The Top 12 Biggest Whales In the World

Want to know the biggest whales in the world? In this post, we talk about the largest whales in the world stating their distinct characteristics, sizes and weight, and many more.

The largest animals in the world are whales. In addition to being huge, they are extremely heavy. The largest whale sample ever known was a 33.5-meter long blue whale, equivalent to a 10-story building, and 190 tons, the same weight as 12 travel buses!

But besides the blue whale, there are other beautiful and extraordinary whales that populate the oceans. Shall we meet the biggest ones?

The Top 12 Biggest Whales In the World

12. North Pacific Right Whale ( Eubalaena japonica )

  • Maximum size: 10 meters
  • Maximum weight: 10 tonsNorth Pacific Right Whale - One of the biggest whales in the world

As the name suggests, these whales live in the Pacific, more specifically in the northern hemisphere, and can be found close to the coast of the United States, Canada, China, and Japan. Because they are very slow and very docile, right whales are an easy targets for fishermen and are at serious risk of extinction. Nowadays it is rare to see any individual of this species, and it is estimated that only a few hundred of these whales remain in the world.

11. Minke Whale ( Balaenoptera acutorostrata )

  • Maximum size: 11 meters
  • Maximum weight: 14 tonsMinke whales - one of the largest whales in the world

Minke whales are also among the list of the biggest whales in the world, as they are popularly known, can be seen on the south coast of Brazil. They are characterized by a double coloration: the clear belly and the black back, like that of an orca. In fact, the orca, which is not exactly a whale, is a possible predator of the minke. The Balaenoptera acutorostrata is agile (can swim at 30 km / h), but sometimes this is not enough to outwit predators.

10. Bryde’s Whale ( Balaenoptera edeni )

  • Maximum size: 15 meters
  • Maximum weight: 20 tonsBryde Whale

Bryde’s whales are also one of the largest whales in the world and can be found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, but their preference is always for the warmer waters of tropical and subtropical regions. Never swim in cold water! They have a very diverse diet: they eat sardines, anchovies, squid, and krill (invertebrate animals similar to shrimp). Do you know how many kilos a whale-like that can eat in a single day? 660 kg!

9. Humpback Whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae )

  • Maximum size: 15 meters
  • Maximum weight: 30 tonsHumpback Whale

In 2018, a humpback won the news all over the world. That’s because she was spotted snapping up a sea lion, an event never recorded in all history. The author of the right-click, the American biologist Chase Dekker, guarantees that the terrified sea lion emerged unscathed from this story. After all, humpbacks have no teeth and feed on crustaceans and small fish, such as herring. Sea lions are too big for this whale’s esophagus.

8. Gray whale ( Eschrichtius robustus )

  • Maximum size: 15 meters
  • Maximum weight: 36 tonsGrey Whale

Robustus is a word of Latin origin that means “strong as an oak”. And, in fact, the gray whale’s strength is something phenomenal. They are known for protecting their young with great bravery, which earned them by the former whalers the nickname Devilfish (“devil fish”), also called a grey whale, gray back whale, Pacific gray whale, or California gray whale.

As they usually eat close to the coast, it is not uncommon to see them jumping with their gigantic body mass and falling on their sides or back in the water. They say that they do this to remove the parasites that over the years lodge in their body.

7. Southern Right Whale ( Eubalaena australis )

  • Maximum size: 18 meters
  • Maximum weight: 55 tonsSouthern Right Whale

They do not have a dorsal fin, like minkes, for example. Another difference from minkes is that right whales are extremely slow. They have a thick layer of fat and calluses on the head, which appear white due to the “whale lice” (colonies of crustaceans) that lodge in these places. They usually visit the south coast of Brazil in winter and spring and are also considered as one of the biggest whales in the world.

6. Northern Right Whale ( Eubalaena glacialis )

  • Maximum size: 18 meters
  • Maximum weight: 80 tonsNorth Right Whale

The Northern Right Whale is also one of the biggest whales in the world, they live in the Atlantic, which is very similar to the Pacific Right Whale. But, in addition to living in different regions, they are genetically distinct groups. Its head is extremely large, comprising 1/3 of the total body length.

Due to their slowness and the fact that they approach the coast, these whales have suffered a lot over the years with the action of hunters. It is estimated that today there are less than 300 North Right Whales left from the northern franc, which is at serious risk of extinction.

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5. Bowhead whale ( Balaena mysticetus )

  • Maximum size: 18 meters
  • Maximum weight: 100 tonsBowhead whale

These whales like cold waters – their name, Bowhead whale, is not for nothing and it is also one of the largest whales in the world, they are also called Greenland Whales.

They can be seen in the northern hemisphere, either in the Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean. In English, it is known as bowhead (” bowhead “), a name that refers to the shape of its lower jaw. Its enormous size is what protects it from marine predators, such as the orca.

4. Sei Whale ( Balaenoptera borealis )

  • Maximum size: 20 meters
  • Maximum weight: 45 tonsSei Whale - One of the biggest whales in the world

Although the largest Sei whale ever found was 20 meters long, adult individuals of this species usually average between 12 and 15 meters in length, Sei whale is one of the biggest whales on earth.

Sei whales are found in all seas around the globe, except for polar and tropical areas. This is one of the fastest whales in the world, being able to swim at 50 km / h!

3. Sperm Whale ( Physeter macrocephalus )

  • Maximum size: 20 meters
  • Maximum weight: 45 tonsSperm Whale

The sperm whale is the 3rd biggest whale in the world, having a separate case since it belongs to a suborder of cetaceans, that of odontocetes. All other whales on this list belong to the sub-mystic. The difference between these groups is already in the name: odontocetes, like sperm whales, have teeth, while mystics filter their food through bristles inside the mouth.

Immortalized by Herman Melville in the novel Moby Dick, the sperm whale is the largest toothed whale in the world, reaching an extraordinary 20 meters in length. Curiosity about it is its breath: if other whales can stay for a few minutes without breathing on the surface, the sperm whale is able to stay submerged for up to an hour, thus being able to swim at great depths.

2. Fin Whale ( Balaenoptera physalus )

  • Maximum size: 20 meters
  • Maximum weight: 80 tonsFin Whale

In addition to the 50 cm curved dorsal fin, what characterizes fin whales is their enormous and elongated body. It is possible that some individuals who swim in the northern seas can reach more than 20 meters in length.

A strange fact about these whales is their sexual behavior. They are believed to be monogamous and, as they do not have a specific mating spot, males emit low-frequency sounds to attract females. These “mating nooks” can travel thousands of kilometers!

1. Blue Whale ( Balaenoptera musculus )

  • Maximum size: 33.5 meters
  • Maximum weight: 190 tonsBlue Whale is the largest whale in the world

The data above refer to the weight and size of the largest specimen ever found of the blue whale, Blue Whale is the biggest whale in the world and not only the largest and heaviest whale that exists but the largest animal that has ever existed on Earth. On average, blue whales are 25 meters long and weigh 110 tons. Can you imagine?

Newborn babies are 8 meters tall and, during breastfeeding, the puppies gain up to 90 kg per day! And they are only weaned after they are about 16 meters long. These extraordinary animals can live up to 110 years.