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• Balaenoptera musculus

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MultipleOrganisms.Net           

Photo courtesy of David Friedel

Facts

Size 

Balaenoptera musculus  is the largest animal on the planet and could be the largest animal ever to walk (or swim) the face of the Earth. Measuring up to 100 feet (33 meters) in length, the blue whale has the length of:

• 18 humans

• 5 great white sharks

• 2.5 school buses

• 2 humpback whales

• a basketball court

• and nearly the length of a space shuttle (37.2 m)                                       

Photo courtesy of cookiesncream05

Weighing in at 200 tons,  Balaenoptera musculus  has the mass of:

• 40 elephants

• 30 Tyrannosaurus rex

• 15 school buses

• 8 DC-9s airplanes

  5 humpback whales                                                                                    

  • Photo courtesy of Ken Zirkel.

Although it may be the largest animal, Balaenoptera musculus is not the largest organism. Armillaria ostoyae found in the Blue Mountains of Oregon is the largest known fungus in the world, taking up over 1500 acres of land. The tallest organism in the world is the Sequoiadendron giganteum (Giant Sequoia).  This conifer, native to California, has a diameter between 20 and 35 feet, a height between 250 and 300 feet, and a mass of 4.5 million pounds. The largest organism on the planet, however, is the Pando ("I spread" in Latin) aspen. Located near the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, the Pando aspen weighs over 13 million pounds, a mass of more than 32 blue whales and three Giant Sequoias.

Any questions? See Contact.

04/22/2012 12:48 PM