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Balaenoptera musculus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Blue whale| Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050 |
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| This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed. |
| Balaenoptera musculus AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF OBIS |
Classification / Names Populärnamn | synonymer | CoL | ITIS | WoRMS
Mammalia | Cetartiodactyla | Balaenopteridae
Environment: milieu / climate zone / djupintervall / distribution range Ekologi
Pelagiska; havsvandrande (Ref. 75906); djupintervall 80 - 500 m (Ref. 1005). Polar; 90°N - 90°S, 180°W - 180°E
Distribution Länder | FAO områden | Ekosystem | Förekomster | Utplanteringar
North Atlantic and North Pacific: Balaenoptera musculus musculus.
North Atlantic [IUCN 2010 (Ref. 84930): VU, D1] and North Pacific [IUCN 2010 (Ref. 84930): LR/cd.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Könsmognad: Lm ? range ? - ? cm Max length : 3,300 cm TL hane/ej könsbestämd; (Ref. 99323); publicerad maxvikt: 160.0 t (Ref. 1394)
The largest whales of the world's oceans. They can be seen from the equator to the pack ice edges in both hemispheres, with most poleward intrusions in both hemispheres in summer. Some are resident, others are migratory. Feeds on krill (Ref. 1394). Feeds at depths less than 100 m (Ref. 1005). From the time faster catcher boats and explosive harpoons made them catchable, blue whales were hunted relentlessly from the late 19th through the mid 20th centuries. As the largest whales, they were the most sought after of the rorquals. Although most populations remain well below pre-exploitation levels, some stocks (such as those that feed off California) have shown encouraging signs of recovery since protection by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in 1965. At least in the eastern North Atlantic and the eastern North Pacific, numbers appear to be on the rise (Ref. 1394). In general, they occur in coastal, shelf, and oceanic waters (Ref. 122680). They can be seen from the equator to the pack ice edges in both hemispheres, with most poleward intrusions in both hemispheres in summer. Some are resident, others are migratory (Ref. 1394). Known as 'gulpers,' feeding in separate events, often lunging at large schools of fish (Ref. 122680). Feeds on krill (Ref. 1394). Feeds at depths less than 100 m (Ref. 1005).
Life cycle and mating behavior Könsmognad | Reproduktion | Lek | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Main reference
referenser | Koordinator | Medarbetare
Jefferson, T.A., S. Leatherwood and M.A. Webber 1993 FAO species Identification Guide: Marine Mammals of the World. Rome, FAO. 320 p. + 587 figures. (Ref. 1394)
IUCN Red List Status
(Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
Endangered (EN) (A1abd); Date assessed: 16 March 2018
CITES status (Ref. 108899)
Appendix I: International trade banned
CMS (Ref. 116361)
Appendix I: Endangered migratory species
Threat to humans
Human uses
Fiskeri: kommersiell
FAO - fiskeri: landings, species profile | FishSource | Sea Around Us
Verktyg
Ytterligare information
Trophic Ecology
Ekologi
Population dynamics
Tillväxt
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Abundans
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Abundans
Life cycle
Distribution
Physiology
Syreförbrukning
Human Related
Stamps, coins, misc.
Outreach
Taxonomy
referenser
Internet-källor
BHL | BOLD Systems | CISTI | DiscoverLife | FAO(fiskeri: species profile; publication : search) | Fishipedia | GenBank (genome, nucleotide) | GloBI | Gomexsi | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | PubMed | Tree of Life | Wikipedia (Go, sök) | Zoological Record
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature
(Ref. 115969): 0.2 - 3.3, mean 1.6 (based on 32832 cells).
Resiliens
(Ref. 69278):
Låg, lägsta populationsfördubblingstid 4,5-14 år (K=0.08-0.09; tm=11).
Price category
(Ref. 80766):
Unknown.