‘Gentle giants’ known for their huge appetites spotted off California coast, photos show

On July 11, Monterey Bay Whale Watch encountered two creatures from the largest species on Earth.

“We got to see 2 blue whales yesterday,” the organization said in a Facebook post.

Weighing up to 330,000 pounds and growing to 110 feet long, blue whales dwarf all known species of dinosaur and every other creature that has ever roamed this Earth, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The heaviest blue whale on record surpassed these measurements, weighing 418,878 pounds in 1947, according to Whale and Dolphin Conservation. Her weight was equivalent to about 30 elephants or 2,500 people.

Given their magnitude, blue whales eat 20 million to 50 million calories per day, roughly the equivalent of 80,000 Big Macs, according to NPR. However, instead of Big Macs, blue whales primarily eat huge amounts of krill.

“The presence of Blue whales in the bay heavily depends on the availability of their prey — krill,” Monterey Bay Whale Watch said. “We are hoping the sighting of these two gentle giants yesterday means there is plenty of krill in the bay to attract more individuals into the area!”

This story was originally published July 16, 2024 at 12:44 PM with the headline "‘Gentle giants’ known for their huge appetites spotted off California coast, photos show."