Ahoy whale watchers,
If whales competed in the Olympics, they’d clean up. Heaviest animal? Gold. Loudest voice? Powerful enough to travel across oceans. Longest commute? They’ve swum further than most people fly in a lifetime. Whales never cease to amaze us, and their attributes are so impressive that they’re certified in the legendary Guinness World Records.
Heaviest animal to ever live
The blue whale holds the record as the heaviest animal ever. One female caught in the Southern Ocean in 1947 weighed an estimated 190 tonnes and measured 27.6 m. For comparison, that’s heavier than over 2,500 adult humans! No land or sea creature has ever matched that size, except for an extinct whale species known as Perucetus colossus, which lived 39 million years ago and is thought to share the record.
Longest annual migration of any mammal
Humpback whales make the
longest known migration of any mammal, swimming up to 8,200 km (each way!) every year as they move between polar feeding grounds and tropical breeding zones. One male humpback whale also holds the record for the
longest single journey by a mammal after embarking on a journey of at least 13,046 km (one-way) from the Gulf of Tribugá off the coast of Columbia to the Tanzanian archipelago of Zanzibar, East Africa. The whale was identified by matching its unique tail markings using facial-recognition-style software through a citizen-science platform.
Loudest animal sound
The sperm whale takes the record for the
loudest call of any animal, reaching an ear-splitting 236 decibels, a volume so intense (44 times the loudness of a thunderclap) that it can be heard by other sperm whales tens of kilometres away underwater. These sounds are used for communication and navigation in the deep ocean, and the intensity is so great that researchers believe they may also serve to stun prey such as squid at close range.
Longest-lived species of mammal
The bowhead whale is the
longest-lived species of any mammal, confirmed when a specimen caught in 2007 contained an 1800s harpoon tip in its neck. This whale and other individuals studied suggest that bowhead whales may live up to between 177 and 245 years old! Their longevity is thought to be linked to having few natural predators as well as a slow metabolism and highly specialised genes associated with DNA repair and cellular health.
Largest heart of any living creature
The blue whale’s heart weighs 199.5 kg and measures around 1.5 m, making it the largest heart known in the entire animal kingdom. In comparison, the heart of an African elephant weighs between 12 and 21 kilograms, while the average human heart weighs a just 310 grams.
See the record-holders for yourself
You don’t have to travel to the ends of the Earth to witness these ocean legends. Go whale watching in Sydney where you’ll have the chance to see these incredible creatures in their natural habitat, just out of Sydney Harbour. Our expert crew, passionate guides and quality vessels provide an amazing whale watching experience in Sydney’s stunning marine environment.
From the deep,
Captain Simon
