Maximum weight of a whale. Description of blue whales. Population and commercial catch.
The most large mammal on earth, without a doubt, it is a blue whale. Even more representative depths of the sea To date, it has not been found. Blue whale its size is impressive. Its length is almost 34 meters, and its weight is more than 200 tons.
However, the largest whale in the world has more than just a huge body size. He just has incredibly large internal organs. And only one tongue weighs so much that it’s hard to imagine: 4 thousand kilograms. Well, the heart of a blue whale weighs about 700 kilograms. However, such impressive sizes are not uncommon for the ocean. Few people know that back in 1870, near the shores of North America Found the largest jellyfish. The Cyaneus jellyfish was more than 35 meters long. To more clearly imagine its size, you can compare it with the height of a 9-story building.
The southern right whale and two species of northern right whales, which are large baleen whales, can be found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, often near the coast. They have large jaws with hundreds of baleen teeth, and they feed on zoo and other tiny organisms. They were hunted to near extinction because they produce large amounts of whale oil.
These whales are also endangered due to commercial hunting practices. Known as the Greyhound of the Sea, they grow up to 90 feet in length and weigh 74 tons. Also known as the fin whale or resorback due to the ridge along their back behind the dorsal fin, they are hunted for their prized morsels, oils and homesteads.
3 ton baby
When a small whale is born (or more accurately, into the water), it already weighs about three tons. The length of the cub is comparable to a small tree - 6-7 meters. For a person, these are already unimaginable sizes, imagine Living being of such dimensions is difficult. Every year the whales only grow, and the small whale stretches out with high speed. At the same time, whales, according to various sources, can live up to hundreds of years. However, despite their active growth and life expectancy, whales produce offspring very slowly. Females of the largest whale in the world reach sexual maturity only at the age of ten, and they give birth no more often than once every two years. Mammals, unlike humans, carry the fetus for about 12 months. Despite such circumstances, powerful and noble mammals are now being destroyed mercilessly.And they do this at such a speed that blue whales do not even have time to reach their maternal age, that is, they die in childhood. The largest whales now do not populate the oceans so abundantly; their population is decreasing exponentially. They are now on the verge of extinction. In Japan, for example, fishing is so intense that there are practically no whales left there.
They eat herring, capelin and other small fish along with squid and shrimp-like crustaceans. Blue whales, the largest whales in the world. Not only is the Blue Whale by far the largest whale, it is also the largest animal on earth, growing up to 100 feet in length and weighing 150 tons. The tongue of one blue whale weighs as much as an elephant and a heart, as well as a car.
They are found in all oceans of the planet. They swim at an average speed of about 5 miles per hour, but can reach speeds of up to 20 miles per hour when they have to, and they eat between four and eight tons of krill every day. Have you ever seen a whale in real life? As the largest animal that ever lived, the blue whale can also be expected to have some record-breaking internal organs.
Initially the number blue whales(this is before the start of intensive fishing) was estimated at 215 thousand individuals. But it is quite difficult to calculate the modern livestock. And the reason is quite simple. For many decades, these mammals were not very actively studied. According to data for 1984, no more than 1,900 whales live in the Northern Hemisphere, while in the Southern Hemisphere there are more - about 10 thousand heads. True, half of them are of the dwarf subspecies. Now, according to some data, there are no more than 2 thousand blue whales in the entire world's oceans. True, according to the calculations of other experts, the figures are more optimistic - at least 8 thousand individuals.
Tales of his heart being like a big car, with an aorta large enough for a man to swim, abound, but since finding intact specimens for study is rare, the truth is hard to find. So when a dead blue whale washed ashore in Newfoundland, Canada, experts saw a valuable opportunity.
A team from the Royal Ontario Museum was sent to dissect a 5-foot blue whale that died after becoming trapped in the ice. This is the first blue whale heart to be anatomically preserved. “It took us four people to push the heart out through the window we made between the ribs and the side of the chest cavity.”
Killer whale victim
However, blue whales can die not only at human hands. The mammal can also become a victim of its marine neighbors. One might think that in adult whales, due to giant size, there are no natural enemies. However, they may still fall out of favor with killer whales. The latter gather in schools, tear blue whales apart and eat them. And cases of attacks have already been recorded. So, in 1979, a pod of 30 killer whales attacked a young blue whale. 
