What is the biggest whale in the world? Here's how it compares to other ocean giants.
The earliest whales are said to have roamed the Earth 50 million years ago. Despite what you may think, the earliest ancestor of the whale was a land-walking mammal called the Pakicetus.
Even though whales are aquatic, the Pakicetus was a four-legged land animal. Over time, its nostrils evolved into blowholes, and its body lost its fur. The Pakicetus was also estimated to be one to two meters long, unlike its descendant, the whale.
Whales can be incredibly large, but what whale is the biggest whale?
What is the biggest whale?
According to the Smithsonian, the largest whale is the blue whale. On top of being the biggest whale, the blue whale is also the largest animal on Earth.
Despite being the biggest whale, the blue whale does not have the biggest brain of any creature. According to the Smithsonian, the sperm whale has the largest brain to have ever existed on Earth.
Top 10 biggest whales
According to wildlifetrip.org, the 10 largest whales are as follows:
Blue Whale - 98 feet
Fin Whale - 90 feet
Sperm Whale - 67 feet
Right Whale - 60 feet
Bowhead Whale - 59 feet
Humpback Whale - 52 feet
Sei Whale - 52 feet
Gray Whale - 49 feet
Bryde’s Whale - 46 feet
Minke Whale - up to 35 feet
What is the smallest whale?
According to orcaweb.org.uk, the smallest whale is the dwarf sperm whale. The dwarf sperm whale can reach just under nine feet long at its maximum size. Baby dwarf sperm whales are on average three to four feet long, says 2seewhales.com.
On average, this species of whale weighs between 400 to 600 pounds, says whalefacts.org.
Biggest animal in the world?: Here are the largest creatures by land and sea
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is the biggest whale? Top 10 largest and smallest listed
