Blue Whale.

Blue Whale. Class Mammalia Order Cetacea Family Balaenopteridae Genus Balaenoptera Species musculus Names male: bull female: cow young: calf group: pod Conservation Endangered due to hunting. Concerns Range Oceans throughout the world. Habitat Tropical waters in winter, arctic or antarctic latitudes in summer. Size Length: over 24 m (80 ft) Weight: about 150 metric tons Females tend to grow larger than males. Feeding Habits Blue whales are carnivores; they mainly eat small shrimp-like animals called krill. Blue whales use plates in their mouths, called baleen, to strain great quantities of krill from the water. Offspring After a gestation period of about 11 months, the female usually gives birth to one calf. Life Span Up to 100 years. Did You Know During the summer, a blue whale can eat about 40 million krill a day--about 3600 kg (7940 lb) of food. Blue whales are the largest animals of all time. A blue whale can spout water up to 9 meters (30 ft) high. A baby blue whale gains about 90 kg (200 lb) a day. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.