"I was expecting something the size of a car, but I found the heart to be more like the size of maybe a small golf cart or a two-person circus bumper," Ms. Miller says. The blue whale represents the extreme upper limit of size and physiology.
It was also discovered that the aorta is slightly smaller than thought, probably capable of fitting a human head inside. To our knowledge, this is the first blue whale heart to be anatomically preserved for display and study. People always wonder how big they are, and if it's the same as our heart, structurally, says Ms. Miller.
Killer whales rushed at their prey, tearing pieces off it. Moreover, the attackers did not even know where to bite - on the head, sides or back. And in 1990, two were described large whale, which were seen in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. They had scars in the form of parallel stripes, judging by them, the mammals had traces of the teeth of killer whales.
Gray-blue
The color of the blue whale, surprisingly, is not blue, but mostly gray, but with a blue tint. And the mammal was nicknamed blue because when you look at a whale through the water, it seems exactly blue, or blue. At the same time, the fins and belly of the animal are lighter than the rest of the body.Blue whales live in both warm and cold waters. These are polar and tropical seas. The creatures have no teeth, but despite this, they feed on all kinds of small sea creatures, for example, plankton or small fish. The largest whale in the world has a “baleen” for food. This is a device that looks more like a brush or a huge sieve. It is capable of passing through itself elements that are unnecessary for nutrition, and in addition, filtering water. A blue whale cannot eat a person, even if it really wants to. Therefore, the mammal is considered almost safe for humans. However, an inhabitant of the seas and oceans can easily overturn a medium-sized watercraft, not on purpose, but simply by accidentally hitting it.
The blue whale's heart, along with the skeleton of the animal it came from, will eventually be displayed in a museum. "The blue whale represents the extreme upper limit of size and physiology, and its behavior and physiological tolerances must be addressed accordingly," Ms Miller says.
Anatomically, not much has been published about the heart of blue whales. We would also like to have an answer for our visitors when they ask "how big is it"? The largest creature that ever lived, with a single tongue that can weigh as much as an elephant, the blue whale rules the ocean. Steve Connor explains how this magnificent mammal evolved to the size of a mammoth.
Almost bipedal
There is a theory according to which whales came into the water from land. Proof of this is the structural features of the skeleton of a mammal, which does not really resemble a fish. The blue whale even has tufted fingers on its fins. Moreover, the blue whale does not lay eggs or spawn; it produces already living organisms.The blue whale is the largest known animal that has ever lived, much larger than any of the dinosaurs. But it started out as something much smaller. This eventually led to the creation of a completely aquatic creature called "Dorudon", which lived 37 million years ago and grew 5 meters.
His nostrils returned from his muzzle to the top of his head. Its forelimbs became stiff flippers, its chest elongated, its hind limbs were practically non-existent, and its tail became two rubber flies that propelled the animal forward through the water as they rose and fell rather than sideways in the direction of the fish's tail movement. Then something extraordinary happened. Because these mammals swam in the sea, supported by the buoyancy of salt water, they escaped the limitations of gravity and were able to grow larger and larger as the blue whale drove out all other cetacean species.
It is worth noting that whales have a very poor sense of smell and vision. Therefore the most big whale in the world he communicates with his fellow tribesmen exclusively through sounds. And in order for other mammals to hear the cry, the whale has to put up to 20 hertz into the message. And this is enough to transmit information over a huge distance - individuals are able to hear each other at a distance of up to 800 kilometers and even more. However, if the whale overdoes it and screams with more or less force, then its brothers will not hear it. And whales are not capable of understanding anyone. For the most part, these mammals are loners.
Turn the page to some amazing facts about this unusual mammal. Amazing size of the blue whale. Blue whales can dive for up to one hour, going to depths of 100m, so they need highly efficient lungs to survive. Two huge wells, big enough to Small child could climb, allow you to quickly and efficiently exchange oxygen.
How much does a blue whale weigh?
Oxygen is pumped around its enormous body by an equally massive four-chambered heart. Weighing around 900kg - and the size of a mini car - the blue whale's heart beats once every 10 seconds, pumping 220 liters of blood through its body, and beats so loudly it can be heard from 3 kilometers away via sonar equipment.
