Biggest Animal
The biggest animal in the world is the blue whale. The adult blue whale can reach lengths of 75 feet (23 m) to 100 feet (30.5 m) from the tail to the head. This sea creature can weigh 160 tons (136 metric tons). The biggest blue whale on record weighed 389,760 pounds (176,792 kg).
More Facts about the Blue Whale
To get an idea of its size, the blue whale is as large as a ten story building. Its weight is equal to 112 adult giraffes. While some whales do reach 100 feet in length, majority of them reach only lengths of 80 feet. As a rule, the females weigh more than their male counterparts.
The head of a blue whale is so big that fifty pro football sized individuals can fit on its tongue. Its arteries are large enough people can climb over them. A whale’s heart is as large as a small automobile.
Even the baby blue whale is huge compared to other creatures. A typical baby blue whale is 25 feet (7.6 m) long. It is also much heavier compared to an elephant.
Diet and Other Information
For the first seven months of its life, the baby blue whale will consume 100 gallons (379 liters) of the mother whale’s milk daily. The result is that the whale gains an additional 200 pounds (91 kg) everyday. The biggest animal in the world eats 4 tons (3.6 metric tons) of krill per day. The krill is a sea creature resembling a shrimp.
Because it is a mammal, the blue whale must breathe air. It does this via a couple of blow holes at the top of its head. One whale breath can last for fifteen minutes.
The whales are found in all the oceans of the world. When summertime comes, they head over to the arctic areas which are cooler. Around winter, whales go to the temperate areas.
Size Comparison
These figures make the blue whale bigger than any existing land animal. The largest land animal is the African Elephant. It is only 6.56 (21.85 ft) long. The average weight is 8,260 kg (18,500 lbs). The maximum weight possible is 12,050 kg (27,000 lbs).
There are those who believe that some dinosaur species are much larger than the blue whale. However, many of the remains are poorly preserved. Until they are verified, the blue whale will remain the world’s biggest animal.
