The Blue Whale’s Sexual Reproduction

1. The Blue Whale’s Sexual Reproduction

2. Offspring • Called “Calf's” • Produce one calf at a time. • Weighs 5,000 to 6,000 pounds when born • Around 7 Meters long • Rarely produces twins, (1% of births) but when she does one has to die because she can only care for one at a time • After 30 minutes of being born, calf can swim. • Calf stays with mother for about a year or longer • Calf's drink 50-200 pound of milk each day • Gains 10 ponds an hour from the milk • Calf's are born in late fall and winter

3. How they mate. • Blue whale mating occurs mostly in the winter to early spring while near the surface and in warm waters • The gestation period is about 11-12 months • Blue whales are like all mammals they have sexual intercourse to have a baby

4. Life span • 80-90 years • The oldest whale that was found was 110 years old. • Blue whales reach sexual maturity in 10 years • Blue Whales live in the ocean: in the Antarctic, the North Pacific, and North Atlantic • Scientists believe there is the most food for the blue whale in the Atlantic

5. Interesting facts • Largest Mammals • They can grow up to a 100 feet • They can weight up to 200 tons • They're tongue weights about as much as an elephant • Scientific name is balenaeoptera musclus which means “winged whale” • Their spray from their blowhole can spray as high as a 3 story building • Eat about 4 tons of krill a day

6. References • http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/blue-whale/ • http://www.bluewhales.org/ • http://www.whaleroute.com/migrate/ • http://www.blue-whale.info/Reproduction_of_Blue_whale.html • http://luna.pos.to/whale/jwa_v10_kato.html • http://www.acsonline.org/factpack/bluewhl.htm • And Google Images