Blue whales, as well as many other whale species, have been hunted to the brink of extinction by people from all over the world for centuries. It's only recently, in this century, that we as a species have begun to appreciate the value of all living creatures. We have come to feel that wiping any species of animal off the face of the earth forever is an evil thing for humans to do. Big Guys in a Big Way Blue whales diet consists mainly of krill, a tiny shrimp that lives in tremendously large schools in almost every ocean of the world. It's gotta be to keep up with the blue whales' big appetite.
Blue whales eat the krill using a special type of filter on their mouths called a baleen .
By gulping enormous amounts of sea water containing the live krill the blue whale closes its mouth and flushes the sea water back out through the filter leaving the krill behind for it to swallow. Small fish and plankton are also favorite food items of the whale. It takes about 8,000 pounds of fresh seafood a day to keep the blue whale well fed. Probably the most spectacular thing about blue whales that's bigger than big is the sounds they make. Some of their vocalizations have been recorded as loud as 188 decibels and can be heard as far as 530 miles away.