Rare sightings of blue whales--believed to be the largest animals ever to have lived on Earth--have been made this week off Long Beach, California. The whales feed on krill--small shrimp-like crustaceans that are their main food. Adult blue whales average between 80 and 100 feet in length and weigh between 150,000 and 300,000 pounds. To feed, they lunge at dense concentrations of krill, taking in as much as 15,000 gallons of food and water in a single mouthful. They need about 1.5 million calories a day to satisfy their energy requirements. To maintain their weight, they consume about 40 million krill--almost 4 tons of the tiny crustaceans--every day. Despite their size, blue whales can swim up to 30 mph.
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