Can You Believe The Biggest Animal in the World is Endangered?

Can you believe that the biggest animal on earth is endangered? You would think that it could defend itself easily, and it does from predators. But it can't defend itself from humans. What animal am I talking about? It's the Blue Whale and it is one of my favorite mammals.

Courtesy of NOAA

The Blue Whale is almost 100 feet long and can weigh more than 150 tons. Can you imagine? My dad is 6 feet tall. It would take more than 16 dads as tall as mine standing on each others shoulders to be as long as a blue whale. And if an elephant weighs 12 tons, just think of how many elephants it would take to weigh as much as an adult blue whale. It's amazing how big this whale is! 

But this whale is not only big, it also has one of the loudest voices of all animals. It can keep in contact with other blue whales hundreds and even thousands of miles away because its powerful voice can travel through the ocean that far. 

So what does this huge whale eat? It eats krill. Krill is a small shrimp-like crustacean, and the blue whale eats 4 tons of them each day. Now, I like shrimp too, but I can't eat that much. 

Blue whales are endangered because they were over-hunted until someone smart realized that there weren't as many around as there once was. That's when they became endangered. But it's not just hunting that is bad for blue whales. 

Pollution kills whales. Blue whales need a clean ocean to live in. Plastic garbage can take their lives, and so can chemical spills. Noise is another type of pollution. That's right. Noise pollution can stop their communication and their navigational abilities. Some whales even get stranded on the coastline because of noises caused by boat traffic, explosions, military operations, and drilling for gas and oil.

For more information on how you can help blue whales contact Green Peace, Defenders, or World Wildlife Federation. You can also learn more about them through NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) here

Remember my motto--

"Some think it's cool, but I think it's cruel."