Animals in the world can be measured by several criteria, such as weight, height, length. The list includes only animals living on land. This list takes into account the maximum weight that animals can reach...
(Total 10 photos)
Average animal weight: 8500 kg
Maximum animal weight: 13000 kg
Average animal body length: 6.66 meters
2. Asian elephant
Average animal weight: 4200 kg
Maximum animal weight: 5200 kg
Average animal body length: 5.94 meters
3. White rhinoceros
Average animal weight: 2350 kg
Maximum animal weight: 3850 kg
Average animal body length: 3.81 meters
4. Hippopotamus
Average animal weight: 2500 kg
Maximum animal weight: 3400 kg
Average animal weight: 1600 kg
Maximum animal weight: more than 1800 kg
Average animal body length: 2.99 meters
Average animal weight: 1400 kg
Average height: 4.69 meters
Average animal weight: 1200 kg
Maximum animal weight: 2150 kg
Average animal body length: 3.35 meters
8. Black Rhino
Average animal weight: 1150 kg
Maximum animal weight: 1900 kg
Average animal body length: 3.43 meters
Average animal weight: 785 kg
Maximum animal weight: 1600 kg
Average animal body length: 6.10 meters
10. Wild Asian water buffalo
Average animal weight: 770 kg
Maximum animal weight: 1250 kg
Average animal body length: 3.48 meters
The fauna of the planet is full of a variety of representatives that amaze the human imagination with their size. There are both the tiniest individuals and surprisingly huge specimens that feel quite comfortable in their natural habitat. It is the latter that especially attract a person’s attention and force one to only guess what causes such an impressive weight and height. What is the largest animal on Earth?
The blue whale is the largest animal on the planet that humans have had the opportunity to measure and weigh. The weight of a newborn whale is 2-3 tons, and the average weight of adults is 100-120 tons with a body length of up to 30 meters. But history also knows larger animals:
- in 1926, whalers encountered a female weighing 150 tons;
- in 1947, a whale weighing 190 tons was killed.
Due to its incredible size, it is not possible to weigh a whole animal on a whaling ship, so a special method of weighing in parts has been developed.
On a note! Only one language blue whale weighs about 2.7 tons - this is exactly the body weight of the average Indian elephant. The heart of a mammal weighs at least 600 kg, which can be compared in weight and size with the dimensions of a Mini Cooper car.
You can meet this record holder in the waters of many countries: Russia, Japan, China, Malaysia, India, USA, Norway, Iceland, Chile, Colombia, etc. They usually live alone, very rarely in groups of 2-3 individuals. A whale spends up to 1 million calories per day, to replenish which it needs to eat 1 ton of krill or other small shellfish.
Other giants of the planet
In addition to the blue whale, other large animals that belong to different categories live on our planet. Thus, among birds, rodents, reptiles and other representatives of the animal world there are their own record holders who attract attention with their abnormally large dimensions.
The largest animal living on land. Average weight males - 7-8 tons, body length - 6-7.5 m with a height of 3-3.5 m, and the weight of their tusks can reach 100 kg. They have virtually no enemies in wildlife, sometimes only the cubs suffer from attacks by lions or crocodiles. But these elephants are often destroyed by humans (elephant tusks are a valuable hunting item), and therefore are listed in the Red Book.
Interesting! African elephants sleep standing up and are still able to mourn the dead, in which they can be compared to humans
The largest predator alive today, since the weight of adult males reaches 4 tons and length - 2.6-3 m. They spend most of their lives in aquatic environment, and are chosen on land very rarely (mainly during the breeding season). A unique feature of these animals is that males are usually 5-6 times heavier than females.
Considered the most big bird: An adult can weigh up to 150 kg and grow up to 3 m in height. Birds of enormous size live in the lowlands of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and are also the holders of the title of the fastest bipedal animal. In addition, they lay eggs weighing up to 2 kg, which are considered one of the world's delicacies.
Capybara
The largest representative of rodents on the planet. Adult animals can grow up to 150 cm in height and weigh up to 100 kg. They live near water in temperate and tropical latitudes South America. Capybaras adapt well to life with humans, so they are sometimes used by local residents as pets.
It is the largest reptile. It lives in Southeast Asia, off the eastern coast of India and northern Australia. The body length of adult crocodiles can exceed 6 m, and their weight is 1 ton. This is a very dangerous predator that is capable of attacking any living object in sight, regardless of whether it is on land or in water.
