The Mother of All Whales

When I saw this article, I seriously, for just a moment, looked at the calendar to confirm it was not April 1. I never believed such an animal was possible. I don't know any scientists who would have disagreed. If someone wanted to bet me there's been a potential 300-ton whale, I'd have put down a thousand dollars and walked off laughing.

Imagine this titantic animal. Now imagine one up to three times its size (educational fair use claimed) 

Florent Goussard/Imaging and Analysis Centre at the Natural History Museum London. Fair use claimed

Nevertheless, here it is.
It's an article of faith among cetologists that the blue whale has evolved the most efficient feeding system ever (it's basically shoving pure protein into a gigantic mouth), and nothing could be bigger and get adequate nutrition. We don't know how this monster sustained itself. There's a great deal we have to study.
But this is a great day for science. We found something spectacular that no one believed could exist. It doesn't get any better than that.

UPDATE: there was immediate pushback about the idea this seagoing monster weighed 300 t, and it seems highly unlikely.  What is known is more than enough. This is one of the largest animals ever to live, and we knew naught of it until now.  See the update on this group at https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-first-whales-to-rule-the-seas-were-giganticand-tiny-180983202/  

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 Matt Bille is a writer, historian, and naturalist living in Colorado Springs. He can be reached at mattsciwriter@protonmail.com. Website: www.mattbilleauthor.com.

Read Matt's Latest book, Of Books and Beasts: A Cryptozoologist's Library. This unique reference offers a friendly skeptic's 400 reviews of books on cryptozoology, zoology, related sciences, and cryptozoological fiction. Your search for the world's new and undiscovered animals begins here!