Book 6, Question 55
Why Is a Blue Whale So Huge?
The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever lived. Ocean water holds up its body, so it does not have to carry all that weight like a land animal would. And its food comes in giant clouds of tiny shrimplike animals called krill.
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 6
More fun facts
- Blue whales are the largest animals that have ever lived, bigger than any known dinosaur.
- They grow that big by eating mostly tiny shrimp-like animals called krill.
- Blue whales strain huge mouthfuls of water through baleen plates that work like a sieve.
- The fin whale, the second largest animal ever, weighs less than half as much as a blue whale.
- A bigger body gives a blue whale a bigger mouth, which helps it catch krill before they escape.
Sources: NOAA, National Geographic, NOAA, Scientific American
Questions kids ask
What does the biggest animal eat?
Blue whales eat mostly krill, tiny shrimp-like animals.