Join our zoo community

Blue whales in the Mediterranean ?

Discussion in 'General Zoo Discussion' started by animal explorer, 13 Aug 2014.

  1. animal explorer

    animal explorer Active Member

    Joined:
    24 Mar 2014
    Posts:
    30
    Location:
    greece
    I was searching on ARKive - Discover the world's most endangered species about animals in greece and 1 of the 615 results was the blue whale . I read arkive's text about this species and it says " The blue whale is found in every ocean except the Arctic, with a range that extends from the periphery of drift-ice in polar seas to the tropics, although it is absent from some seas such as the Mediterranean . How is it possible to live in greece but not in the meditteranian ? :confused: Does anyone have any possible explanation ? ( I tend to believe that there is just a false result in the list )
     
  2. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    13 Jun 2007
    Posts:
    23,395
    Location:
    New Zealand
    it took a while, but I found a reference to blue whales in the Mediterranean! In C. Savona-Ventura: Marine Mammals in the Central Mediterranean. it says "Six species of whalebone whales have been reported to occasionally enter the Mediterranean, including the 30.5 meters long Blue Whale."

    However I also found another vague remark elsewhere that a blue whale sighting in the Mediterranean was likely to be a mistaken identity of a fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) which are common in the sea.

    Basically, blue whales *may* occasionally enter the Mediterranean but you would have more chance of winning a lottery than seeing one.
     
  3. Merintia

    Merintia Well-Known Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    4 Aug 2014
    Posts:
    138
    Location:
    Spain
    According to my guides, Blue Whales are sometimes (very rarely) seen on the Atlantic side of the Strait of Gibraltar, so I suppose that is possible that, occasionally, some of them enter on the Mediterranean, as Chlidonias says.
    Four years ago a Gray Whale was seen two times, first in Israel and later on near to Barcelona, that´s much more rare!