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The Blue Whale
The blue whale is thought to be the largest animal ever to have lived on Earth. It is certainly the
largest animal on the planet today. A blue whale can weigh over 180,000 kilograms. That is too big
to imagine! Let me put it in simple terms. Just the tongue of a blue whale can weigh as much as an
elephant. The heart of a blue whale can weigh as much as a family car. You might think that an
animal so big would need to eat other big animals to survive. Surprisingly, the blue whale feeds on
some of the smaller ocean animals. They eat krill. Krill are like a small shrimp. In a single day, a blue
whale can eat about 40 million krill. That is up to 3,600 kilograms a day.
Blue whales also have a very long life. On average, a blue whale can live between 80 and 90 years,
but they have been known to live for 100 years. Unfortunately, it is thought that there are only
10,000 to 25,000 alive. They were hunted in the 1900s and hundreds of thousands were killed. They
are now a protected animal. Let's hope the number of whales on the planet start to increase in the
coming years.
1. A blue whale can weigh over 180,000 kilograms.
a) True
b) False
2. The tongue of a blue whale can weigh as much as an elephant.
a) True
b) False
3. How many Krill can a blue whale eat in a day?
a) about 20 million krill
b) about 30 million krill
c) about 40 million krill
4. What age does a blue whale usually live to?
a) between 60 and 70 years old
b) between 70 and 80 years old
c) between 80 and 90 years old
Answers: 1. (a) 2. (a) 3. (c) 4. (c)
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