The blue whale, as a rule, does not form herds. But sometimes mammals still gather in groups, but they are not numerous, only 2-3 heads. Only where there is a lot of food can you find large clusters. However, even in such groups, blue whales stay apart from each other.
The blue whale skin symbols are unique, much like fingerprints. The pale bluish-gray color gives the species its name, although the skin can also appear silver-gray or tan, depending on the light. The blue whale has 80 to 100 long grooves running along its throat and chest.
Eye of the blue whale. Blue whales have relatively small eyes for their body size—each is about the size of a grapefruit—and their vision is considered poor. They do not have tear glands or eyelashes. Their giant mouths - large enough to contain 100 people - can capture great amount prey with every sip of water, filtering nutritious krill from the displaced water with stiff bristles that grow from the roof of the mouth.
The mammal is not as maneuverable as other large cetaceans. Whales' movements are slow and clumsy. And they are active only during the daytime, this is evidenced by the fact that, for example, off the coast of California, individuals stop their movements at night. In general, the life of blue whales at night is still little studied.
We rarely come across wild animals in our lives, so most often we simply forget how big they can be. Cats, dogs, birds, less often cows or horses - against their background, a person can really seem like the king of nature. King...
Despite the lack of external ears, blue whales are thought to have excellent hearing, using air sinuses and bones to detect sound. They communicate using low-frequency whistles or rumbling noises that can travel hundreds of kilometers and reach 188 decibels - louder than a passenger plane.
Blue whales reach sexual maturity between five and ten years. They seek warmer equatorial waters before embarking on an elaborate mating ritual in which males and females roll over each other, go deep, and then suddenly swim to the surface to copulate. Males have the largest penis in the animal kingdom, about 30 cm in diameter when erect and 3 m in length.
But as soon as you move away from civilization, everything immediately falls into place: crocodiles, 7 meters long, elephants, sea and land, bears, giraffes, hippos, gorillas... it’s hard to keep the crown on your head next to you. But still, there is a creature on Earth that can easily outshine them all - the whale.
Underwater giants
These giants live underwater, where the laws of gravity do not operate as harshly as on the surface. This allowed them to grow to such an impressive size that only dinosaurs, and even then not all, managed to outdo it. And the largest whale in the world is swimming the seas right now.
Blue whales are placental mammals, and the fetus develops in the mother's uterus. He is fed by his mother's two teats, fed up to 180 liters of skim milk per day, allowing him to grow at a daily rate of 90 kg. Blue whales are the largest animals that have ever existed on planet Earth!
Despite their size, this animal is not dangerous to humans, as it is not aggressive and has no teeth. These instruments filter enormous amounts of water containing krill. Krill are preserved and captured during water displacement. Blue whales can be solitary or live in small groups called pods.
This is quite interesting, because most often the creatures that exist today are smaller copies of those that inhabited the planet previously. Ancient whales, on the contrary, were much smaller. This is easy to explain: they were not born waterfowl, but replaced their legs with flippers and fins during development. Accordingly, relatively small animals descended under the water, which, having found favorable conditions, began to gradually change their shape to a hydrodynamic one.
Best Whale Watching Spots
Below are the best places in the world to watch blue whales in their natural habitat. These include blue whales and a resident population of beluga whales. Expert local guides will introduce you to the world of marine biology and cetaceans, guiding you to see the marine animals that live and feed in this unpolluted park.
Reykjavik and Husavik, Iceland
These whales are here because there is a large concentration of krill on which they feed. Researchers who accompany you on whale watching excursions can identify each whale by taking a photo of one of its sides. This should include the dorsal fin as its shape differs from whale to whale.
Being underwater kings, they still breathe air, bear and give birth to young, and even have hands and feet, although atrophied. These are only external signs; experts will list a dozen more.
But not all whales can boast of such sizes; among them there are also relatively small ones. But the biggest interest is still the huge whales. Let's talk about them in more detail.
Best places to swim with blue whales
Below are best places for swimming with blue whales. San Diego is a city in California, near the border with Mexico. From this place you can look for the largest animal in the world - the blue whale. These excursions allow you to watch them from a boat and swim with them. The number of people who can be in close contact with these cetaceans is limited so as not to disturb the sea giants.
