All children are very curious. They ask questions that never come to mind of an adult. For example, they often ask the following: “How much does a whale weigh?”, “How much does an elephant weigh?” or "Who is stronger - a whale or a shark?". You must admit that most adults are lost from such issues. After all, few people remember the school course of zoology, and in adulthood there is simply no place for such "little things" as information about how much the whale weighs. This article will be useful for parents of such small interrogators. We will consider how much the blue whale weighs, how much is the blue whale (as well as other representatives of the cetaceans), which one is the largest, how the giants mentioned differ from each other. Let us examine other issues related to these inhabitants of the underwater kingdom.
Marine Mammal Species
There is a huge variety of whales, but they are all divided into two groups: baleen and toothed. As the name implies, the difference between them is the presence of teeth in the mouth of these animals. The largest representative of the second group is the sperm whale. In our country, these mammals can be found in the Far Eastern seas. In addition, toothed whales include belugas and narwhals, they are found in the depths of northern waters. Killer whales are considered the most formidable toothed whales. Despite their relatively small size (8-10 meters), they attack seals, seals and even the whales themselves, who prefer to throw themselves ashore than die from the teeth of such a fierce enemy.
The first group of cetaceans (baleen) includes smooth, minke whales and gray. The largest representatives of this species are finwales, saivals and blue (the largest among all named) whales. Finals are in second place, their length is 22 meters. They differ from minke whales in that their right side is white and their left side is black. Gray whales also belong to the group of baleen giants, they are inferior in size to minke whales, but they are capable of performing the longest migrations. Every year in autumn, these animals swim several thousand kilometers from the usual pastures of the Bering Strait and the Chukchi Sea to the California lagoons, where they breed.
Now let's look at the largest representatives of both groups and find out how much the largest whale weighs.
Sperm whale
The length of this animal reaches 20 meters. The weight of an adult male is 50-70 tons, and females - 30 tons. His favorite food is cuttlefish and giant squid. Interestingly, in sperm whales, the head resembles a diver's helmet, that is, it contains a very complex valve system and a kind of bag in which the animal gathers air reserves. Thanks to this structure, the sperm whale can be at great depths up to two hours.
How much does a blue whale weigh?
These mammals are the largest animals not only from the cetacean family, but also among all living things on our planet. A blue whale can reach a length of 33 meters, and its weight often approaches the mark of 200 tons. The baby of the mentioned animal at birth reaches eight meters, and in one feeding it is able to drink up to one hundred liters of milk.
The main difference between the blue whale is the longitudinal folds extending from the jaw to the stomach. They are able to stretch, like harmonica fur, which allows the animal to draw a huge amount of water into the mouth with food. For statistics lovers who want to know not only how much a whale weighs, but also what is the mass of its individual organs, we provide the following information. In an adult blue whale, the tongue weighs three tons, the liver - one ton, the heart - 700 kilograms. In the body of this animal there are ten tons of blood, the diameter of its dorsal artery reaches 40 cm, the stomach is able to accommodate 1-2 tons of food, the size of the mouth is about 24 m 2. If your child asks you how much a blue whale weighs, then you should know: this is the second name of a blue whale, in addition, it can also be called yellow-bellied whale and minke whale.
It is interesting
All whales easily distinguish each other, but for a person this is a very difficult task. However, scientists still managed to find an opportunity to distinguish these giant animals. It turns out that the tails of whales are completely individual, and when compared with humans, this sign correlates with fingerprints. On them sections, grooves and scars from the teeth of killer whales, spots left by algae are clearly visible. All this creates a unique pattern inherent in each individual.
