Blue whale calf spotted nursing for the first time

A snorkelling tourist in East Timor has filmed a pygmy blue whale calf drinking its mother’s milk for the first time. Blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) are the largest known animal to have ever lived on Earth and can reach lengths of over 30 metres and a weight of almost 200 tonnes. The sub species of pygmy blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) found off Timor are marginally smaller, reaching lengths of 24 metres. Blue whales calves don’t attach to the mother when they feed – she releases oily milk into the water, which is then swallowed by the calf. Other key blue whale behaviour has also been glimpsed and filmed in the area as part of a decade-long research and citizen science project. Thumbnail image credit: Learn more ➤ Subscribe ➤ Get more from New Scientist: Official website: Facebook: Twitter: Instagram: LinkedIn: About New Scientist: New Scientist was founded in 1956 for “all those interested in scientific discovery and its social consequences”. Today our website, videos, newsletters, app, podcast and print magazine cover the world’s most important, exciting and entertaining science news as well as asking the big-picture questions about life, the universe, and what it means to be human. New Scientist