1. ohscience: A blue whale’s tongue weighs around 2.7 metric tons. Its mouth can hold up to 90 metric tons of food and water, but it can’t swallow anything bigger than a beach ball. Its heart can weigh 1300 pounds (600 kilograms). It is the largest of any known animal. A blue whale’s aorta is about 9.1 inches (23 centimeters) in diameter. During its first seven months, a blue whale calf drinks about 100 gallons (400 liters) of milk every day.  Blue whale calves can gain about 200 pounds (90 kilograms) every 24 hours.  At birth, they weigh up to 6000 pounds (2700 kilograms)—the same as a fully grown hippo.  Actually—A blue whale heart is the size of a Volkswagen Beetle and pumps 10 tons of blood through the massive blue whale body. A blue whale aorta (the main blood vessel) alone is large enough for a human to crawl through. Like playground tubes. Fact correction thanks to the National Marine Mammal Laboratory

    ohscience:

    • A blue whale’s tongue weighs around 2.7 metric tons.
    • Its mouth can hold up to 90 metric tons of food and water, but it can’t swallow anything bigger than a beach ball.
    • Its heart can weigh 1300 pounds (600 kilograms). It is the largest of any known animal.
    • A blue whale’s aorta is about 9.1 inches (23 centimeters) in diameter.
    • During its first seven months, a blue whale calf drinks about 100 gallons (400 liters) of milk every day. 
    • Blue whale calves can gain about 200 pounds (90 kilograms) every 24 hours. 
    • At birth, they weigh up to 6000 pounds (2700 kilograms)—the same as a fully grown hippo. 

      Actually—A blue whale heart is the size of a Volkswagen Beetle and pumps 10 tons of blood through the massive blue whale body. A blue whale aorta (the main blood vessel) alone is large enough for a human to crawl through. Like playground tubes.

      Fact correction thanks to the National Marine Mammal Laboratory

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