Whales at True Scale

How cool is this? A blue whale and a humpback whale in the same drone shot. Showing off the scale of our planet's largest animal. In this episode we're going to highlight the moments that put the size of our planet's largest inhabitants into perspective. In the toothed whale family, orcas are the biggest dolphin, dwarfing their prey. And with the dolphin injured, it's an opportunity for the younger orcas to practice their hunting. That common dolphin is six feet long and weighs 200 pounds, a peanut next to even the smallest orcas. Orcas might be the largest dolphins, but humpback whales are far larger. And they don't like orcas very much. The humpback's tail alone can measure 18 feet across, making for a vital weapon of self-defense. A large humpback whale can reach nearly 50 feet long and weigh as much as 60,000 pounds. Look how this big mama compares with each of the common and white-sided dolphins on her snout. Then there's how this big lad compares to people. But what if we looked at those same comparisons with the largest known animal to ever exist? Here it comes. This blue whale is just a baby. It's put on 200 pounds every day. Since being born, which is heavier than each of the humans you see in this shot. Wait until you see what it looks like from above. That boat is 30 feet long. Wow, there's mom. Look at mom, guys, right in the left. She's coming up right now. Guys, we're completely stopped. These whales came up to us. Oh my gosh, she's gonna go right under the bow. And this boat is just over 40 feet long. A large blue whale can more than double that in length. The 300 pound white-sided dolphins snout ride these ocean giants as if they were living submarines, propelled by the pressure waves created by the whale's momentum through the ocean. Even this humpback, a giant in its own right, pales in comparison to the mighty blue whale.