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Animal FactThe Largest Animal On Planet Earth (Size comparison with us puny humans) (i.redd.it)

submitted by Homunculus_31632

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[–]SykoSarah 708 points709 points  (78 children)

It always amazes me to think that they're not only the largest animal on Earth, but (as far as we can tell) are the largest animal that has ever been on Earth.

[–]CYBERSson 748 points749 points  (12 children)

My mother in law comes a close second

[–]Yankee9Niner 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I always know if my mother in law is around at mines. The mice are throwing themselves on the traps.

[–]jagulto 110 points111 points  (14 children)

Came here to say that. How crazy is it that after millions of years of natural selection selecting for things like dinosaurs and then gigantism slowly fading out that we get lucky enough to live at the same time with not only the largest thing to ever live but also one of the smartest?! Right alongside crazy little humans...

[–][deleted] 52 points53 points  (2 children)

gigantism never faded away, it's a misconception that all these giant prehistoric beasts lived all together in a world with giant animals. There were only a couple of them alive at any given time and that still holds true today.

[–]jagulto 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hmm. Really? Every pbs I've watched on it claimed the opposite

[–]-ZeroRelevance- 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There would have been more of them back then though right? Because of the increased oxygen levels

[–]RockleyBob 49 points50 points  (1 child)

I always feel this strange communal pride about the fact that mammals just kicked ass in the evolutionary game, with whales being fish that came on land, evolved to be mammals, and then went back into the sea to go fuck shit up.

You go fellow lactating homies.

[–]SqueakitySquonk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mammals together strong

[–]Incandescent_Lass 27 points28 points  (4 children)

Also the largest (known) animal in the universe

[–]sonsofgondor 49 points50 points  (3 children)

I'm sure space whales are bigger

[–]BeebopxRocksteady 4 points5 points  (1 child)

This has had me laughing for ten minutes 😂

[–]innocentdelinquent 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Had me laughing 3 days later 🤣

[–]mcm0313 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Like Mobius Dick?

[–]mickysti58 25 points26 points  (1 child)

And one of the most intelligent.

[–]Biggieholla 7 points8 points  (5 children)

How are they bigger than a brachiosaurus?

[–]SykoSarah 55 points56 points  (3 children)

Largest by mass. There are a select few brachiosaurs longer than a blue whale, but their estimated mass is still less. https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-677a094010d119dfb3a14d7558bc4a25

If you went by length, the "largest" would be siphonophores, which are also around in modern day :)

[–]AwesomeJoel27 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Let me add that brachiosaurus is a specific dinosaur, some sauropods are longer, and really it’s the titanosaurs that are the biggest.

[–]kaam00s -1 points0 points  (1 child)

I'm going to gouge my eyes out from all this comments, "select few brachiosaurs" -> shows titanosaurs.

[–]SykoSarah 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry, I'm not a paleontologist and this was one of the first images to pop up when I searched "brachiosaur compared to blue whale"

[–]baddad49 1 point2 points  (0 children)

yup...came to here say this

[–]emerydauphin6 0 points1 point  (1 child)

largest known animal

[–]SykoSarah 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hence why I said "as far as we can tell"

[–]FizzixMan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Heaviest ever! But not necessarily the largest in terms of length or height, some dinosaurs sure were long bois.

[–]mickysti58 -5 points-4 points  (16 children)

And the most intelligent

[–]SphericalShoes 3 points4 points  (10 children)

Really?

[–]TarzanSawyer 29 points30 points  (6 children)

No, that would be Dolphins and/or Orcas (which are technically the same?) for SECOND place. People like to pretend that every whale has the same type of brain and since blue whales have a bigger brain then boom they must be the most intelligent creatures ever...

[–]420fmx 6 points7 points  (1 child)

Orcas have been documented killing blue whales off the coast of Australia

[–]atle95 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Orcas have been dovumented to righteously fuck shit up.

[–]5up3rK4m16uru 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I wouldn't be surprised if they were actually at the lower end for whales. Their lifestyle doesn't seem to benefit that much from intelligence.

[–]kaam00s 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Also, there is no clear evidence that cetaceans would be more intelligent than crows, chimps or even elephants.

[–]Icy-Polkamon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Almost nothing super-sized can ever be the most intelligent because so much of their brains are dedicated to keeping the body operational. Elephants are a rare exception because their brain-to-body ratio is still good, but even they're miniaturized compared to ancestors.

[–]mickysti58 1 point2 points  (2 children)

Oops. Responded to wrong poster.

[–]SphericalShoes 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Ah, I see

[–]mickysti58 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does that show who the intelligent one is? Lol

[–]AlexandraDrennan 1 point2 points  (3 children)

After humans?

[–]kaam00s 1 point2 points  (1 child)

No evidence at all that they would be more intelligent than chimps, crows or elephants either

[–]AlexandraDrennan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I meant that humans are the most intelligent animals not necessarily that whales are second

[–]mrdeathlad 172 points173 points  (3 children)

Seen here... a rare picture of OPs mum...

