Researchers have put together a chart comparing the sizes of the largest creatures in the ocean, and the results are pretty humbling for a puny human.
The chart is an illustration for a paper published Tuesday in PeerJ in which biologists analyzed all available information to accurately estimate the sizes of these beasts.
"Several years ago I noticed that people kept saying that giant squids reached 60 feet in length, which is amazingly long," Craig McClain, the assistant director of the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center in Durham, N.C., and the study's lead author, said in a statement. "When I started actually looking at the data, I found that that estimate was actually quite unrealistic."
Along with a host of students, he fact-checked commonly cited sizes with historical data, scientific literature and specimens (both in museum and available for sale on the Internet).
Why the inaccuracy? Some of these sea monsters are rarely seen or captured. Others, like the giant squid, are fragile -- and might stretch after death.
But the true measurements are still far from unimpressive, as you can see.
One thing the researchers noticed is just how variable some species can be. Some species can have remarkably different sizes throughout their life cycle, and some of that variation is based on environment. In some, for example, an abundance of food during growth will mean a massive size increase over starved members of the same species.
But while humans are likely to admire the biggest member of a species (for no reason other than sheer awe), being the largest of an already large group isn't always a good thing. For some species -- as in humans -- extreme size can lead to health problems and early death.
The Washington Post
Wed Jan 14 2015
The whale, part of the sea's giant creatures.
Inflasi meningkat, ringgit lemah, rasionalisasi subsidi akan tingkatkan lagi inflasi?
Kupasan lanjut tetang impak peningkatan inflasi terhadap rakyat, ekonomi bersama Provost, Malaysia University of Science and Technology, Prof Emeritus Dr Barjoyai Bardai.
Angka kematian akibat bencana alam di Brazil meningkat kepada 151
Dalam tempoh 24 jam lepas, bilangan mangsa yang meninggal dunia telah meningkat dari 149 ke 151 orang.
Prestasi Bursa Malaysia setakat 17 Mei 2024
Jumlah dagangan melonjak kepada 6,332 lot daripada 3,684 lot pada Rabu manakala kepentingan terbuka menokok kepada 49,699 kontrak berbanding 47,476 kontrak sebelumnya.
Prestasi ringgit setakat 17 Mei 2024
Indeks Harga Pengguna AS yang diumumkan semalam menunjukkan inflasi negara itu mereda kepada 3.4 peratus pada April daripada 3.5 peratus pada Mac.
Ketua Ahli Ekonomi Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid berkata data terbaharu itu terus menunjukkan trend penurunan inflasi.
Ketua Ahli Ekonomi Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid berkata data terbaharu itu terus menunjukkan trend penurunan inflasi.
Cabaran penuhi citarasa jemaah dalam peraturan ketat Arab Saudi
Cabaran untuk menepati peraturan dan undang-undang kerajaan Arab Saudi yang lebih ketat berbanding di Malaysia antara kekangan utama buat petugas katering dalam operasi haji musim 1445M/2024 dalam menyediakan 2 juta pek makanan buat jemaah.
Inflasi 2023 meningkat 2.5%, restoran, hotel penyumbang utama
Ketua Perangkawan Malaysia berkata, peningkatan perlahan inflasi pada tahun 2023 ini adalah selari dengan penyusutan kebanyakan harga komoditi global, gangguan bekalan yang mereda, kawalan harga dan pemberian subsidi untuk barangan terpilih.
Ekonomi suku pertama 2024, atas atau bawah 4 peratus?
KDNK suku pertama dijangka 4.0 hingga 4.2 peratus, adakah ia mampu dicapai dan apakah faktor yang menjadi penyumbang utama suku tersebut. Kupasan lanjut bersama Pakar Ekonomi, MIDF Research, Muhammad Zafri Zulkeffeli.
Berita mahkamah perlu tepat, tidak tokok tambah - Peguam, wartawan
Wartawan perlu melaporkan berita yang tepat, tidak membuat tajuk sensasi dan mengelirukan, hanya untuk mendapat sambutan daripada pembaca.
Purata gaji naik RM56 setahun, apa sudah jadi?
Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif THE FUTURE, Prof. Madya Dr. Mohd Yusof Saari mengulas laporan KRI yang mendedahkan gaji pekerja di Malaysia tidak tumbuh dengan signifikan dalam tempoh 10 tahun lalu.
Jemaah wanita meninggal dunia sebaik selesai baca Yasin di Masjid Zahir
Allahyarham hadir ke masjid bersama suami terlebih dulu berbuka puasa sebelum menunaikan solat serta membaca surah Yasin.