The Largest Whale in the World: Best Places to see Blue Whales in California, Canada and Beyond...

Blue Whales are not only the largest whale in the world today, they are also the biggest animal that has ever lived on our planet. These magnificent sea mammals are larger than any dinosaur that walked the earth. They were once numerous in our oceans, but were hunted to the verge of extinction in the nineteenth century. Today they are still an endangered species, but they have so far survived, and they can be seen on whale-watching tours in certain parts of the world at certain times of the year.

Although Blue Whales live in the ocean they are not fish. They belong to a group of sea-dwelling mammals called 'cetaceans', which include whales, dolphins and porpoises.

Blue Whales are the largest animal that has ever lived. An adult male can grow up to 30 metres (100 ft) long - that's longer than a public swimming pool. They can weigh in excess of 200 tons.

Blue Whales were drastically depleted by whaling during the 19th and early 20th century when they were killed for their meat, bones and their blubber which was used as oil for lamps. Numbers today are estimated to be around 10,000, spread out over all the oceans of the world (except for the Mediterranean sea) which makes sightings rare except in certain places I'll talk about below.

Blue Whales are protected under both the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Blue whales were given complete protection in the North Atlantic in 1955 under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling; although Iceland did not recognize their protected status until 1960.

Despite their enormous size, Blue Whales do not hunt large sea animals. They feed mainly on a a small shrimp-like creature called krill. Blue Whales do not have teeth, instead the 'baleen' in their large mouth and throat cavity allows them to filter huge quantities of krill from the ocean water. The greatest threat to the survival of Blue Whales today comes from rising ocean temperatures which are killing off the krill on which Blue Whales depend.

Blue Whales tend to travel alone or in pairs. They are rarely seen in large groups except at certain times of year in certain places where there is a seasonal and plentiful supply of krill. They communicate by means of a kind of sonar 'song' - which can you can listen to in the video at the end of this article.

There is still much that scientists do not understand about the lives of blue whales, such as where they go to breed and what they communicate with their 'song'. For example in late 2009 scientists recognized that blue whales were singing with ever-deeper tones each year but so far they have not arrived at a convincing explanation for this phenomenon.

Blue whales live in oceans all round the world but don't often come in near shore.The North-east pacific is one of the preferred habitats for blue whales but not necessarily the easiest place to see them on a whale-watching trip.

These are the best places to take a whale-watching trip if you want to see the rare and beautiful blue whale...

California is one of the best places in the world to spot blue whales. They are regularly seen during whale watching trips off the central coast of California, especially in summer and early Autumn. At this time of the year there is a population of blue whales in the waters off California of up to 3000 whales. Blue whales are often spotted in Monterey Bay, Botega Bay and Gulf of the Fallarones.

For more information try:

Monterey Bay Natioanl Marine Sanctuary: www.montererybay.noaa.gov

Montery Bay Whale Watch: www.montereybaywhalewatch.com

Monterey County Convention and Visitors Centre: www.montereyinfo.org

Baja California Sur in Mexico is another excellent place to look for Blue Whales.The Loreto Bay National Park is an important wintering and calving area for Blue whales. Other species in the area include Minke, Fin and Gray whales.

For more information try:

Baja adventure company: www.bajaecotours.com

An informative website on Baja California: www.baja-web.com

St Lawrence River, Quebec, Canada is also a great place to see Blue Whales as well as Fin and Minke whales, Belugas and Harbour Porpoises. The conjunction point of the St Lawrence and Saguenay Rivers creates a special microclimate favouring marine life. The best season for seeing whales here is June - November.

For more information try:

Useful website with info on whales in St Lawrence: www.whales-online.net

Info on visiting Quebec: www.bonjourquebec.com

1. Blue Whale. These whales can grow up to 100 feet long and weigh up to 200 tons. They are truly giants of the seas.

2. Fin Whale. Adults can grow up to 26 metres long (85 ft). Closely related to the Blue Whale, and some cross-breads between the two have been seen.

3 and 4. (Jointly) Sei Whales and Bowhead Whales can both grow up to 20 metres long (66 ft).

5. Sperm Whale. Adult males can reach 18 metres (59 ft) in length.

You can visit my article on Where to See a Tiger in the Wild for advice on seeing this other critically endangered species, in a way which helps conservation efforts. The more we practice responsible eco-tourism, the better chance we have of saving endangered species and environments.