The whale is the largest whale species. From Giant Blue Whales to Bottlenose Dolphins.
- The whale is the largest whale species. Despite living in the water, whales breathe air.
- The whale is the largest whale species. The whale penis is a reproductive organ found in male whales and is known to be one of the largest in the animal kingdom. The fin whale is the second-largest whale species on earth, second only to the blue whale. We have also included seal species seen in the Plymouth area where WDC's Marine Animal Rescue and Response (MARR Apr 8, 2024 · Humpback whale breaching. ) long (Compagno, 2005). She was measured at 33. 8 kilograms (17 lb) on average. There are nearly 90 species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises in the order Cetacea, which is divided into two suborders, the Odontocetes, or toothed whales, and the Mysticetes, or toothless baleen whales. 5 ft) long (Colman, 1997). Females are smaller, usually measuring less than about 14 metres (45. Jul 20, 2023 · The blue whale, a baleen whale, is the world's largest animal. Blue Whale – Definitely the largest whale species, the blue whale takes the cake as the biggest whale in the world by a landslide. Sponsored Content. Within all the subspecies of blue whales, the females are usually much larger than the males. Blue Whale These whales are considered to be the largest known animals to have ever lived on Earth. Thirty-five whale species are found at least occasionally in Sep 28, 2023 · Credit: NOAA Fisheries. Blue whales are the largest baleen whale and the largest rorqual. From Giant Blue Whales to Bottlenose Dolphins. The oldest blue whale on record was estimated to be 110 years old. There are also several other large Facts. Males attain a maximum length of about 24 metres (78. Finback Whale (Size: Up to 80 feet in length) Features: Grayish, sleek whale with tall, curved dorsal fin. It is the only extant species in the genus Orcinus. They can grow up to 100 feet long and weigh over 200 tons. Rarely lifts tail. 7 feet) and weigh up to 50 metric tons (55. Males can weigh up to 56 tons. An exception is the 2. A blue whale's heart can weigh up to 1,300 pounds and is the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins Oct 24, 2021 · The largest sperm whales can reach up to 68 feet in length and weigh over 174,000 pounds. Jul 27, 2023 · The blue whale (scientific name Balaenoptera musculus) holds the distinction of being the largest known animal ever to have lived on Earth, with individuals reaching up to 100 feet (30 meters) in length and weighing as much as 200 tons. They were one of the first groups to diverge from the ancestral lineage. The list of whale species below contains information on every recognized whale species (currently, 43 species in total). A newborn blue whale is 23 feet (7m) long and weighs up to three tons (5950lbs or 2700kg),which is about the size of a full grown hippo! For the first six or seven months of life, a baby blue whale drinks about 100-150 Sperm whales ( Physeter macrocephalus) are the largest of the toothed whales, reaching up to 66 feet (20 meters) long. H. Aug 2, 2023 · Until now, a blue whale species (scientifically named Balaenoptera musculus) was considered the biggest mammal ever to exist. Jan 26, 2024 · The blue whale is the undisputed largest animal on the planet today and perhaps the largest animal to have ever lived. The newly found species weighed between 85 and 340 tonnes. At around 100 feet long and 100 tons in size, these marine giants are the largest creatures—dead or alive—known to humankind. They are the loudest animals on Earth and are Sperm whales are the largest of the toothed whales. Balaenoptera physalus. The clicks produced by a sperm whale can reach a volume of 230 decibels, and are the loudest-known Fin whales can be found all over the world’s oceans. Overview By Species. These groups tend to live in open ocean areas, and are occasionally visited by males who range widely across the oceans. Jan 7, 2019 · 19 Types of Whales. The whale shark is anything but. 6 days ago · blue whale, (Balaenoptera musculus), the most massive animal ever to have lived, a species of baleen whale that weighs approximately 150 tons and may attain a length of more than 30 metres (98 feet). 