What is the difference between a sperm whale and a blue whale?
That distinction goes to the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), the largest animal on Earth. The sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), on the other hand, may not be the biggest whale, but it has the biggest brain to have ever existed on Earth . A comparison chart of whale sizes helps put it all in perspective!
How big are blue whales compared to sperm whales?
Your average male sperm whale weighs around 90,000 pounds or around 45 tons. The blue whale, however, can weigh up to 330,000 pounds. So not only are blue whales almost double the size of sperm whales, but they’re also almost triple the weight. The differences don’t stop there either!
Are sperm whales the largest whale?
The Sperm Whale is the largest toothed whale in existence, getting to be an average of 67 feet in length (20.5 meters). Males can weigh up to 56 tons.
Do sperm whales eat humans?
Of the 90 known whale species on Earth, sperm whales are the only species with throats large enough to technically swallow a human. The 65-foot-long mammals have large esophaguses to feed on larger prey such as giant squid, which they sometimes swallow whole.
Can a blue whale swallow a human?
Even if they tried to swallow a human whole, they wouldn’t be able to fit a person down their throat. Blue whales won’t even attempt to eat small marine mammals, let alone a human. There are no known recorded events of a blue whale ever eating or consuming a person partially or wholly except in stories and mythology.
What are the 2 types of whales?
There are two types of whales: toothed and baleen. Toothed whales, as the name suggests, have teeth, which are used to hunt and eat squid, fish, and seals. Toothed whales include sperm whales, as well as dolphins, porpoises, and orcas, among others.
What is bigger than a blue whale?
The spiral Siphonophore spotted by the team of scientists aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s Falkor research vessel has been estimated to be 150-feet-long, which is an approximate 50 feet longer than a blue whale – widely held to be the largest animal to have ever existed.
What is the 2nd largest whale?
The fin whale
The fin whale, like other baleen whales, strains its food from the water through baleen plates. Next to the blue whale, the fin whale is the second largest mammal in the world.
Are blue whales friendly?
As a species, whales are generally non-violent and do not display aggressive behaviors towards humans; however, in situations where a whale may feel threatened or frightened, it may defend itself by attacking what it thinks is a potential threat.
Can a whale drown?
Do Whales Drown When They Die? Often, drowning does ultimately claim the lives of whales suffering from other conditions. Whales may drown when they are beached, entangled in fishing nets, or become too weak to reach the water’s surface to breathe.
What are sperm whale’s enemies?
The upper teeth of a sperm whale never grow out of its upper jaw. Scientists believe that sperm whales and giant squid are natural enemies. While no actual battles have ever been observed, sperm whales sometimes carry round scars believed to have come from the suckers of giant squid.
Is a blue whale bigger than a grey whale?
The Gray Whale is the seventh largest whale in the species, being around 44-48 ft in length and weighing about 60,000 pounds. The Blue Whale is the largest mammal in existence. As an adult, they weigh up to 300,000 pounds! They can be up to 100 ft long, with females generally be larger than the males.
What are sperm whales considered to be?
The sperm whale belongs to the order Cetartiodactyla, the order containing all cetaceans and even-toed ungulates. It is a member of the unranked clade Cetacea, with all the whales, dolphins, and porpoises, and further classified into Odontoceti, containing all the toothed whales and dolphins.
What is bigger a blue whale or a fin whale?
The fin whale is the second largest animal species alive on Earth, but this one was larger than the blue whale which is the largest animal species. Poetic justice.