What is the largest animal in the world? The largest animals on the planet The largest land animal

26.10.2019

A person often asks the question: is he alone in the Universe? Is there life somewhere else or is he completely, completely alone? We don't know the answers. Bye. But before you look with bated breath at the stars, you should better look around, because we share the planet with myriads of other creatures, each of which is unique and inimitable in its own way.

The smallest can be seen only with the help of very powerful technology, for others, the person himself can become an annoying, but easily overcome obstacle. It is such large animals that make people stop to once again admire the diversity and bizarre fantasy of nature. Let's do it too.

Blue whale - giant of giants

At this particular historical moment in time, blue whales are the largest animals on earth, in water and in the air. Photos or videos can be impressive, but they don't even come close to conveying their size. On land, these giants may seem somewhat clumsy, but in the water they are unmatched. As for the size, here are just a few facts that will help you feel their scale:

The length of the whale can reach 33 meters. If it's hard to imagine, imagine a nine-story building and add one more floor to it.
The weight of such a giant can be up to 200 tons. For example, the weight of Daewoo Matiz is less than 800 kilograms, that is, the whale is 250 times larger than a small, but still car.
An adult animal burns 1 million calories per day. We would have to eat 500 kilograms of beef chops for this, while a whale costs a ton of krill.
The second largest animal is the elephant, but it weighs about the same as the whale's tongue alone.

This is only a small part of the information about this magnificent animal, but even it allows you to imagine how huge it is.

African Elephant - King of the Pampas

We have already talked about this animal above, but this does not mean that it does not deserve a more detailed description. If blue whales are the super champions of all the elements, then the African elephant conquered only the land, but on the other hand, there is no more massive animal on it. Here are a couple of interesting facts:

Elephant ladies weigh about three tons, their cavaliers - up to five, and the very best can increase up to seven and a half tons of live weight.
The baby elephant is born very tiny - only a centner of weight and a meter of height, but he eats a lot of fatty mother's milk and grows quickly.
The tusks of a hardened male can reach a weight of 100 kilograms each.

Of course, compared to the blue whale, these numbers are not very impressive, but life in the air dictates its limitations. On the other hand, other animals are even smaller.

Giraffe - 6 meters of misunderstanding

It is difficult to imagine the vagaries of evolution that gave rise to these strange creatures with their long legs and a neck comparable in length to them. But you can safely admire the result, if not in the natural environment, then at least in a photo or video. And to make it interesting to admire, here are a few dry statistical facts:

The growth of a giraffe can reach six meters, of which 2 is only the neck. At the same time, they weigh relatively little - 1000-1200 kilograms. Not surprising, given that they are mostly made up of legs and necks.
Despite the fact that the length of the giraffe's neck strikes the wildest fantasies, approaching nightmares, it has as many vertebrae as in the human neck - 7 pieces.
The language of the giraffe is another asset. He can stick it out almost half a meter.
It is difficult to imagine a running giraffe, but he can do it quite well, reaching speeds of up to 55 km / h. Jumping giraffe looks even more phantasmagoric. But at the same time, he can overcome the bar of two meters.

Thus, despite the seeming clumsiness and awkwardness, the giraffe is a strong, hardy and ideally adapted miracle of nature for life in its conditions. Of course, this is not the largest animal in the world, but it is consistently in the top three.

Southern elephant seal - a waterskin with fat

The elephant seal is the largest species of pinnipeds, and the southern branch is much larger than its relatives. They live, as the name implies, at the South Pole, which determined their appearance. In a harsh climate, and even more so in icy (in the literal sense of the word) water, one cannot survive without a thick fat layer that would protect him from this disgrace.

True, because of this, they began to look like wineskins filled with liquid fat, especially when they roll over to the rookery. But in the water they acquire the grace of a bird and the purposefulness of a torpedo. In this regard, these large animals once again confirm that nature does nothing for nothing, adapting each creature to certain conditions. A few basic parameters of these giants:

In length, the male can grow up to 6 meters, having accumulated 5 tons of weight. His spouses are more miniature, their weight is about one ton at 2-3 meters in length.
A newly born baby weighs only 50 kilograms.
There may be several hundred females in the rookery and only a few dozen males who have won the right to be in this paradise.

Fat, clumsy, ugly - in fact, elephant seals - the personification of grace. Under water. Not surprisingly, this is where they spend 70-80% of their lives.

