“Real Fact” #768 and #116

“Real Fact” #768: “Most elephants weigh less than the tongue of a blue whale.”

OH SNAP!

As weird and shocking as this might sound, this Snapple “Real Fact” is true! The blue whale is the largest known animal to have ever lived on Earth! According to National Geographic, these creatures are about 100 feet long and weigh an average of 200 tons. Their tongue alone weighs about 2 tons, which is in fact the average weight of an elephant. Their hearts weigh as much as the typical American automobile! These creatures start off big too, as calves they are already on the ranking for largest animal. Now what could these animals possibly eat to weigh as much as they do? Sharks? Dolphins? NO! Their entire diet is based off tiny creatures such as shrimp and krill. Here’s a picture to help you capture how big these animals actually are!

Now speaking of large animals.. we move onto the largest known fish.

“Real Fact” #116: “The largest fish is the whale shark- it can be over 50 feet long and weigh over 2 tons.”

OH SNAP!

This Snapple “Real Fact” is HALF false! The whale shark is the largest known fish, however, the largest whale shark ever recorded was only 40 feet long! These creatures can easily be compared to the average size of a school bus. National Geographic states that it is possible for them to grow larger though. What’s so crazy about this fact, is that it over lengths and under weighs these magnificent creatures. The average whale shark weighs a lot more than just 2 tons, but a whopping 20 tons! I guess that’s why it’s name has one the largest creatures in it. Whale sharks and blue whales are very similar in their diet. Lucky for us, whale sharks mainly consume plankton and other small fish that come along with it! Look to see what they look like compared to one of us! Thanks for reading!