Whale shark
The whale shark is the largest living fish and feeds by filtering plankton from the water.
10 mLengthLife in proportion
Whale shark vs Blue whale
What are they, and what does the difference actually look like?
Two things. One honest scale.
Meet the pair
What these two things are
Blue whale
A blue whale is a baleen whale that feeds by filtering small animals from seawater.
25 mNose-to-tail lengthThe nose-to-tail length of Blue whale is about 2.5 times the length of Whale shark.
01
Whale shark10 mLength
02
Blue whale25 mNose-to-tail length
Both marked spans share one linear scale. Artwork keeps its proportions; poses and surface detail are illustrative.
Measurements, assumptions & sources +
Whale shark
A chosen 10 m, 10 tonne whale shark, a fish rather than a whale.
Defined examples — our methodology
The marked length is calibrated. Unmeasured illustration details are representative.
Blue whale
A chosen 25 m, 100 tonne adult blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus). Population, sex and age matter: this is a representative comparison specimen, not a record animal.
The marked nose-to-tail length is calibrated. Unmeasured illustration details are representative.
Change the comparison
Put something else beside it.
Measurement details
Why these numbers?
The visual compares length with nose-to-tail length. The records below preserve each value’s basis and caveats.
Whale shark
10 mLength · defined specimen
A chosen 10 m, 10 tonne whale shark, a fish rather than a whale.
Blue whale
25 mNose-to-tail length · representative
A chosen 25 m, 100 tonne adult blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus). Population, sex and age matter: this is a representative comparison specimen, not a record animal.
- Comparing
- Length ↔ Nose-to-tail length
- Relative size
- Blue whale is larger on this measurement by a factor of about 2.5. Blue whale's selected measurement is approximately 150% greater than Whale shark's.
How to read the visual
The labelled spans and stored measurements determine the scale; unmeasured illustration details do not.
- Whale shark is labelled defined specimen; treat the displayed value as a comparison anchor rather than false precision.
- Blue whale is labelled representative; treat the displayed value as a comparison anchor rather than false precision.
There’s always another scale
Follow your curiosity.
Living thingsWhale shark10 mThe whale shark is the largest living fish and feeds by filtering plankton from the water.Living thingsBlue whale25 mA blue whale is a baleen whale that feeds by filtering small animals from seawater.
Living thingsHoneybee1.5 cmA honeybee is a social insect that lives in a colony and gathers nectar and pollen from flowers.
PeopleHuman1.75 mA human is a primate of the species Homo sapiens, distinguished by habitual upright walking, language and complex tool use.
Living thingsAfrican elephant3.3 mAn African elephant is a large plant-eating mammal recognised by its trunk, tusks and broad ears.
TransportDouble-decker bus11 mA double-decker bus is a passenger vehicle with two levels, used for public transport.
TransportAirbus A38072.7 mThe Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body passenger aeroplane built for long-haul flights.
Living thingsBottlenose dolphin2.5 mA bottlenose dolphin is a marine mammal with a streamlined body, prominent dorsal fin and a short beak-like snout.Side by side
Another point of view.
