Cool Information #32

Blue Whales

Blue whales are a type of baleen whales that can grow to be about 100 feet long! That's about the size of a school bus! These creatures are the largest animals to ever walk--or swim--the Earth! They're also the loudest, too. They can go up to about 190 decibels (dB). Decibels are what we use to measure loudness. People talk at about 60 decibels, and jets are about 120 dB. Any sound above 140 decibels is physically painful to human ears. Yet ironically, blue whale calls are so low, human ears can't pick up the sound!

But, wait. Blue whales are the largest creatures on Earth, ever! 100 feet may not seem like a lot. To give you a perspective, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) has a life-size image of the blue whale. This is the link to the webpage. The horrible part about these huge creatures is that they are nearly extinct. They're an endangered species.

That's all for blue whales. Be sure to visit WDCS' life-size whale image and be sure to leave feedback!

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