BLUE WHALE

Balaenoptera musculus

Blue whales are the largest animals in the world.  They can easily be detected from a great distance because of the strong vertical blow reaching up to 12 m high (their lung capacity is about 5,000 liters). The heart alone is the size of a small car, and the tongue can weigh up to 4 tonnes.

Under bright light, this species can appear bluish, but usually they appear more grey which can cause them to be mistaken with other baleen whales. The main distinguishing features are the relatively small dorsal fin, the broad U-shaped head, and the mottled skin.

Blue whales feed almost exclusively on krill in polar waters during summer months. In general, in winter they go to warmer waters to breed and give birth. In the Azores, blue whales are mostly seen in the spring, during their annual migration.

They are usually seen alone or in pairs and we have seen them feeding on krill as they pass. The blue whales that pass by the Azores spend the summer months feeding around Iceland and Norway and it is not yet known where they spend the winter months.

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