Blue Whale
Balaenoptera Musculus, or the blue whale, is the largest mammal in the world. This enormous mammal can grow to be 110 feet long and weigh as much as 190 tons. That's longer than two city buses and the total weight of 30 elephants. This giant is powered by a heart the size of a taxi-cab. The blue whale's of the Antarctic grow larger than those of the Northern Hemisphere. Also, the females tend to be slightly larger than the males of the same age. These mammals are bluish-gray in color, with some paler spots. Algae tends to accumulate on their bellies causing a yellowish or mustard color. It has a mottled appearance with a broad, flattened U-shaped head. Fifty to ninety throat grooves run from the mouth to the belly. Instead of teeth, blue whales have 270 to 400 black baleen plates on each side of their mouths. These plates are about forty inches long and twenty-two inches wide. The blue whale has a tiny, stubby dorsal fin set far back on its body. It has a 20 foot wide, slightly notched, triangular flukes, which is propelled by an extremely thick tail stock. The flippers on this creature are long and slender, and are about one-seventh of the whale's body length. The blue whale's most prominent fea
Whalers hunted the whales for their blubber. The blubber was boiled to remove the whale oil. The oil was than used in soap, tallow, glycerin, edible fats, machine oil, and fine grease. It was also used for tanning, waterproofing, chamois leather, and paint oils. The whale meat was eaten in the Mediterranean and the Far East. They also extracted glue and gelatin from the tissues, Vitamin A from the liver, insulin from the pancreas, and ACTH from the pituitary gland. The whales giant lower jawbone was used as an arch to support the roof of homes for the Eskimos and other hunters. Bones and teeth provided materials for their weapons, tools, and household utensils. The movement to save the world's whales began more than 30 years ago when scientists began to understand whale behavior. Biologists believe that the blue whale is finally on the rebound, in at least one corner of the world's oceans. During a 1991 ship survey off the coast of California, it was reported that there was a dramatic increase in the number of blue whales. They believe that there are more than 2,050 blue whales feeding in the Pacific Ocean off California alone. This is up from the 1974 estimate of 1600 blue whales. Scientists assume that the population of blues now feeding off California migrates south to warmer waters off Baja or Mexico, during winter. The blue whale was listed as endangered as soon as the U.S. Endangered Species Act took effect in 1973. At this time there is not too much known about the blue whale's behavior. Blowing and diving patterns vary according to the whale's activity. The blue whale blows every ten to twenty seconds for a total of two to six minutes, when relaxed, and then dives. They usually stay submerged for five to twenty minutes, but can stay under for up to 40 minutes. Blue whale's usually dive to around 490 feet, but can go deeper if need be. When swimming slowly, the whale rises at a shallow angle. He blows as soon as the head begins to brake the surface. The head disappears below the surface and a long expanse of the back rolls into view. The dorsal fin normally appears some time after the blow has dispersed and the head has disappeared. The dorsal fin is visible only briefly before the whale arches its back in preparation for the dive. Sometimes the whale arches its tail stock, but often simply sinks below the surface. Blue whales feed exclusively on krill and zooplankton. The eat about eight tons of krill a day. The whale gulps its food in
Some common words found in the essay are:
Northern Hemisphere, Ocean Blue, North Pacific, Species Act, Antarctic Oceans, Mediterranean East, Balaenoptera Musculus, blue whale, Ocean California, blue whales, Baja Mexico, Southern Hemisphere, blue whale's, dorsal fin, atlantic north pacific, world's oceans, warm waters, throat grooves, sea soup, whale arches, warm waters tropics, north atlantic north, winter blue whale, waters tropics,
Approximate Word count = 1682
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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