Ostrich - running bird

It is worth many, many times to thank nature that ostriches and their relatives do not fly. Otherwise, it would be scary to imagine what the monuments and squares of the cities would have turned into, which they would have chosen as their permanent place of deployment. Their passage would resemble a carpet bombardment. And now you will understand why:

The weight of an adult large ostrich can be up to 150 kilograms with a growth of 2.5 meters.
They have a small head, but very beautiful and large eyes. The brain already does not fit well in the head, so it is comparable in size to the eyes.
Ostriches do not know how to fly, but they run excellently: at speeds up to 60 km / h. Even one-month-old chicks can reach speeds of up to 50 km / h, catching up with their mother.

Ostriches are beautiful and elegant birds. But still, it's good that they don't fly.

Liger - from a change in the places of the terms, the amount changes

There are three types of cats: domestic, small wild and big wild cats. In this case, the liger could be called a very large wild cat. Not surprising, because they are much larger than both the lion dad and the tigress mom. Such marriages are quite rare, but any zoos or parks are proud of children.

This hybrid looks like a lion with soft, blurry stripes, but this is not what is interesting, but their size. Here are some facts:

Liger Hercules weighs 400 kilograms, twice ahead of dad and his relatives.
The largest liger, marked by the Guinness Book of Records, weighed 798 kilograms. It can easily be divided into 4 lions.
A descendant from a tiger father and a lioness mother is called a tiger, but it does not have such an impressive size.

4 liligrens are now growing up in the Novosibirsk zoo - the eldest girl Kiara and newborn triplets. They were born from the marriage of a ligitsa and a lion, creating a very rare and unique variety. It is still difficult to say whether they will be able to surpass their predecessor parents.

Grizzly is not a teddy bear at all
The grizzly is an Americanized version of our native brown bear. But, having moved abroad, he acquired impressive claws, a bad temper, and besides, he grew up a little. See for yourself:

On average, the growth of a grizzly ranges from 2.2 meters to 2.8.
The weight is about half a ton.
Some, the most hardened, reach a height of 4 meters. Weight and bad temper increase proportionately.
Bear loves an aggressive manicure: the length of his claws is about 15 centimeters, twice as long as human fingers.

Now you know what is the largest animal on our planet. Unfortunately, most of the champions listed in our article are firmly established in the Red Book. If humanity does not change its attitude towards them in the near future, then they risk moving to Chernaya. Our grandchildren are at risk to learn about them: from photos and videos.

Conrad Gesner, History of Animals, 1551

Read first: Konrad Gesner, Animal History, 1551

Elephant

Read more: elephants, proboscis (detachment))

Some of these animals live in the mountains, others in the valleys, and some in swamps or marshy places. By nature, they love wet places. They live in large numbers in warm regions, but they cannot stand the cold. The elephant is the largest animal living on Earth. The male is larger than the female. He is completely black, bald, his back is hard, his stomach is soft, his skin is wrinkled. With folds on the stomach, they catch flies and other annoying insects. Elephants can relax their skin, and then wrinkle again, they catch insects in folds, squeeze them there and kill them. In the mouth of each elephant on each side there are four molars with which they chew food. Above the teeth there are two large and long fangs protruding from the upper gums. There is, however, a difference between the female and the male - the male's fangs are not as large as the female's. The fangs are up to ten feet long and so heavy that a grown man cannot lift them. Wartman writes of such a pair of tusks weighing 336 pounds. Some think that fangs should not be considered teeth, but should be considered horns, because they sometimes fall out and grow back. The elephant has a short and wide tongue, but an unusually long nose, called the trunk, which he uses instead of hands.

Elephants have a great memory. If someone offends them, they will remember it and take revenge even many years later.

White color is so hated that they are enraged at the mere sight of it.

