Blue Whales — Quiz — National Geographic Magazine

National Geographic Society

P.O. Box 98199 Washington, DC 20090-8199 USA

38.90531943278526, -77.0376992225647

800-647-5463

CELEBRATING 125 YEARS »

Current Issue July 2013
Table of Contents »

Blue Whales Quiz

Test your knowledge of blue whales with our six-question quiz.

Managing Editor, NGM.com Rob Covey <![CDATA[Producer]]> Sabi Chawla <![CDATA[Writer & Researcher]]> Sabi Chawla Flash Developer Stefan Estrada Editing and Styling Nancy Gupton /2009/03/blue-whales/img/whales1-quiz-470.jpg Everything about the blue whale is superlative. Though some dinosaurs reached the same length, no animal has ever equaled it in bulk. Photograph by Flip Nicklin /2009/03/blue-whales/img/whales6-quiz-470.jpg Photograph by Flip Nicklin /2009/03/blue-whales/img/whales3-quiz-470.jpg The noselike splash guard atop a whale's head diverts water from two blowholes, each big enough for a toddler to crawl in. Photograph by Flip Nicklin, Minden Pictures /2009/03/blue-whales/img/whales2-quiz-470.jpg Photograph by Hiroya Minakuchi, Minden Pictures /2009/03/blue-whales/img/whales4-quiz-470.jpg Powerful flukes can propel a whale for many days without a single stop. Photograph by Flip Nicklin /2009/03/blue-whales/img/whales5-quiz-470.jpg Even as a baby, a blue whale can make a grown man seem like a minnow. Photograph by Flip Nicklin 7 Excellent work. You are an expert on blue whales. With a little work, you will be a blue whales pro. You are off to a good start. You may want to try again. 0 Balaenoptera musculus. What does it mean? ]]> Water elephant Little mouse whale Ocean titan Mighty whale 2 balaena "whale," and the Greek pteron "fin" or "wing." The species name, musculus, is the diminutive of the Latin mus, "mouse"—apparently a joke.]]> 1 2 feet 10 feet 12 feet 25 feet 4 2 1 foot 3 feet 10 feet 30 feet 4 3 4 4 One pound a minute Nine pounds an hour Twenty pounds a day Fifty pounds a day 2 5 They are one of the loudest creatures on Earth. They have excellent hearing. They have excellent eyesight. They can be found in every ocean on Earth. 3