1. Blue whale The blue whale is a masterpiece of nature, the largest animal ever to have lived on Earth. Yes, even bigger than the dinosaurs! The most interesting thing about this monster is that it only eats small animals like krill, small shrimp-like crustaceans that are no more than 1 cm in length. Of course, blue whales don't cut back on calories because of this, and to get impressive curves, a whale needs about 4 tons of krill per day. Nevertheless, its diet is not satisfactory (from a human point of view). Of course, an average blue whale can grow to 33 meters and weigh up to 200 tons in its lifetime. When a baby blue whale is born, it already weighs about 3 tons and will be gaining weight by almost 90 kg per day until its first birthday. Blue whales live in small groups or pairs, communicating with loud and clear songs and crossing the ocean in search of food. They live almost anywhere in the ocean, except, of course, the cold Arctic Ocean where bowhead whales live.
2. Fin whale Fin whales are the second longest and most beautiful type of whale in the world, also known as true baleen whales and razor whales. They are favorite relatives of their larger friend, the blue whale, and the two are so well bonded that it is not uncommon to encounter a cute hybrid of these two mammals. Fin whales live in all oceans, but they avoid coastal areas. Whales that prefer to live in the northern hemisphere are usually a little smaller than their southern relatives. They can grow to 23 - 24 meters in length and weigh up to 70 tons. Southern fin whales usually weigh the same but can reach 27 meters in length. Fin whales can be as long as blue whales, but this particular fin whale is much slimmer and usually weighs even less than the shorter bowhead whale.
3. Bowhead whales The slightly smaller bowhead whale is a relative of the blue whale. It is also a baleen whale that feeds on small crustaceans and plankton. Also known as the Arctic whale or Greenland right whale, the bowhead whale is a brave creature that lives in the cold waters of the Arctic. In these difficult conditions, bowhead whales remain surprisingly large, comparable to blue whales. An adult female bowhead whale can grow up to 22 meters long, while a male can grow up to 18 meters long. They are also heavy and can reach an impressive 150 tons in their lifetime. However, the average bowhead whale usually weighs between 75 and 100 tons. Bowhead whales are long-lived, and they are probably one of the longest-lived mammals on the planet. The secret must be because of the cold water and the shrimp diet, but who knows?
4. Right whales Right whales joke that they are the only right whales in the ocean. They got their name because of their extremely friendly and docile nature, which makes them the perfect target for whaling. Today, right whales are still at risk, but they are protected by law and their population can slowly recover. Right whales are usually large, up to 18 meters in length and weighing up to 80 tons. They are one of the largest and most dangerous whales in the whale family, and their future seems bright and secure.
5. Sperm whales These whales are huge and dangerous predators. For centuries, sperm whales have fascinated people with their fear of the deep sea, and they are even featured in Moby Dick. They have the largest brains of any creature that has ever lived on this planet. Sperm whales love squid and squid. They need about a ton of food every day in order to gain weight to survive. Such a large amount of food helps sperm whales increase their prominent weight from 35 to 45 tons in adulthood and reach 20 meters in length. This species is the largest member of the toothed whale family, and it is more closely related to dolphins than to baleen whales.
6. Bryde's whale Another member of the baleen whale family on our list, the Bryde's whale, is a fascinating creature. These whales live in every ocean, but they stay away from polar territories, preferring to live in tropical and temperate waters. And you can't blame them! Because unlike other huge whales, Bryde's whales prefer to eat only fish such as mackerel and sardines. This delicious diet of fat-rich fish gives these whales their enormous size, and a typical Bryde's whale can grow up to 15 meters long. As for their weight, you can expect an adult whale to weigh as much as a tank, up to 40 tons. These huge whales don't like to leave their homes. Scientists say they probably never migrate long distances and live their entire lives in some warm tropical waters.
7. Humpback whales The charming humpback whales sing beautiful songs that can stop your heart as they travel through the ocean. With their large size and graceful demeanor, they are highly gregarious animals with golden voices. Like their other baleen whale siblings, humpback whales enjoy eating krill, small fish and plankton. They can weigh up to 40 tons and at their peak can grow to 13 - 14 meters. These whales are among the most skilled and powerful swimmers of whales, so they sing their magical songs as they swim and travel through all the oceans.
8. Gray whale This small, warm-loving whale is the last extant member of the gray whale family. The [bai] gray whale is small in terms of the size of the whale population, but is still of interest. An adult female gray whale can grow to 15 meters and weigh up to 40 tons. As with other whales, males are usually smaller and shorter than females. Male gray whales can grow to 14 meters and weigh between 15 and 30 tons. Gray whales prefer to live in shallow waters, and each summer they migrate from the warm waters off Mexico to the colder waters of Alaska. There is also a group that lives near Korea and migrates to the Sea of Okhotsk in the summer.
9. Sei whale The sei whale is the third largest baleen whale in the world, only slightly smaller than its larger relative, the blue whale. This baleen whale was one of the main targets in the era of commercial whaling, which almost led to its extinction. Now, these gentle giants are nice and safe to grow up happily to their magnificent shapes. An adult sei whale can grow to 14 - 18 meters in length and weigh over 27 tons. Sei whales are so fond of eating a small fish called cod that they are named after the fish's Norwegian name - Sei Whale. it's an absolute match made in heaven!
10. Minke whale Minke whales are probably the smallest whale species on today's list. They prefer to be alone, feeding on small crustaceans and fish to support themselves. They can weigh an astounding 10 tons and can reach 8 meters in length. Because of their small size (of course, you have to look at them from a whale's perspective), some orcas practice preying on these great creatures. in 2008, minke whales were listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Despite this, minke whales are still widely distributed in all oceans and are far from extinct.
