Giants of the Earth

I’m massive. I’m the largest land animal alive. I’m 20 feet long. That’s longer than a really big car. I’m heavy too. I can weigh up to 13,000 pounds. A T. rex could weigh about that much!

I live in all kinds of habitats. You can find me in the forests, grasslands, and deserts across Africa. I’m a female. I live with the other elephants in my herd. My grandmother is our leader. Hi, Grandma! (Adult males live in a separate herd.)

You bet! I can communicate with other elephants. First, I let out a low call. It’s so powerful that it shakes the ground! Other elephants feel the ground rumble. They figure out what my message means based on how long the shaking lasts. Kind of amazing, huh?

Sometimes I warn other elephants that danger is coming. Other times, I ask them to come join me. I’m friendly that way. 

I’m gargantuan. First of all, I’m 90 feet long. That is longer than two school buses. Also, I can weigh up to 400,000 pounds. To compare, a second-grader might weigh 60 pounds. Think about how much heavier 400,000 pounds is than 60 pounds. It’s a lot heavier!

I’m much bigger. I weigh about the same as 30 African savanna elephants! I’m the world’s largest ocean animal. I’m also the largest animal to ever live on Earth. That includes the dinosaurs!

I swim in almost all of the world’s oceans. When the seasons change, I travel from one ocean to another to stay warm. Traveling like this is called migrating. Sometimes I tag along with another whale, but I mostly swim alone.

We whales can communicate with each other. I let out a low booming call. It can reach blue whales up to 1,000 miles away. I’m not trying to brag, but I’m one of the loudest animals on Earth!