Behavior of the Offspring of Blue Whales

The blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus, is a mammal that has its natural habitat in every ocean of the world. The offspring calf of the blue whale is reared by the mother for the first year of its life, until it is large enough to protect itself from predators such as the killer whale.

  1. Blue Whale

    • The blue whale reaches lengths of more than 100 feet, with the average blue whale reaching between 70 and 90 feet in length, according to the Marine Mammal Center. In weight, the mammal can reach between 200,000 and 300,000 pounds, feeding on between 2,000 and 9,000 pounds of plankton each day to maintain its weight. Blue whales are filter feeders, filtering seawater to remove crustaceans, plankton and small fish to eat on a seasonal basis.

    Reproduction

    • The winter to early spring is the main breeding season for the blue whale, with breeding taking place in the warmer, shallow waters near the surface of an ocean. Following the breeding season the mother remains pregnant for around a year before returning to the warm, shallow waters to give birth to a calf. It is usual for each whale to give birth to a single calf; twins are rare for the blue whale, according to Enchanted Learning. The blue whale calf is born tail first and measures about 25 feet in length at birth.

    Mother

    • The mother of the blue whale assists the calf when it is first born to reach the surface to take its first breath, as the calf has not yet learned to swim. Within 30 minutes of being born the calf begins to swim with the assistance of the mother, who produces around 50 gallons of high-fat milk each day to feed the calf. The milk of the blue whale is 35 to 50 percent fat, allowing the calf to gain around 10 pounds per hour or 250 pounds per day in weight. The calf is weaned from the mother's milk at the age of 6 months, or around 52 feet in length, the Marine Mammal Center reports.

    Maturity

    • The blue whale calf remains with its mother during the first year of its life, until it reaches around 45 feet in length and can survive on its own in the ocean waters. The blue whale does not become sexually mature to take part in the breeding season until it reaches between the ages of 10 and 15.