A giant among snakes, whose weight can reach 200 kg. The maximum recorded length of the snake is 11.43 m. But scientists believe that in wild forests In South America you can find individuals with large parameters. The anaconda wraps itself around its victim until it is completely suffocated and then swallows it whole, after which it can go without food for up to 1 month.
The largest arthropod, since its weight reaches 19 kg, and its body length including paws is 3.9 m. This giant lives in the waters Japanese Islands, feeds on small shellfish and can live up to 100 years.
Modern large animals of the Earth are by no means inferior in size to their prehistoric predecessors. But if humans do not treat them with respect and continue to destroy their habitat, they risk disappearing from the face of our planet, just like dinosaurs millions of years ago.
Children are very inquisitive and often ask questions that are not easy to answer. A child, unlike an adult, is of little interest everyday problems. It is more important for him to know why the grass is green, where the clouds come from, why the giraffe Long neck, and the elephant has a trunk where you can see a kangaroo and so on. And many adults cannot answer all these difficult questions. Of course, for a serious businessman it is not so important to know all this, but to expand your own horizons, sometimes you can still get acquainted with some interesting facts. For example, what is the largest animal in the world, what is the smallest, where they live and what they look like.
What animals are there most on earth?
Everyone knows such a thing as the Red Book. This is a document in which very rare representatives of flora and fauna are recorded. You can often read about the rarest and endangered species of animals included in the Red Book list in natural history textbooks and in scientific literature. But nowhere is there a list of those animals that are most numerous on earth.
As a rule, the occupying animals, which outnumber other classes, are very small in size. For example, a small crustacean animal similar to a shrimp, no more than 5 centimeters in length, which is the record holder for the largest number on earth - this Antarctic krill, an animal from the family (Engraulidae) euphausiids. Krill are quite common and can be found over a wide area from the Southern Ocean to the Antarctic Ocean.
What animals are there most in Australia?
If krill is the most common animal species everywhere, then the question arises, which animals lead the population in certain places, such as Australia?
This continent is home to many unique animals that cannot be found in other parts of planet Earth:
- Koalas,
- wombats,
- opossums,
- Platypuses and many other rare species.
But Australia is known throughout the world as kangaroo country. These are the largest individuals belonging to the order of marsupials; other representatives of this order are called wallabies. Kangaroos live only in Australia and some places in South America.
The fact is that marsupial mammals less adapted than other animals to the climate that has changed since the time of dinosaurs. The reason for this is precisely that the pouch creates the least favorable conditions for bearing cubs.
Where does the largest animal in the whole world live?
The largest animal in the world lives not on land at all, but in water.
We are talking about a blue or blue whale:
- The length of the individual reaches 32 meters, and the weight varies from 2 to 3.5 tons;
- This animal is from the order of cetaceans and lives in almost all waters of the world's oceans. The blue whale feeds on Antarctic krill;
- The blue whale leads a solitary lifestyle;
- In terms of numbers, blue whales tend to decline, but nevertheless, this species of animal does not yet pose the risk of complete extinction;
- The blue whale, despite its gigantic size, does not pose a danger to humans, and is quite intelligent and friendly;
- Despite its large size, the blue whale is not able to swallow large objects, as it has a very narrow throat. Interestingly, the largest object that this animal can swallow cannot exceed the diameter of a grapefruit.
Largest land animal
The blue whale, as it turned out, is second to none in size, but this animal lives in water, while on land, the title of largest animal goes to the African elephant.
This mammal from the order Proboscis reaches a height of up to 3.5 meters and weighs almost 7 tons. Moreover, males are larger than females. African elephants are not that common to the globe like blue whales, their habitat is limited to Africa, just south of the Sahara.
The record holder feeds exclusively on vegetation, eating several tens of kilograms of greenery per day. African elephants are friendly. Their numbers tend to decrease, and therefore this species of animal is listed in the Red Book of Russia.
The largest animal in Asia
Indian elephant or asian elephant It is not much smaller in size than its African brother and is the largest animal in Asia.
The Indian elephant, like the African elephant, is a vegetarian and quite friendly.
The elephant has several subspecies, which received their names based on their habitat:
- Sri Lankan elephant, who lives on the Sri Lanka peninsula,
- Sumatran elephant- found in Sumatra,
- Bornean elephant- living on the island of Borneo.
