A whale with a long, slender body and mottled blue-gray skin.
It mainly eats krill, taking them in with water and then pushing the water out through its baleen to retain the prey.
Blue whales engulf krill and water, then strain food through baleen. Their prey is unevenly distributed. Research off California combined ocean-surface flow information with animal tracking to examine how feeding related to places where currents converged.
Ten blue whales tracked off California in May–November during 2016–2020 used areas where surface currents converged more often than surrounding waters. Stronger convergence features were associated with more frequent feeding lunges.
Mottled body patterns differ among individuals. Surface identification and underwater feeding records offer complementary views of a whale’s life at sea.
US Endangered Species Act (ESA) · Endangered · Throughout its range
Vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing gear are major threats. NOAA studies abundance and distribution and works to reduce these risks.