The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales (called Mysticeti). At up to 32.9 metres (108 ft) in length and 172 metric tons (190 short tons) or more in weight, it is the largest animal ever to have existed.

Blue whales were abundant in nearly all the oceans until the beginning of the twentieth century.

For over 40 years, they were hunted almost to extinction by whalers until protected by the international community in 1966.

A 2002 report estimated there were 5,000 to 12,000 blue whales worldwide, located in at least five groups.



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