Blue Whale feeding

The Blue Whale is known to feed chiefly at depths greater than 100 meters during the day and save surface feeding for the dark hours. Since it is a mammal with lungs instead of a fish with gills, it needs to surface regularly to breathe oxygen from the atmosphere. Generally speaking, a Blue Whale will come up to the surface every 10 minute or so while feeding, but it is not uncommon for it to stay down for up to 20 minutes. The longest recorded dive lasted for an astonishing 36 minutes and took place in 1998. The Blue Whale is certainly well adapted to a life in the ocean.