Bizzare Facts

The **blue whale** is not just the largest animal alive today; it is the largest animal to have *ever* lived, surpassing even the biggest dinosaurs. To fuel a body that can weigh up to 200 tons, it needs to consume energy on an industrial scale. Its feeding method, known as lunge-feeding, involves accelerating into a swarm of krill with its mouth open wide, engulfing a volume of water larger than its own body size.

Scientists have calculated that a single mouthful of this krill-rich soup can contain up to **457,000 calories**. To put that in perspective, that is roughly **230 times** the daily recommended caloric intake for an adult human—consumed in one swallow. If you wanted to match that, you would need to eat about 800 Big Macs in a single sitting.

However, this gluttony is necessary. The act of lunge-feeding is incredibly energy-intensive. The drag created by opening its massive jaws acts like a parachute, bringing the whale to a near halt and burning a huge amount of calories. The whale is essentially making a high-stakes biological bet with every lunge: it must catch enough food to pay for the energy cost of the dive, plus a profit to keep it alive. Fortunately, for the blue whale, the bet usually pays off.