Size comparison
How big are whales, really?
From the blue whale — the largest animal ever to have lived (up to 30 m) — down to the vaquita, the smallest living cetacean (1.5 m): visual comparison of 30 cetacean and marine-mammal species ranked by max length.
For scale: a bus is 12 m, a tennis court 24 m, a 10-storey building ~30 m.
Whales & dolphins
- Blue whale22–33 m · Average 26 mBalaenoptera musculus
- Fin whale18–27 m · Average 20 mBalaenoptera physalus
- Sperm whale11–20 m · Average 15 mPhyseter macrocephalus
- Sei whale12–20 m · Average 16 mBalaenoptera borealis
- Southern right whale13–18 m · Average 15 mEubalaena australis
- Bowhead whale14–18 m · Average 16 mBalaena mysticetus
- Whale shark5–18 m · Average 10 mRhincodon typus
- Humpback whale12–17 m · Average 14 mMegaptera novaeangliae
- North Atlantic right whale13–17 mEubalaena glacialis
- Bryde's whale11.5–15.5 m · Average 13 mBalaenoptera edeni
- Gray whale11–15 m · Average 13 mEschrichtius robustus
- Minke whale6.5–10.7 m · Average 8.5 mBalaenoptera acutorostrata
- Dolphins1.2–9.5 m · Average 2.5 mDelphinidae
- Orca5–9 m · Average 7 mOrcinus orca
- Pilot whale3.5–7.2 m · Average 5.5 mGlobicephala spp.
- Narwhal3.8–5.5 m · Average 4.7 mMonodon monoceros
- Beluga3.5–5.5 m · Average 4.5 mDelphinapterus leucas
- Bottlenose dolphin1.9–3.9 m · Average 2.5 mTursiops truncatus
- Striped dolphin1.8–2.5 m · Average 2 mStenella coeruleoalba
- Common dolphin1.7–2.5 m · Average 2 mDelphinus delphis
- Amazon river dolphin1.8–2.5 m · Average 2.1 mInia geoffrensis
- Harbour porpoise1.4–1.9 m · Average 1.6 mPhocoena phocoena
Sea turtles
- Leatherback turtle1.3–2.5 m · Average 1.8 mDermochelys coriacea
- Green turtle0.8–1.5 m · Average 1.1 mChelonia mydas
- Hawksbill turtle0.6–1.14 m · Average 0.85 mEretmochelys imbricata
- Loggerhead turtle0.7–1.1 m · Average 0.9 mCaretta caretta
- Flatback turtle0.76–1 m · Average 0.89 mNatator depressus
- Olive ridley turtle0.6–0.75 m · Average 0.7 mLepidochelys olivacea
- Kemp's ridley turtle0.55–0.75 mLepidochelys kempii
Other marine mammals
- West Indian manatee2.5–4.5 m · Average 3.5 mTrichechus manatus
- Walrus2.2–3.6 m · Average 3 mOdobenus rosmarus
- Mediterranean monk seal2.2–2.8 m · Average 2.4 mMonachus monachus
- Grey seal1.6–2.5 mHalichoerus grypus
- Sea otter1–1.5 m · Average 1.2 mEnhydra lutris
Scale and reality
The blue whale reaches 30 m — longer than a Diplodocus (27 m) or a tennis court. Its heart weighs 600 kg, its tongue as much as an elephant. Its blow rises 9 m and is audible kilometres away.
Frequently asked
What is the largest animal in the world?
The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), up to 30 m long and 190 tonnes — the largest animal ever to have lived on Earth, bigger than any dinosaur.
What is the biggest whale?
The blue whale. Then the fin whale (24 m), the sperm whale (20 m for males) and the humpback (16 m).
How much does a blue whale weigh?
An adult blue whale weighs between 100 and 190 tonnes — the equivalent of 25 to 40 adult elephants.
What is the smallest cetacean?
The vaquita (Phocoena sinus), 1.4–1.5 m. It lives in the Gulf of California and is critically endangered, with fewer than 10 individuals remaining.
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