General Description

Upper body blue-grey, paler underneath. Lines (throat pleats) underneath from throat to middle of the body. Dorsal fin with curved edge. Tail wide with a pointed notch in the middle of the rear edge. Water spray from blowhole is a vertical jet more than 5 m high. Up to 33 m long.

Biology

Blue Whales feed on krill and usually swim alone or in widely-separated groups. They are the largest mammal alive. The Pygmy Blue Whale subspecies (more often seen in Victoria than Blue Whales) is smaller and has a shorter tail.

Habitat

Open oceans and near coastlines.

Open water

Distribution guide

Worldwide. Most Australian waters. Potentially near Port Phillip, recorded from Victoria.

Species Group

Mammals › Whales and dolphins

Depth

Shore (0-1 m)
Shallow (1-30 m)
Deep ( > 30 m)

Water Column

Surface Midwater

Max Size

33 m

Diet

Plankton or Particles

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Recorded in Australia

Conservation Status

• DSE Advisory List : Critically Endangered
• EPBC Act 1999 : Endangered
• IUCN Red List : Endangered
• CITES : Trade restrictions (Appendix I)