What Is the Second Largest Animal in the World?

Imagine a creature that can weigh more than 70 tons and still not claim the title of the world's largest animal. Such is the case with the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) --- the second-largest animal in the world.

Size

The female fin whale can reach lengths of up to 89 feet, with males able to top out at around 82 feet. Despite its size, the fin whale garnered the nickname of "greyhound of the seas" for its ability to swim as rapidly as 20 miles per hour, notes the Antarctic Connection site.

World's Largest

The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) keeps the fin whale from the top of the size list for animals. Some specimens can attain 100-foot lengths and weigh in the range of 150 tons, according to the Marine Mammal Center.

Diet

The diet of the fin whale includes fish, squid and a shrimplike organism known as krill. The fin whale calf can weigh as much as 2 tons at birth and be 20 feet long. It nurses for as long as six months, gaining enough weight to be as heavy as 15 tons.

History

The hunting of fin whales for their blubber, meat and oil brought the species quite close to extermination. The fin whale received full protection from hunting in 1976, and the population was able to recover. The World Wildlife Fund estimates that as many as 90,000 fin whales live in the oceans around the world as of 2010.

References

• Antarctic Connection: Fin Whale
• World Wildlife Fund: Fin Whale
• Marine Mammal Center: Blue Whale