The world is full of amazing creatures. The blue whale stands out for obvious reasons (it is the biggest right?). An incredible being that it is a pleasure to learn more about. Allow us to share some of the best things about blue whales with you now:
- Blue whales are big
Ok so not a surprise, but we mean really big! Blue whales are the largest animal known to have ever lived on the planet, with the longest on record being almost 110 feet. That is about three buses long, wowza. In addition, it can weigh up to 440,000 pounds, which is almost the same as the Statue of Liberty (450,000 pounds). The tongue alone weighs as much as an elephant.
- Blue whales are noisy
Anything that big would have to be! But did you know that they are the loudest animal on the planet, reaching 188 decibels? A jet engine (not an animal) reaches only 144 decibels.
- Blue whales are fast
Well, actually, no they are pretty slow averaging around 5mph while their top speed is 20mph. You could outrace them on your scooter. But they are so big they can still cover a lot of ground quite quickly. So if you were to race them in a traditional track in a stadium, you would lose, because they are as big as most stadiums.
- Blue whales are like us.
While we are not blue we do live to around 80 – 100 years and blue whales are the same. This makes them an ideal yet awkward pet.
- Blue whales are still in danger.
Current estimates suggest that are around 10,000 to 25,000 blue whales today. Far less than in pre whaling times. Today climate changes and other natural phenomena threaten the whales even if they are protected from humanity.
Blue whales are amazing and we are lucky to have them. There is a large group of Blue whales off the coast of California that you should check out if you get the chance, but don´t try and bring one home as a pet, they are not house trained.
