Tag whale

Is there a limit to how big animals can grow?

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Is there a limit to how big animals can grow?

Joshua A. Krish poses this question in his article in Live Science (March 2023) and he says that there is a limit – animals can’t grow indefinitely.

The largest land animal is the African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) which is a mammal that reaches 250 centimetres (8 feet 4 inches) tall and 750 centimetres (25 feet) long, weighing about 6 metric tons (7 tons). It is not a meat-eating carnivore. It is an herbivore and eats grass, trees, bushes, fruit, and bark.

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The longest whale dive ever recorded

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Scientists have recorded the longest ever dive by a whale. The whale was a Cuvier’s Beaked Whale (Ziphius cavirostris). 

The time of the longest whale dive ever recorded was 3 hours and 42 minutes holding its breath. It broke the previous record in 2016 of 2 hours and 43 minutes. The human record for holding their breath underwater is 24 minutes. The human is floating motionless, but the whale is moving.

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Baleen Whale teeth

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Baleen Whales (suborderMysticeti) are large marine (saltwater) mammals in the Cetacea family of whales, porpoises, and dolphins. They are cetaceans. 

There are 12 species of Baleen Whales including the Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus), Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus), and Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus). 

Baleen Whales live in cold oceans, such as the Artic Ocean and the Antarctic Ocean. They grow up to 600-3100 centimetres (20-102 feet) long.

Baleen Whales do not have teeth. 

Baleen Whales have keratin baleen plates instead of teeth. Human hair is made of keratin. 

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