9 Things That Weigh About 12 Tons

Have you ever wondered how heavy 12 tons is? It’s a bit heavy, and finding things that weigh that much can be tricky.

Today we will take a tour and learn about things that weigh this much or somewhere close to it. Most of them are things that you likely know about, but may have never considered how much they weigh.

1. Two Elephants

There are two types of elephants, namely, African and Asian elephants.  The African elephants are the largest, and you can differentiate them from their cousins by the ears’ shape.

The ears are shaped like the African continent, whereas the Asian ears have an Indian subcontinent shape. These bulls reach their full size between the ages of 30-40 years. That is half of their lives because their lifespan is around 70 years.

Notably, even their calves are big as they weigh around 120 kgs at birth. The calves can stand already 20 minutes after birth, and within one hour, they can walk.

Elephants are constantly eating and consume around 120 kg per day. Their trunks are the most sensitive part of their body. On average, a male elephant (bull) weighs 6 tons with a height of 3 meters. 

2. Three Baby Whales

Also known as calves, one baby whale weighs around 4 tons. It is unlikely for a mother to give birth to twins, so in most cases, only one calf is born for a period of 11 to 16 months.

To prevent drowning, they come out with their tails first. Probably this is to help them start swimming.

Their height is one quarter to the third length of their mother or 2.6meters. They get their food by breastfeeding just like a human.

3. Four Pickup Trucks

Pickups are made up of different sizes and shapes. The weight entirely depends on the make and model. But an average pickup weighs around 3 tons, equivalent to 6,000 pounds.

Pickups are used to transport goods, and most people love them because they are versatile. On rainy days they come in handy because they can maneuver through muddy roads.  

4. Four Blue Whale Tongues

I know you wonder how true this can be, but a blue whale tongue is huge. One tongue weighs around 3 tons.

Interestingly, as big as their tongues are, they cannot swallow something as small as a beach ball; instead, they feed on small creatures known as krill.

However, their tongues are used to gush out water, especially when they are feeding. On the other hand, they can also taste their food, and in most cases, they feel the taste is either nasty or salty.

5. Four Fully Loaded Elevators

Elevators are useful when accessing the highest point of a building. They are placed at a strategic place in every building for easy accessibility. Using them is easy since you will get all the information inside.

They have rules like how many people to carry,  but mostly accommodates more or 12 persons at a go. In case of an emergency, there are buttons you can press to ask for help or rather call for help through the phone provided.

A fully-loaded elevator weighs around 3 tons, including the elevator itself.

6. Three Hippos

These are the most dangerous animals in Africa because of their territorial and aggressive nature. Hippos are heavy and the second-largest land animal.

In most cases, they stay at the bottom of the river or lake since they can’t swim. Their body is barrel-shaped with short legs, a short tail, and an enormous head.

Hippos are herbivorous, meaning they don’t eat meat. They mostly get out of the water at night to graze. When they open their mouth, never get close because that is a warning sign.

Interestingly, they can close their nostrils and ears to prevent water from entering, and they can live up to 40 years.

The average weight of a male hippo is around 4 tons, which means you would need three of these beasts to make up 12 tons.

7. The Anchor of a Cruise Ship

Every ship needs an anchor because the device is lowered to the seabed to hold the vessel.

Interestingly an anchor weighs 12.5 tons, just slightly over 12 tons. In ancient times, anchors were made from logs of wood, stones, and a sand sack. 

They were constructed according to the size of the ship to avoid any accidents. As an improvement, the anchors were added flukes to help the hook dig deeper, making the ship more stable.

Generally, an anchor is used to cushion the ship from strong winds and waves of the sea.

8. Four Rhinoceros

There are five species of rhinos in the world today namely; Two African, black and white rhinos, three Asian, which are, greater one-horned, Sumatran and Javan rhinos. However, black, Sumatran and Javan are in extinction.

White rhinos are heavier, weighing roughly 3 tons. Their sense of smell is great since they have poor eyesight. They can hardly see a motionless animal that is around 30 meters away.

Their communication tactics are interesting. Mostly they communicate through poo and urine, and they do this by relieving themselves at one spot.

Whenever you see a poo for a rhino run. They might be around. Rhinos are mostly poached for their horns, because some communities use the horns for medicine and others for making ornaments.

9. Six Giraffes

Tall is the word that best describes a giraffe. When you see a giraffe drinking water, you may wonder how awkward it looks. This is because it has to spread its front leg to balance or kneel.

They hardly sleep, so in 24 hours, a giraffe can sleep an average of 30 minutes. Mostly they take their naps on an interval of 1 to 3 minutes.

Their calves hardly survive for long because they are hunted and don’t have a tactic of protecting them. Despite that, they are fast running more than 35 miles in a single hour.

Here we are. These are some of the things that weigh 12 tons. You may be aware of some, but have you learned something at the end of this article as well?