Get ready to learn about one of the most incredible animals in the world—the blue whale! This giant of the ocean is the largest mammal ever known. Imagine a creature as big as a jumbo jet airplane! That’s how huge blue whales are. They can grow up to 98 feet long and weigh as much as 180 tons. Wow, that’s heavy!
Blue whales can be found swimming in all the oceans around the world. Even though they are so big, they still need to come up to the surface to breathe, just like we do. They use their blowholes to take in air. It’s like a big splashy fountain when they do!
Did you know that a blue whale’s heart is as big as a cow? And their tongue is as heavy as an elephant! When they have babies, the little ones are as big as a hippo. Can you imagine changing diapers for a baby that size?
Blue whales love to eat tiny shrimp-like creatures called krill. They can eat up to 40 million krill in just one day! That’s a lot of tiny snacks.
Blue whales are an endangered species, which means there aren’t many of them left in the world. If you’re lucky, you might see one swimming in the ocean. But if you’re a krill, you better swim away fast!
The blue whale is truly an amazing animal, and learning about them helps us understand how special and important they are to our planet.
Measure and Compare: Find a measuring tape or a long piece of string. With the help of an adult, measure out 98 feet in your backyard or a nearby park. This is how long a blue whale can be! Now, measure something else, like your height or the length of a car, and compare it to the length of the blue whale. How many of you would it take to be as long as a blue whale?
Blowhole Experiment: Blue whales use their blowholes to breathe. Try this fun experiment to see how it works! Fill a bowl with water and use a straw to blow bubbles. Imagine you are a blue whale coming up to the surface to breathe. How does the water move when you blow through the straw? What do you think it looks like when a real blue whale does this in the ocean?
Krill Counting Game: Blue whales eat a lot of krill every day. Let’s play a counting game! Gather some small objects like beans or buttons to represent krill. Try counting out 40 of them. Now imagine counting 40 million! How many times would you have to count to reach 40 million? Talk with your friends or family about why blue whales need to eat so many krill.
