A Pygmy Blue Whale, Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda, raising its tail fluke high prior to a deep dive into the Indian Ocean off Mirissa, Sri Lanka.
Pygmy Blue Whale is a subspecies of Blue Whale which was recognised in 1966. They are about 25% shorter than Blue Whales, but have proportionatly bigger heads.
They are Baleen Whales, meaning they don’t have teeth but baleen plates, which are bristly, keratin-based ‘sieves’. The whales take in large amounts of sea water, then expel the water through their baleen which filters and retains food, which in the case of Pygmy Blue Whales is mostly krill.
This photo is copyright © Liz Leyden. All rights strictly as agreed in writing with the author or her agent.
It is for sale as wall art or as various home or personal accessories at Pixels.com.
