BLUE WHALE

Steypireyður

Balaenoptera sibaldi

Length: 21-27 metres

Weight:  110-200 tons

Life expectancy: about 90 years

Status: endangered, was intensively whaled 

• The largest animal to have ever existed
• The blow is tall and distinctive and can be up to 12 metres high
• Feeds on the smallest living beings in the sea; krill and plankton
• Found mostly offshore around Iceland, particularly on the continental shelf where nutrients are brought to the surface
• Iceland could be a summer nursery ground for mothers and calves, their winters may be spent off the Azores and Canaries
• 350.000 blue whales were taken during the whaling years, perhaps only a few thousand remain worldwide now
• Iceland’s blue whale population is gradually increasing  by 5% annually
• Surfaces 3-5 times in succession to breathe before deep diving for 7-10 minutes, frequently for much longer time
• Can reach the speed of 30 km per hour
• Blue whale’s heart weights about 1,200 kilos and tongue 7,000 kilos
• A baby blue whale adds about 90 kilos of weight per day!  

Steypireyður, blauwal, baleine/rorqual bleu, blahval, sinivalas, balenottera azzurra