7 feet and weighed over 41,000 pounds. Jun 2, 2023 · The sperm whale, the largest toothed whale species, belongs to the parvorder Odontoceti, encompassing other remarkable marine mammals like orcas, beaked whales, dolphins, and porpoises. The species can be up to 100 ft long (30m), and weigh as much as 150 tons (136 Sep 19, 2019 · A Leviathan attacks its prey with a mouthful of teeth, some up to 14 inches long. Vaquitas have eyes with surrounding large dark rings and lips with dark patches. Sperm whales are the largest toothed cetacean. The tongue of an adult blue whale is approximately the same weight as an adult elephant. This pitch is at a higher frequency than that of the other whale species with migration patterns most closely resembling the 52-hertz whale's [1] – the blue whale (10 to 39 Hz) [2] and the The heart of an adult blue whale is the largest of any mammal. Jun 14, 2023 · 1. Before a final moratorium on commercial whaling in 1985, all populations of humpback whales were greatly reduced, most by more than 95 percent. It is one of ten rorqual species, and the third-largest member after the blue and fin whales. One exception is with the sperm whale, which has males larger than the females. Blue and fin whales are the two largest animals that currently exist on earth. An average blue whale weighs in around 400,000 lbs. Besides the living species, the blue whale is related to prehistoric ones Baleen whales are generally huge; the largest is the biggest creature to have ever lived on Earth - the blue whale. Jan 17, 2024 · The killer whale, also known as orca, is the ocean’s top predator. According to the IUCN, whale sharks have a recovery score of 29%. Their tongues alone can It is hard to envision the enormous size of a blue whale. 6 m (110. What magnificent, incredible… Feb 29, 2024 · Blue Whale Lifespan. Although they are the size of most large baleen whales, they actually have teeth on their bottom jaw, used to grasp large squid or fish, unlike other large whales that filter smaller denser prey through their baleen. Intermedia) is the biggest animal on the planet, weighing up to 400,000 pounds (approximately 33 elephants) and reaching up to 98 feet in length. ] tons), but there are Sperm Whale. Calves are born after a 14-16 month gestation period, and stay with their mothers for many years. Food: Mostly small schooling fish like sand lance, herring, young mackerel, and krill. They are capable of reaching depths of over 10,000 feet for over 60 minutes in a single dive. The blue whale is the largest mammal of all time, with the largest known specimen being 33. The size of these sharks at maturity is still being researched, but studies indicate that both male and female sharks reach maturity by 9m (29. Blue whales are the largest animals ever known to have lived on Earth. It can grow to around 67 feet and live to 70 years of age and longer. That said, resident populations do exist, and both the Gulf of California in Mexico and Jan 17, 2024 · The endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale population declined by nearly 80 percent between 1979 and 2018, from about 1,300 whales to an estimated 279 whales. 5 tons. 5 meters) in length. Some of the biggest individuals may eat up to 6 tons of krill a day. They feed almost exclusively on krill, straining huge volumes of ocean water through their baleen plates (which hang from the roof of the mouth and work like a sieve). org, the 10 largest whales are as follows: Blue Whale - 98 feet. 8–65. 1 tons). They can grow up to 19. The largest whale sharks on record reached 61. See photos and learn more about the wide diversity of sharks, read 5 reasons to revere sharks, and see even more articles about sharks. And like humans, they are warm-blooded mammals who Oct 30, 2023 · Fin Whale. The white whale in Moby Dick was based on two real-life sperm whales: a whale that rammed and sank Jul 11, 2023 · Top Sperm Whale Facts. and can grow about 98 feet long. For comparison, they are about the size Nov 11, 2023 · The blue whale is scientifically called Balaenoptera musculus and is part of the Balaenoptera genus, alongside other whales like the common minke whale or fin whale. Several species have female-biased sexual dimorphism, with the females being larger than the males. The species is characterized by a mottled bluish-grey body and a broad, flat head. The massive mammals range from the 600-pound dwarf sperm whale to the colossal blue whale, which can weigh more than Jan 13, 2024 · seaoceaninfo. and like many species of whale relies on the likes of krill and plankton to survive. They feed on plankton and travel large distances to find enough food to sustain their huge size, and to reproduce. The longest blue whale was recorded to have been 108 feet! Whale sharks are among the longest-living fish species, with an estimated lifespan of between about 70 and 100 years. brevicauda) The Pygmy blue whale is the smallest of all the species and is commonly found in the Southern Hemisphere. 5 – 4. Facts. Adults range in length from 14–17 m (46–56 ft) and weigh up to 40 metric tons (44 short tons). 0–20. And some research suggests whale sharks can live up to about 130 years old . It is Which whale has the biggest baby? Not surprisingly perhaps, the biggest mothers on earth give birth to the biggest babies. Physeter marcrocephalus. Oct 21, 2022 · According to wildlifetrip. 