The number of Asian elephants decreases every year, and therefore this species, like the African elephant, is listed in the Red Book of Russia. African and Asian elephants are slightly different in appearance.
A few main differences:
- Ear size - y African elephant they are larger, female Indian elephants lack tusks, while female African elephants have them;
- African elephants are gray-brown, while Asian elephants are darker;
- Asian elephants have little hair on their skin; African elephants have more folds.
- The African elephant has longer and thinner legs than the Asian elephant.
The smallest animal on earth
If the largest animal in the world was difficult to miss, then the small animals were not so easy to find:
- The tiniest animal in the world lives in the warm regions of Thailand and is named pig-nosed bat. Belongs to the squad bats to mind pig-nosed, no more than 3 centimeters long and weighing about 2 grams. This little one's nose is like a pig's nickel;
- The Kiti bat is a rare animal, the total number of individuals does not exceed 500, therefore this species is listed in the Red Book. She eats insects and like everyone else the bats leads a nocturnal lifestyle.
Living in a certain place, people get used to the flora and fauna that surrounds them. To a resident of the European continent, bananas growing on a bush, galloping kangaroos and camels seem outlandish. While a resident of Africa will never be able to meet a bear at home. But the human mind is inquisitive, and always strives for knowledge. Even if a person has never seen anyone larger than a cow, he is still interested in what is the largest animal in the world, what it looks like and in what parts of the earth it is found.
Video about the “most-most” huge animals
In this video, zoologist Timur Prokazin will talk about the most gigantic creatures on the planet:
Hundreds of thousands of species of animals of various sizes live on earth, among which there are real giants, the sizes of which, although inferior to prehistoric monsters, are much larger than the sizes of those animals that we can usually see around.
1. Blue whale
The blue whale, also known as the blue whale, is the largest of known to man animals on land and in the ocean. It refers to baleen whales. In the last century, a specimen was caught that weighed 150 tons and was 33 meters in length. Only one language blue whale can pull 3 tons, which is almost equal in weight Indian elephant! The heart of this whale is also large - 600 kg, and it is also the largest pump of any animal. It is comparable in size to a small car.
Blue whales are found not only in tropical waters, but also in the polar seas. But a giant of such impressive size is very harmless, since it feeds on small fish, cephalopods and large crustaceans. Blue whales have poor vision and taste, but their sense of touch and hearing are well developed. Blue whales are very smart and peaceful, but this does not save them from destruction due to valuable whalebone and blubber. Therefore, there has long been a strict restriction on whale catching in the world, which, however, some countries do not adhere to.
Dinosaurs belonged to vertebrates; they dominated for over 160 million years in all terrestrial ecosystems - on land, in water...
2. African elephant
It belongs to the order Proboscidea. With a height at the withers of 4 m, it weighs up to 7.5 tons. It lives throughout the African territory south of the Sahara. There are two subspecies: a small forest and a large savanna. Larger than the Indian elephant, the African savannah elephant is the largest land animal. The African elephant population numbers about 415 thousand and continues to decline.
This intelligent mammal exhibits the ability to provide mutual assistance and help. Often one elephant, armed with a stick, uses it to remove a leech that has attached itself to a fellow elephant. But at the same time, it is one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. Due to their size, adult elephants have no natural enemies in their habitat, but baby elephants can serve as easy prey for crocodiles or lions, as well as hyenas and leopards.
3. White rhinoceros
The white rhinoceros is second in size only to the elephant among land animals: it weighs up to 5 tons, has a length of up to 4.2 m with a height at the withers of 4.2 m. In fact, the white rhinoceros has a dark gray color. He has 2 horns on his head, which the rhinoceros uses during “showdowns” with competitors, but they almost led to his extermination. These herbivorous giants live in the northwest and south of Africa.
4. Southern Elephant Seal
This largest species of seal is among the largest terrestrial mammals. Specimens have been registered weighing 3.5 tons and having a length of 6.5 meters. The elephant seal has a trunk, but it is only about 10 cm long. In total, approximately 750 thousand southern elephant seals live in Antarctica. Their colonies can be found on the islands and archipelagos surrounding Antarctica: Heard, South Georgia, Kerguelen, Macquarie. During hunting, these animals are able to dive for more than 20 minutes, to depths of 400-1000 meters, where they catch fish and squid. There was a record of this animal staying under water for two hours.
