The Blue Whale is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen
whales. Blue Whales are believed to be the largest animal ever to have
lived, at up to 30 metres in length and 140 tonnes or more in weight.
Blue Whales were abundant in most oceans around the world up until the
beginning of the twentieth century. For the first 40 years of that
century they were hunted by whalers almost to extinction. Hunting of
the species was outlawed by the international community in 1966. The
current world population is between three and four thousand
invididuals. These are located in four (or possibly five) groups. The
largest is in the North-East Pacific. There are two groups in the
North Atlantic and one in Antarctic waters. Blue Whales found in the
Indian Ocean may or may not be part of the Antarctic group.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Whale
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1487:
Impostor Lambert Simnel was crowned in Christ Church Cathedral in
Dublin, Ireland as "King Edward VI".
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambert_Simnel)
1626:
Peter Minuit bought Manhattan in exchange for trade goods valued at 60
guilders.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Minuit)
1822:
Troops led by Antonio José de Sucre secured the independence of Quito
from Spain.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Jos%E9_de_Sucre)
1911:
The New York Public Library opened.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Public_Library)
1941:
World War II: The German battleship Bismarck sank the British
battlecruiser HMS Hood in the Battle of the Denmark Strait.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_battleship_Bismarck)
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Wikiquote of the day:
"I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of
responsibility that comes with his freedom." -- Bob Dylan
(
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan)