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Kathy Padgitt, age 12, of Hubbard, Ohio, for her question:


IS THE BLUE WHALE A MYTH?

No, the blue whale is not a myth. But whale hunters have stalked this giant of the deep so relentlessly that it is very close to extinction. Experts estimate that fewer than 200 roam the oceans today, and that these, along with several other whale species, may disappear altogether unless man takes greater care to guard their future.

The blue whale is not only the biggest whale, it is also the biggest mammal, and quite possibly the biggest animal that ever lived  including the mighty dinosaurs. Its huge bulk can span more than 100 feet in length  as long as three school buses parked end to end. And it can weigh as much as 150 tons  the equivalent of 30 elephants.    

For all its size, however, the blue whale has a remarkably streamlined body. Its head, fishlike and flat on top, boasts a jutting lower jaw. This, together with the throat and chest, forms a bowl shaped reservoir that holds a small lake of salt water and krill (shrimplike creatures). Like several other whales, the blue whale has grooves or pleats running along its undersurface. Although the function of these pleats is not known, some experts believe they may expand and allow the tongue to move back, thereby increasing the capacity in the mouth. Others believe they act as stabilizers for swimming, or as brakes for quick stops.

Whales fall into two main categories  those with teeth and those without. Blue whales belong to the baleen group which, instead of teeth, have horny plates in their mouths that strain out the food from the water. These plates, called baleen or whalebone, hang in two rows like curtains. When the blue whale approaches a big meal of plankton, he opens his gigantic mouth and swims into his dinner. As he closes his mouth, the tongue squeezes out the water, leaving the plankton on the baleen for the whale to swallow.

Social creatures, whales swim in packs called pods. True mammals, the mothers nurse their calves and teach them the ways of the watery underworld as well as the surface where they must ascend in order to breathe. Whale family members are affectionate and loyal, taking security from one another's presence.

A naturalist of the 18th century playfully presented the great blue whale its scientific title, S. musculus  meaning "little mouse" in Latin. But today the tiniest mouse has a much more secure future than does the mightiest whale. For over the centuries men have slaughtered whales for the treasure of oil and other substances their bodies contain. To help save the endangered leviathans, the United States has barred imports made from the eight largest species since 1971. And all U.S. whaling officially ended in January, 1972. Hopefully these and other safeguards will be sufficient to maintain the whale's rightful place on earth.

 

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