What’s The Biggest Whale?

Quick Facts

Attribute	Details
Type	Marine mammal
Family	Cetacea
Habitat	Oceans worldwide
Conservation	Protected in most countries
Research Status	Ongoing scientific study

The Short Answer

The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is definitively the biggest whale—and the largest animal ever to exist on Earth, including all dinosaurs. Blue whales reach lengths of 100 feet (30 meters) and weights exceeding 200 tons (400,000 pounds). Their hearts alone weigh as much as a small car, and their tongues can weigh as much as an elephant.

The Top 10 Biggest Whale Species

Ranking by Maximum Length

Rank	Species	Maximum Length	Maximum Weight	Classification
1	Blue Whale	100 ft (large sizes)	200 tons	Baleen
2	Fin Whale	85 ft (26m)	80 tons	Baleen
3	Sperm Whale	67 ft (20.5m)	45 tons	Toothed
4	Right Whale	60 ft (18m)	100 tons	Baleen
5	Bowhead Whale	60 ft (18m)	100 tons	Baleen
6	Humpback Whale	62 ft (19m)	40 tons	Baleen
7	Sei Whale	60 ft (18m)	28 tons	Baleen
8	Gray Whale	49 ft (15m)	40 tons	Baleen
9	Bryde’s Whale	50 ft (15m)	28 tons	Baleen
10	Orca (Killer Whale)	32 ft (9.8m)	6 tons	Toothed

Ranking by Maximum Weight

Rank	Species	Maximum Weight	Length at Max Weight	Notes
1	Blue Whale	200+ tons	100 ft	Heaviest animal ever
2	Right Whale	100 tons	55-60 ft	Extremely rotund body
3	Bowhead Whale	100 tons	55-60 ft	Thick blubber layer
4	Fin Whale	80 tons	85 ft	Second longest
5	Sperm Whale	45 tons	67 ft	Largest toothed whale
6	Humpback Whale	40 tons	55 ft	Robust build
7	Gray Whale	40 tons	49 ft	Stocky proportions
8	Sei Whale	28 tons	60 ft	Slender build
9	Bryde’s Whale	28 tons	50 ft	Tropical species
10	Orca	6 tons	32 ft	Largest dolphin family

Blue Whale: The Ultimate Giant

Blue Whale Measurements

Body Part	Size	Comparison
Total length	80-100 ft (24-large sizes)	Length of 2.5 school buses
Heart	400 lbs (180 kg)	Size of a golf cart
Tongue	5,400 lbs (2,450 kg)	Weight of an elephant
Eye	6 inches diameter	Size of a grapefruit
Aorta	9 inches diameter	Child could crawl through
Brain	15 lbs (6.8 kg)	Largest brain on Earth
Tail fluke span	25 ft (7.6m)	Width of small aircraft wings
Mouth capacity	5,000+ gallons	Enough to hold 100 people

Blue Whale vs. Largest Dinosaurs

Animal	Length	Weight	Time Period
Blue Whale	100 ft (large sizes)	200 tons	Present
Argentinosaurus	100 ft (large sizes)	70-80 tons	94 million years ago
Patagotitan	100 ft (large sizes)	70 tons	100 million years ago
Dreadnoughtus	85 ft (26m)	65 tons	77 million years ago
Brachiosaurus	85 ft (26m)	58 tons	154 million years ago

According to research published by the Smithsonian Institution, blue whales are 2-3 times heavier than the largest known dinosaurs, despite being similar in length. This makes them the most massive animals in Earth’s 4.5-billion-year history.

Why Blue Whales Became So Big

Evolutionary Factors

Researchers have identified several factors enabling blue whale gigantism:

Factor	Explanation	Evolutionary Benefit
Ocean buoyancy	Water supports massive weight	No skeletal size limits
Filter feeding	Efficient bulk food consumption	Energy surplus for growth
Krill abundance	Dense prey patches	Rewarded larger body size
Ice age cooling	Concentrated prey in upwelling zones	Bigger whales found more food
Predator avoidance	Size deters all predators	Reduced mortality
Thermal efficiency	Large bodies retain heat	Enables cold-water feeding

Research from Stanford University (2017) found that whale gigantism is relatively recent—occurring only in the last 4.5 million years when ice ages created the nutrient-rich upwelling zones that concentrate krill today.

