Massive whale the size of a multi-story building stuns CA onlookers, video shows
Monterey Bay Whale Watch spotted their first blue whale of the season on June 20, the organization announced.
A video taken that morning shows an aerial view of the massive mammal gliding just beneath the water’s surface, coming up for air and continuing onward.
“This was our first blue whale of the season, and we were so excited,” the organization said in a Facebook post. “The blue whale was taking 8-13 minute dives and traveling in one direction.”
Blue whales are highly desired sightings by whale watchers but, according to the organization, they haven’t been as common recently.
“Last year was pretty quiet for Blues,” they said.
While the group didn’t speculate as to why sightings have been fewer than usual, blue whales are, and have been, few in number across the globe.
In fact, scientists estimate that there are only 15,000 left on the planet. They are listed as endangered.
Blue whales are the largest creatures to have ever roamed the Earth, dwarfing even mammoths and all known species of dinosaur, according to BBC Earth.
They can weigh up to 330,000 pounds and grow to 110 feet long, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, making them roughly the length of a 10-story building.
“A football team could stand on a blue whale’s tongue without falling off,” Whale and Dolphin Conservation says.
The heaviest blue whale on record surpassed these measurements, weighing 418,878 pounds in 1947, according to WDC. Her weight was equivalent to about 30 elephants or 2,500 people.
Given their magnitude, blue whales eat 20 million to 50 million calories per day, roughly the equivalent of 80,000 Big Macs, according to NPR. However, instead of Big Macs, blue whales primarily eat huge amounts of krill.
“We hope this year is the return of the Blue Whales,” MBWW said.
This story was originally published June 24, 2024 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Massive whale the size of a multi-story building stuns CA onlookers, video shows."