White and blue whales: sizes. The largest whale: dimensions

Scientists have advanced the theory that the ancestors of whales were mammals, previously inhabited on land. The structure of the skeleton of these living animals in the sea is a confirmation of this hypothesis. They are not like fish, as they do not spawn, they do not breathe with gills, their cubs are born fully formed and are fed by mother's milk. What are the whales? The size of some members of this squad is impressive. Consider them.

The largest whale

According to some data, the dimensions of the largest giant were: a body length of about 34 meters and a weight of 180 tons. Blue, or, as it is also called, the blue whale, by classification belongs to mammalian vertebrate animals. On average, representatives of this species grow to 30 meters. They weigh about 150 tons.

The sizes of whales (photo) of other species are more modest. For example, a toothy sperm whale has a body length of about twenty meters, and a killer whale - no more than ten. Cetaceans include dolphins. The size of these mammals is even less. The largest dolphin rarely grows longer than three meters.

Many people consider whales to be big fish. In fact, this is an erroneous opinion. Similar in them only the general structure of the body and the environment. Significant differences are in the nervous activity, blood circulation, skeleton structure, skin. Reproduction of the offspring and its rearing is the same as that of land mammals.

Whales: sizes and varieties

Scientists divide representatives of these mammals into two suborders. They differ significantly in a way of life and nutrition. One group is baleen whales, the other is toothed. The names already include the characteristics of their way of life.

Moustached whales are peaceful animals. They feed on plankton and mollusks, filtering them out of the water column through the plates of the whalebone. Most of them in the adult state have a body length of more than ten meters. Species features of representatives of this suborder and way of life differ little.

Toothed whales are predators. Their food is fish and other mammals. This suborder is more diverse. Most representatives have body sizes up to ten meters. There are such families: oceanic and river dolphins, sperm whales, beaks. In them, in turn, there are divisions in the subfamilies and genera, depending on the characteristics of the lifestyle and habitat.

Belukha

In the suborder of toothed whales, there are representatives of a distinctive skin color. She's white. Hence the name - beluga. Animals belong to the family Narwhale. The size of a white whale is up to six meters. The weight of adult males reaches two tons. For comparison: approximately the same size has a newborn baby of a blue mustachioed whale.

Belukha lives up to forty years. It hunts for schooling fish, crustaceans and mollusks. Inhabits the northern latitudes. Features of the species: a thick layer of epidermis and fat, protecting from hypothermia, a "shiny" head and short pectoral fins of an oval shape.

The specific color of beluga has not since birth. The cubs are born in dark blue. At the age of one year they become lighter and become grayish in color. And only after three years (more often to five years) they acquire a characteristic white color.

Despite the fact that this is a large animal, another whale-like representative of the whales can hunt on the beluga whale. Polar bears can also pose a threat to them. This happens when the beluga whales are trapped in polynyas with dense ice. They can not stay under water for a long time, since they breathe air every two minutes.

Blue whale

This is the largest animal on the planet. Scientists distinguish three types. Two of them: northern and southern - live in different latitudes. The third representative is a dwarf blue whale. Its dimensions are much more modest. The adult reaches only the weight of the cub of his usual colleague. Dwarf blue whales are quite rare and are found only in the southern seas.

Big animals are big. The size of the whale's heart is comparable to a medium-sized car, it can weigh up to 700 kg. This is not surprising, because this body constantly pumps up to 10 tons of blood. The diameter of the giant's artery is 40 cm, and a child can easily climb through it. The language weighs up to three tons. The whale pushes through its shoulders large volumes of water from the mouth, the area of which is more than twenty square meters.

Features

The color of the blue whales is actually gray. But if you look at them through the water column, it seems as if they have a bluish tinge. The sense of smell, taste and vision of these giants are poorly developed. But they hear well. Communication is carried out by the transmission of ultrasonic signals, and orientation in space - using echolocation.

Is a blue whale dangerous to humans? The dimensions of these animals are enormous by our standards. However, they can not eat a man. They have other preferences in food. The diameter of the pharynx is only 10 cm. This is sufficient for the passage of plankton, small fishes, crustaceans and mollusks. The only harm that a blue whale can cause is by chance, upon ascent, to turn over the vessel, which will be from it in the immediate vicinity.

Cetaceans breathe atmospheric air. They should from time to time rise to the surface for another portion of oxygen. In normal condition, the blue whale is submerged for 10-15 minutes. Upon ascent during exhalation, a characteristic fountain of water appears.

Habitat and lifestyle

Do blue whales have enemies? Dimensions, as it turns out, do not save even the largest animals on the planet from attacking killer whales. These hungry relatives, straying into packs, can attack even a thirty-meter giant. They tear off pieces of meat from the body of the whale. Serious wounds can cause death. There were facts when carcasses of blue whales with characteristic damages from the teeth of killer whales were found thrown ashore. These giants, despite their size and weight, quite often jump out of the water. It is believed that so animals are trying to get rid of parasites on their body of mollusks and crustaceans.

The habitat of whales is extensive. Scientists do not have enough opportunities to track all their movements. It is established that, depending on the season, blue whales migrate in search of food and optimal conditions. According to other observations, some animals are constantly in the equatorial part of the Pacific Ocean.

It is believed that the life expectancy of blue whales can reach hundreds of years. They are loners. Only sometimes they gather in small groups during seasonal migrations. The mother feeds the cubs for at least six months. For a day growing "baby", weighing up to ten tons, can drink 600 liters of mother's milk.

Population and commercial catches

Scientists suggest that before the beginning of active whaling in the waters of the World Ocean, there were at least 250,000 individuals of the world's largest animals. To date, according to the most optimistic forecasts, there are no more than 10 thousand.

What value does a man have for whales? The body size of these animals is large by trade standards. With one carcass the whalers received not only meat, but also fat and whalebone. Meat is still popular in Japan, and it is not surprising that fishing there is most active.

The population of blue whales has decreased significantly. Over the past decades, a large number of adults have been destroyed. Female whales reach puberty in ten years. Once in two years they can give offspring. But the situation is such that most of the youngsters become victims of fishing, and have not reached their maturity.

To date, blue whales are protected. They are listed in the Red Book. But a person and the consequences of his activities related to environmental pollution still pose a serious threat to the entire population.