Science Minute Script:

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The Biggest Animals on Earth

This Science Minute was researched and written by Ahn L. of Ithaca, NY

A: Do you know the biggest animals on the planet earth?

B: Yes, I do. They are giraffes!

A: No. Giraffes are the tallest animals. The may stand nearly 20 feet tall, but they are not the biggest animals on the planet.

B: Then what about elephants?

A: Wrong. Elephants are the biggest animals on land. They can be up to 13 feet tall and weigh 15,000 pounds. They have ears that are 4 feet wide and tusks that are 8 feet long, but they are not the biggest animals on the planet.

B: Dinosaurs?

A: Nope! Dinosaurs lived a long time ago. Seismosauruses were 170 feet long and weighed as much as 250,000, but they aren't alive now.

B: Not giraffes, not elephants, not dinosaurs. Hmmm... Is it whales?

A: You got it! Blue whales are the biggest animals on earth. They reach a length of up to 100 feet and can weigh up to 400,000 pounds–as much as 2,500 average human men!

B: Wow!