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Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus)
The blue whale is classified as a member of the order Cetacea (Whales) and is a member of the family Balaenopteridae. The male blue whale grows to about
eighty-two feet long, and the female grows to about eighty-five feet long. It weighs up to 285,000 pounds as an adult. The blue whale is classified as an endangered
species due to a reduction of at least 50% of the blue whale population over the last three generations based on direct observation, an index of abundance, and actual
levels of exploitation. The blue whale is the largest mammal to have lived on the earth, but it feeds on some of the smallest marine organisms: plankton.
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