5. Hippopotamus
He is also a hippopotamus - an artiodactyl from the suborder Porciniformes. This giant is common in Africa. With a length of 5.4 m, it can weigh up to 4 tons. It lives half in the water, although it also runs very quickly along the shore. The huge mouth of a hippopotamus can open 150 degrees. This is the most aggressive African animal that attacks if it doesn’t like something.
6. Giraffe
This is the tallest and most graceful animal living in the African savannas. A giraffe weighs up to 1.2 tons and is 6 meters tall. Although it has an incredibly long neck, it, like other mammals, only has 7 vertebrae. The giraffe has an exceptionally powerful heart, pumping 60 liters of blood per minute and creating a pressure 3 times higher than ours. A giraffe eats about 30 kg of plant food per day. Each giraffe has a unique skin pattern.
7. Polar bear
Seasoned polar bear can weigh a ton and be 3 meters long. The largest individuals live in the Bering Sea. Unlike other bears, the white one has an elongated neck and a flat head. It feeds on seals, fish, walruses, and sea hares. Under its thick fur, which is not wetted by water, it has a thick layer of fat, thanks to which it feels great in icy water.
Among other fauna, birds stand apart. Many of them are very beautiful, with bright plumage, seeming weightless when they float in the air. But wed...
8. Saltwater crocodile
The largest modern reptiles are saltwater crocodiles, the females of which are small (only 3 m), but the males grow up to 7 m and can weigh a ton. Their habitat: Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, although they sometimes appear in other places as they can travel by sea significant distances. In shallow water or on the shore, the saltwater crocodile is very dangerous because it quietly sneaks up on its prey. Many people become its victims every year.
9. African ostrich
Now it is the largest bird in the world, weighing up to 150 kg and 2.5 meters tall. The ostrich has long forgotten how to fly, but it runs like a champion in steps of up to 4 meters, developing a serious speed of up to 70 km/h. At the same time, without reducing speed, he can suddenly change the direction of running. Surely many have heard about an ostrich burying its head in the sand, but these are just fairy tales: simply from fatigue after running, it can drop it.
10. Giant anaconda
This member of the boa subfamily is the heaviest and largest in the world. They say that there are anacondas up to 9 meters in length, but such sizes have not been officially recorded; scientists are inclined to more realistic length figures of 6.7 meters. The anaconda has a discreet greenish-gray coloration with darker brown spots. It mainly lives in the South American tropics. This snake is attached to water and is difficult to find far from bodies of water. She is an excellent swimmer and hunts underwater. It feeds on everything it comes across - birds, rodents, turtles, even young caimans. The largest specimens can attack large animals, including humans. Like all boas, the anaconda is not poisonous, but suffocates the victim and swallows it whole.
Hands to Feet. Subscribe to our groupWe all know well that the largest animals, or giant animals, lived on our Earth millions of years ago - these are various dinosaurs, mammoths, terrible birds and many, many other prehistoric animals. Their gigantic size and appearance seem overwhelming to us today.
But even today our world is full of the most amazing creatures that amaze with their shapes and sizes. It’s even hard to imagine what could have influenced their height and weight, but they are who they are, the main thing is that they feel quite comfortable among us. What kind of animals are these, and in what natural conditions they live, that's what we'll talk about today. The rating is based on the weight, height and also length of the animals.
1 place. Blue or blue whale
The largest living animal on Earth is the blue or blue whale (lat. Balaenoptera musculus). Even dinosaurs cannot compete with him - his size is impressive. This marine mammal grows up to 30 meters in length, can weigh more than 180 tons, even the tongue of this giant weighs about 2.7 tons (the size of a medium-sized Asian elephant). The blue whale's heart weighs about 600 kilograms - it is the largest heart in the world.
The huge lungs of the blue whale (the volume of which is 3 thousand liters) allow it to remain at a depth without oxygen for about 20 minutes. The maximum speed developed by this mammal is about 35 km/h, and the fountain it produces when reaching the surface is up to 10 m.
2nd place. Sperm whale
The next representative is (lat. Physeter catodon) is the only representative of the sperm whale family today. It is the largest among toothed whales. The male sperm whale grows up to 20 m in length, and weighs up to 50 tons. Females are less impressive in size - from 11 to 13 m, and weigh about 15 tons.
Interestingly, the head of an adult makes up approximately 35% of the total body length. There are sperm whales of larger sizes, but this is rather the exception. In nature, sperm whales have practically no enemies. The exception is killer whales, which attack females and calves; they cannot compete with an adult male.