The elephant gives food and drink with its trunk, because the trunk is so mobile and bends so that the elephant can stretch it out and then twist it again. The trunk is hollow and provides the elephant with air for breathing. An elephant can grab the smallest thing with its trunk, for example, a coin or some other small thing, and give it to its owner. When an elephant crosses the water, the trunk rises. The trunk has such strength that it can pull out a bush, and a whole tree with roots. The elephant has a double heart, it does not have a gallbladder, but it has huge lungs. The hind legs flex like a human, although some argue that they have no joints. The legs are round and have five toes. An elephant lives a very long time, some elephants live two hundred years, and some even count three hundred, but a lot of elephants die from all sorts of diseases and as a result of various unexpected events. After sixty years, elephants are at their best age. Elephants are killed by many diseases. But the cold is especially dangerous for them. An elephant can be saved from the cold if you give him a drink of thick red wine. If an elephant eats a worm, which is called a chameleon, then he immediately dies from poisoning. Here only wild olives can save him. These fruits contain an antidote. If an elephant swallows a leech, he is in great danger. It is useful for a tired elephant to anoint his back with vegetable oil with salt and mixed with water.

The elephant loves her cubs immensely, protects from various dangers and would rather sacrifice her life than leave her cub.

The elephant is completely tameable. He can hit a specified target with a stone, and he can also learn to write, read, dance and play the drum so perfectly that it is simply impossible to believe. Elephants are believed to worship the stars, the Sun and the Moon. When the sun rises, they turn to him and raise their trunks, as if calling the sun.

Elephants are afraid of snakes. In Ethiopia, they say, there are huge snakes, up to thirty steps long, they have no name, for some reason they are called suicides. As soon as the snake tracks down the elephant, it crawls onto a tall tree and hangs down, catching its tail on a branch. When the elephant approaches, she catches his eye, tears them out, and strangles the elephant.

Elephants serve people instead of horses for riding. Sometimes they are used in household work. An elephant can carry four people on its back. And if someone cannot resist and falls, he will pick him up with his trunk so that he does not break. The inhabitants of the Libyan country catch elephants only for the sake of tusks, which are considered very valuable, they are called ivory.

Elephants incredibly love their homeland, and if they are taken to a foreign country, they never forget their native places, they sigh and yearn for their country so much that they lose their mind and die more than once from tears and suffering.

The smoke from the burnt elephant hair will drive away all poisonous snakes. Elephant's tusk rubbed with honey, rashes, and spots on the face heal.

Zebra

Read more: Burchell's zebra

In the country of the Congo, as in other parts of black Africa, there is a beast called a zebra. Outwardly, she looks like a mule, but is not barren. And its color is different from all other animals. It has three different colors: black, white and chestnut and is painted in stripes from the back to the stomach, three fingers wide.

Zebra runs fast like a horse.

This beast brings a cub into the world every year. Zebras live in very large herds. Local residents consider the zebra a useless animal, not realizing that during peace and war it can replace a horse. But they live in ignorance, and they haven’t heard anything about horses, and they don’t know how to tame the beast, and therefore they carry the burden on their own back. They allow themselves to be carried by porters on their shoulders in high stretchers, and if they get out on a long journey, then a crowd of porters accompanies them. The porters replace each other, and with their quick step they will overtake the horse.

Giraffe

Read more: common giraffe

A giraffe is a type of camel. He is a big music lover. Even if he gets very tired, having heard the song, he immediately continues his path. A giraffe can run faster than a horse. Giraffe meat contains harmful juice, and therefore it is hard to digest and tasteless. However, his milk is sweeter and better than human milk. Giraffe milk is recommended to drink when a person has irregular stools, it also helps with joint pain.

The giraffe is the second tallest (after the elephant) African animal with a unique color and a unique shape of spots, which can easily do without water longer than a camel. Giraffes live mainly in savannahs, open steppes with a small number of trees and shrubs, the leaves and branches of which are eaten.

Giraffes are incredibly peaceful creatures that live in small herds of no more than 12-15 individuals. Each handsome spotted loves other members of his herd and respects the leader, which is why animals almost always manage to avoid any skirmishes and conflicts.

If a fight is inevitable, giraffes arrange bloodless duels, during which rivals come close to each other and fight with their necks. Such a fight (mainly between males) lasts no more than 15 minutes, after which the defeated retreats and continues to live in the herd as an ordinary member. Males and females also selflessly protect the offspring of their herd, especially the parents, who without much thought ready to pounce on a pack of hyenas or lions if they threaten the lives of babies.

In nature, the only dangerous animal for the giraffe is the lion, and the only relative is the okapi, since all other giraffes are considered extinct.

The uniqueness of the behavior and physiology of giraffes

Of all mammals, the giraffe is the owner of the longest tongue (50 cm), which helps to absorb up to 35 kg of plant food daily. With a black or dark purple tongue, the animal can also clean its ears.

