The Female Blue Whale

The female blue whale grows to more than 40 metres long and is heavier than 25 African elephants. Baby blue whales are eight metres long when they are born. That’s longer than two cars. Whales are mammals, they are not fish. When they go to the surface to breathe air, hunters can catch them easily. They are fast and they swim better than other fish. They can smell their food from far away. They lived in the sea before dinosaurs lived on Earth. Whales are bigger than sharks but sharks are more dangerous. The king shark has got more than 2,500 sharp teeth and attacks many swimmers every year. Is there anything more dangerous in the sea? Yes! The blue-ringed octopus is shorter than your little finger and its blue rings get brighter when it is scared. People think it looks pretty, but when you see one, don’t pick it up! It hasn’t got sharp teeth like a shark, but its sting is more poisonous than the cobra snake and it is worse than a shark bite!