

The blue whale is the largest animal, with some specimens weighing in at a colossal 200 tonnes (440,000 lb), although 100–150 tonnes (200,000–300,000 lb) is the average.
Even dinosaurs didn’t reach that size – for instance, it’s nearly 20 times heavier than a T. rex!
The blue whale can grow up to 30 m (98 ft) long – around the same as a Boeing 737.
Found in all the world’s oceans, the blue whale travels thousands of miles every year, breeding in the tropics during the winter and swimming to more extreme latitudes to feed in summer. This also makes this species the largest migrant in the animal kingdom.
Watch and read about more record-breaking animals on our animal showcase pages
Perhaps surprisingly, this behemoth of the deep feeds mainly on some of the ocean’s smallest inhabitants: tiny crustaceans called krill that reach no longer than a few centimetres.
It swallows them in great gulps of seawater before raising its tongue to its mouth, straining the briny liquid through baleen plates but retaining its prey. This unparalleled difference in size between predator and prey represents yet another natural record.
Intensive whaling in the early 20th century devastated the world’s blue whale populations. But thankfully, since being designated a protected species in 1966 its numbers have started to rise again.
With our continuing support, blue whales will be around for future generations to marvel at for many years to come.
The blue whale is as long as...
The blue whale is as heavy as...