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| <tr><td>'''''Balaenoptera musculus'''''</td></tr> | <tr><td>'''''Balaenoptera musculus'''''</td></tr> | ||
| </td></tr></table> | </td></tr></table> | ||
| The '''blue whale''' (''Balaenoptera musculus'') is a ] which belongs to the baleen ]s suborder. It is the largest animal to have ever lived. It was described by ] in 1758. | The '''blue whale''' (''Balaenoptera musculus'') is a ] which belongs to the baleen ]s suborder. It is the largest animal known to have ever lived. It was described by ] in 1758. | ||
| It is a filter-feeder, using its baleen to strain ] out of the seawater and may reach ] long and up to 150 tons. | It is a filter-feeder, using its baleen to strain ] out of the seawater and may reach ] long and up to 150 tons. | ||
Revision as of 19:43, 7 September 2003
| Blue Whale | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Balaenoptera musculus |
The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is a mammal which belongs to the baleen whales suborder. It is the largest animal known to have ever lived. It was described by Linnaeus in 1758.
It is a filter-feeder, using its baleen to strain plankton out of the seawater and may reach 30 meters long and up to 150 tons.
Its lung capacity is 5,000 litres.
The blue whale has a tiny dorsal fin, visible only briefly during the dive sequence. It has a spectacular 9m vertical single column blow.
