Blue Whale
Classification Other Names: Sibbald's Rorqual, Sulphur-bottom Whale. Suborder: Mysteciti Family: Balaenopteridae | Description
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Blue Whale Ecology Range: Mainly cold waters but see in both temparate and tropical oceans Usual Habitat: Open ocean and also inshore at the edge of continental shelves. Usual group size: 1-2, rarely more outside feeding grounds where larger loose aggregations may occur. Main Diet: Krill at depths of less than 100m. Local population: Unknown | Global range of the Blue Whale Blue Whales are likely to be found in the dark blue areas |
Conservation Information
Protection and Conservation Status
IUCN Conservation Status: Blue Whales are listed as "Endangered" on the IUCN red list. SPAW Protocol: Blue Whales are cetaceans, which are listed under Annex II of the SPAW protocol. As such they require total protection under article 11 of this protocol which prohibits the "taking, possession, killing and commercial trade of the species, their parts or products". The SPAW protocol was created to help with the implementation and promotion of the Ramsar Convention and the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Annexes of the SPAW protocol can be found here. Local Laws: Cetaceans are protected under the Conservation of Wildlife Act of Trinidad and Tobago which offers protection to all species not listed under the second or third schedules of this act. |
There are currently no reports of this species in Trinidad and Tobago.
References
The above information was obtained from the following sources:
- A Princeton Field Guide: Whales Dolphins and Other Marine Mammals of the World by Hadoram Shirihai and Brett Jarrett (2006)
- Smithsonian Handbooks: Whales Dolphins and Porpoises by Mark Carwardine and illustrated by Martin Camm (2002)
- The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society's Species Guide at http://www2.wdcs.org/species/index.php
- The IUCN Redlist at http://www.iucnredlist.org
- The SPAW protocol Annexes with links available at http://www.car-spaw-rac.org/?Annexes-of-the-SPAW-Protocol,83
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the following people for the use of the art work and photographs:
- Alësha Naranjit (Illustration of Blue Whale)