Built On Size

Many of these abilities trace back to one thing: whales are huge. A bigger body holds more blood, more oxygen-storing muscle, and more reserves to spend on a long dive or a long song.

Size also changes the rules of physics. A large body loses heat slowly, so whales stay warm in freezing deep water. And a low, powerful voice carries far better through the sea than a high one. The blue whale, the largest animal that has ever lived, may be pushing right up against the physical limit of how big a creature can grow.