The largest animals on the planet earth. The largest animals in the world The largest underwater creature in the world
Some marine life is much larger than land animals. In this material, we will consider the ten largest animals in size and weight that live in the world's oceans.
The length of an adult walrus is 4 m, and the body weight exceeds 2 tons. A distinctive feature of walruses is their huge elongated upper fangs, which are called tusks. The tusks reach 1 m in length and are used by walruses during battles for females, as well as to facilitate climbing onto ice floes. Because of these tusks, the walrus was also given a scientific name, translated from Greek, which means "walking on the teeth."
Despite their formidable appearance, walruses are very shy animals. While resting on land, they put up sentries who closely monitor the situation and warn the entire herd of the danger that has arisen. They are very sociable and constantly supporting each other animals. After the mating fever, when the males can fight for the right to mate with the female, they all bring up the young together, help with feeding.
Walruses live in the north, rookery on the pack ice.
A huge seal growing up to 6.5 m in length and reaching a weight of more than 4 tons. The elephant seal got its name from its proboscis nose. The male elephant seal is characterized by extremely aggressive behavior during the mating season, when, for the sake of mating, he is ready to trample and tear other rivals, not paying attention to anything. Gathering in groups and sorting out relationships among themselves, elephant seals can easily crush young calves or females, which are significantly smaller than males. Every year, during the mating season, a significant number of young animals die from strangulation and strangulation, and males die from wounds received earlier than from natural death.
Elephant seals live on the west coast of North America and in Antarctica. The Antarctic (southern) elephant seal is significantly larger than its northern counterpart.
8 Saltwater Crocodile
- not exactly a marine animal. It lives in the swamps and mangroves of the tropical region, but can sometimes travel by sea, covering distances of 600 km or more. Therefore, it can be seen, for example, off the coast of Japan, although it never lived there and does not live there. The reasons for such long migrations are not fully known. Saltwater crocodiles, which are solitary by nature, are thought to seek out more secluded habitats, according to some, food-rich regions, according to others. But whatever the reason, such guests in sea bays and bays terrify not only local residents, but also local predators. The crocodile easily displaces even sharks from the chosen coastal zones, which simply retreat, unable to oppose anything to the impenetrable armor of the reptile.
This crocodile is the only reptile that grows over 5 m in length. Adult combed crocodiles grow up to 7 m in length and reach a mass of 2 tons.
Adult killer whales are large marine predators. In captivity in aquariums, we see not record specimens, but in nature their length reaches 10 m, and their weight exceeds 8 tons. Every day, adult killer whales require up to 150 kg. meat, and in their search they spend most of their lives attacking all living things that can satisfy their hunger. The killer whale is nicknamed “killer whale” for a reason – it is the largest carnivore on the planet. They are at the top of the food chain, preying on others and large fish.
Killer whales are extremely intelligent animals. They make perfect use of their group skills while hunting. There are well-known and documented cases of attacks on walruses and fur seals that tried to hide on a lonely ice floe. Accelerating towards the ice floe, they raise a high wave, which washes the poor victim into the water, where she is not destined to escape. Also, killer whales are the only marine predators that can jump ashore and grab fur seals - their favorite prey.
Killer whales live everywhere, but prefer the cool waters of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. Most often kept in the coastal strip.
Humpbacks grow up to 15 m, and the maximum recorded length was 18 m. Weight - 30 tons. It would seem that he should have a characteristic hump, but the main distinguishing feature of the humpback is long pectoral fins and huge "warts" on the snout. The length of the fins can reach 34% of the body length. They play an important role in the life of the animal - they are involved in thermoregulation, increase maneuverability and help in hunting. Humpback whales often hunt in a group, diving under a flock of fish and surrounding it with small air bubbles. Surrounded by such a wall of bubbles, the fish is lost and huddled into a dense lump, which is swallowed by humpbacks, which suddenly appear from the depths.
Buckles of humpbacks and their blows with their tail and fins on the surface are known. They are even able to completely jump out of the water.
Humpback whales live throughout the world's oceans. They often come to the coast for feeding.
It grows up to 20 m in length and reaches a weight of 30 tons. This is a slender whale and can accelerate to a speed of 50 km/h. (according to other sources, its maximum speed is 25 km / h), unlike its more “fat” relatives. The sei whale dives well, plunging to a depth of up to 300 m and remaining under water for up to 20 minutes.