3rd place. African elephant
African elephant (lat. Loxodonta africana) is the largest land animal living on earth. Includes two types - and. It occupies an honorable third place in this ranking. With a height of 3 to 3.5 meters and a body length of 6-7.5 m, the mass of these animals can reach up to 6, or even 12 tons. Female African elephants are smaller than males: they grow up to 2.7 meters in height and 5.4-6.9 m in length.
Despite its impressive size, it can move at a speed of 35-40 km/h (it can easily overtake a person). He can eat 300 kg of plant food per day. Due to its enormous mass, it sleeps standing up. A very smart animal that is capable of mutual assistance and compassion. But, despite this, it is one of the most dangerous animals on the planet.
4th place. Indian elephant
Indian or Asian elephant (lat. Elephas maximum) is the second largest land animal after the African elephant. The height can reach 2.5-3.5 m, the length of its body is about 5.5-6 m, and this elephant’s tail is not short - 1-1.5 m. This elephant can weigh from 5 to 5.5 tons . Females, just like African elephants, are much smaller.
These elephants are forest dwellers. They prefer light tropical and subtropical deciduous forests with dense undergrowth, which consists of shrubs and bamboo. They move easily through dense forests and swampy areas. They live in groups led by the oldest and most experienced female.
5th place. Southern elephant seal
Southern sea Elephant(lat. Mirounga leonina) – considered the largest pinniped in the world. These large and corpulent animals can grow up to 6 m in length and weigh up to 4-5 tons.
They can stay under water for about 2 hours (an officially registered record), and dive to a depth of more than 1300 meters. They spend their entire lives in the ocean, and rarely come to land - mainly during the breeding season.
6th place. Hippopotamus or hippopotamus
Hippopotamus (lat. Hippopotamus amphibius) is a mammal from the order Artiodactyla and the suborder Porciniformes. Native to Africa.
Hippos can reach up to 1.5-1.65 meters, their body length can be from 3 to 5 meters, and their weight can be 3 tons or more. These animals increase their mass throughout their lives, their teeth also grow throughout their lives and can reach 0.5 m in length. Interestingly, the skin alone weighs 0.5 tons.
7th place. White rhinoceros
White rhinoceros (lat. Ceratotherium simum) – the 2nd largest herbivore on the planet. Adults grow in height - up to 1.6-2 m, in length - about 3.8-4.2 m.
The average weight of a white rhinoceros is about 3 tons; there are individuals much larger - about 8 tons. Interestingly, the white rhinoceros is not white at all, but rather gray. It probably received this name from a distorted Boer word “wijde”, which means “wide-faced” - consonant with English word“white” (Russian white).
8th place. Walrus
Walruses (lat. Odobenus rosmarus) is one of the ancient large animals that have existed since the last ice age. Fossils found in San Francisco Bay date back approximately 28,000 years.
And even now these giants grow up to 3 m in length and weigh up to 2 tons, the thickness of the skin (on the neck and shoulders of males) is up to 10 cm, and the layer of fat is up to 15 cm. Large ones are perfectly adapted for life in the harsh conditions of the Arctic. They feed mainly on shellfish, but can also eat fish.
9th place. Black rhinoceros
Black rhinoceros (lat. Rhinoceros bicornis) – slightly finer than white. The weight of this animal does not exceed 1.5-2 tons, body length is about 3-3.5 meters, height at the shoulders is 1.5-1.6 m. Their habit of moving along the same paths and poor vision makes them vulnerable and defenseless against poachers.
The black rhinoceros has no natural enemies, so it is not at all timid and because of this it automatically becomes an easy trophy for hunters. Interestingly, the body of the black rhinoceros is more elongated in length and it is lighter than the white one.
10th place. Saltwater crocodile
Saltwater, or saltwater crocodile (lat. Crocodylus porosus) is the largest and most massive reptile on the planet. The saltwater crocodile can grow up to 5.5-7 meters (usually 5 m) in length, the weight of an adult (male) is from 409 kg to 1.5 tons.
Interesting fact: it has a high commercial value because of its skin, from which various types of clothing, shoes, etc. are made. It is hunted and bred on crocodile farms.
Modern species of animals are absolutely not inferior in size to prehistoric animals, but if people do not treat wild nature with due respect, then they will all become extinct just like those that lived millions of years ago.
