In short, a group of experts from the Royal Ontario Museum jumped at the opportunity to dissect a 23.3m long blue whale that had washed up on the shores of Newfoundland. It was found that the heart was the size of a small golf cart, and had weighed 180kg. The aorta (blood vessel that carries oxygenated blood from the heart), though not able to fit a human in it, was most likely able to fit a human head within. Picture of the heart:
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| Image by Jacqueline Miller via BBC Earth |
Blue whales can grow from 25 to 32 metres long - that's longer than the length of one SMRT train car! Weighing up to a whopping 181,437 kg, it's no wonder that they are the largest mammals on Earth at present. Yet they are the gentle giants of the sea (if you don't provoke them) and feed on krill, which looks similar to shrimp.
Despite their gentle nature, blue whales are loud - their calls are measured at a 188 decibels, compared to a jet which reaches just 140 decibels. Blue whales prefer cold, temperate waters, and swim hundreds of kilometres to warm waters to mate and breed during mating season. But don't expect to see a calf born to a mother whale every year! The gestation period of the blue whale is 10-11 months, and a calf is only born every few years.
Blue whales are actually listed as endangered under the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List. What's really sad is that with climate change and global warming, these blue whales could become even more threatened. As global warming affects temperatures of the oceans, blue whales would be hard pressed to find cooler waters to feed in.
While their numbers have increased after being protected, they are stilled threatened by environmental change and collisions with large ships. They sometimes become entangled in fishing nets as well which brings them harm.
Help spread the word about the blue whale - the giant with a big heart.
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