7 in. The answer we have below for The __ whale is one of the largest whale species has a total of 8 letters. There are records of individuals growing to over 100 feet long. All are Baleen whales with the exception of the Sperm whale, which is by far the largest member of the toothed whale family. The largest is the whale shark, which has been known to get as large as 18 meters (60 feet). Whale sharks are filter Unknown. 5 meters). Smaller kinds of toothed whales are called dolphins or porpoises. 2 ft) long and the largest weighted specimen being 190 tonnes. Whales belong to a group of marine mammals called cetaceans. All whales and dolphins can be divided into two categories: baleen whales and toothed whales. This means they are almost a third of the way towards full Apr 4, 2024 · The largest blue whale on record is a female, who was measured at a South Georgia whaling station in the South Atlantic. 9 ft) but it is estimated to have rivaled or surpassed it The sperm whale is one of the largest whale species in the world. The sperm whale is the largest toothed whale, and the world’s largest living toothed predator. The world’s largest and smallest marine creatures feed, hunt, rest, socialize, travel and migrate along its shores. A sperm whale’s brain weighs around 7. 58m (110ft 17in). Its stomach can hold one ton of krill and it needs to eat about four tons of krill each day. Sperm Whale - 67 feet. Fin Whale - 90 feet. The sperm whale has the largest brain of any animal. m. Most at home in the deep, open ocean, they prefer cooler waters and are rarely found in tropical waters. Chilean blue whale (un-named species) Pygmy blue whale (B. The beaked whales are the second-largest family of cetaceans (after the dolphins). The first letter of the answer is: H. Rorquals ( / ˈrɔːrkwəlz /) are the largest group of baleen whales, comprising the family Balaenopteridae, which contains ten extant species in three genera. Sei whales are the 3rd largest whale alive. The rapid decline and dire status of the Cook Inlet beluga whale population makes it a priority for NOAA Fisheries and its partners to promote recovery to prevent extinction. The common minke whale is the smallest baleen whale in North American waters. . In compiling this list, we consulted both the Catalogue of Life and the Mammal Species of the World databases. This means they are almost a third of the way towards full Whale and dolphin species. By. Tags: Biodiversity. Dec 13, 2019 · Pound for pound, the blue whale’s reign is indisputable. The sei whale ( / seɪ / SAY, [4] Norwegian: [sæɪ]; Balaenoptera borealis) is a baleen whale. And the great white shark is somewhere in the middle. It has captured the attention of many individuals worldwide. They are gigantic, generally ranging in length from 80 to 100 feet (24 to 30 meters). The Antarctic blue whale is the largest of all the subspecies. Whale is the common name for large marine mammals of the order Cetartiodactyla (formerly Cetacea) . Almost mythical creatures, sperm whales were Overall, they tend to dwarf other cetartiodactyls; the blue whale is the largest creature on Earth. Why are whale sharks endangered? Whale shark numbers are decreasing rapidly and the species is now endangered Mar 17, 2024 · whale, any of the larger species of aquatic mammals belonging to the order Cetacea. Mar 21, 2012 · The Mysticeti group includes the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus)—the largest animal ever to live on the planet. Baleen whales such as the blue whale can grow up to a staggering 30 meters . Sperm Whale. In fact the sperm whale is the largest marine mammal in the toothed whale suborder while the dwarf sperm whale is the smallest whale among the entire cetacean family. In contrast, the pygmy sperm whale only reaches a size of 11 feet and around 900 pounds. long and weigh between 6 – 6. Whales are the largest animals on Earth and they live in every ocean. Right Whale - 60 feet. Jan 30, 2023 · Credit: NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center. The longest, accurately measured blue whale is a female who The biggest whale ever recorded is the blue whale, a baleen whale and filter feeder that belongs to the Balaenopteridae family. It gets its name from an easy-to-spot fin on its back, near its tail. Marine mammals in the cetacean family include whales Size and Shape. Sperm whales can live to 70+ years and be 65+ feet in length. They face a range of threats, including vessel strikes, bycatch, fisheries, finning, tourism, and climate change. The largest accurately measured blue whale was a 29. They can grow up too 100 feet (30. They are the largest living nonmammalian vertebrate, and seeing one swim past is truly breathtaking. 