Blue Whale Daily Consumption

Food Metric	Amount	Comparison
Daily krill consumption	4-6 tons	40 million krill per day
Feeding hours per day	8-12 hours	Only during productive season
Calories consumed daily	1.5 million	600x human daily intake
Mouthfuls per lunge	120 tons of water	Largest bite of any animal
Lunges per day	100-300	Each lasting 10 seconds

Regional Size Variations

Blue whale populations show measurable size differences:

Population	Average Adult Length	Average Weight	Status
Antarctic	90-100 ft (27-large sizes)	150-200 tons	Recovering
North Pacific	80-90 ft (24-27m)	100-130 tons	Endangered
North Atlantic	75-85 ft (23-26m)	90-120 tons	Endangered
Northern Indian Ocean (Pygmy)	65-75 ft (20-23m)	70-90 tons	Data deficient
South Pacific	80-90 ft (24-27m)	100-140 tons	Endangered

NOAA research indicates that Antarctic blue whales are the largest, likely because the Southern Ocean contains the densest krill populations on Earth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the blue whale really bigger than any dinosaur?

Yes, blue whales are definitely bigger than any known dinosaur. While the longest dinosaurs (Argentinosaurus, Patagotitan) matched blue whales in length at around 100 feet, blue whales weigh 2-3 times more—up to 200 tons versus 70-80 tons for the largest dinosaurs. No land animal could support such weight.

What’s the biggest whale ever recorded?

The largest whale ever reliably measured was a female blue whale at 110 feet 2 inches (33.58 meters), recorded by whalers at South Georgia in the early 20th century. The heaviest was approximately substantial weight. Today, blue whales rarely exceed 100 feet, as the largest individuals were hunted during the commercial whaling era.

Which is bigger: blue whale or sperm whale?

Blue whales are significantly larger. Maximum blue whale: 100 feet, 200 tons. Maximum sperm whale: 67 feet, 45 tons. Blue whales are about 50% longer and 4-5 times heavier than sperm whales. However, sperm whales are the largest toothed whale/predator on Earth.

Why are baleen whales bigger than toothed whales?

Baleen whales evolved filter-feeding, which allows efficient harvesting of enormous prey quantities (krill, small fish). Toothed whales must hunt individual prey, limiting their energy intake. The energy economics of filter-feeding supports larger body sizes—baleen whales can consume 4-6 tons of food daily, while even large toothed whales eat only 100-200 pounds.

How does whale size compare to the largest fish?

The largest fish, the whale shark, reaches about 62 feet and 47,000 pounds. The blue whale is 60% longer and 8-10 times heavier. While both are filter feeders, whales evolved from land mammals with different physiology, enabling greater size. Whale sharks are cold-blooded fish; whales are warm-blooded mammals.

The Biggest Whales Throughout History

Evolution of Whale Size

Era	Example Species	Maximum Size	Notes
50 million years ago	Pakicetus	3 ft (1m)	First whale ancestor (land)
40 million years ago	Basilosaurus	60 ft (18m)	Ancient sea whale
25 million years ago	Early baleen whales	20-30 ft	Developed filter feeding
10 million years ago	Early blue whales	50-60 ft	Pre-ice age
4 million years ago	Blue whale ancestors	70-80 ft	Beginning of gigantism
Present	Blue whale	100 ft (large sizes)	Peak whale size

Conservation Status of Large Whales

Species	IUCN Status	Population Estimate	Trend
Blue Whale	Endangered	10,000-25,000	Increasing slowly
Fin Whale	Vulnerable	100,000	Increasing
Sperm Whale	Vulnerable	300,000	Stable
Right Whale	Endangered/Critical	400 (North Atlantic)	Decreasing
Bowhead Whale	Least Concern	10,000	Increasing

Despite protection since 1966, blue whale populations remain at approximately 3-5% of pre-whaling numbers (estimated at 200,000-300,000 historically).

For more on whale sizes, explore our guides on how long whales are, blue whale specifics, and whale weight.

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