, harmful algal blooms, vessel strikes, fishing gear entanglements, pollution exposure, and underwater noise. Some strandings can serve as indicators of ocean health, giving insight into larger environmental issues that may also have implications for human health and welfare.
Blue whales have been part of a declared unusual mortality event in the past. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act , an unusual mortality event is defined as "a stranding that is unexpected; involves a significant die-off of any marine mammal population; and demands immediate response.
Get information on active and past UMEs. Get an overview of marine mammal UMEs. Noise pollution can threaten whale populations, interrupting their normal behavior and driving them away from areas important to their survival. NOAA Fisheries is investigating all aspects of acoustic communication and hearing in marine animals, as well as the effects of sound on whale behavior and hearing. Learn more about ocean noise. The blue whale is listed as endangered throughout its range under the ESA and is thus considered depleted throughout its range under the MMPA.
Internationally, blue whales received complete legal protection from commercial whaling in under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. NOAA Fisheries conducts various research activities on the biology, behavior, and ecology of blue whales. The results of this research are used to inform management decisions and enhance recovery efforts for this endangered species.
Scientists working on the WhaleWatch project are using advanced technologies to predict where blue whales are likely to be in near real-time off the U. West Coast. This near real-time information helps reduce human effects on whales by providing information on where the whales occur and hence where whales may be most at risk from threats such as vessel strikes, entanglements, and underwater noise.
Scientists developed habitat-based model estimates of whale occurrence that combine satellite tracking of whales with information on the environment. Learn more about the WhaleWatch project. Determining the size of the blue whale population—and whether it is increasing or decreasing—helps resource managers assess the success of the conservation measures enacted.
NOAA Fisheries scientists collect population information on blue whales from various sources and present these data in annual stock assessment reports. Information from this research is used in management actions that protect the blue whale and reduce human-related deaths.
Learn more about acoustic science. Large whale interaction and entanglement with gear in the ocean poses a major threat to animals…. This mapping tool shows when and where specific whale, dolphin, and other cetacean species were…. This resource features passive acoustic sound clips of many amazing marine mammals that can be…. Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus. Throughout Its Range. MMPA Protected. MMPA Depleted. Quick Facts Weight. Estimated at around 80 to 90 years.
Entanglement in fishing gear, Ocean noise, Vessel strikes. See Regulatory Actions. Blue whale swimming in the ocean. Vessel Strikes Vessel strikes can injure or kill blue whales. Entanglement in Fishing Gear Blue whales can become entangled in fishing gear, either swimming off with the gear attached or becoming anchored. Additional Threats Additional possible threats to blue whales that are less understood include ocean noise , habitat degradation, pollution, vessel disturbance, and climate change.
Our work strives to protect blue whales by: Reducing vessel strikes Responding to dead, injured, or entangled blue whales Reducing the effects from ocean noise. Science Our research projects have helped us better understand blue whales and the challenges they face. This animal is the largest ever known to have lived on this planet—you would think that you would notice when it came through! However, despite their massive size and weight, blue whales and their travel patterns remain largely a mystery to scientists all over the world.
Much like some of their smaller counterparts in the animal kingdom , blue whales migrate seasonally in search of food and possibly calving and nursing areas. While the search for breeding grounds is a common impetus for migration in many other animal species, scientists do not yet know when or where blue whales mate. Many females give birth in the warm waters of the southernmost leg of their journey, but research has not yet delivered a clear picture of the larger trends in blue whale reproduction.
In winter, blue whales are commonly found in warm, tropical waters to breed and give birth and in Summer they commonly live in cool, polar waters to feed. Most Blue Whales are migratory and during their migration travel thousands of Kilometres annually between their winter breeding grounds and the tropics where they mate and give birth. During blue whale migration, back to the tropics for the winter months they are segregated by sex and age.
The older and pregnant whales migrate first while the immature whales bring up the rear. Amid this migration back to the tropics, they eat virtually nothing for at least 4 months and live on their bodies reserves. Females give birth in tropical waters because the baby whales only have a thin layer of blubber to keep them warm. Females give birth to a single calf about 7m long and weighing 2.
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