🐋 Blue whale vs Great white shark 🦈
The blue whale is about 5 times as long as the great white shark. The great white shark is about twice as fast as the blue whale. The blue whale weighs about 85 times as much as the great white shark.
| Row | 🐋 Blue whale | 🦈 Great white shark |
|---|---|---|
| Top speed The great white shark is about twice as fast as the blue whale. | 20 mph32 km/h1 | 35 mph56 km/h2 |
| Weight The blue whale weighs about 85 times as much as the great white shark. | 165 tons150 tonnes1 | 2 tons1.8 tonnes3 |
| Lives The blue whale usually lives about one and a half times as long as the great white shark. | 80 to 90 years80 to 90 years1 | 30 to 70 years30 to 70 years3 |
| Eats The blue whale eats tiny floating sea life; the great white shark eats meat. | krill, tiny shrimp-like animals, by the mouthful | seals, sea lions, fish and dead whales |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | every ocean | cool coastal seas around the world |
Which one? Blue whale or great white shark
🏁 Who would win the race?
The great white shark gets to the tree first. Over a short dash it is about twice as fast as the blue whale.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed.
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The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/blue-whale-vs-great-white-shark
Where these numbers come from
- NOAA Fisheries, checked 30 October 2026.
- NOAA Science On a Sphere, checked 30 October 2026.
- NOAA Fisheries, checked 30 October 2026.