User talk:Dolsen101

Blue Whale (Balaenoptera Musculus)

What is the Blue whale?

The Blue whale is the largest baleen plated marine mammal that has ever lived. Since the Earth was born 4.54 billion years ago, there has not been a bigger baleen plated marine mammal until now. The Blue Whale can be up to 98 feet in length (Females) and up to 92 feet in length (Males). The Blue Whale belongs to the group of whales called the "Baleen Whales". The group is names because of the huge 11 feet long baleen plates which are made out of caretin (which is found in your finger nails) which filter water (H20) out while keeping the food behind to eat.

Before the Blue Whale:

The only other large marine mammal that lived before the modern whales is a group of blubber free, giant whales by the name of Basilosaurus. Basilosaurus is the largest, fiercest marine mammal that ever lived, around the time of the extinction of the great reptiles called the Dinosaurs. Basilosaurus ate a primitive type of smaller whales called Dorudon. These whales were in the same family of Basilosaurus, however they were only 16 feet long, whereas the Basilosaurus was around 65 feet in length.

Feeding of the Blue Whale:

The Blue Whale, does not have teeth like its cousin, the Sperm Whale. Instead, the Blue Whale has huge 11 feet long baleen plates that when they open their mouths and allow their throats to expand and fill with water, small fish and krill fill the cavernous mouth. The Blue Whale than shuts the mouth, and pushes all the water in through the baleen plates while keeping the yummy food behind to be swept off the back of the baleen plates by the enormous tongue and into the stomach.