A baleen whale, the largest animal known to have ever existed: up to 30 m long and 200 tonnes. Its long, slender body is blue-grey above and paler below.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?Yes
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?In places
Protected: trading its meat is illegal, though blue–fin hybrid meat has turned up in Japanese markets.
At a glance
Found inOceans
HabitatOpen ocean
ColoursBlue, Grey
SizeHuge
LengthUp to 29.9–30.5 m
WeightUp to 190–200 t
LegsNone
Covered inSkin
Lives alone
Lives for80–90 years
Can swim
In the wild
- Where it lives
- All major oceans, in four subspecies.
- What it eats
- Krill.
- Conservation
- Endangered (IUCN Red List)
Did you know
The largest animal known to have ever lived, up to 30 m long.
Often confused with
- Humpback whale
Both are baleen rorquals; the blue whale is far longer and slimmer, without the humpback’s long flippers.
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