THE BLUE WHALE

Hokitika Guardian, 8 July 1932, Page 6

THE BLUE WHALE

PARTIOULAuS OF OKARITO FIND

COMPARED WITH OTHER. SPECIES

T-be- blue- whale which was washed ■.ashore at Okarito, South Westland, years ago-, and whose skeleton is in Museum, once, held the record as the greatest whale, with a -lengtli in a straight line, not over the. 35iiftes of the body, of eighty-seven feef||writes Mr J. Drummond.

0 Aidfiue whale caught- by the Disvcbtefy Expedition at South Georgia Qaistjloft 6in long. The Norwegian Whalers’ Association lias described five whales 100 feet or more long. These measurements seem to be unreliable. Still, 100 feet is not an -improbable length for a blue whale. The calf of a blue whale is about 23ft long when born.

Weaning takes place when a baby blue whale is about 45ft long. The nursing time is about seven months. After weaning, the rate of growth slows down.

The' great sixes of blue whales gve a.n impression that they must need an exceptionally long time to grow to maturity and must-live -to a great age compared with other creatures. It has bilen shown that grcnvth is _ surprisingly; rapid and that one of these whales becomes an adult in an unexpectedly short time. ?. •• .

The big whale -skeleton in Canterbury Museum was bought by ■ the Board of Governors for £SOO.