The sei whale was the most important object of commercial fishing, after the man almost destroyed the blue whale and fin whale. Currently, fishing for this whale is completely prohibited.
Sei whale lives in all oceans, preferring warm tropical waters.
The weight of an adult sperm whale reaches 50 tons, and the body length is 20 m. This is the largest representative of toothed whales - unlike baleen whales, they have teeth and hunt fish, cephalopods and, in rare cases, other marine mammals. The sperm whale is known for its huge head, which occupies 35% of its body length. The word "sperm whale" itself comes from " cachola", which means "big head". On a huge head, the whale's mouth looks small, but the impression is deceptive. One of his teeth weighs 1 kg.
The whale lives in all oceans, but avoids cold areas. It keeps far from the coast, where there is a great depth and their favorite prey lives - squids. The sperm whale hunts, among other things, huge giant squids. Fights with them “reward” the whale with characteristic scars from the suckers of these mollusks.
The record length of the bowhead whale was 22 m and a weight of 150 tons. This weight is comparable to the weight of the animal that won the first place in our top, but it is seriously inferior to it in length. But the bowhead whale holds the record for life expectancy. With an average life expectancy of 40 years, according to some scientists, this whale can live up to 211 years. Among vertebrates, this is an absolute record, although it was recently discovered that the polar shark lives even longer - up to an unthinkable 512 years.
The bowhead whale spends its entire life in the cold polar waters of the Northern Hemisphere, retreating south from the growing ice in winter, and returning back in the spring. If the whale is caught in ice, it breaks it with its huge body.
Adult individuals reach a length of 27 m and a mass of more than 70 tons. These giants have chosen the open ocean, rarely approaching the shores. They prefer loneliness, although sometimes there are small groups of 4-6 whales. Despite their huge length, fin whales are quite plastic and “slim”. They swim faster and dive deeper than many other cetaceans. The maximum recorded speed of the fin whale is 50 km/h, and the depth of submersion under water exceeds 250 m. Its speed allows it to feed not only on immobile krill, but also on medium-sized schooling fish.
After uncontrolled fishing for fin whales in the middle of the 20th century. the extraction of this whale was completely prohibited. In 2006, Iceland again allowed hunting for him. The modern estimate of the number of fin whales is 50-55 thousand individuals.
Not only the largest modern animal, but also the largest of all that has ever lived on our planet. The maximum length of this giant is 33 meters, and the weight can exceed 150 tons. They live for 80-90 years, and the oldest known blue whale was 110 years old. Like other cetaceans, it feeds exclusively on plankton, consuming 1 ton of it every day.
The uncontrolled fishing of the blue whale has almost completely destroyed it. In the 1960s, its population was estimated at only 5,000 individuals. Timely measures taken to protect the whale have yielded results, and at present, scientists estimate the number at 10,000 heads, which is already enough not to worry about the safety of the species.
The blue whale lives throughout the world's oceans.
Marine animals are very diverse. These include both huge giant whales and microscopic plankton. Captures the diversity of the inhabitants of the deep sea.
Photos of whales
The largest animals in the sea are whales. However, not only at sea, but also on land, whales have no equal in size.
In total, about 130 species of whales remain on Earth, about 40 extinct species of whales are known. Depending on the species, the length of the whales is from 2 to 25 meters. The largest species in the world is the blue whale.
Whales live in all oceans and almost all seas of our planet. In northern waters, whales feel great thanks to a thick layer of fat.
Most whales feed on small fish species and plankton. But there is also a more predatory species of whales that hunts large animals - killer whale. This is one of the most beautiful whales.
Although killer whales look similar to dolphins, they are very different from them. The most noticeable distinguishing feature of killer whales is their contrasting black and white coloration.
Killer whales prey on everything they can catch and are quite voracious. If killer whales are sedentary, they feed on fish and small marine animals. Migrating killer whales can even attack sperm whales. There are known cases of killer whales attacking a herd of moose crossing a reservoir.
Photo of sharks
Another type of large marine predators is sharks. These are mainly large predatory fish, which for billions of years have practically not changed their appearance in the process of evolution.
Like whales, sharks live in almost all oceans and seas. There are sharks that feed on fish, but there is also a species that feeds on plankton - the whale shark.