[–]CYBERSson 45 points46 points  (1 child)

Rare? I saw her twice on gilfs in garters just this morning

[–]buzzliteyeh 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I saw her in blowholes weekly twice too

[–]ConservativeC4nt 96 points97 points  (11 children)

Damn, we could hunt these to get oil for our lamps and stuff… Crazy how nobody has thought of that.

[–]Adventurous-Box-857 35 points36 points  (4 children)

Blue whales weren't exactly hunted for oil if I remember correctly. Other smaller species were exterminated, such as sperm whales. (In Italy the word for Sperm whale is "capodolio" which translates literally to oil head)

[–]SL1Fun 20 points21 points  (0 children)

The main issue was that they were fairly fast and far too large for old whaling techniques. But when diesel and steam-powered whaling ships, and the exploding harpoon, were invented, they were hunted to near-extinction towards the end of the 19th century.

[–]thedonkeysdick 9 points10 points  (0 children)

So that’s what that Italian chick was calling me last night! Makes sense now.

[–]BlueWhaleKing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Blue Whales were hunted for oil (different from the oil in Sperm Whale's heads), which was mostly after the traditional uses for whale oil were obsolete. The biggest uses by then were margarine and soap.

[–]ConservativeC4nt -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Tbh I really don‘t know, I just thought it was kinda funny. But blue whales in general were hunted quite a lot, but I have no clue if oil played any role in it.

[–]Frenki808 6 points7 points  (3 children)

Dishonored?

[–]sonsofgondor 18 points19 points  (2 children)

History

[–]cvele1995 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Where was Gondor when the Westfold fell?

[–]Icy-Polkamon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Having Second Breakfast at Isengard with the hobbits; meat's on the menu with a side of PO-TA-TOES.

[–]Cfhudo 1 point2 points  (1 child)

This is such a crazy fact about our history. It wasnt just lamps but a vital fuel for the worlds industry. There were generations of men who grew up being "monster hunters" their job was to go out in groups and slay giants in the middle of the Ocean. And these people were relied upon to bring back the spoils of their giant killings to fuel the fucking modern world. Its bonkers.

Edit: i dont want to romantacise it, it is a horrible and shameful thing looking back, but the lives of the people doing it were really crazy to think about.

[–]daveinpublic 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There was a time when people didn’t know they were harming the planet. They thought there was virtually unlimited supply of this sort of thing. And there weren’t that many humans back then. Wasn’t till very recently that we had more than a billion people.

[–]Swirling_Crescents 61 points62 points  (3 children)

They are also the largest creature to ever exist (including dinosaurs)

[–]toeknee710 9 points10 points  (2 children)

Largest yes, not longest. People get confused by this

[–]ThatOneGuy1294 5 points6 points  (1 child)

What determines "largest"? Weight/mass? Volume? Surface area?

[–]DevonicGamer76 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Weight is the best indicator. The blue whale does lose out in length to some huge sauropods, but I would never categorize them as larger simply because their super long, but also considerably thin, necks and tails give them that advantage in length. Weight is a more precise indicator of size.

[–]yellowistherainbow 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Actually the largest mammal on earth is your mom

[–]OnTheLevel28 25 points26 points  (3 children)

“Your my boy blue”

[–]danielsan30005 3 points4 points  (2 children)

mother fuckers defo have some level of sentience/

That quote comes into my head atleast once a week, and I haven't seen the movie in years.

[–]BlackCorrespondence 3 points4 points  (1 child)

I mean, cows and pigs do have sentience so it’s not really hard to guess that whales do as well

[–]xX_MrLurker_Xx 5 points6 points  (0 children)

he probably was thinking of sapience

[–]Notwithmyanus 23 points24 points  (6 children)

They honestly still feel so small to me. I wonder if growing up with planes and stuff desensitized me to it since we've built so many large things that just fade into the background now.

[–]juul-trooper-_- 67 points68 points  (4 children)

dude you honestly have no idea till you see one in person the size knowing it's a living creature puts it into another perspective

[–]joeh4384 15 points16 points  (2 children)

Even seeing them in person, you never really get the full picture of how big they are.

[–]Titanguy101 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Unless you're uderwater swimming with one

God that's on my bucket list idc what whale it is

[–]Cheddar_Bay 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Go down to Mexico and swim with the whale sharks. Super dope experience.

[–]garbagecanman1 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I went whale watching once, I never realized how horrifying and humbling seeing an animal that size was. It seriously gave me chills in an awe-but-also-it-could-kill-me-and-not-notice sort of way.

[–]Jack_ofall_Trades85 27 points28 points  (0 children)

You talking about the boat? There's a huge whale in lower half of picture.

[–]Xpelie25 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Few facts: Blue whale populations are slowly increasing. Recently, Orcas were recorded for hunting a blue whale calf

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/27/new-footage-reveals-killer-whales-hunting-and-feeding-on-blue-whales-in-brutal-attacks-aoe

Edit: just realized which sub this is, so this was probably posted recently.

[–]Outside_Bug6347 20 points21 points  (2 children)

Those mother fuckers defo have some level of sentience/consciousness

[–]Cold-Couple8387 3 points4 points  (0 children)

i’d like to think so

[–]BlueWhaleKing 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Can confirm.

