Facts about Blue Whales

Loudness

    Blue whales are also the Loudest animals on Earth! Their call reaches levels up to 188 decibels. This low-frequency whistle can be heard for hundreds of miles. The blue whale is louder than a jet, which reaches only 140 decibels! Human shouting is 70 decibels; sounds over 120 decibels are painful to human ears. Don't swim too close without earplugs!

Age and Gender Distribution

     The male to female ratio at birth and throughout most of the life cycle is about 1:1, which is not very ideal for an endangered species.

Mortality and Survival

     An estimate of the recent rate of increase of blue whale abundance in some regions of the North Atlantic yielded a result of 5.2% per year. The Maximum age estimates for blue whales range up to 80 - 90 years (Wilson & Ruff 1999).

Classification

     All blue whales are baleen whales. (Suborder Mysticeti) Blues are one of 76 cetacean species, and there are three subspecies of the Blue whale. All Blues are known in scientific circles as Balaenoptera musculus.  The translation of the blue whale's scientific name: "A Mouse-like finned whale." Many think the name was meant as a joke on their size, but actually, the skeletal structure of a Blue Whale does much resemble a mouses'.