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Blue Whale ID Fact Sheet
Name: Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus)
Local Names: The Biggest Kind, Sulpher Bottom
SARA Status: Endangered
Size:
Adults are 21-28 metres long and weigh 90 - 109 tonnes; females are larger than males
Diet: Krill (a type of crustacean)
When you might see it:
year round, although they are more commonly seen during late winter to summer.
Where you might see it: has been seen in Placentia and Trinity Bays, but most sightings are along the south and west coast of the island.
Notes: This is the largest animal that has ever lived, and they are now rare in the Atlantic. They have a large blow that can be 10 metres tall, and the top of their snout is broad and flattened and not as pointed as the fin whale. A calf weighs 2.7 tonnes at birth and gains 90 kilograms per day on its mother's milk. Adults can consume 2-4 tonnes of krill per day, and have mottled body colouration as unique to each whale as a fingerprint.
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