A new study of Antarctic minke whales reveals a minimum size limit for whales employing the highly efficient "lunge-feeding" strategy that enabled the blue whale to become the largest animal on Earth.

A blue whale calf with its mother near the coast of island Pico (Azores)© tane-mahuta/iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images "The blue whale is the largest and loudest animal on Earth." The blue ...

Blue whales have been considered the largest creatures to ever live on Earth. With a maximum length of nearly 30 meters and weighing nearly 200 tons, they are the all-time undisputed heavyweight ...