Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus )
Family Balaenopteridae
Description: This enormous whale, named after the silvery blue sheen of its mottled skin, frequently exceeds 25m in length and may weigh well over 100 tonnes. It is probable that it is represented by the pygmy race of the species, the pygmy blue whale – a misleading name as individuals may still exceed 21m in length. A single ridge runs along the top of the broad head from the snout to the blowholes. The dorsal fin looks disproportionately small and is situated very far back on the body towards the tail – features that help to distinguish it from other baleen whales. The tail is often lifted on diving.
Habitat: A pelagic species that often enters shallow water regions.
Range: The blue whale’s range in the UAE, as evidenced by skeletons found along the coast and unconfirmed sightings, includes the Arabian Gulf and probably the Gulf of Oman..
Comments: The blue whale moves through the water with sleek grace, belying its gigantic mass, which equates to the mass of 30 bull elephants. With arteries large enough for a child to crawl along, even new-born calves can be seven metres long and may weigh more than 2.5 tonnes. On a diet of 600 litres of nutrient-rich milk a day, the blue whale calf grows rapidly, at a rate of over 500 kgs a week. After six or seven months the calf is weaned, but its habit of taking huge meals hardly dwindles. In the Southern Ocean, adult blue whales may swallow over four tonnes, (four million individuals) of their favourite food, the shrimp-like krill, every day. Today, the UAE’s blues are among less than 5,000 whales of this species in the northern hemisphere.