i think we all know by now that the blue whale is the world's largest

animal -- that is, the largest animal that has EVER existed.  period.

it's bigger even than the biggest dinosaurs ever were. 

   but sometimes just saying that doesn't convey their size and majesty.

a blue whale

     blue whales can grow larger than 100 feet and weigh more than

150 tons;  in other words, they are about the size of a Boeing 747.

they can live upward of 110 years, that is, much longer than humans.

    and still we don't fully appreciate how utterly large blue whales are.

let me try again.  in the words of David Attenborough:

     [A blue whale's] tongue weights as much as an elephant,

     its heart is the size of a car and some of its blood vessels

     are so wide that you could swim down them.

    and who knows what other creatures dwell in the depths.

we know about whales only because they need air and must

come to the surface or die.  who can say whether much

larger animals live in the permanent darkness of the deep oceans.