Moray photo
Another genus of marine predatory fish is moray eels. They live in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, the Mediterranean and Red Seas.
Moray eels can be confused with snakes, outwardly they are very similar. But the appearance of moray eels is very disgusting, although there are terrible lovers of these fish.
In ancient European mythology, moray eels became the prototype of huge sea monsters. Some ancients believed that moray eels are fry of sea monsters, when they grow up, they swim far into the ocean.
Photo of dolphins
Perhaps the most beloved marine animals are dolphins. They also exist in many different sizes. Dolphins accompany various ships and bring joy to people with their jumps from the water.
Dolphins are mammals, not fish.
The life of dolphins in captivity is halved, and in nature they live up to 50 years. Probably longing and despondency in captivity depresses them.
Dolphins love to communicate with people, they are kind and social animals by nature. but these marine animals are tactful and never impose.
Photo of seals
Seals live in northern seas and oceans. These are carnivorous pinnipeds that arrange colonies on coastal rocks. Such places serve as a refuge for them from predators.
Their main food is fish, but they do not mind eating shrimp or other crustaceans and mollusks.
See.
One of the most voracious seals is the sea leopard.
This type of seal got its name because of the unique shape of the nose of males and because of its huge size. Males of this species can reach six meters in length and weigh more than four tons.
Another large species of seals lives in the north of Russia - the sea hare. The largest sea hares weigh 360 kg.
But despite its size, the sea hare seal can become the prey of a polar bear.
walrus photo
Other pinniped inhabitants of the seas are walruses. They have powerful tusks.
Only males have tusks. They use them as weapons during fights for females during the mating season.
Walruses can stand up for themselves, as they are very large animals. But killer whales and polar bears are a threat to them.
On this we will finish with pinnipeds and move on to mollusks.
Photo of an octopus
"Eight legs" - this was the name of this marine inhabitant in ancient Greece. And the octopus lives up to its name.
Octopuses inhabit tropical and subtropical seas. There are more than 200 species in total.
Octopuses are able to change their color by disguising themselves from other predators and using camouflage to wait for their prey. They can even take on the appearance of a predator and copy its behavior.
Photo cuttlefish
The cuttlefish, like the octopus, is a cephalopod.
The cuttlefish has a beak-like mouth. Behind the tentacles it is hard to see in the photo, but believe me, it can bite through the crab shell.
Like octopuses, cuttlefish are able to change color and merge into the area in order to hide from the enemy or hide in ambush.
In total, about 30 species of cuttlefish are known. The smallest species has a size of 1.5-1.8 centimeters.
Photo of squid
Squids are another cephalopod. Squids inhabit all seas and oceans, including the northern ones. Northern squid species are somewhat smaller and often colorless. Other species also rarely have bright colors.
How many species of squid live on our planet is unknown. Many species live at great depths, which makes it difficult to study them.
Usually the size of a squid is 25 - 50 cm. But there is a unique species - a giant squid, its size can reach 18 meters. Some deep-sea squid species are able to glow, so they attract prey in the pitch darkness of the deep sea.
Many species of squid have finned wings on the sides. These organs act as a balancer when swimming, also using their squid can accelerate and jump out of the water to escape from a predator.
Photo of crabs
Let's move on from cephalopods to crabs. These are representatives of the crustacean class.
These marine animals have five pairs of legs, one of which has evolved into claws. A crab can lose a claw in a fight, but then it grows back like a lizard's tail.
There are many types of crabs and they are very diverse in size and color. Different species feed in completely different ways, the diet may consist of algae, crustaceans, small fish or mollusks.
Photo of lobsters
Large crustaceans live in the oceans and seas: lobsters and spiny lobsters. Lobsters are similar to common crayfish, only they have larger claws.
Basically, the color of lobsters of different species is very simple, camouflage. This is due to the presence of a large number of enemies in these animals. But sometimes there are mutant individuals with an unusual color.
This is a blue lobster, a very rare specimen. This color has one in two million lobsters. Yellow, red, white or bicolor lobsters are even more rare.
Photo of lobsters
Another large crustacean is the lobster. These crustaceans prefer warm waters, unlike lobsters, which are also found in cold waters.
Spiny lobsters do not live at depths above 200 meters. They try to settle in places where they can find shelter. Many predators do not mind eating the lobster.