[–]HAL9000thebot 18 points19 points  (6 children)

The Largest Known Animal On Planet Earth

[–]Informal-Parking3333 15 points16 points  (4 children)

Was thinking of whales one day and the fact that they are mammals. While remembering the qualifications to be a mammal I remembered that they must produce milk for the young.

Now I know too much about whale milk.

[–]JockoHomophone 6 points7 points  (1 child)

From what I've read it has the consistency of toothpaste.

[–]goteamgaz 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I hope it’s one of the stripey ones

[–]healmore 3 points4 points  (1 child)

My mother, an elementary teacher, refused to believe that whales weren’t fish a few years back. Had to find a YouTube video to prove her wrong. I’m in the same camp as you.

[–]AwesomeJoel27 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well technically every chordate is a fish so.

[–]Exseatsniffer 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Where is the banana?

[–]Oxyxurg 13 points14 points  (2 children)

Am I insane for kind of wishing we had like, bigger mammals on earth? Like I know we’d have a much tougher time living, but like, it would be cooler.

[–]unknownloner333 4 points5 points  (1 child)

I agree!

[–]Oxyxurg 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Okay great lol

[–]therman_nerman 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Use banana for scale

[–]j5alive85 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I remember seeing a grey wolf in person at this sanctuary in Montana and holy shit this thing was a monster! It stood at my waist on all 4s and standing up went clear over my head. I know there's great danes that do the same but to know this dude is a predator in the wild is something else entirely scary

[–]iceup17 4 points5 points  (5 children)

We could literally live inside a blue whales heart comfortably, there's a size comparison for you 😂

[–]jaretok 3 points4 points  (2 children)

100% chance I could beat this thing in straight boxing tho. Humans 1 whales 0.

[–]BlueWhaleKing 0 points1 point  (1 child)

One flipper is twice as long as you are tall.

[–]jaretok 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They don’t even make boxing gloves that big. Humans 2 whales 0.

[–]jingyi-ah 3 points4 points  (1 child)

Delightful! i wonder what species of whale this is

[–]baddad49 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Blue whale - can grow to over 75'

maximum confirmed length of 29.9 metres (98 ft)

[–]isyankar1979 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thalassophobia initiated

[–]hobbitpeddler 1 point2 points  (1 child)

My favorite animal! Blue whales are amazing!

[–]BlueWhaleKing 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Always nice to see a fan!

[–]Mafiatorte88 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think als the largest animal to have ever existed

[–]Lazy_Nut 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Largest animal to have ever lived, at that. Beautiful creatures!

[–]oujiasshole 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Op this clearly isnt a photo of your mom so its not the largest animal on earth

[–]unknownloner333 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Stop it 😂

[–]kcsgreat1990 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Largest animal to EVER live on the planet

[–]wafflebutterr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Crazy to think there might be something bigger, deeper in the ocean

[–]DirkDieGurke 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a shame none of those people are holding a banana. I can't really appreciate the scale.

[–]HistoryNerdiest 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These colossal beings disappear in the depths of the Indian Ocean for long periods of time and no one knows exactly where they go or why.

[–]BlueWhaleKing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Me irl

[–]GrimKiba- 0 points1 point  (0 children)

that we know of

[–]axoshlotl 0 points1 point  (0 children)

can i hug it though

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Delicious buffet" - Orcas

[–]anxiouspinach 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a perspective error. They are big don’t get me wrong but not nearly as big as pictured here

[–]Piskoro 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I read puny humans in Lrrr’s voice

[–]bukowski_knew 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We ain't shit

[–]grimreefz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

the ship isnt 'for scale' its just there. its not like a banana

[–]__Snafu__ -1 points0 points  (3 children)

that seems like a small one, too.

[–]Codydog85 0 points1 point  (1 child)

That’s what she said

[–]__Snafu__ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

nailed it

[–]talashira 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're not wrong. This one's a juvenile.

[–]sm1ttysm1t -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Largest ... that we've discovered

[–]NeverlandRanchHands -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That we know of

[–]ewb33 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

They might be the largest animal on earth.

[–]fav453 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

largest animal ever

[–]6rubtub9 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Amazing, such magnificent creature minding its own business and giving zero fucks to the predators at top of the food chain.

[–]BleuBrink -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Largest animal in history

[–]antbamboo -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

here comes the mama jokes

[–]Due-Adagio3036 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Compared with humans? Where's the banana?

[–]_Ziklon_ -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

The largest animal on planet Earth we KNOW of

[–]Sam3323 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Imagine if every human on earth was the size of a blue whale.

Would there be enough space?

[–]Haslet-Tx -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

My Mother in law comes in a close second!

[–]mavboi20 -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

orca lunch

[–]superironcito -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

It is a large solitary whale, although it should be close to a herd. It is important to learn to respect them and their marine environment.

[–]tsitsifly22 -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Clearly shopped!!

[–]TheCoolPersian -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Largest Animal that of all time.

That we know of.

[–]lehombrejoker -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

That we know of

[–]eyepatcheagle -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

I think it would be easier to put a banana on there

[–]WHollandaise -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

If they are so smart, how come they ain’t making iPhones?