We Homo sapiens have done pretty well for ourselves. We’ve built entire civilizations, harnessing the resources of our planet to make suitable homes for ourselves in parts of the world that seemed inhospitable. We’ve figured out how to fight off infections and overcome many inherited illnesses. We can visit nearly any part of the world with relative ease, and are even beginning to explore the universe outside Earth’s cozy atmosphere. We’ve made it to the top of the food chain.
In doing so, we’ve intentionally put distance between ourselves and most other animals. In some ways, that’s a good thing. But it also means we often don’t appreciate how incredible those other species are.
Behold: the largest creature ever to grace the Earth, the blue whale. At roughly the size of 10 elephants, their magnitude is difficult for us to comprehend, especially since most humans will never get to see these rare ocean-dwelling creatures up close.
Blue whales are the largest members of rorqual whale family, which in turn are the largest of the baleen whale order. In fact, scientists believe they are the biggest animal to have ever existed on the planet. They might also be the biggest animal physically possible. We’re about as big to them as krill-blue whales’ primary source of food-are to us.