Lobsters are solitary. All their lives, except for the breeding season, lobsters spend in solitude, not communicating with representatives of their kind.
Marine animals also include seabirds. For example, penguins are peculiar seabirds living in the Southern Hemisphere.
Penguins live not only in Antarctica. There are large colonies of these birds in the south of Australia and South America.
In total, 18 species of penguins are known. They are different in size, there are some differences in color. but the main color is a contrasting black and white.
Let's take a look at the giants that still roam the Earth.
15. Giant flying fox ≈ 1.5 kg
The largest bat on earth. These bats live in the Philippines. The body size of a fox is about 55 cm, weight is 1.5 kg, but the wingspan is very solid - up to 1.8 meters.
14. Belgian flandre giant - up to 25 kg
A domesticated form of a hare (rabbit). The main selection was carried out in the meat-skin direction, which left an imprint on its size. This is the largest breed of rabbits. Their average weight is 10-12 kg, the maximum recorded is 25 kg.
13. Chinese giant salamander ≈ 70 kg
The largest amphibian on earth. The length of the salamander reaches 180 cm. These amazing creatures live in China, where their meat is revered as a delicacy, so few salamanders grow to their maximum size.
12. Capybara ≈ 105 kg
The largest rodent on earth. These cute animals live in South America. Adult capybaras grow up to 1.5 meters in length, and in weight they can gain up to 105 kg. By the way, these rodents are happy to live next to a person.
11. Giant green anaconda ≈ 250 kg
This close relative of the python, on Earth. It lives in the tropics of South America. The maximum recorded body length is more than 7.5 meters, and the weight is 250 kilograms. The Asian python surpasses the anaconda in length, which is 9.7 meters, but loses in weight.
10. Polar bear ≈ 500 kg
To find the largest bear in the world you need to go to the Arctic. There, among the snow and ice, majestic polar bears live - a living embodiment of the formidable forces of nature.
The Inuit call polar bears "nanook", which means "respected".
At birth, a newborn polar bear cub weighs only 700 grams. And the milk that he eats is superior in fat content to the milk of other types of bears. Two months after birth, the bear cub weighs 10 kg.
Until a year and a half, a caring mother accompanies him everywhere. And at the age of two, when many human children still have difficulty walking and soiling diapers, a young polar bear is already gaining its normal weight and is able to bully a bearded seal, ringed seal, or even a person if he is not careful enough.
Even for the world's largest bear, finding food can be a challenge. Less than two percent of polar bear hunts are successful, so half of their lives are spent looking for food.
9. Salted crocodile ≈ 590 kg
Most of the largest animals are not peaceful in nature. But even among them, combed crocodiles stand out for their aggressiveness and bloodthirstiness. even got into the Guinness Book of Records for the fact that, together with relatives, he ate a thousand Japanese soldiers during World War II.
But it is unlikely that combed crocodiles can be counted among the allies, because they would have just as much enjoyed eating Russian, American and any other soldiers.
8. Giraffe ≈ 800 kg
Among the largest animals in the world, giraffes immediately stand out with their long necks. Thanks to her, they are the tallest land creatures on the planet. The neck is 1/3 the length of the animal's body and, at the same time, consists of only seven cervical vertebrae, like in most other mammals.
About giraffes, we can safely say that they have a big heart. It weighs 12 kilograms, and creates pressure that would terrify any hypertensive patient. What the body will not do so that the blood can reach the brain.
Giraffes are also famous for their long tongues. Only they need it not for gossip, but in order to eat leaves from the highest trees in the African savannah. In length, this organ reaches as much as 45 centimeters.
7. Hippo ≈ up to 4.5 tons
Sub-Saharan Africa is home to the third largest land animal in the world. But hippos don't really like to walk on the ground. They are semi-aquatic mammals, meaning they spend most of their day in rivers and lakes. This is how they keep their hairless body moisturized under the scorching African sun. If the hippopotamus does not have the opportunity to plunge into cool water, its skin cracks.
Female hippopotamuses began to give birth under water long before it became a fashionable trend in the human world. By the way, hippos are one of the few mammals whose cubs can suck their mother's milk while underwater.
In most European languages, the hippopotamus is called the "hippo". This word came from the Latin language (and there, in turn, from Greek) and in translation means “river horse”. Of course, this massive creature cannot be compared with, but in the water it is very fast and agile.
