Blue whale in 2008: SOWER / IWC surveys

A blue whale eats tonnes of krill and returns nutrients in faecal plumes; a fall feeds the benthos. In this atlas that pump outranks most terrestrial carnivores except elephants and wolves. Payne whale-song fame is mostly humpback. Blue-whale acoustics (low-frequency pulses) are a later Navy-and-NOAA file.

A southern subspecies/form -- smaller, still EN, often confused in catch histories. In some coastal stocks (Sri Lanka, California) yes -- a recovery problem that 1966 did not imagine. Why cultural impact below tiger and lion? Save the Whales was huge; lions and tigers still win flags and millennia of art. Scores are relative across 24, not a concert-poster contest.

Blue whale is one of 24 types in this animals atlas. The pages treat it as a full system -- history, anatomy, operating principles, culture, icons, future pressure and market shape -- not a ranking of a best species. Scores compare the blue whale with the other 23 types on speed, intelligence, range, resilience, cultural impact and ecological role. They are relative editorial marks. Resilience high means more secure; low means threatened. Endangered. Some populations (California) are healthier; Antarctic blue whales remain a fraction of pre-whaling biomass.