The Blue Whale
Balaenoptera musculus
The Blue Whale is currently listed as ENDANGERED.
They are one of the most incredible animals, and do you know why? Blue Whales are the largest animals to have ever lived on our planet. Human beings can’t even wrap their heads around how big that actually is! One Blue Whale can equal almost 2,700 human beings, or 40 adult elephants. Isn’t that incredible? Whales are social, air breathing mammals that feed their babies just like we do - with their own milk! Are you ready to learn more about these amazing creatures?
Jack’s Brain Exercises, No Heavy Lifting Required!
Who doesn’t love a good crossword puzzle? Find key words all about The Blue Whale!
Do you love to color? Us too! Download our free Blue Whale coloring sheets and enjoy more fun with The Rowdy Bros!
Jack, Mack, and Zack are wondering what it would be like to be a Blue Whale. Can you help them unscramble the image below?
My home is wide and deep blue where giant creatures swim right through. A watery world vast and true. What am I?
I am gentle though massive in size, breaching waves under sunny skies. What am I?
I am a giant in the deep blue sea, the largest mammal in the world. That’s right, that’s me. What am I?
My body’s huge, my heart is grand. I’m the biggest mammal in the ocean and on land. What am I?
I navigate oceans using sonar and song, a life in pods where I belong. Who am I?
Riddle Me This
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Riddle Me This 〰️
Mack’s Quick Facts: Blue Whale Edition!
Mack LOVES facts, don’t you? It’s always fun to pull out some interesting facts that people might not know in conversation. Let’s learn together! 
Blue Whales have four chambered hearts
Just like us! An even cooler fact: ONE BEAT of their heart is so loud it can be heard 1.9 miles away with sonar equipment!Hey and speaking of their hearts….
The main artery of their hearts, the aorta, is SO BIG that a child could comfortably crawl or swim through it! Imagine your baby brother or sister crawling through a part of a whale’s body and not getting stuck. In the summer Blue Whales can eat up to 13,228 pounds of krill in ONE DAY
That’s A LOT of food! They’d need a pretty big mouth to eat all of that fish. So big in fact, that their mouths could house 100 people inside. I don't even know 100 people! Zack’s Interrogation Station ~
Boy do We have Questions for You!
Are Blue Whales Actually Blue?
1
No, Blue Whales are actually not blue! When they are out of the water their skin appears bluish-grey and speckled. They appear blue and bright in the water because of how sunlight filters into the ocean water.
How Big Are Blue Whales?
2
Blue Whales are the LARGEST animals to ever be on planet Earth! Females can weigh as much as 130 tons (that’s about 59 cars!), males can be about 20 tons less, and their babies can be almost 4,000 kilograms. If that wasn’t crazy enough, their hearts are so big (weighing almost 400lbs) and their tongues can weight as much as an elephant! They can grow more than 100 feet long!
How Long Do Blue Whales Live?
3
The oldest known Blue Whale lived 110 years, but the average life span is 90 years long.
Do Blue Whales Drink The Ocean Water?
4
Blue Whales do not use seawater as a source of hydration! They get their water primarily from moisture in their diets.
Where Can Blue Whales Be Found?
5
Blue Whales can be found in all oceans except for the Arctic Ocean!
6
How Much Food Do Blue Whales Eat?
Blue Whales LOVE krill! Their stomachs can hold 2,200 pounds at one time. They need about 9,000 pounds of krill per day and in the summer they consume almost 40 million.
How Do Blue Whales Communicate?
7
Blue Whales are super loud! The call of a Blue Whale reaches 180 decibels - do you know how loud that is? A plane reaches 140 in comparison. They can be heard by one another up to 1,000 miles away and can sense one another through an exceptional sense of hearing.
How Fast Do Blue Whales Swim?
8
Blue Whales enjoy swimming at leisurely paces of 3-5 miles per hour, but if they’re in danger they can reach 20-30 miles per hour for short bursts.
How Did Blue Whales Become Endangered?
9
Blue Whales have a large blubber reserve which can be processed into oil. This made whale hunting a very popular activity in the 20th century, killing more than 350,000 Blue Whales in less than sixty years. Whale hunting brought the Blue Whale to the brink of extinction in the 1960’s. Between whale hunting and human expansion into their natural habitats, they were officially listed as endangered in 1970.
How Can We Help Blue Whales from Going Extinct?
10
It’s important to understand what risks there are for extinction for Blue Whales. Making sure we tackle threats to their lives such as vessel strikes, ocean noise, and climate change. In whale-rich areas it’s important to have slow ship speeds. If you see a Blue Whale it’s important to report your sighting. Support clean energy initiatives, and of course do your best to reduce ocean pollution!
“But how do we use it?” Mack questioned, but Jack didn’t know either.
Jack picked the watch up again and turned it over in his hands, the beam of the sun coming through the window reflecting on the metal back. His head tilted to the side as he examined it closely, realizing that there was something carved into the back.
“Didici quantum discere potui,” he whispered to himself.
“Come again?” Mack said, startling Jack who had become oblivious to his surroundings.
“Didici quantum discere potui.” Jack repeated in his normal tone.
“Did you hit your head again?” Mack asked, reaching for the watch. “That’s not English.”
“No,” Jack started, pulling the watch closer so his brother couldn’t take it. “I don’t know what language that is, but it’s written on the back. What do you think it means?”
Read below for more! 
