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The world’s largest organism - Alex Rosenthal

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TEDEd Animation

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The largest animal in the world is the blue whale, which weighs a massive 150 metric tons. Even so, it’s not remotely close to being the largest organism by weight. That title goes to an organism so huge that it’s estimated to weigh the equivalent of 40 blue whales. So what is this behemoth? And… where is it? Alex Rosenthal shares the story of the enormous and ancient Pando.

WatchThink Dig Deeper Discuss
Many people think that the Blue Whale is the biggest living thing on Earth. Most people don’t know that the Blue Whale is small compared to Pando, a large root system with many trees, found in Utah. What is the difference in size between the Blue Whale and Pando?

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Alex Rosenthal
  • Director Lisa LaBracio
  • Narrator Jack Cutmore-Scott
  • Music André Aires
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
  • Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Fact-Checker Eden Girma

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