blue whale

blue whale

noun

: a very large bluish-gray whale

Full Definition of BLUE WHALE

:  a very large baleen whale (Balaenoptera musculus syn. Sibbaldus musculus) that may reach a weight of 150 tons (135 metric tons) and a length of 100 feet (30 meters) and is generally considered the largest living animal

Illustration of BLUE WHALE

First Known Use of BLUE WHALE

1851

blue whale

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Mottled, blue-gray baleen whale (Balaenoptera musculus), also called sulfur-bottom whale because of the yellowish diatoms on some individuals. The largest of all animals, the blue whale reaches a maximum length of about 100 ft (30 m) and a maximum weight of 150 tons (136,000 kg). It is found alone or in small groups in all oceans. In summer it feeds on krill in polar waters, and in winter it moves toward the equator to breed. It was once the most important of the commercially hunted baleen whales, and its populations were greatly reduced. Listed as an endangered species, it is now protected.