濒危动物英文语言讲解.docVIP

One hypothesis is that an increasingly noisy ocean environment might be to blame. In fact one of the purposes of the Whale Acoustics organization is to study the impact of man made noise on this endangered population. LIFE SPANBlue whales have a life expectancy of 35-40 years. Range: Blue whales live at the surface of the ocean and are found in all the oceans of the world. Blue whales have been found in every ocean of the world. Blue whales swim individually or in small groups. Pairs are very commonly seen. Extinct: Blue whales were nearly extinct by the 1960’s because of hunting, but blue whale hunting was outlawed by an international agreement in 1965. Now, it is estimated there is a world population of about 10,000 blue whales, and 2,000 of these feed off the California coast every summer. WHEN YOU CAN SEE THE BLUE WHALES:Blue Whales can be seen in Big Sur June through October, during times of abundant krill. WHERE YOU CAN SEE BLUE WHALES:You can see Blue Whales from the roadside turnouts while in Big Sur. Monterey Bay Whalewatch sponsors boat trips out of Monterey Bay Introduction: Blue whales are the largest animals ever known to have lived on Earth. These magnificent marine mammals rule the oceans at up to 100 feet (30 meters) long and upwards of 200 tons (181 metric tons). Their tongues alone can weigh as much as an elephant. Their hearts, as much as an automobile. Blue whales reach these mind-boggling dimensions on a diet composed nearly exclusively of tiny shrimplike animals called krill. During certain times of the year, a single adult blue whale consumes about 4 tons (3.6 metric tons) of krill a day. Blue whales are baleen whales, which means they have fringed plates of fingernail-like material, called baleen, attached to their upper jaws. The giant animals feed by first gulping an enormous mouthful of water, expanding the pleated skin on their throat and belly to take it in. Then the whales massive tongue forces the water out through t