How Big Is a Whale?

How long is each of these six species of whales when it is fully grown?

The Sperm Whale is the only whale with teeth in this group. All the others have baleen, which is more like a comb to strain seawater, keeping the smallest animals, such as krill, for their meal.

Put all of these clues together to find the answer to the puzzle. You may want to work with a friend. You can print this chart to help you solve the puzzle.

Clue 1:  The bowhead whale is 20 feet shorter than the fin whale.

Clue 2:  A full-grown fin whale is about 20 feet shorter than a full grown blue whale.

Clue 3: There are two families of whales, the baleen whales and the toothed whales.

Clue 4: A full-grown blue whale measures about 100 feet.

Clue 5: The largest toothed whale is 63 feet long.

Clue 6: A full-grown gray whale is half the size of a full-grown blue whale.

Clue 7: The maximum lengths of the bowhead whale and the sei whale are about the same.

Clue 8: The sperm whale is the largest toothed whale.

How long is each of the six species of whales when it is full-grown?  Send us your answer!

Your Name: Include your email address if you would like a response to your work: List each whale and its length:
Here's who has answered so far: Sanjana B.         Ren

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from Get It Together•EQUALS, Lawrence Hall of Science, ©1989 The Regents of the University of California