Blue Whale Behaviour 

Examining Blue Whale Behavior

Social groups

     Blue whales live individually or in very small pods (groups). They are usually seen solitary or in pairs (mother-calf pairs or two adults), although they may gather in loose groups to feed. By determining gender through DNA analysis, one study determined that paired adult blue whales are usually a male and a female. Often, the same two whales will be seen together over a long period of time. Some males, however, have paired with different females at different times. (Powell 1998, Burnie & Wilson 2001). See also Vicalization of Blue Whales.

SPOUTING - (BREATHING)

     Blue whales breathe air at the surface of the water through 2 blowholes located near the top of the head. They spout (breathe) about 1-4 times per minute at rest, and 5-12 times per minutes after a deep dive. Their blow is a single stream that rises 40-50 feet (12-15 m) above the surface of the water.

Migration

     In both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, in the summer the blue whale populations migrate towards the pole of their respective hemisphere into cooler waters to feed. They migrate back towards the equator, into warmer waters, in the winter to breed. Because the seasons are opposite in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the net result of these movements is that the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere stocks of blue whales do not mix.