6. Southern elephant seal ≈ 2.2 tons
Among the largest animals of our planet, there are two elephants at once, and one of them is terrestrial, and the second is marine.
This seal got its name for the leather bag on the nose, which inflates during anxiety or during mating fights, turning into a large ball.
5. White rhino ≈ 2.3 tons
The old joke about the rhinoceros is that it has poor eyesight, but at such a large size, this is no longer its problem. Indeed, these giants do not particularly rely on sight. And even hearing plays a secondary role. But the sense of smell in white rhinos is very well developed. So don't approach it from the windward side.
By the way, unlike their small counterparts, black rhinos, whites usually run away when they see a person. But Black is attacking.
Due to the uncontrolled extermination of white rhinos, the northern subspecies has disappeared. This happened quite recently, in 2018, when the last male named Sudan died. So now we can only admire the photo of these largest animals in the world.
But the southern population still exists. But the question is: for how long?
4. African bush elephant ≈ 7 tons
Before you is a seven-ton answer to the question of what is the largest animal among terrestrial creatures. Due to its size and body weight, the elephant got into the Guinness Book of Records as the largest land mammal. Among the savannah elephants there are also their own heavyweights. So, in Angola in 1974, an elephant weighing 12.2 tons was shot dead.
Like their smaller counterparts, African elephants can use their trunks (which have over 40,000 muscles) to lift anything up to 180kg. Unfortunately, the largest land animal does not boast the largest population. 25,000 elephants die each year due to poaching.
3. Great whale shark ≈ 20 tons
It seems strange that - this is not the most terrible representative of the shark species. She doesn't even hunt whales, contrary to her name. Unlike most of its predatory counterparts, the great whale shark is content with plankton for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
This sea giant does not swim very fast, and almost does not pay attention to people swimming nearby. This allows divers to ride on the back of a whale shark if they wish.
In videos of the world's largest animals, you can often see people swimming with whale sharks.
2. Sperm whale ≈ 40 tons
One of the best ways to recognize a sperm whale in the ocean is by its massive head. Sperm whales have the largest brain of all living creatures on Earth, it weighs up to 7.8 kg.
However, the fact that their heads are filled with spermaceti makes the biology of these creatures so fascinating. It is the spermaceti sac that accounts for 90% of the weight of the sperm whale's head.
Scientists suggest that it is spermaceti that helps these huge toothed whales dive and emerge from the depths. There must be something that keeps all 40 tons of sperm whale afloat!
1. Blue whale ≈ 150 tons
The largest animal on Earth is a majestic, carnivorous sea creature that weighs a whopping 150 tons and measures 33 meters in length. And this is still on average, since the whalers met both 180-ton and even 190-ton whales.
The heart of a blue whale is one and a half meters in size, weighs about 180 kilograms, and its aorta is wide enough for a baby to swim through it.
However, despite their gigantic size, blue whales are not dangerous to humans. They do not attack swimmers and feed on krill, small crustaceans, cephalopods and fish.
But a man for a blue whale is the most dangerous enemy. Due to active whaling and severe pollution of the seas, the largest animal in the world almost disappeared. In 1693, only 5 thousand individuals remained. And although now the population of the blue whale has grown to 10 thousand individuals, it is still on the verge of extinction.
Our world is home to many of the most amazing animals - very large and very small. In this article, we will tell you about the 15 largest animals in the world. In doing so, we classify them into different categories. So, you will find out which are the largest sea animals on earth, the largest snakes, the largest elephants, and so on. Get ready to be amazed! Pleasant and useful pastime is guaranteed!
The largest animal is the blue whale
The blue whale is the largest animal on earth. Moreover, it is also recognized as the largest animal of all known to science that has ever existed in the world of "creatures". The length of the blue whale is about 30 meters, and its weight starts from 180 tons and above.
It's hard to imagine, but only the tongue of this amazing marine mammal weighs about 2.7 tons, which is comparable in size to an Indian elephant. The weight of the heart of a blue whale is an average of 600 kilograms, which is the largest heart in the world. To make it easier to imagine the size of such a heart, let's say that in size and weight it is approximately comparable to a Mini Cooper car.
