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The Gargantuan Blue Whale

A blue whale’s tongue weighs around 2.7 metric tons and, when fully expanded, its mouth is large enough to hold up to 90 metric tons of food and water.Despite the size of its mouth, the dimensions of its throat are such that a blue whale cannot swallow an object wider than a beach ball. Its heart weighs 600 kilograms (1,300 lb) and is the largest known in any animal. A blue whale’s aorta is about 23 centimetres (9.1 in) in diameter.

 During the first seven months of its life, a blue whale calf drinks approximately 400 litres (100 U.S. gallons) of milk every day. Blue whale calves gain weight quickly, as much as 90 kilograms (200 lb) every 24 hours. Even at birth, they weigh up to 2,700 kilograms (6,000 lb)—the same as a fully grown hippopotamus.

For Tony