![]() ![]() This unpredictable movement leads to an increase in deer-related vehicle crashes. While males pursue prospective mates throughout the season, they often encounter females that are not yet willing to breed, which can result in pursuits where deer will dart into roadways with little caution. This is due in large part to the fall breeding season. ![]() The population has since recovered, but there are probably less than 10,000 alive today they are now protected.According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), deer become visibly active from late October through November. Antarctic whalers slaughtered 30,000 blue whales from 1930 to 1931. Its body was a source of oil and the baleen was used to make women's corsets. its great size, the blue whale was a prime target for the whaling industry.The spout of pressurized steam that rises into the air is one way to recognize their presence. Above right: Whales come to the surface to breathe. Rising from the depths, the whale feeds by collecting a large amount of seawater in its mouth and then straining out the plankton (see back page). It can dive to depths of 1650 feet and lie submerged for up to 2 hours. But it catches most of its food by diving. In spite of its bulk, the blue whale can reach speeds of 10-1 5 knots. Plankton is up to twenty times more abundant in the Arctic and Antarctic than it is in the warm waters of the tropics. Icy water contains more oxygen and carbon dioxide than warm water, which makes it rich in marine life. In Arctic waters, they feed on only three species of crustacean (shelled) plankton. In the Antarctic, blue whales feed on vast quantities of a plankton called krill. But food in the tropics is scarce, so the whales depend on their thick layer of blubber for nourishment. ![]() In winter, the whales migrate to the warm waters of the tropics. Their time in the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans, where plankton is plentiful. ![]() Below: Mother and calf on their way to Arctic feeding grounds. At 7 months, it is able to catch its own food. The baby is suckled in the water, drinking more than 160 gallons of milk a day. At birth, the calf measures about 23 feet and weighs 16,000 pounds. Today, they spend most ofĬalled sulphur-bottom whales by sailors because their bodies became covered with algae. Millions of years ago, the richness of life in the sea lured them to water, and aquatic life gradually changed their physical characteristics. Like other marine mammals, blue whales are descended from early land animals. The mother gives birth to a single calf with the aid of other females, who help her deliver the calf and then nudge the newborn to the Mating takes place in the warm waters of the tropics, where the young are born. īlue whales form close ties with one another and are often seen in groups of two or four. The heaviest one recorded weighed 390,000 pounds. The biggest blue whale ever recorded was 102 feet long.They exhale air in a cloud of pressurized steam that rises straight up for about 20 feet. ©MCMXCI IMP BV/IMP INC WILDLIFE FACT FILETMĪlthough blue whales feed in deep water, they are still mammals, and must come to the surface to breathe. Having forced the water out of its mouth, the whale licks the plankton off with its fleshy tongue. Long bristles on the end of each plate hold the minute prey. The blue whale has approximately 320 baleen plates, measuring 40 inches long by 22 inches wide. Amazingly, it feeds on some of the smallest ocean life-plankton. The blue whole is the largest mammal ever to have lived on earth. The mouth and baleen work like a strainer, holding ''' ' up to 5 tons of water and p~nkton with each mouthful. T HE BLUE W HALE'S FEEDING SYSTEM Instead of teeth, the blue whale has a row of plates in its mouth, known as baleen, which functions as a food-collecting device. Still, it will take a century of protection before they are out of danger of extinction. brevicouda) are thought to live in the southern Indian Ocean.ĭISTRIBUTION Limited, scattered areas all around the world mainly based in Arctic and Antarctic waters.ĬONSERVATION Since 1986, commercial whaling has largely stopped, and blue whales now show signs of breeding success. Produces ultrasonic chirps and whistles when feeding. Mating: Most females breed only once every three years. Weight: 175,000-285,000 lb.īREEDING Sexual maturity: Males at a length of 74 ft. KEY FACTS SIZES Length: Males average 82 ft. ![]()
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