Whales are miraculous sea creatures that have some of the largest offspring in the animal kingdom, including blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) calves, which gain an average of 200 pounds a day during their first year. Keep reading to discover five amazing whale calf facts and to look at some charming photos.
1. Baby Whales Can’t Breathe Underwater
Baby whales use their blowholes to breathe.
©Justin Berken/Shutterstock.com
Even though they are marine animals, whales are mammals, which means they lack the gills that are needed to help them breathe underwater.
Instead of extracting oxygen from the water via gills, whales use their blowholes to breathe in air from the surface. They use their mouths exclusively for eating and aren’t physically able to breathe out of them. Some whales even have two blowholes because they are so large.
Since whales can’t breathe while they swim underwater, they must hold their breath. Most whales can hold their breath for 45 to 60 minutes, though some species, like the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), can remain underwater for up to 90 minutes.
2. Whale Calves are Enormous
A mother whale swims with her baby.
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Blue whale calves, which will grow up to be the largest mammals on earth, are born weighing between 5,000 and 6,000 pounds, although some sources report weights of up to 8,800 pounds. Other whale species have much smaller calves at birth. These giant babies reach full maturity between 5 and 15 years of age and can live for up to 90 years.
As baby blue whales grow, they gain 200 pounds a day. Their mother’s milk is extremely high in fat, which allows them to gain weight quickly. These statistics make the blue whale calf (Balaenoptera musculus) one of the fastest-growing animals in the world.
The sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) and the right whale (Eubalaena sp.) are also among the largest whales. Sperm whale calves weigh 2,200 pounds as newborns, while right whale calves can weigh up to 3,300 pounds.
3. Beluga Baby Calves Can Swim Backward
Beluga whales are the only whales that can swim backward.
©Christopher Meder/Shutterstock.com
Beluga whale calves (Delphinapterus leucas) can swim backward and blow bubbles, traits that are absent in other whale species. Beluga whales undergo an annual molt, gradually shedding the outer layer of their skin, often by rubbing against riverbeds or rocks.
Since baby beluga whales are Arctic whales, they lack a dorsal fin. This ensures they can stay warm in cold waters, since these fins would allow heat the escape their bodies. These adorable babies have a layer of blubber beneath their skin that helps lock in heat despite the extremely low temperatures of the water they live in.
4. Baby Bowhead Whales Can Live to be 200 Years Old!
A bowhead whale breaches off the coast of the western Sea of Okhotsk.
©Olga Shpak / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons – Original / License
Of all baby whales, bowhead whale calves (Balaena mysticetus) can grow up to be the oldest, with individuals verified to live over 200 years, and some estimates suggesting a maximum lifespan of up to 211 years or more.
5. Baby Whales Nurse More Than 40 Times a Day
A pod of Sperm Whales in a social group, Indian Ocean, Mauritius.
©wildestanimal/Shutterstock.com
Whale breastmilk isn’t similar in texture or thickness to cow’s milk. It is similar in consistency to cottage cheese and as thick as a milkshake. This is because baby whales need a ton of sustenance to sustain such extreme growth, up to 200 pounds daily, and the breastmilk has a fat content of 35% to 50%. Blue whale mothers can produce up to 53 gallons of milk per day to support their calves’ rapid growth, while some other large whale species, like humpbacks, may produce even more.
