Today not much is known about blue whale reproduction. We have few to no known places where Blue whales are birthed. we have an idea where they are conceived and what happens after birth but as for actual birth very little. Due to the fact that there are very few left in the world and they are very hard to track. What we have learned is believed to be merely a fraction of the truth and much of what we know is actually theory or speculation.
A blue whale reaches sexual maturity around the age of five to ten years of age. After they are ready to reproduce they travel from the artic feeding grounds to the warm equator to find potential mates. Once a blue whale either male or female they will begin their courting ritual. The mating is a ritual that is more like a under water dance. They swim around each other several times and then dive deep where they continue the to talk and soon line up belly to belly and swim strait up at this point the partners have become one and the male has attempted to impregnate the female. Some scientists believe that since blue whale pairs usually consist of one male and one female that they mate for life but this in just a theory. Most believe that like most animals they mate once and then part ways now matter if they female has been impregnated or not.
Fertilization is just like other mammals. The process take place inside the body of the female and the new born is born alive. once a female is fertilized or even if they aren't, they will return to the feeding grounds up north. The mother will spend anywhere from nine months to a full year carrying her brood. She will have to conserve energy a lot more the she is traditionally used to. A female will spend months before mating, building up fat reserves for both her and the growing baby. If she is not careful she will consume her entire reserve and it could kill both her and the baby. After the fetus is fully grown the baby will be born tail first and without a breath. The calf will swim for the surface and take its first breath in its life. The calf from birth is a large animal, weighing an average of 6000 pounds. The mothers, in the fashion of mammals, will watch over her new born until it is old enough to care for its self. The mother will produce fat rich milk for the new born. On average the calf will consume 200 gallons of milk a day, and will be weaned around 7-8 months after birth. The mother and her child form a very tight bond in the time the spend together. The mother will care for the baby for about a year at which point it will be about 45 feet long. The mother and child will split up and begin there regular routine.
Though blue whales in general head to the mating grounds every year the average time it takes for a blue whale female three to four years before they are ready to reproduce again and even then they may not get fertilized. Many blue whale females don't have offspring more then once, due to the low number of mates and the time it takes for them to be able to reproduce. This is one of the reasons the blue whales haven't started recovering from there decimation during the whaling era.
Recourses:
http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2012/olson_rile/reproduction.htm
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/whales/species/Bluewhale.shtml
http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/nmml/education/cetaceans/blue.php
A blue whale reaches sexual maturity around the age of five to ten years of age. After they are ready to reproduce they travel from the artic feeding grounds to the warm equator to find potential mates. Once a blue whale either male or female they will begin their courting ritual. The mating is a ritual that is more like a under water dance. They swim around each other several times and then dive deep where they continue the to talk and soon line up belly to belly and swim strait up at this point the partners have become one and the male has attempted to impregnate the female. Some scientists believe that since blue whale pairs usually consist of one male and one female that they mate for life but this in just a theory. Most believe that like most animals they mate once and then part ways now matter if they female has been impregnated or not.
Fertilization is just like other mammals. The process take place inside the body of the female and the new born is born alive. once a female is fertilized or even if they aren't, they will return to the feeding grounds up north. The mother will spend anywhere from nine months to a full year carrying her brood. She will have to conserve energy a lot more the she is traditionally used to. A female will spend months before mating, building up fat reserves for both her and the growing baby. If she is not careful she will consume her entire reserve and it could kill both her and the baby. After the fetus is fully grown the baby will be born tail first and without a breath. The calf will swim for the surface and take its first breath in its life. The calf from birth is a large animal, weighing an average of 6000 pounds. The mothers, in the fashion of mammals, will watch over her new born until it is old enough to care for its self. The mother will produce fat rich milk for the new born. On average the calf will consume 200 gallons of milk a day, and will be weaned around 7-8 months after birth. The mother and her child form a very tight bond in the time the spend together. The mother will care for the baby for about a year at which point it will be about 45 feet long. The mother and child will split up and begin there regular routine.
Though blue whales in general head to the mating grounds every year the average time it takes for a blue whale female three to four years before they are ready to reproduce again and even then they may not get fertilized. Many blue whale females don't have offspring more then once, due to the low number of mates and the time it takes for them to be able to reproduce. This is one of the reasons the blue whales haven't started recovering from there decimation during the whaling era.
Recourses:
http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2012/olson_rile/reproduction.htm
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/whales/species/Bluewhale.shtml
http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/nmml/education/cetaceans/blue.php