🐋 Blue whale vs Humpback whale 🐋
The blue whale is about twice as long as the humpback whale. The blue whale is a bit faster than the humpback whale. The blue whale weighs about 6 times as much as the humpback whale.
| Row | 🐋 Blue whale | 🐋 Humpback whale |
|---|---|---|
| Top speed The blue whale is a bit faster than the humpback whale. | 20 mph32 km/h1 | 16 mph26 km/h2 |
| Weight The blue whale weighs about 6 times as much as the humpback whale. | 165 tons150 tonnes1 | 25 to 35 tons23 to 32 tonnes3 |
| Lives They are about the same. | 80 to 90 years80 to 90 years1 | 80 to 90 years80 to 90 years4 |
| Eats Both eat tiny floating sea life. | krill, tiny shrimp-like animals, by the mouthful | krill and small fish |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | every ocean | every ocean, traveling between cold feeding waters and warm waters where calves are born |
Which one? Blue whale or humpback whale
🏁 Who would win the race?
The blue whale gets to the tree first. Over a short dash it is a bit faster than the humpback 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-humpback-whale
Where these numbers come from
- NOAA Fisheries, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Kenai Fjords National Park, checked 30 October 2026.
- NOAA Fisheries, checked 30 October 2026.