This is the Biggest Whale in the World
Whales are the biggest animal in the world, dominating the sea with their size and weight. But which is the biggest whale in the world? From the commonly known sperm whale to the unique bowhead whale, these whales dominate the waters just by sheer size.
Whales are known for their deep diving abilities and being able to hold their breath for hours, only needing to resurface for a few minutes. The magical creatures aw viewers when seen in the water, and these are the biggest whales that will shock you.
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Are Whales the Largest Animal in the World?
Whales are the biggest animals in the world. Interestingly enough, though, they weren’t always this big. Research shows that for most of their 30-million-year evolutionary history, they lived in a smaller body, capping at around 33 feet, which is a huge difference compared to the average length of 100 feet for a while now. Whales actually started to rapidly grow only about 4 million years ago. But why?
Researchers examined the skulls of about 63 extinct whale species, which shows the drastic change in how small they were compared to where they are now. Data shows that around 4.5 million years ago when the growth spurt happened, was when a shift in the ecosystem drove a wedge between two kinds of species of whales. Some whales grew in size, while the smaller species died off. Something about the Ice Age changed the climate which benefited the whales’ eating habits, giving them nutrients and helping them grow and survive.
The Biggest Whale in the World
5. Right Whale
One of the biggest whales in the world first belongs to the right whale. They have rotund bodies with arching, V-shaped blowholes with dark grey and black skin. They have a distinguished feature with rough patches of skin on their heads, which appear white due to whale lice.
Due to their docile nature, and their feeding style of being on the surface, they are common targets for whalers wanting their oil and elastic baleen. They can grow to be around 65 feet long and 91 tonnes, or 182,000 pounds.
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4. Sperm Whale
The sperm whale is a commonly named species, as they are the biggest whale in the world that is considered a predator. They are the largest of the toothed whales with three extant species in the sperm whale family. They can be recognized by their enormous square head and narrow lower jaw and are usually seen in a dark blue-grey or brownish shade.
They reach maximum lengths of 78 feet and around 55 tonnes, or 110,000 pounds. These deep divers can reach depths of around 1,150 feet and are usually seen in temperate and tropical waters throughout the world, migrating based on breeding and feeding.
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3. Bowhead Whale
The third biggest whale in the world is the bowhead whale, the only living representative of the genus Balaena. It’s named after its massive triangular skull, which is used to break through Arctic ice. A fun fact about these adorable creatures is that they have the largest mouth of any animal, taking up almost one-third of the length of their body, which is around 60 feet maximum.
They weigh around 100 tonnes, or 200,000 pounds. Data says that bowhead whales are one of the longest-lived animals on Earth, and based on the recovery of harpoon tips in their blubber, scientists believe their life span is over 200 years old — compared to the average 70 years of other whales.
2. Fin Whale
Fin whales, also known as finback whales, are a species of baleen whales and it is the second-biggest whale in the world. These whales can reach as long as 85 feet with a maximum weight of around 81 tonnes, which is around 162,000 pounds.
These whales are long and slender, with a paler underside to appear less conspicuous from below. They have a very distinct feature, with the lower right jaw being bright white while the lower left jaw is black. They have at least two subspecies that exist, one in the North Atlantic and the other in the Southern Hemisphere.
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1. Antarctica Blue Whale
The largest animal in the world, and the biggest whale in the world, is the Blue Whale, specifically the Antarctic blue whale. Weighing up to 400,000 pounds — which is around 33 elephants combined, or 200 tonnes — and reaching up to 98 feet in length, these whales have the heart the size of a small car. During the main feeding season, they consume around 7936 pounds of krill per day.
Interestingly enough, they’re even the loudest animal in the world, louder than a jet engine — reaching 188 decimals while a jet engine reaches 140. The species is critically endangered due to poaching, during a 2020 expedition, a large number of whales were sighted, showing that even extinct, they were still holding strong.
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