As children, many of us learn about the wondrous process by which a caterpillar morphs into a butterfly. The story usually begins with a very hungry caterpillar hatching from an egg.
The Largest Animal Ever: The Blue Whale. The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales. At 30 metres (98 ft) in length and 180 metric tons (200 short tons) or more in weight, it is the largest known animal to have ever existed.
Blue whales are thought to be the largest animal ever to live on the Earth. They reach lengths up to about 100 feet and weights of an amazing 100-150 tons. Blue whales are a type of baleen whale known as a rorqual.