Evidence found
10,017 records across 30 countries and territories, 1594–2026.
Balaenoptera musculus · GBIF taxon key 2440735
Where has the blue whale been recorded?
Balaenoptera musculus occurrence evidence comes from 10,017 records in 30 countries and territories, from 1594 to 2026. Most records come from United States.
- 10,017 records
- 30 places
- 82 years recorded
- Mammalia class
Observation evidence passport
Source coverage
CC0 GBIF Animalia occurrence facets, including country, month and year summaries.
Refreshed 2026-09-21. Inspect the taxon on GBIF.
What this means
The species has been recorded in the listed places in the stated source universe. Peak month: December.
12 months reach at least 10% of the peak facet count.
What this does not mean
repeated describes the record pattern, not a formal range, residency, abundance or conservation assessment.
A single record remains evidence of a recording, not proof that a population lives there.
Compare this animal’s observation pattern
When it is recorded
JFMAMJJASOND
Peak month: December. Records cluster in the months an animal is present and being looked for, so a summer peak can reflect observer effort as much as the animal.
Records over time
15942026
Recording effort has risen steeply almost everywhere since the 1990s, so a rising line usually shows more observers rather than more animals.
Where blue whale has been recorded
The countries below show where occurrence evidence exists for blue whale. They do not define a complete habitat range: survey effort differs by place, and historical or one-off records can appear alongside repeated presence.
| Place | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 4,231 | |
| Antarctica | 2,881 | |
| South Georgia | 1,881 | |
| Mexico | 290 | |
| Portugal | 194 | |
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 146 | |
| Iceland | 94 | |
| Australia | 40 | |
| Canada | 36 | |
| Chile | 29 | |
| Ecuador | 18 | |
| Greenland | 13 | |
| New Zealand | 11 | |
| Sri Lanka | 10 | |
| Indonesia | 6 | |
| Spain | 3 | |
| Peru | 3 | |
| India | 2 | |
| Netherlands | 2 | |
| Argentina | 1 | |
| Costa Rica | 1 | |
| Western Sahara | 1 | |
| France | 1 | |
| Georgia | 1 | |
| Japan | 1 | |
| Seychelles | 1 | |
| Sweden | 1 | |
| French Southern Territories | 1 | |
| Timor-Leste | 1 | |
| Vietnam | 1 |
Related animals
Others in the family Balaenopteridae.
Record pattern: repeated
Repeated records across many years and months. This is inferred from how many years and months the animal appears in, not from a range map — treat it as evidence, not a formal assessment.
Repeated records across many years and months. This is inferred from how many years and months the animal appears in, not from a range map — treat it as evidence, not a formal assessment.