Known as the largest animal to have ever lived on the face of the earth, the blue whale is amazing sight to behold.
How Much Do Blue Whales Weigh?
It may be hard to believe, but a blue whale can weigh upwards of 441,000 pounds (200,034 kg).
That’s big by anyone’s standards. To put that into perspective, that’s about the combined weight of 3 space shuttles!
Female blue whales are actually heavier than their male counterparts.
A female blue whale can weigh more than 396,000 pounds (180,000 kg), while males will weigh around 330,000 pounds (150,000 kg).
How Much Do Blue Whales Eat?
As you might imagine, they also have the largest appetites of any animal as well.
During the summer feeding season they will eat around 9,000 pounds (4,082 kg) of food every day.
How Loud Are Blue Whales?
Besides being the largest animal, they are also the loudest of any animal.
The call of a blue whale is louder than a jet engine.
While a jet has a sound level upwards of 140 decibels, the blue whale tops it at 188 decibels. It can be heard up to 1,000 miles (1,609 km) away.
How Much Does The Tongue Of A Blue Whale Weigh?
The blue whale has a large tongue to go with its large body. In fact, their tongue alone can weigh as much as a female elephant.
In his 1988 book “Whales of the World”, author Spencer Wilkie Tinker stated that “The tongue of a large blue whale has been estimated to approach 3,629 kg. (8,000 pounds) in weight and is large out of all proportion to its use.”
Aside from having a heavy tongue, they also have big hearts.
Many of the larger blue whales have hearts that weigh more than 2,500 pounds (1,134 kg). That is heavier than some cars!
How Much Does A Baby Blue Whale Weigh?
Baby blue whales are born with a weight of around 8,800 pounds (3,991 kg) and 26 feet in length.
A baby will weigh as much as a full-grown adult hippopotamus. That’s huge!
Even more amazing is that a baby will gain 200 pounds (90.71 kg) in weight per DAY.
How Much Does A Killer Whale Weigh?
Orca whales, also known as killer whales, can weigh up to 12,000 pounds (5,443 kg).
The largest killer whale that has been measured weighed in at more than 20,000 pounds (9,071 kg).
An interesting fact about these whales is that they have no known enemies.
No one wants to mess with them, meaning they are the kings of all marine animals. After seeing one up close it’s easy to understand why that is.
How Much Does A Humpback Whale Weigh?
Humpback whales weigh a bit lighter than many other types of whales. They average around 79,000 pounds (36,000 kg). That’s still very large.
How Much Do Whales Weigh?
- Humpback 25-40 tons (22.67 to 36.28 tonnes)
- Killer 3-6 tons (2.72 to 5.44 tonnes)
- Gray 26 tons (23.58 tonnes)
- Blue 100-120 tons (90.71 to 108.86 tonnes)
- Sperm 20-50 tons (18.14 to 45.35 tonnes)
- Fin 30-80 tons (27.21 to 72.57 tonnes)
- Bottlenose 6-7.5 tons (5.44 to 6.80 tonnes)
- Pilot 1.8-3.5 tons (1.63 to 3.17 tonnes)
- Northern Right 30-80 tons (27.21 to 72.57 tonnes)
~ Fun Fact ~
Despite their massive size, blue whales eat bite-sized shrimp called krill. These small crustaceans, which are only 2 inches long, are the blue whales favorite food. Their stomachs can hold up to 2,200 pounds of krill at one time, and they are known to eat 9,000 pounds of them in a single day.
Resources:
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/b/blue-whale/
http://us.whales.org/whales-and-dolphins/facts-about-blue-whales
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_whale
http://www.whalefacts.org/killer-whale-facts/
http://majictwins.tripod.com/whalefacts.html