5 Fascinating Facts About Blue Whales

The Biggest Animal in the World

The blue whale is the largest animal that ever lived on Earth, bigger than the largest dinosaur. These gentle giants eat some of the smallest creatures in the ocean, yet they play a crucial role in marine ecosystems. With that in mind, here are five incredible facts about these gentle giants.

1. A Unique Diet

Ironically, the largest animal on Earth survives by consuming one of the smallest ocean creatures. Blue whales dine almost exclusively on krill, shrimp-like animals that swarm together in large numbers. A blue whale may eat as much as 1,459 kilograms of krill a day, scooping it up with its mouth and filtering it out of the seawater.

5 Fascinating Facts About Blue Whales — Photo: Chinh Le Duc on Unsplash

2. They’re Everywhere

Blue whales are present in all oceans but are rare in all of them due to industrial whaling. There are thought to be between 10,000 and 25,000 left in the world, and they are found in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Southern Oceans. They are migratory, living in cool waters where they feed and traveling to warmer waters such as Costa Rica or the Indian Ocean to breed.

3. Big Hearts

Did you know that a blue whale's heart is huge? A human baby could crawl through its biggest blood vessel. The heart itself weighs about 400 pounds. This huge muscle pumps blood through the giant blue whale with each slow, steady beat.

4. Long-Lived

Blue whales may live for 90 years on average, with the longest-lived individual thought to have reached 110 years. Age is determined by counting the number of layers of earwax present, which accumulate over time like tree rings. As they spend decades roaming huge oceanic distances, they communicate with other blue whales using low-frequency rumbles that can travel hundreds of miles.

5. Make Some Noise

Did you know that a blue whale's tongue can weigh as much as an elephant? Or that their tongues are so large, a whole football team can stand on it? Blue whales can make calls that are up to 188 decibels, louder than a jet engine, which makes them one of the loudest animals on the planet.