Tracking Blue Whales: Migration of the Epic Ocean Giants
Modern GPS Tracking Technology assists our efforts in tracking the short-term migration patterns of Blue Whales in the Pacific Ocean
The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is truly a magnificent creature, weighing in at 150 metric tons or 300,000 pounds. The tongue of a blue whale alone rivals that of a full grown elephant. It also gives birth to live young as it is a ocean-dwelling mammal, which are able to drink up to 150 gallons of milk a day and weigh up to 8,000 pounds at birth. Below is a video that goes more in depth about facts and behaviors of blue whales.
Blue Whales 101 | Nat Geo Wild
Even with all of these epic statistics, they face many challenges in the current day. The blue whale populations in the Pacific Ocean are facing a concerning decline, attributed to many factors such as climate change, habitat degradation, and human activities. The warming of the oceans disrupts their prey distribution, making it challenging for blue whales to find sufficient food. Additionally, increased fishing and the potential for collisions with ships pose a significant threat to these majestic creatures, contributing to their dwindling numbers. These threats have caused the blue whale population to plummet from tens of thousands of blue whales to a current estimated population of 1600. Below is a map documenting blue whales in the Pacific Ocean using GPS data over a three month period.
Blue Whale Map 2024
The migration patterns above represent how blue whales are migrating today and help researchers, scientists, and conservationists travel, where sites of accidents occur, as well as helping to protect the species from harm.
Whales breaching are one of nature's most breathtaking sights but scientists can't agree why they do it. In this video you get to see mammoth blue whale breachings as well as theories as to why they do it!
Hopefully you learned something new and thank you for stopping by!
References:
7. YouTube. (2017). Blue Whales 101 | Nat Geo Wild. YouTube. Retrieved January 5, 2024, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgiPTUy2RqI .