Which animal is the largest ever known to have lived on Earth — bigger than any dinosaur?
- The blue whale
- Argentinosaurus, a giant sauropod dinosaur
- The megalodon shark
- The woolly mammoth
Why A? And why not the others?
Correct answer: A. The blue whale
The blue whale can reach about 30 metres long and weigh up to around 180 tonnes — heavier than any creature known from the entire fossil record. Its heart alone is the size of a small car, and its tongue can outweigh an elephant. Argentinosaurus is a tempting pick because dinosaurs feel like the ultimate giants, but even the largest sauropods are estimated at roughly 70 to 80 tonnes — less than half a big blue whale. Megalodon, the giant extinct shark, was enormous for a fish at perhaps 50 tonnes, yet still far short of the whale. The woolly mammoth, despite its fame, was only about the size of a modern African elephant. The secret is water: buoyancy supports a body that gravity would crush on land, which is why the all-time record holder is a swimmer, not a land giant.
Source: American Museum of Natural History & Smithsonian NMNH: blue whale, largest animal ever known