The
Sulphur Bottom of the Pacific. Sibbaldius sulfureus, Cope. The
Humpback of the Pacific. Megaptera versabilis, Cope.
The sulphur bottom whale is another name for the
blue whale. As these animals pass through tropical waters, a
"bloom" or form of algae grows on their underside, the
green algae on a bluish background giving a yellow tinge. This
earned them the alternative name. On leaving tropical waters for
more temperate or polar seas, so the algae cannot grow any more in
the colder waters and so dies off leaving the whale as it was
originally.
For many years it was not recognized by all that
the blue whale and the sulphur bottom were in fact the same animal
and so they were given different Latin and common names.
Image courtesy NOAA
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