Blue whale or humpback whale?
How to tell them apart
Both are baleen rorquals; the blue whale is far longer and slimmer, without the humpback’s long flippers.
Quick answers
They give the same 8 quick answers, so in the game it comes down to the clues below.
| Question | Blue whale | Humpback whale |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | Mammal | Mammal |
| Carnivore? | Yes | Yes |
| Dangerous? | No | No |
| Domesticated? | No | No |
| Awake when? | Day & night | Day & night |
| Hibernates? | No | No |
| Kept as a pet? | No | No |
| Do people eat it? | In places | In places |
At a glance
| Question | Blue whale | Humpback whale |
|---|---|---|
| Found in | Oceans | Oceans |
| Habitat differs | Open ocean | Open ocean, Coast |
| Size | Huge | Huge |
| Length differs | Up to 29.9–30.5 m | 14–17 m |
| Weight differs | Up to 190–200 t | Up to 40 t |
| Legs | None | None |
| Covered in | Skin | Skin |
| Lives differs | Alone | In pods |
| Lives for differs | 80–90 years | 45–100 years |
| Can fly | No | No |
| Swims | Yes | Yes |
| Lays eggs | No | No |
About each
Blue whale
A baleen whale, the largest animal known to have ever existed: up to 30 m long and 200 tonnes. Its long, slender body is blue-grey above and paler below.
Everything on the blue whale page
Humpback whale
A baleen whale with very long flippers and knobbly bumps on its head, famous for breaching and for the long, complex songs males sing. It migrates between feeding grounds near the poles and breeding grounds near the equator.
Everything on the humpback whale page
Sources
Last reviewed . The answers and notes come from each animal's own page, where every source is listed.
How each answer is decided: How we answer. More look-alikes: Side by side.