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| Classification (HAGRID: 02630) | |
| Taxonomy | Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia (Taxon entry) Order: Cetacea (Taxon entry) Family: Balaenopteridae Genus: Balaenoptera |
| Species | Balaenoptera musculus |
| Common name | Blue whale |
Lifespan, ageing, and relevant traits | |
| Maximum longevity | 110 years (wild) |
| Source | ref. 1 |
| Sample size | medium |
| Data quality | acceptable |
| Observations | The blue whale is the largest animal on earth. Its gestation period is short when considering its size. One possible explanation is that longer gestation periods would mean that the young would be born in the season spent in the season spent in cold waters [0434]. It is estimated that these animals live over 100 years. |
Life history traits (averages) | |
| Female sexual maturity | 1,827 days |
| Male sexual maturity | 1,827 days |
| Gestation | 350 days |
| Weaning | 182 days |
| Litter size | 1 (viviparous) |
| Litters per year | 0.4 |
| Inter-litter interval | 914 days |
| Weight at birth | 2,000,000 g |
| Weight at weaning | 17,000,000 g |
| Adult weight | 136,000,000 g |
| Postnatal growth rate | |
Metabolism | |
| No information on metabolism available. | |
References |
|
[0610] Ernest (2003), Life history characteristics of placental non-volant mammals | |
External resources | |
| Integrated Taxonomic Information System | ITIS 180528 |
| Animal Diversity Web | ADW account |
| Encyclopedia of Life | Search EOL |
| Genome Project | Search NCBI |
| Entrez | |
| Ageing literature | |
| Images | Google Image search |
| Internet | Search Google |
If you find any missing or incorrect data, please contact us.