Quick Take
- Being called 'pygmy' is wildly misleading. The real size of this whale puts a familiar landmark to shame.
- Getting this close to an 80-foot predator sounds reckless, yet there is a specific reason it is safer than you would think.
- The pygmy blue whale's diet sounds impossible for an animal this size, and it's not what most people guess.
- These whales can outlive entire generations of humans, and their eating habits might be the reason why.
Whales are some of the largest creatures on the planet. We’re lucky enough to be able to see these amazing animals up close. One example is the pygmy blue whale, whose impressive size is remarkable. This YouTube Short by @GreatSouthernReef shows a video of a pygmy whale sighting. Read on to learn more about the pygmy blue whale.
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While pygmy blue whales are on the smaller side, they are still enormous whales that can grow to 80 feet long.
©Rich Carey/Shutterstock.com
About the Pygmy Whale
While pygmy whales may be smaller than most species, they are still massive animals. The pygmy blue whale grows to about 80 feet long, or roughly the same height as a six- to eight-story building. At this length, it’s difficult to imagine that these are considered a smaller species. Larger blue whale species can exceed 100 feet, and we are fortunate to see these whales up close. The video above is an amazing up-close shot of a pygmy blue whale. These whales are primarily found in the Southern Hemisphere, including parts of the Indian Ocean, around the Oceania region, and around Madagascar. Given their massive size, filming a whale from such a close distance may seem dangerous. However, these whales are not aggressive towards humans. Blue whales are not naturally social animals, but they may gather in areas where food is abundant. Although they are generally passive, it is still advisable to avoid getting too close to them.
At this size, it’s difficult to imagine what daily life would be like for such a massive animal. The pygmy blue whale spends most of its time eating. Its diet consists mainly of krill. Blue whales are known as baleen whales, meaning that they do not have teeth to rip apart prey. Instead, they take mouthfuls of seawater that contain prey. While the amount of food they consume depends greatly on their size, they can eat thousands of pounds of food per day. Their diet also helps them live extremely long lives. There is not extensive research on the lifespan of pygmy blue whales, but average blue whales can live for about 80 to 90 years. Seeing one of these whales up close, as shown in the video above, is a rare and lucky sight!