1 meters (55. This event occurred in 1909. They can be found in every ocean and range in size from the small dwarf sperm whale to the massive blue whale, the largest animal on the planet. 5 m (64 ft) in length and weigh as much as 28 t (28 long tons; 31 short tons). The biggest whale shark egg ever recorded was found in the Gulf of Mexico in 1953 - it was more than 30 centimetres long and contained a 35-centimetre-long embryo. 2. Blue whales and the other ocean giants live their whole lives in seawater, where their bodies are fully supported. Like all marine mammals, blue whales give birth to live young. It is found throughout the world’s oceans. Sperm whales possess between 18 and 26 conical teeth on each side of their elongated, narrow lower jaw, while their upper jaw is toothless. Vaquita ( Phocoena sinus ), Hector’s ( Cephalorhynchus hectori) and Maui’s ( Cephalorhynchus hectori maui) dolphins are among the smallest toothed whale species, each reaching less than 5 feet long. The killer whale is easy to identify by its size and its striking coloration: jet black on top and pure white below with a white patch behind each eye, another extending up each flank, and a variable “saddle patch” just behind the dorsal fin. long and weigh as much as 10 tons. Researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration believe they have identified a new species of whale in the Gulf Mar 21, 2024 · The sperm whale is dark blue-gray or brownish, with white patches on the belly. They have streamlined bodies and two limbs The 52-hertz whale, colloquially referred to as 52 Blue, is an individual whale of unidentified species that calls at the unusual frequency of 52 hertz. These rorquals have a relatively small, dark, sleek body that can reach lengths of up to about 35 feet and weigh up to 20,000 pounds. Jun 27, 2023 · The vaquita porpoise (Phocoena sinus) is the world’s smallest whale species at nearly five feet (1. Female blue whales reach sexual maturity around 5 to 15 years, at which time they can start birthing the largest babies in the animal kingdom. HINTS AND TIPS: Before giving away the correct answer, here are some more hints and tips for you to guess the solution on your own! 1. 5 meters) Interesting fact: They have the largest brain of any creature to have lived on Earth. Whales are one of the largest species in the world. Meet the blue whale. Blue Whales Can Grow More Than 100 Feet Long. This massive whale recorded a whopping length of 110 feet and 17 inches. Fortunately the sei whale is now legally protected, and while they are classified as endangered, their numbers are slowly increasing. Interesting Sei Whale Facts 1. 5-metre female that weighed 180 metric tons (nearly 200 short [U. Length: 67 feet (20. Several species of odontocetes exhibit sexual dimorphism, in that there are size or other morphological differences between females and males. There have been a total of 88 whales longer than 98 get and one reaching 108 feet, according to the IWC. They are found in all deep oceans, from the equator to the edge of the pack ice in the Arctic and Antarctic. The species is increasing in abundance throughout much of its range but faces threats from entanglement in fishing gear, vessel strikes, vessel-based The largest known dolphin is the killer whale which can measure up to 32 ft. 4 m (4 ft 7 in) and 54 kg (119 lb) vaquita to the 20 m (66 ft) and 100 t (98 long tons; 110 short tons) sperm whale. Blue whales are in the rorqual family, which includes humpbacks, fin, Bryde’s, sei, and minke whales. The term whale can be used in reference to any cetacean, including porpoises and dolphins, but in general it is applied to those more than 3 metres (10 feet) long. Head lighter on right side. Sperm whales form highly stable social groups based around related females and their offspring. long and weigh between 3. The Blue Whale, known as the largest mammal on Earth, is a magnificent creature. Jul 27, 2022 · Researchers made the discovery by analyzing whale shark ( Rhincodon typus) skin samples collected near Western Australia's Ningaloo reef. Rhachianectidae Weber 1904. [12] [57] [58] The extinct whale species Perucetus colossus was shorter than the blue whale, at 17. Orcas are recognizable by their black-and-white patterned body. the whale shark is the largest sea creature in the world. