Blue whales live in all the world's oceans except the Arctic Ocean
. They are generally more common in the Southern Hemisphere, particularly around Antarctica, Australia, and New Zealand
. Key habitats and populations include:
- Northern Hemisphere:
- North Atlantic: From New England and eastern Canada to Greenland, including the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Iceland
* Eastern North Pacific: Feeding off California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska in summer and fall; migrating to warmer waters like the Gulf of California and Costa Rica Dome in winter and spring
* Northern Indian Ocean: A resident population is found year-round in the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, and Bay of Bengal
- Southern Hemisphere:
- Antarctic blue whales inhabit high latitude waters south of the Antarctic Convergence in summer and migrate to mid and low latitudes in winter
* Pygmy blue whales are common north of the Antarctic Convergence, especially off Australia, Madagascar, and New Zealand
* A distinct population exists in the southeastern Pacific near Chile, migrating to tropical areas including the Galapagos Islands
Blue whales prefer deep, temperate, and cold waters because their prey, mainly krill, thrives there, and their thick blubber insulates them well
. They spend summers feeding in polar waters and migrate toward the equator in winter to breed in warmer, temperate waters such as the Gulf of California and near Baja California in the Northern Hemisphere
. In summary, blue whales have a global distribution across all oceans except the Arctic, with distinct populations adapted to various regions and seasonal migrations between feeding and breeding grounds
