Definition of blue whale
: a very large baleen whale (Balaenoptera musculus synonym Sibbaldus musculus) that may reach a weight of 150 tons (136 metric tons) and a length of 100 feet (30 meters) and is generally considered the largest living animal
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Examples of blue whale in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web The researchers had to tally everything from giant species like the blue whale all the way down to the microbes that blanket the land and swirl in the oceans.
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Matt Simon, Wired, "All the Stuff Humans Make Now Outweighs Earth’s Organisms," 15 Dec. 2020 This starter kit features 52 blue bricks to create a blue whale, a train, and a robot before diving into their own creations.
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Courtney Campbell, USA TODAY, "30 great gifts under $5 that won't end up in the trash," 11 Dec. 2020 Flammang and the other researchers analyzed live remoras and created a 3-D digital model of a blue whale.
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Tara Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, "How Surfing Suckerfish Stick to Whales," 5 Nov. 2020 For reference, a blue whale, one of the world’s loudest animals, can produce calls at a volume of over 180 dB.
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Taylor L. Machette, Scientific American, "When Whales Stop Calling," 4 Oct. 2020 Many international collecting institutions aim to feature a blue whale among their centerpieces.
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Rebecca Giggs, Harper's Magazine, "Save the Whales," 15 Sep. 2020 Sadly for the hero and his blue whale buddy, Billy is insane and drives a boat straight into the whale in one of the season's most disgusting and impressive setpieces so far.
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Rosie Knight, refinery29.com, "R29 Binge Club: The Boys Season 2 Recap," 7 Sep. 2020 While some species grew to lengths that approached the vastness of a blue whale, early ichthyosaurs like the Guizhouichthyosaurus that Motani examined were smaller, perhaps 13 to 19 feet in length.
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Jason Bittel, National Geographic, "13-foot marine predator found inside another's belly in shocking fossil 'turducken'," 20 Aug. 2020 And so, the blue whale must consign itself even more resolutely to a dependence upon krill.
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Eric M. Keen, Scientific American, "Why Are Blue Whales So Gigantic?," 31 July 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'blue whale.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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The first known use of blue whale was in 1851
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