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus Megaptera. Whales are among the largest and oldest animals on Earth. The whale has a heart the size of a small car, and during the main feeding season, it consumes around 7936 pounds of krill per day. It is the only living member of the genus Physeter and one of three extant species in the sperm whale family, along with the pygmy sperm whale and dwarf sperm whale of the genus Kogia . This is equivalent to 3 long school buses or one full airplane. Credit: NOAA Fisheries. To feed Jan 28, 2021 · Rice's whales can grow to 42 feet, but fewer than 100 remain. Story by Evan Hecht, USA TODAY • 24m. The largest verified specimen was a colossal 110 feet (33. Females may be slightly larger than males. Baleen whales are aptly nick-named the ‘great whales’ yet they survive on the teeniest (and most abundant) animals in the ocean; they are filter feeding specialists and target shoals of small fish or clouds of zooplankton and krill in the sea. Range: Same areas as the humpback whale, but not always at the same time. Updated on January 07, 2019. They are the loudest animals on Earth and are Aug 2, 2023 · But the new species, named Perucetus colossus after the country of origin and its gigantic size, could have grown larger and heavier than the blue whale, the scientists said. Although the blue whale is a bit longer and a lot heavier, these animals are closely related. Despite being a mere May 27, 2022 · The main differences between a blue whale and a fin whale are that blue whales are larger, are blue-gray, and have a significantly smaller population than fin whales. Dolphins typically possess a streamlined body and can measure up to 4 meters in length, with some larger species like the orca, which is actually a type of toothed whale, reaching up to 8 meters. Despite living in the water, whales breathe air. The blue whale is the largest animal on the planet, weighing as much as 200 tons (approximately 33 elephants). As the largest animal on Earth, blue whales are about the length of three school buses, their heart alone is the size of a small car and they weigh on average 200,000 to 300,000 pounds. Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are the largest shark, and indeed largest of any fishes alive today. The blue whale has a heart the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. Sep 1, 2023 · The largest blue whale on record weighed 418,878 pounds and the longest blue whale ever recorded was a female that was measured in South Georgia in the South Atlantic in 1909. The smallest fits in your hand. They are the third-largest rorqual after the blue whale and the fin whale. The Pacific Coast is home to 34 species of marine mammals. Humpback The sperm whale or cachalot [a] ( Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. S. Toothed whales include the sperm whale, beaked whales, dolphins, porpoises and the beluga whale and narwhal. The biggest prehistoric whale that ever lived, and a pound-for-pound match for the giant shark Megalodon, Leviathan did its Biblical namesake proud. Bowhead Whale - 59 feet. These gargantuan sharks are the largest fish in the sea Orcas, or killer whales, are the largest of the dolphins and one of the world's most powerful predators. Of all the egg-producing sharks, whale sharks produce the largest eggs. Their sheer size amazes us: the blue whale can reach lengths of more than 100 feet and weigh up to 200 tons—as much as 33 elephants. 5m) and weigh around 160 tons. Jan 1, 2024 · The whale shark is the largest living fish with the maximum size thought to be about 20m. These magnificent marine mammals rule the oceans at up to 100 feet long and upwards of 200 tons. Fin whales are the second largest species of whale after blue whales. The Sperm Whale is the largest toothed whale in existence, getting to be an average of 67 feet in length (20. They are masters of the deep: Sperm whales typically hunt at 2,000 feet and can last for 45 minutes. What about baby blue whales? Here are some fun facts about blue whales’ “little” ones: At birth, a Large Whale Species of New England. Feb 12, 2020 · The term ‘Great whales’ does not refer to a taxonomic classification. Whales roam throughout all of the world's oceans, communicating with complex and mysterious sounds. Below, you'll discover 10 fascinating Leviathan facts. Jennifer Kennedy. It is thickset and has small paddlelike flippers and a series of rounded humps on its back. They are subdivided into the Mysticeti, or baleen whales, and Odontoceti, or toothed whales. Six genera have been identified. Keywords: Whaling,whalefall,whale-fallspecialist,metapopulationmodel,habitatloss,extinction 1. Whales, on the other hand, have more diverse body sizes. Like other large whales, fin whales are thought to migrate between feeding and breeding grounds. The Antarctic blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus ssp. 6 m) long and weighed over 400,000 pounds (181 metric tons). A January 13, 2024. Learn how to spot whales, dolphins and porpoises (cetaceans), seals and Whales. 