Whales have to be big – as a mammal living in the ocean, which gets much colder than land, they have to be big enough not to lose too much body heat to the surrounding water.
What is the biggest whale in UK waters?
While they are rare, the biggest whale in UK waters is the biggest animal of all time, the blue whale. These ocean giants are around 33 metres and weigh a humongous 180 tonnes.
- It's not only the biggest animal in the world today, it is the biggest animal to have ever lived – and can be seen in UK waters
- What's the most common whale in UK waters?
Blue have been known to be found off the coast of the UK, particularly in the deep waters around the north and west of Scotland.
In 2015, a blue whale was spotted about 400km southwest of Cornwall. It may be the first footage of blue whales captured in English waters.
Blue whales are rarely spotted in UK waters because their populations were severely depleted by commercial whaling operations over the last few centuries, but also because they prefer deep ocean habitats, further offshore.
Sightings of blue whales are infrequent, but the best time to potentially spot them in UK waters – particularly in Scotland – is between May and October, and likelier still between July and September.
