A LITTLE WILDLIFE PERSPECTIVE
How big is a blue whale?
Compare your height to a blue whale.
Blue whales can exceed 30 m (98 ft) in length. This comparison uses an illustrative 25 m adult swimming horizontally, rather than treating its length as standing height.
A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE
Blue whale
next to the average.
Average U.S. adults, side by side.
Side view · example 25 m long adult
- Average man (U.S.)5 ft 8.9 in
- Blue whale14 ft 8.6 in
- Average woman (U.S.)5 ft 3.5 in
How do you measure up?
Enter your height to stand beside a blue whale.
Side by side
- Blue whale14 ft 8.6 in
- Your placeAdd your height
The animal is an example adult in the pose shown. Its full outline is scaled to 448.5 cm vertically. Side view · example 25 m long adult. Shoulder height and body length are explained below.
Where do you stand?
Keep this comparison and open the full library of people, celebrities, animals, and objects.
GET TO KNOW THE ANIMAL
Small facts. Big discoveries.
Blue whale · Balaenoptera musculus
The largest animal on Earth feeds mainly on tiny krill. A blue whale strains these small crustaceans from seawater using baleen plates inside its mouth.
Blue whales often move between productive feeding areas and warmer waters. Their long bodies carry a surprisingly small dorsal fin near the tail, and their mottled skin can help researchers recognize individuals.
- Blue whales are mammals and breathe air at the surface.
- Their calls include very low pulses, groans, and moans.
How big do adults get?
- Male
- Generally smaller than females
- Female
- Generally larger than males
Size varies by population and subspecies. The ruler measures the vertical extent of the swimming outline, including its flipper; the animal is scaled to 25 m from nose to tail.
Height, length, or weight?
Standing height runs from the ground to the top of the animal. Shoulder height stops at the top of the shoulders. Length runs along the body; it is not how tall an animal stands. Weight tells us how heavy it is.
Explore the science: NOAA Fisheries ↗