Where can you find blue whales?
Blue whales are a cosmopolitan species, which means you can find them in all of the world's oceans. Take a look at their long range map. This article was written by Mario Passoni, a marine biologist involved in several projects related to ocean conservation and formation. Special thanks to Wayne Sentman of the Oceanic Society, as well as Talia Martinez.
Blue whale
At the moment, the blue whale is the absolute champion in size. Try to imagine: the length of his body is up to 30-35 meters (we remind you that 30 meters is the approximate height of a nine-story building). The mass of such a giant can reach 100-150 tons. Of course, most representatives of the species are somewhat smaller, but there were also larger specimens.
To be technically correct, the top 10 animals on this list should all be whales, as there are many different types whales that will be heavier African elephant. To make this list more diverse, they have not been included. More sharks would also make this list if all sharks were considered. These weights are just average weights, and for some of these animals it is quite difficult to get an accurate weight measurement, as you can imagine. Where do you get scales to weigh an elephant?
This means you should add these 3 dinosaurs to your list. You forgot the humpback whale and the sperm whale. A rare whale is heavier than a whale shark. But you learn something new every day! You forgot the seal of the southern elephant, weighing up to 6.6 feet. How about a gorilla? And did you know that the blue whale is bigger than dinosaurs?
- Thanks for the info!
- What about walruses?
- They can grow over 1 metric ton. 3 dinosaurs are bigger than the blue whale.
For example, a documented case was recorded when whalers caught a 190-ton female; there were also smaller ones, for example, a 178-ton specimen and many others.
And that's just the tail...
Some researchers argue that today's blue whales were being crushed, blaming barbaric extermination that reduced the number of whales from 275 (19th century, before fishing) to 5 thousand (1994). According to the stories and reports of whalers, at the beginning of the fishery, larger specimens were also encountered, so the longest whale could reach 40 meters, and 37-38 meter individuals were encountered regularly.
Scientists distinguish three subspecies of blue whales: southern, northern and dwarf. As is most often the case, the southern ones are the largest, the northern ones are slightly smaller. The funniest sound is the “dwarf blue whale”, because on average this “dwarf” is only 3 meters shorter than its larger counterparts.
The fin whale is the second largest. The weight of this whale can reach 40-80 tons, but it greatly depends on the chosen habitat. There are two subspecies of this animal - northern and southern types. Animals that prefer cold northern waters are more compact, their length rarely exceeds 24-25 meters, while their southern counterparts often reach 27 meters.
Fin whales are the blue whale's closest relatives. In some cases, they even give birth to babies together.
bowhead whale
The third largest, the bowhead whale prefers cold northern waters. Perhaps if he had chosen warmer ones, he would have grown even larger, but even a length of 20-22 meters cannot but command respect. Interestingly, male bowhead whales are somewhat smaller than their beautiful halves, which grow up to 18 meters. But such injustice is characteristic of all cetacean species.
By the way, this large whale boasts not only its size, but also its life expectancy. Research in this area has not been going on for too long, but already famous representatives a species whose age has exceeded the century mark. There are even references to a male aged 211 years. True, it was determined by an insufficiently accurate method, and even if the error is 20-30%, this whale remains one of the longest-livers.
The only representative of the sperm whale family today, the sperm whale is the largest of the toothed whales. With luck, males can grow up to 20 meters in length and weigh 50 tons, although on average they are somewhat smaller. It is interesting that, unlike whales, the females of sperm whales are more fragile and petite. But they can hardly be called inches: 13 meters is an impressive size.
Not as graceful as the blue whale, but doesn't suffer from it at all
Interestingly, the sperm whale is the only representative of the cetacean order that can swallow a person whole. But it is also difficult to find such live-eaters in other orders. Several similar cases have been recorded. In one of them (extremely controversial and refuted), the victim even survived.
Such giants cannot but command respect, but they remain in the minority even in their own family. And the smallest whale looks like a real dwarf in comparison. For example, a dwarf whale rarely grows longer than 4-5 meters, and a baby sperm whale is even smaller - 2.4-3 meters in length, weighing up to 250-300 kilograms. Here's a mini-kit.
We hope that now you know which whale is the largest and which is the smallest. This will help you better understand who exactly should give the crown.