Blue Whale

Photograph by Wolcott Henry, National Geographic

Sailboat-sleek, a blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) slices through the waters of California's Channel Islands. The largest blue whale was confirmed to be nearly 110 feet (33.5 meters) long and 418,000 pounds (190,000 kilograms), making members of this species the largest animals on Earth. As such, the blue whale has virtually no natural predators.