Whale Size
Facts About Whale Size
Whale size can be quite intimidating. Especially if you are cruising along in your boat and suddenly one comes up beside you. It is not an unusual occurrence. Many whales exhibit friendliness toward boats and you may even find one who will follow along in your wake.
When you are thinking about whale size, it puts it more in perspective when you realize that the heart of a Blue Whale is the size of a compact car. The heart alone can weigh over one thousand pounds. The weight of the blood that is pumped through the heart is 14,000 pounds. Think about how large a pint of blood appears to be when you give blood, and then try to get your mind to grasp the concept of 14,000 pounds of blood. It really is not an easy thing to do unless you have personally seen a large whale up close.
The same whale that has this 14,000 pounds of blood is eighty feet long or more and weighs 120 tons. That is 240,000 pounds. I don’t know about you but I have a hard time comprehending an animal that weighs 240,000 pounds. Most of the smallest whales are twenty feet long and in the 3,000 to 6,000 pound weight range. Some whales are born that size.
Whale size varies a lot depending on the species of whale, but none really fall into the small category. There is a Dwaft Pigmy Whale that is supposed to be 2-½ feet long as an adult, but no one has seen one of those in many years. They might even be extinct. The Orca Whale, also known as the Killer Whale, is considered to be a medium-size whale. It can measure around thirty-two feet long and weigh ten tons or 20,000 pounds. It is a good thing that Killer Whales have never even thought about attacking humans.
The Finback Whale, also known as the Fin Whale, is an extra-large whale. In fact, in whale size they are second to only one other whale, the Blue Whale. The Finback Whale grows up to eighty-two feet long and weighs in the range of 79 tons or 158,000 pounds. Whale size for both the Humpback Whale and the Sperm Whale are similar. The Humpback is 52-½ feet in length and weighs 50 tons or 100,000 pounds. The Sperm Whale can be up to 59-feet long and weigh up to 44 tons or 88,000 pounds. The Sei Whale is just a little smaller at fifty-one feet long and weighing 30 tons or 60,000 pounds.
Finally, let’s look at the whale size of three of what are considered smaller whales--all are under fifty feet long. The Gray Whale, for example, is forty-six feet long and weighs 35-½ tons or 71,000 pounds. A Pilot Whale is quite small--20.3 feet long on average, and it weighs three tons or 6,000 pounds. While three tons sounds like a lot to us, think about it in comparison to the 120-ton Blue Whale. And, as whales get smaller still, they start being referred to as dolphins. The Bottle Nose Dolphin is only thirteen feet long and at 1,437 pounds, doesn’t even reach a ton.
Given whale size, it’s a good thing that whales are harmless to humans. If you have never seen a whale, try going on a whale tour boat and see if you can spot one. You will be impressed not only with their size but with their beauty as well.