The heaviest land animal in the world - the African elephant
Of all the land animals now living on the planet, the African elephant is the largest. Males of this species reach a length of 6 to 7.5 meters, and a height of 3.3 meters and above. Such giants weigh about 6 tons. African elephant females are much smaller: on average, their weight is 3 tons, length - from 5.4 to 6.9 meters, and height - 2.7 meters. Adult African elephants have practically no enemies in the wild, but newborn cubs are very vulnerable and lions, crocodiles, leopards and even hyenas hunt them with pleasure.
The tallest land animal in the world - Giraffe
The giraffe is the tallest land animal in the world. It is an African artiodactyl mammal. Its height is 5-6 meters, and the average weight is 1.6 tons for males and 0.83 tons for females. The giraffe is distinguished by a very long neck, which is almost half of the entire vertical height of the animal and is approximately 2 meters. Uniquely, the giraffe's long neck acts as an extension not of the normal spine, but of a disproportionately elongated cervical vertebral column.
The largest marine carnivore in the world is the southern elephant seal.
The southern elephant seal is the largest living carnivore today. A distinctive feature of these seals is that the size of their males is 5-6 times larger than the females. Perhaps of all mammals, this is the largest difference in size by sex. At the same time, males weigh from 2.2 to 4.0 tons, while the weight of females is only 0.4 - 0.9 tons, and the length reaches from 2.6 to 3 meters.
The largest land carnivore is the white polar bear and the Kodiak bear.
The largest land carnivores are the white polar bear and the Kodiak bear, which is a variation of the brown bear. The body sizes of a polar bear and a Kodiak bear are approximately the same. Their height is at the level of 1.6 meters or more, and the total length is 3 meters. The heaviest were the registered brown and polar bears, weighing 1,135 kilograms and 1,003 kilograms, respectively.
The largest reptile in the world - Saltwater crocodile
The largest reptile in the world, of all that have survived to this day, is the saltwater crocodile. Its habitat is a fairly large territory from Southeast Asia and the coast of India to Northern Australia. An adult male saltwater crocodile weighs approximately 0.41 to 1.0 tons and its length ranges from 4.1 to 5.5 meters. However, individual individuals can exceed 6 meters in length and weigh more than a ton.
This species of crocodiles is the only species that regularly exceeds 4.8 meters in length. Saltwater crocodile acts as an exceptionally dangerous predator. He is able to attack almost any animal that appeared in his line of sight, regardless of whether it is in the water or on land.
The largest amphibian in the world - Chinese giant salamander
The Chinese giant salamander is the largest salamander in the world, measuring approximately 180 centimeters in length. However, as a rule, today they are not allowed to grow to such a size, since these salamanders are a favorite delicacy of many nations, and are also traditionally used in traditional Chinese medicine. As the name suggests, the Chinese Giant Salamander lives in the rocky lakes and mountain streams of China. At the same time, she is threatened not only by merciless capture, but also by pollution of the reservoir where she lives.
The biggest rabbit in the world - Flemish Giant
The Flemish Giant is an old breed of domesticated rabbit for which the Flemish region was famous. The largest rabbits in the world were bred in the 16th century in Belgium near the city of Ghent. Such giants can weigh up to 12.7 kilograms.
The largest bats in the world - Giant golden-crowned flying fox
The largest bat species is the Giant Golden Crowned Flying Fox. This is a rare, mercilessly exterminated by people, fruit bat living in tropical forests in the Philippines. It belongs to the megabat family. The maximum weight of the giants is 1.5 kilograms. In size, such a mouse has a wingspan of almost 1.8 meters and 55 centimeters in length. If we take a simple large flying fox as an example, then in length and body weight it is less than the Giant flying golden-crowned fox, but in terms of wing span it exceeds it: in ordinary foxes, the wing span can reach up to 2 meters.
The largest rodent in the world - Capybara
The largest rodent in the world is the capybara. This guinea pig lives in most tropical and temperate areas of South America and the Andes, it lives near water. Adult capybaras reach a length of 1.5 meters and a height of 0.9 meters. The maximum weight of a pig is 105.4 kilograms. The capybara is a very social species: it easily gets along with a person and even seems to enjoy his company.
The largest bony fish in the world - Ocean sunfish
Bony fish (Osteichthyes) are a taxonomic group of fish that have a bony, rather than cartilaginous, skeleton. This group is very rich and diverse, it includes more than 29 thousand varieties. It is also the largest class of vertebrates in existence.
