Whale Length Comparison (Maximum Recorded Sizes)
How long do ocean whales grow at adult maximum sizes overall? Compare 12 maxima from NOAA Fisheries data, from 5 m beluga chirps to 30 m blue giant record.
Visual comparison
All values
Click any row to load it as Entry A.
| Name | Value | Context | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue whale Heart car size. | 30 m (98.4 ft) | Largest animal ever | NOAA Fisheries blue whale: to 30 m |
| Fin whale Greyhound of sea. | 27 m (88.6 ft) | Second largest baleen | NOAA Fisheries fin whale: to 27 m |
| Sei whale Skims copepods. | 19 m (62.3 ft) | Fast baleen whale | NOAA Fisheries sei whale: to 19 m |
| Sperm whale Moby Dick species. | 18 m (59.1 ft) | Largest toothed whale | NOAA Fisheries sperm whale: males to 18 m |
| Bowhead whale Ties sperm. 200 year lives. | 18 m (59.1 ft) | Arctic ice whale | NOAA Fisheries bowhead: to 18 m |
| Right whale Most endangered here. | 18 m (59.1 ft) | North Atlantic right | NOAA Fisheries right whale: to 18 m |
| Humpback whale Bubble net feeder. | 15 m (49.2 ft) | Singing acrobat | NOAA Fisheries humpback: to 15 m |
| Gray whale Baja lagoons calve. | 14 m (45.9 ft) | Pacific bottom feeder | NOAA Fisheries gray whale: to 14 m |
| Minke whale Stinky minke nickname. | 10 m (32.8 ft) | Smallest baleen here | NOAA Fisheries minke: to 10 m |
| Orca Apex pod hunter. | 9 m (29.5 ft) | Largest dolphin | NOAA Fisheries orca: males to 9 m |
| Beluga whale Canary of seas. | 5 m (16.4 ft) | White Arctic whale | NOAA Fisheries beluga: to 5 m |
| Narwhal Tusk is a tooth. | 5 m (16.4 ft) | Tusked Arctic whale | NOAA Fisheries narwhal: to 5 m |
About this converter
Whale lengths run from dolphin size to the largest animal ever. Beluga and narwhal at 5 meters open the Arctic pair. Orca at 9 meters is the largest dolphin and hunts in pods. Minke at 10 meters is the smallest baleen whale here. Gray at 14 and humpback at 15 cover the migratory middle. Sperm, bowhead and right whales tie at 18 meters across toothed and baleen lines. Sei at 19 is the fast filter feeder. Fin at 27 is second largest. Blue at 30 meters is the largest animal known to have lived. Lengths are NOAA Fisheries maximums for adults, with females larger in baleen species.
How to use it
Pick two whales and a unit in the top row. The three boxes below stay linked. Change any box and the other two update. One box holds a count of the first whale, one holds the matching count of the second, one holds the length in the chosen unit. Try 1 blue whale against orcas to see giant against pod.
Lengths are adult maximums, not averages. Calves run a quarter to a third of these. Bowhead age claims past 200 years come from harpoon tips.
FAQ
What is the largest animal ever?
Blue whale at 30 meters.
How big is a humpback?
To 15 meters.
How big is an orca?
Males to 9 meters.
Are narwhal tusks horns?
No. The tusk is an inside out tooth.
Sources
- NOAA Fisheries species pages (blue 30, fin 27, sei 19, sperm 18, bowhead 18 m)
- NOAA Fisheries species pages (right 18, humpback 15, gray 14, minke 10, orca 9 m)
- NOAA Fisheries Arctic pages (beluga 5, narwhal 5 m maxima)
Last verified: 2026-10-05 · 12 entries
More creature sizes converters
Godzilla and Kaiju Size Converter (Height Comparison)
How big is Godzilla? Compare 16 kaiju heights: Monsterverse Godzilla, Kong, Ghidorah, Shin Godzilla and more. Meters, feet and visual bars.
Aircraft Carrier Length Comparison (Overall Meters)
Compare 13 aircraft carrier overall lengths: Juan Carlos 231 m, De Gaulle 261, Queen Elizabeth 284, Fujian 316, Ford 333. Official navy figures in one table.
Airliner Length Comparison (Widebody Meters)
Compare 8 widebody airliner lengths in meters, from the A330neo at 63.69 m to the 777-9 at 76.72 m. Maker spec figures in a linked tool. for fans today.
← Westworld Episode Runtime Comparison (Minutes) · Whale Length Comparison (NOAA Maxima) →