Blue Whale

Balaenoptera musculus(Linnaeus, 1758)

Order: Cetacea
Family: Balaenopteridae
Protection in Spain: Vulnerable · Andalusian Catalogue
In Spanish: Ballena azul

Photograph: NOAA Photo Library, Public domain, vía Wikimedia Commons

Page in preparation

This species is in the catalogue because of its observations, but has no reviewed editorial text yet. No automatic description is generated from the data.

Calendar in the Strait

No observations with a compatible licence in the area, or taxon without a match in GBIF.

Conservation

The catalogues, Andalusian and Spanish, are what binds; the Red Book assesses the Spanish population with IUCN criteria, and the global Red List is the context.

LCNTVUENCR

Andalusian Catalogue: Vulnerable
Spanish Catalogue: Vulnerable
Global Red List (IUCN): Not assessed

Andalusian Catalogue: Junta de Andalucía, list of 24 April 2025. Spanish Catalogue: MITECO, table of 30 June 2025. Red Book: SEO/BirdLife, 2021 (Annex I). IUCN: via GBIF, 6 September 2026. Red Book and IUCN categories are assessments; catalogue categories are legal obligations.

Same genus in the Strait

Species of the same genus that also occur here, ordered by how close they are in size. Being relatives does not mean they are confused in the field, but that is where the doubts start: compare size and season.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetacea
Family: Balaenopteridae
GBIF taxon key: 2440735

Sources

Distribution and calendar: GBIF, live query
Photograph: NOAA Photo Library, Public domain, vía Wikimedia Commons
Taxonomy: GBIF backbone, pending WoRMS for marine taxa
Last revised: 8 September 2026