The Biggest Heart on Earth

A blue whale has about 1,400 Gallons (5,300 Liters) of blood in its body. To put that in to perspective the average human body has about 1.3 gallons (5L). That kind of blood volume necessitates a very large pump.

And I mean VERY LARGE.

A blue whale's heart can be 5 feet (152cm) tall and weigh more than 400 pounds (182kg). Each beat of this massive pump can propel 60 gallons of blood through a whale's body. For comparison, your heart is pumping a mere 2.4 ounces (70ml) of blood per beat.

As beats go, whales hearts contract slower than human hearts. At the ocean surface a whales heart rate will be around 40 beats per minute, but during deep dives this rate can drop to 4-6 beats per minute. Some recordings have documented rates as low as 2 beats per minute.

It gets Weirder...

Whales can experience heart problems, just like us. Including those similar to human heart attacks. Studies have shown that whales can develop heart disease, including atherosclerosis , and even experience cardiomyopathy , which can lead to heart failure.