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Living species

Blue Whale

Balaenoptera musculus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Blue Whale, photo by Carina Gsottbauer
Photo: Carina Gsottbauer·source·CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxonomy

kingdom
Animalia
phylum
Chordata
class
Mammalia
order
Cetacea
family
Balaenopteridae
genus
Balaenoptera
species
Balaenoptera musculus

Where and when

Range
Oceans worldwide
Habitat
Open ocean, from polar feeding grounds to warm-water breeding areas.
Lived
Living today

Facts

  • Size: Largest animal known to have ever lived

    Source

  • Diet: Feeds almost exclusively on krill

    Source

  • Feeding: Strains huge volumes of seawater through baleen plates

    Source

  • Habitat: Wide-ranging marine species found across most of the world's oceans

    Source

  • Appearance: Long, slender body with a mottled blue-gray pattern that can identify individuals

    Source
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