![]() Blue whales are massive creatures rarely seen on or above the ocean’s surface. So that brings us to the end of our blue whale tail post. That said, experts have also witnessed two whales gently slapping the water with their tails together, indicating possible courtship. It depends on the force of the tail slap experts can decipher what the whale is trying to communicate. Lobtailing is also done to threaten the predators as a defending act. The process is known as lobtailing and is mainly observed during the mating season. But why do they do so?īlue whales primarily slap their tail against the water surface to communicate with other whales. There are times when whale watchers can watch whales breaching the water and slapping the water surface with their tails. Blue whales can also breach the water with the stroke of their tails. Another application could be to frighten predators. ![]() Because these mammals’ bodies are so large, a big and heavy tail is required to keep the body moving and cutting through the water. Let’s explore.īlue whales usually move forward underwater by using their tail. In the same way, a tail fin in blue whales serves a specific purpose. Tails in different animals serve different purposes. Image Credit: Whales foraging from Piqsels They use the epaxial muscles (for the upstroke) and the hypaxial muscles (for the downstroke). The whale’s tail fin can move with such force because of two big muscle groups near its tail. That said, a blue whale can generate an overwhelming strength of 60 kilonewtons (1 kilonewtons = 1,000 kg). Compared to any other species on the planet, their tail produces absolute force. Moreover, they can measure enormous size and weight, implying that they are enormously powerful.īlue whales’ tails can push their body weight of roughly 30 tonnes in just 1-2 strokes when breaching. Blue whale tail strengthīaleen whales are the world’s largest mammals as well as whale species. As a result, the tail of a blue whale is wider than a soccer goal post. We can compare the breadth of a blue whale tail fluke (from tip to tip) to the width of a soccer goal to make it easier to understand. Therefore, this site is pretty legible as it is necessary to accommodate the body of these massive mammals and assist them in pushing themselves forward in the water. Hence, exploring how long its tail can grow will be interesting.Ī blue whale’s tail fin can grow as wide as 25 feet or 7.5 meters. Image Credit: Blue Whale Tail Fluke Diving by Mike Baird ( CC BY 2.0) from WikimediaĪ blue whale can grow to a maximum of 100 feet (average), undoubtedly huge. Instead, we commonly can see their long back and small dorsal fin. However, there are lesser chances that we can see them raising their flukes over the water’s surface. Blue whale tail flukes play a significant role in their identification.įor whale enthusiasts, watching a blue whale breaching water is a dream. The straight tail fin of these gentle giants points outward and splits at the end into two flukes with a rubbery texture. Does this part of their anatomy have any other name?īlue whales have a tail fin, otherwise known as the caudal fin. Like other fish species, whales also possess a tail, which we sometimes can see when they breach the water. ![]() So, let’s dive into the deepest corner of the ocean to unearth the facts! What is the tail of a blue whale called? And in this post, we will be dissecting the tail of the blue whale by focusing on aspects like its size, weight, strength, and other associated facts. Just like the mammal itself, its tail also holds much fascination.
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