The ocean sunfish is recognized as the largest bony fish today. It is widely distributed, its body is similar to the head of a fish with a tail, but without a body. An adult ocean sunfish has an average length of 1.8 meters, and its length, calculated from fin to fin, is 2.5 meters. On average, such a fish weighs 1 ton. Also, fishermen came across sunfish up to 3.3 meters long and weighing up to 2.3 tons.
The largest snake is the Green Anaconda
The Green Anaconda is recognized by biologists as the most massive reptile in the world. The maximum size of a snake that has been officially recorded is 7.5 meters in length and 250 kilograms of weight. There are also many rumors that people often met larger anacondas. The rival of the green anaconda for the title of the largest snake in the world is the Python reticulatus, which lives in Southeast Asia. This reptile is longer (its length is 9.7 meters), but it is lighter in weight.
The largest bird in the world - Ostrich
The largest bird in the world is the ostrich. It lives on the plains of Africa and Arabia. A male ostrich can reach a height of 2.8 meters, while weighing more than 156 kilograms. The eggs laid by ostriches are considered the largest: their weight is approximately 1.4 kilograms. Ostriches are also distinguished by the fact that they can run at an extraordinary speed - in the region of 97.5 km / h. Because of this, ostriches are considered the fastest birds in the world, as well as the fastest bipedal animals on earth.
The heaviest flying bird in the world - Dalmatian Pelican
The Dalmatian Pelican belongs to the pelican family. Its habitat is from China and India to the southeastern part of Europe. It lives in shallow lakes and swamps. The Dalmatian Pelican is the largest of the pelicans and the heaviest flying bird on earth. Its average weight is from 11 to 15 kilograms. The length of the bird is from 160 to 180 centimeters, and in the wingspan and more than 3 meters. In addition, it is believed that large swans and male bustards can grow to such a size that they exceed the average weight of a Dalmatian pelican.
The largest arthropod in the world - Japanese spider crab
The Japanese spider crab is a special type of sea crab that lives in the waters around Japan. The largest arthropod in the world has a unique length of up to 3.8 meters and a weight of up to 19 kilograms. In its natural habitat, the spider crab lives up to 100 years and feeds on shellfish.
Our world is full of amazing animals, big and small, short and tall. In this article, we will look at the 15 largest animals in the world, classified into various categories such as mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, etc.
The largest living animal is the blue whale
The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal. With 30 meters in length and 180 tons or more in weight, it is the largest known animal ever. The Blue Whale's tongue weighs approximately 2.7 tons, about the size of an average Indian elephant, and its heart weighs approximately 600 kg and is the largest known from any animal. Not only is the heart of a blue whale comparable in size to a Mini Cooper car, but it is also comparable in weight.
Heaviest land animal in the world: African elephant
The African Elephant is the largest living animal on earth. With males reaching 6 - 7.5 meters in length and 3.3 meters in height, and weighing 6 tons. Female elephants are much smaller, reaching 5.4 - 6.9 meters in length, 2.7 meters in height, with a weight of 3 tons. In an adult African elephant in general there are no natural enemies due to its large size, but cubs (especially newborns) are vulnerable to attack by lion and crocodile, and (rarely) by attack by leopard and hyena.
Tallest land animal in the world: Giraffe
The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is an African artiodactyl mammal and the tallest land animal. It reaches 5-6 meters in height and has an average weight of 1,600 kg for males and 830 kg for females. The giraffe has an extremely elongated neck, reaching over 2 m in length, accounting for almost half of the animal's vertical height. The long neck results from a disproportionate lengthening of the cervical spine.
The world's largest carnivores: the southern elephant seal
The southern elephant seal is the largest carnivore living today. The size of these seals varies greatly between males and females, perhaps more than any other mammal. Males are usually five to six times heavier than females. While the average weight of females is 400 - 900 kilograms, and the length is from 2.6 to 3 meters, males usually weigh from 2,200 to 4,000 kilograms.
The largest land carnivores in the world: White polar bear and Kodiak bear
The largest land carnivores are the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) and the Kodiak bear, a subspecies of the brown bear. Since their body sizes are approximately the same, it is not clear which bear is definitively larger. Their height exceeds 1.6 meters, and the total length reaches 3 meters. The heaviest polar and brown bears recorded weighed 1.003 kg and 1.135 kg, respectively.
