10 Colossal Facts About Blue Whales

by Unbelievable Facts7 years ago
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6 At an average of 2.4 meters, Blue Whales have the largest penis in the animal kingdom and their single ejaculation contains 20 liters of sperm.

Blue Whale Penis
Image Source: aquatic-human-ancestor

The penises of blue whales vary between average lengths of 2.4 meters (7 feet 10 inches) and 3 meters (9 feet 10 inches). Considering its length, their penises are very thin with diameters between 30 to 36 centimeters (12 to 14 inches) and the circumference around 46 centimeters (18 inches). The penis is usually hidden inside the body and comes out during sexual intercourse. It is speculated that it is made of tough fibrous tissue and uses its elasticity rather than blood flow for erection.(1, 2)

7 Compared to other body parts, the brain of blue whales is very small and weighs only 6.92 kilograms, that’s 0.007 percent of its body weight.

Blue Whale Brain Vs. Human Brain
Image Source: Dean Page/flickr

Compared to humans or many other animals, the brain of blue whales is proportionately small. However, it still is much larger than humans, and scientists believe that cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) are probably a lot smarter than we give them credit for. The difference between cetaceans and primates is that, for primates the primary sense is visual and the primary means of communication is auditory, whereas in cetaceans both are auditory.

The auditory abilities of cetaceans are so advanced that they can send images and receive images through auditory communication. Since, unlike light, flesh cannot block sound, it is possible that they could use them like sonars and even be aware of the inner workings of other animals the way we use sound for medical scanning.

With such advanced ability for communication and frontal lobes so large, they also possibly have developed their own language far advanced than our own. In fact, cetaceans can give and receive 20 times more information than we can through hearing and seeing.(1, 2)

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8 Once there were around 239,000 blue whales in Antarctica alone. After the invention of explosive harpoons in 1864 they were driven to near extinction in 20th century. Now there are only 10,000 to 25,000 of them worldwide.

Blue Whale and Whaling Men
Image Source: Frank Hurley/NLA

Catching blue whales was as good as an impossible task in the past because of their size, strength and speed. Even if someone could manage to kill one, towing it to the shore had never worked out. So, instead, sperm whales and right whales were hunted until 1864 when a Norwegian named Svend Foyn equipped his steamboat with explosive harpoons. During the 1870s he perfected the harpoon by installing a grenade tip that would explode inside the whale after impaling it. The explosion would fill the whale with gas to keep it afloat, making it easier for transport.

The invention heralded a whole century of successful whaling, hunting down the blue whales that were once abundant in nearly all oceans. Until then, the largest population was in the Antarctic, estimated between 202,000 and 311,000. During the 20th century, 363,000 blue whales were caught in the Southern Hemisphere and 15,200 in the Northern Hemisphere, leaving only 360 in the Antarctic, that is 0.15 percent of their original numbers.

By 1966, whaling was banned by the International Whaling Commission and by the 1970s the Soviet Union also stopped hunting. The conservation efforts have managed to help whale population worldwide, though there are other threats, including global warming which could affect their food source or collisions with ships which are often fatal.(1, 2)

9 Blue whales are solitary creatures. Unlike other baleen whales, blue whales travel either by themselves or in pairs, rather than in groups.

Solitary Blue Whales
Image Source: reference

Blue whales are usually found traveling alone or in pairs of mother and calf, or two adults. Even when they travel in pairs, they sometimes stay several kilometers apart and so are considered extremely shy creatures. If they do come together in groups, it is at specific times to feed. As many as 50 scattered over a small area of the sea have been seen in locations with high concentrations of food.(1, 2)

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10 Blue whales are the loudest animals in the world. They can hear each others calls up to 1,000 miles away.

Being solitary in nature, the blue whales have developed an exceptional communication system. Their calls are at low frequencies, below human hearing, and can travel through hundreds of miles in the sea in order to reach another far-off companion. However, scientists believe that recently the distance at which they could hear the call has decreased to only 100 miles due to the din of shipping traffic and noise pollution. Until 1940, the distance used to be 1,000 miles.

Scientists have also found a baffling change in the sound frequency of their calls. Recent recordings have shown that the frequencies have been decreasing by a few fractions of a hertz every year. It is yet a mystery because, if the blue whales are finding it difficult to be heard, their best bet is to increase the frequency rather than decrease it.(1, 2)

And here is a small video clip about blue whales narrated by the wonderful David Attenborough.

Also Read:
15 Incredible Facts About Whales And Dolphins That’ll Leave You Bamboozled!

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