The whales of the world are majestic creatures that have piqued the interests of travellers since their first sightings, in part for their beauty and in part for their mystery. For the uninitiated, there are a lot of unique traits that make the whale a highly interesting species to see for yourself.

We have compiled five facts that show just how special whales are:

The Blue Whale is the Biggest

The blue whale is the largest living animal on Earth – ever! Its size surpasses all known dinosaurs. Its heart is around the size of a VW Beetle car and can weigh up to 450kg and its major blood vessels are so big that a human child could easily crawl through them.

Sperm Whales have Huge Brains

The head of the sperm whale is so big that that it comprises almost a third of its body. This is understandable given that it houses the heaviest brain in the animal kingdom – weighing in at an overage of 9 kilograms. Not only that, but the cranial cavity itself is large enough to park a car inside.

Narwhals Have the Largest Teeth

All cetaceans can be divided into either baleen whales, which feed with a comb-like sieve, or toothed whales. It is the Narwhal that possess the largest teethof all whale species – although not in the traditional sense – because it is in fact one of the teeth that grows through their lip and becomes their trademark horn.

Whales are World-Class Divers

Many whale species are able to dive to exceptional depths for exceedingly long durations, but none more so than that Cuvier’s beaked whale, which can dive to depths as deep as 3km and stay there for over 2 hours. They eat a great deal of squid, so diving this deep is necessary in order to catch them.

Whales are never fully asleep

When whales sleep, they don’t fully rest their brains like we humans do. Instead, when they sleep they only rest one half of their brain. The other half remains active in order to maintain their breathing, otherwise they would drown!

See Whales for Yourself!

Of course, there’s more to whales than just this and there is no better way to learn more than to see them for yourself on a guided whale watching trip. Take a look at our whale watching holidays to find out more, or get in touch with us for a no-obligation chat.

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