The largest reptile in the world: Saltwater crocodile
The saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is the largest living reptile. It can be found in suitable habitats from Northern Australia to Southeast Asia and the east coast of India. The weight of an adult male saltwater crocodile is 409 - 1,000 kilograms, and the length usually ranges from 4.1 to 5.5 meters. However, mature males can exceed 6 meters and weigh more than 1,000 kilograms. This variety is the only one in existence that regularly reaches and exceeds 4.8 meters in length. The saltwater crocodile is exceptionally predatory, capable of attacking almost any animal that intrudes into its territory, whether in water or on land. In the selection of interesting facts about alligators you will also find a lot of interesting information.
The largest amphibian in the world: Chinese giant salamander
The Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) is the largest salamander in the world, reaching a length of 180 cm. Although they rarely reach that size today, as they are often eaten. Found in rocky mountain streams and lakes in China, the salamander is critically endangered by habitat loss, pollution and overexploitation as its meat is considered a delicacy and used in traditional Chinese medicine.
Biggest Rabbit/Hare in the World: Flemish Giant
The Flemish Giant is an old breed of domesticated rabbit originating from the Flemish region. They were bred as early as the 16th century around the city of Ghent, Belgium. Rabbits can weigh up to 12.7 kg
The Biggest Bats in the World: The Giant Golden-crowned Flying Fox
The largest bat species is the giant golden-crowned flying fox (Acerodon jubatus), an endangered fruit bat from the Philippine rainforest that is part of the megabat family. The maximum size is believed to be close to 1.5 kg. weight, and 55 cm in length, and the wingspan can be almost 1.8 meters. The common large flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus) is smaller in body weight and length, but exceeds the golden-crowned species in wingspan. Instances reached a span of up to two meters.
The largest rodent in the world: Capybara, or guinea pig
The largest rodent is the capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), an inhabitant of most tropical and temperate parts of eastern South America and the Andes, living near water. Adult capybaras can reach 1.5 meters in length and 0.9 meters in height with a maximum weight of 105.4 kilograms. This is a very social variety and easily gets along with a person.
World's largest bony fish: Ocean sunfish
Osteichthyes, or bony fish, are a taxonomic group of fish that have a bony, as opposed to cartilaginous, skeleton. They are an extremely diverse and rich group of fish, with over 29,000 species, and the largest class of vertebrates in existence.
The largest bony fish is the widespread ocean sunfish (Mola mola). It resembles the head of a fish with a tail, and its main part is flattened from the side. A mature ocean sunfish has an average length of 1.8 meters, a fin-to-fin length of 2.5 meters, and an average weight of 1,000 kilograms. There were fish up to 3.3 meters in length, weighing up to 2,300 kg.
Biggest snake: Green Anaconda
The most massive reptile in the world is the Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus). The maximum recorded size is 7.5 meters in length and 250 kg in weight, although rumors of larger anacondas are widespread. The python (Python reticulatus) of Southeast Asia is longer but much lighter, reaching as much as 9.7 meters in length.
The largest bird in the world: Ostrich
The largest bird is the ostrich (Struthio camelus), an inhabitant of the plains of Africa and Arabia. A large male ostrich can reach a height of 2.8m, weighing over 156kg. The eggs laid by an ostrich can weigh up to 1.4 kg and are the largest eggs in the world. They can also run at top speeds of approximately 97.5 km/h, making the ostrich also the fastest bird on earth and the fastest bipedal animal in the world.
World's Heaviest Flying Bird: Dalmatian Pelican
The Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus) is a member of the pelican family. Distributed from southeastern Europe to India and China in swamps and shallow lakes. It is the largest of the pelicans, averaging 160-180 cm in length, 11-15 kg in weight and just over 3 m in wingspan. Dalmatian pelicans are the world's heaviest flying bird species on average, although large male bustards and swans can exceed the pelican at maximum weight.
World's largest arthropod: Japanese spider crab
The Japanese spider crab is a species of sea crab that lives in the waters around Japan. Its length is greater than that of any arthropod, reaching up to 3.8 meters and weighing up to 19 kg. In its natural habitat, the Japanese spider crab feeds on shellfish and can live for 100 years.
