Where does the blue whale live?
Balaenoptera musculus has 30,295 records in 64 countries and territories, from 1594 to 2026. Most records come from United States.
- 30,295 records
- 64 places
- 136 years recorded
- Mammalia class
AnimaliaChordataMammaliaCetaceaBalaenopteridaeBalaenoptera
When it is recorded
JFMAMJJASOND
Peak month: January. 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.
Where it is recorded
| Place | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 12,292 | |
| Antarctica | 5,079 | |
| Portugal | 2,644 | |
| Mexico | 2,529 | |
| South Georgia | 1,909 | |
| Australia | 1,173 | |
| Canada | 1,124 | |
| Chile | 579 | |
| Iceland | 574 | |
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 454 | |
| Sri Lanka | 170 | |
| United Kingdom | 159 | |
| Norway | 158 | |
| Greenland | 149 | |
| New Zealand | 136 | |
| Ecuador | 86 | |
| Faroe Islands | 78 | |
| French Southern Territories | 64 | |
| Timor-Leste | 39 | |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 31 | |
| Spain | 26 | |
| Indonesia | 25 | |
| Peru | 22 | |
| Argentina | 13 | |
| Guatemala | 13 | |
| Ireland | 12 | |
| France | 10 | |
| Saint Helena | 9 | |
| Heard & McDonald Islands | 8 | |
| Mauritania | 8 | |
| Costa Rica | 7 | |
| French Guiana | 7 | |
| Netherlands | 6 | |
| El Salvador | 6 | |
| India | 5 | |
| Brazil | 3 | |
| Falkland Islands | 3 | |
| Japan | 3 | |
| Morocco | 3 | |
| New Caledonia | 3 |
Showing the top 40 of 64 places.
Related animals
Others in the family Balaenopteridae.
Status from the records: resident
Recorded across many years and months — an established presence. 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.
Recorded across many years and months — an established presence. 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.