How long do whales live?

Whales are truly incredible creatures and they live in all oceans on our planet. These marine mammals are part of the cetacean order. Just like all creatures that are part of this order, like porpoises and dolphins, whales originate from land animals which got back to water after spending a few million years on land.

Index

Whales lifespan
Whale species and lifespan
Whales facts

Whales lifespan

When people want to find out how long do whales live, they should take a few things into consideration. Namely, there are some whales that have a similar lifespan as humans. For example, the fin whale and the blue whale usually live between 75 and 85 years.

We should also mention some other popular whales and their life expectancy. First of all, gray whales live between 30 and 80 years. Humpback whales can each 100 years. Sperm whales live about 60-70 years and minke whales live between 40 and 50 years.

But, people should keep in mind that these are just estimated lifespan based on indirect evidence. In other words, it is possible for some whale species to live longer.

Back in 2007, scientists have discovered a whale that had fragments of an explosive device from the late 19^th century. That’s why some experts believe that certain whale species can live up to 150 years. The depths of the oceans are still not analyzed in details and anything is possible.

So, the factors that contribute to the lifespan of whales include diet, habitat, their lifestyle, species they belong to and level of endangerment.

Whale species and lifespan

When it comes to whale species, we should mention the most popular ones:

Fin whale: 85-90 years.
Blue whale: 75-85 years.
Bowhead whale: over 200 years.
Gray whale: 50-70 years.
Beluga whale: 35-50 years.
Sperm whale: 60-70 years.
Pilot whale: 45 years.
Minke whale: 40-50 years.
Humpback whale: 45-100 years.
Right whale: 70 years.

Whales facts

The majority of whales are very large. As a matter of fact, the famous blue whale is the largest living animal on our planet. As we already said, whales are related to porpoises and dolphins. In a broader sense, there are two basic types of these animals – the toothed whales and baleen whales. Of course, each type has many different subspecies.

It is not very difficult to identify the type of whale that you are looking at if you have information about their physical characteristics and their feeding routine.

Whales lifespan

Contrary to popular belief, whales are incredible parents and they can communicate with their offspring and with each other thanks to a sophisticated communication system that consists of different sounds. They are social animals that build strong relationships between them.

Whales look simple outside, but their physical design is actually quite complex. This is the reason why they can live in the water for a long time. They have special blowholes, dorsal fins and flippers to achieve this goal.

Whales can swim up to 30 miles per hour. These warm-blooded mammals are known for their ability to sleep with only a half of their brain at the time. This is a natural way for them to remain active and alert.