Blue Giants

When I was in second grade, I wanted to become a Paleontologist. I loved dinosaurs, how they looked and the fact they were HUGE. So it came as no surprise that when we finished learning about these incredible (but extinct) creatures and moved on to learn about whales, that I fell in love with these gentle giants too. Not only were these mammals also huge but they had been in existence since the time of the dinosaurs. I remember that when it came time to choose a type of whale for a class project, I chose the Humpback, which is definitely not one of the biggest, but I liked the cool bumps it had around its mouth.

If you ask me now which whale I would have chosen, I would have probably gone with the Blue Whale, the main factor definitely being due to its amazing size. The largest Blue Whale ever recorded was 110ft in length, that's more than two school buses. The fact that these giants are swimming in the Earths' waters as I am writing this is so incredible to me.

As I grew up, my love of whales (and dinosaurs) never went away though was not my main focus any longer. Still, I had always wanted to go whale watching, and last year finally had the opportunity to... only took about a six hour drive. We were in small boats of 12 (not crowded due to COVID regulations) and it was cold (late summer in Northern Canada on the open water means boots, hats, gloves and big scarves). For the most part the whales were not too close; we saw some lucky boats have a closer view than us though we still managed to experience about a minute of a whale showing us its side a few feet away, before going back underwater smoothly and swimming away. I was so emotional during that one minute; to be mere feet away from an animal I never thought I'd see in real life was more that I could ever dream of (huge animal fan here by the by). The whales I had the chance to see were not nearly the size of Blue Whales but they were still so awesome nevertheless.

This trip really rekindled my love for whales, and since then I get very interested when I come upon articles of whales- whether its about a skeleton having been found or any interesting fact I can fascinate over. And then I came upon a most incredible fact: A human could swim through a Blue Whales' veins. (This information can be found on multiple sites.)

Okay, that sounds like click-bait, and it sort of is. Though some sites still claim a full grown human could pass through a Blue Whale's aorta, others claim only a small child could. But the truth seems to be that neither could as a Blue Whales' aorta is about 9 inches wide (that's about the size of a dinner plate); this means that only the head of an adult would fit in a whales' aorta and not much else, rendering the above statement fictional. So, although still impressively big, it would still not be enough for a human to swim through.

Nevertheless, this bit of information is so incredible to me. It may not be such a shock to some people, but for some reason, I would have never fathomed that another form of life could easily fit in a mammal's heart/aorta... Well, it might seem obvious if you compare an ant to an elephant, but from one mammal to another seems like a bit of a stretch (to me at least). That's when it dawned on me that it is easy to forget that with larger animals, not only are their skeletons and skulls bigger but their veins and hearts etc. are too!

This bit of information got me curious about the Blue Whale and its insides. I found so many neat sites that compare what a Blue Whale eats (millions of krills, krills, krills!) to what an average human eats, how many humans could fit in these giants mouths (about 100 FYI) and how heavy a Blue Whales' heart is (about 400lbs making it much more than the average adult). The world and its many species is an amazing place, there is always so much to discover. I might be biased due to being a huge animal lover, but I think the most interesting facts come from animals - whether they are extinct or still living among us!

Side note: I do strongly believe in respecting the boundaries, natural habitat and safety of wildlife. No matter how fun it would be to enjoy watching any species up close it is important to respect them and their natural routines/environments. Also, always stay safe yourself! And the next time you see a whale on TV or in real life (if you are lucky) remember to hold your baby close and not let it jump in after any whales... you never know where it might end up!

End note: If you ever have the opportunity to go whale watching, please make plans with a responsible company/organization. Many whale species are protected/endangered and so it is important to deal with a company who will respect this. It is also crucial for whale watchers to not go too near certain types of whales as they can get distracted by the commotion we cause and it literally takes time away from them doing their usual routines (such as feeding their young).

If you wish to know more about the Blue Whales heart I suggest visiting this site. There is a very interesting article and video about discovering a washed up Blue Whale and being able to learn more about the species through it! (Warning, there are pictures of insides and of the washed up [dead] whale.)