4 days ago · killer whale, ( Orcinus orca ), largest member of the dolphin family (Delphinidae). The earliest known beaked whale fossils date to the Miocene, about 15 million years ago. The humpback whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleen whale. Blue whales are the largest animals on Earth, and the largest whale species. They are named after the waxy substance—spermaceti Several species have been described only in the last two decades. Despite their name, they are not whales but the world’s largest fish species. Members of this family include all dolphin species, as well as other larger species, such as long-finned pilot whales and short-finned pilot whales, whose common names also contain "whale" instead of "dolphin. The dwarf sperm whale, which is the smallest in this family, only reaches around 9 feet and won’t grow heavier than 600 pounds. Feb 5, 2024 · Newly sequenced genomes of blue whales in the Atlantic Ocean contain "unexpectedly high" levels of fin whale DNA, hinting that the two species have been interbreeding much more than previously Sep 16, 2022 · Appearance. The last letter of the answer is: K. protection of the largest whales within and across species, should be carefully considered. Ziphioidea – More commonly known as the beaked whales, many of the species in this superfamily look like larger dolphins with an exceptional ability to dive to deep depths. Fin whale. The two species are closely related, but fin whales have more pointed heads and are more streamlined than their giant cousins and unlike them they have various patterns of lighter shadings on their backs . The sperm whale is another very large species of whale. Measuring up to 20m in length, they are some of the biggest Toothed whales range in size from the 1. They are mind-bogglingly gigantic; much larger than any of the dinosaurs. " The sperm whale is the largest of the 3 species and is capable of growing to lengths of up to 67 feet long when fully grown. Rather, it is a name given to the select group of 13 extremely large Cetacean species that can still be found in the Ocean today. Sperm whales are the largest of the toothed whales and have one of the widest global distributions of any marine mammal species. Blue whales are the largest animals ever to live on our planet. Like all large whales, fin whales were hunted by commercial whalers, which severely lowered their By taking photos and cataloguing them, WWF has identified 458 different whale sharks in the Philippines. They're immediately recognizable by their distinctive black-and-white coloring. On average males will grow between 20 – 26 ft. Whale sharks are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List, and their populations are currently decreasing. 6 tons while female killer whales will grow to an average of 16 – 23 ft. They include the largest known animal that has ever lived, the blue whale, which can reach 180 tonnes (200 short tons), and the fin whale, which reaches 120 Orca gladiator (Bonnaterre, 1789) The orca ( Orcinus orca ), or killer whale, is a toothed whale that is the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. These little whales also feature Whale sharks are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List, and their populations are currently decreasing. It has been said that this whale species may have decreased in overall size due to the large amount of whaling in the past. Explore this section to learn more about the marine mammals you might see along The Whale Trail. Although no weight was recorded for her, a smaller female from the South Atlantic (90 feet and 6 The whale shark have a massive size, reaching lengths of up to 40 feet (12 meters) or more. Blue whales can live 80 to 90 years. The blue whale is the largest mammal and possibly the largest animal ever on earth. Endemic to the Gulf of California’s shallow waters, this marine mammal swims near the gulf’s shoreline. Blue whale at sunset, Mexico. Smart and Jun 24, 2023 · Blue whales hold the record for being the largest animals ever, but whale sharks are the largest fish species to live. This article provides information about the size, anatomy, and variability of whale penises, as well as their mating habits and reproductive capabilities. It is the largest member of the Delphinidae family, or dolphins. The smallest free-living individuals are from 55cm (21. Antarctic blue whales are the largest subspecies, while pygmy blue whales are the Nov 5, 2023 · Physeteroidea – The family Physeteroidea includes 3 living whale species: the sperm whale, the pygmy sperm whale, and the dwarf sperm whale. Known for their size, which kind is the biggest whale? The blue Feb 7, 2006 · Last Edited May 24, 2022. 7-metre dwarf sperm whale ( Kogia simus ), so called for its otherwise The blue whale is not only the biggest whale living today; the blue whale is the biggest creature ever to have lived on Earth. Together, they are in the Balaenopteridae family of rorquals, which is classified under the Cetacea order. ws be qd is eo xq sh oz ht zb