Why are Blue Whales Endangered

Not all different types of whales fall in the list of endangered species. Blue whales have perhaps come to this state because of their large size, that drew human attention towards them. The human infiltration into the blue whales territory is the most obvious and basic reason for these large sea creatures to be included into the list of protected species. Blue whale was included in the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) Red List, in the year 1960 and still continue to be endangered. So the question is why are blue whales endangered, even after they have been put in the list of protected and endangered animals.

Before we start with the basic reasons, why not pay a tribute to this wonderful creature? Lets take a look at some of the blue whale facts, their features and try answering the question - where do blue whales live?

Blue Whale Habitat
Before the whale hunting era started, blue whales could be spotted in all the oceans. There were once more than 200,000 blue whales that swam in the oceans and today, no organization can claim to have an exact count. The Seas of Canada, North Atlantic Ocean and the seas to the south of Madagascar, are among the most popular regions where blue whales can be spotted nowadays. Among other major regions are the Antarctic Ocean and the Davis Strait.

Blue Whale Features
As already mentioned, these whales are not only the largest whales but also the largest mammal species to have ever existed on the earth. The average length of a blue whale is 23 to 27 meters and its weight varies somewhere between 100 and 150 tons. These scales are enough to describe the enormous size of these creatures. Though most of us are confused by the name, blue whales are not blue but are actually gray in color. They have huge pleats on the skins of their neck, which allows them to consume a lot of water.

Interesting Features about Blue Whales
Blue whales feed on krill and when doing so, they consume huge gallons of water along with the food. The water is of course filtered out by the baleen, which is a comb like structure present in its throat. Inspite of their enormous sizes, blue whales can swim at an impressive speed of 25 to 30 miles per hour. These endangered blue whales have a very distinctive way of communicating with each other. They use low frequency sound waves, above 188 decibels, to send sound signals. This is even more than the sound produced by a jet fighter. So, with all these features and facts in mind, can you believe that this amazing creature is on the verge of extinction. So, now let's try to learn, why are blue whales endangered?

Why are Blue Whales Endangered?
It was the whale hunting era, that diminished or decreased the whale count by such a massive number, that blue whales are endangered today. In the year 1931, 29,649 whales were killed. By 1966, the International Whaling Commission declared these whales as protected animals. Mostly, whaling was carried out by the fishing ships of the Soviet Union, in the Antarctic Ocean, which caused their numbers to decrease drastically. As already mentioned, it is often considered, that the major reason for whaling is the enormous size of the blue whales, that turned humans towards attacking them. These whales do not pose any threat to the humans though. In fact, many whales are victims of the heavy sea traffic, getting run over by ships, as they usually inhabit the surface waters. Their huge sizes mean that they do not have any natural predators in the sea. Humans are thus, the basic and most obvious reason for these blue whales being endangered today. The International Whaling Commission, has taken various steps to protect these wonderful creatures. Committees of experts have been formed to work against whaling, entrapment and predation of the blue whales. Besides, these creatures reproduce just one calf at a time, unlike other sea creatures. The female blue whale reproduces only once in two years, and hence their numbers do not increase a lot.

All these factors, that have been mentioned above, contribute to support the fact that there are now less than 15000 left on the earth, making them critically endangered blue whales. Every human is responsible for answering the question, why are blue whales endangered? We can all make small contributions by doing our parts and save not only the blue whales, but any creature that has fallen into the list of endangered species.