THE BLUE WHALE

The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever lived on earth. It can weigh up to 136,400 kg (300,000 lb) and grow as long as 34 m (110').

It has a slim outline, especially in the winter, although it fattens in the summer. The tiny dorsal fin is set well to the rear of the body. 55 - 68 flexible throat grooves run along half the body length.

Its coloration is mainly pale blue-gray. The blue whale occurs mostly in cold and temperate waters. It prefers deeper ocean waters as opposed to coastal waters.

Its diet consists almost entirely of shrimp like crustaceans known as krill, which it eats during the summer feeding season. During the other 8 months of the year it apparently doesn't eat anything, living off of stored fat.
The blue whale is found in all major oceans of the world. Their populations have been severely depleted throughout its range due to commercial whaling, which ceased in 1964.

There have been reports of increased sightings in some areas, but in other areas the number of blue whales remains low.

THE RED PANDA

The red panda (which is much smaller than the giant panda) resembles a raccoon in appearance and size.
The red panda weighs 3 - 6 kg (7 - 13 lb). It lives in mountain forests with a bamboo under storey, at altitudes generally between 1500 and 4800 m (5000 - 15,700'). Red pandas almost exclusively eat bamboo.

They are good tree climbers and spend most of their time in trees when not foraging. The red panda is found in a mountainous band from Nepal through northeastern India and Bhutan and into China, Laos and northern Myanmar A female red panda picks a location such as a tree hollow or rock crevice for a maternal den, where she will bear 1 - 5 young. Red pandas are solitary, except for the mating period and the time when a mother and its young are together.