Giraffes have very sharp eyesight, and their huge growth additionally allows them to notice danger at a very long distance. Another African animal is unique in that he has the biggest heart(up to 60 cm long and weighing up to 11 kg) among all mammals and the highest blood pressure. The giraffe differs from other animals in the size of the step, because the length of the legs of an adult is 6-8 meters, which allows it to reach speeds of up to 60 km / h.

Giraffe cubs are no less unique - an hour after the birth, the babies are already quite firmly on their feet. At birth, the height of the cub is approximately 1.5 m, and the weight is about 100 kg. 7-10 days after the birth, the baby begins to form small horns that were previously depressed. The mother looks for other females with newborns nearby, after which they arrange a kind of kindergarten for their offspring. At this time, the kids are in danger, because each parent relies on the vigilance of other females, and cubs often become prey to predators. For this reason, only a quarter of the offspring usually survive to a year.

Giraffes only sometimes sleep lying down - most of the time the animals spend in an upright position, put their heads between the branches of trees, which almost completely eliminates the possibility of falling, and sleep standing up.

Curious facts about giraffes

Other "giraffes"

The constellation Giraffe (derived from the Latin "Camelopardalis") is a circumpolar constellation that it is best to observe on the territory of the CIS countries from November to January.
The Giraffe piano (derived from the German "Giraffenklavier") is one of the varieties of vertical piano beginning of the XIX century, getting its name due to the silhouette, reminiscent of the animal of the same name.

The giraffe is a surprisingly intelligent animal with unique habits that are characteristic only of him. Peacefulness, meek disposition and funny appearance of these animals will not leave indifferent any person.

Giraffe

Giraffe is an African animal. They live in open steppes - savannahs with sparsely located trees and shrubs. They live in small herds of 12-15 individuals. They feed mainly on leaves and branches of various acacias.

Giraffes are very peaceful creatures. They join in small herds. Each member of this herd is very respectful of the rest, respects and loves his leader. There is almost no fight. If it is necessary to find out who to lead in the herd, bloodless duels are arranged. Applicants converge closely and begin to hit each other's necks.

The duel between males does not last long, no more than a quarter of an hour. The defeated retreats, but he is not expelled from the herd, as is the case with many animals, but remains in it as an ordinary member.

The birth of a giraffe is a joyful event for the whole herd. The giraffe born into the world, each adult gently greets with a touch of the nose.

Giraffes courageously protect babies, no matter whose they are. The parent is especially protective of her offspring. She, without hesitation, rushes towards a flock of hyenas, does not retreat in front of lions, even if there are several of them.

After ten days, small horns appear in the giraffe (before that, the horns were, as it were, pressed in). He is already quite firmly on his feet. The mother looks for other nearby females with the same babies, and they arrange a “kindergarten” for their offspring. This is where the danger lies in wait for the kids: each parent begins to rely on the others and her vigilance is dulled. The giraffe runs away from supervision and easily becomes the prey of predators. Only 25-30% of them live up to a year.

EThe giraffe was first called "camelopardalis" ("camel" - camel, "pardis" - leopard) by Europeans, because it resembles a camel (in its manner of movement) and a leopard (due to its spotted color).

The first giraffe was brought to Europe by Gaius Julius Caesar in 46 BC. e .. In modern times, the first giraffe brought was an animal that was brought by the Arabs in 1827. The name of the animal was Zarafa, which in Arabic means "smart". So Zharafa (pronounced in a European manner) gave the species its name. Therefore, today the word "giraffe" in most languages is pronounced almost in Russian.

The giraffe is the tallest animal on earth, with an average height of five meters. The length of one step of a giraffe is 6-8 m.

Giraffes have the largest heart and the highest blood pressure of any land animal. After all, the giraffe's heart pumps blood about 3 meters up the neck to reach the brain! The heart of a giraffe is really huge: it weighs 11 kilograms, has a length of 60 centimeters and a wall 6 centimeters thick.

The giraffe also has the longest tongue of all mammals (50 cm). The tongue of a giraffe is black. A giraffe can clean its ears with its tongue.

The vision of the giraffe is sharper than that of any other African mammal, with the exception of the cheetah. In addition, huge growth allows you to notice objects at a very long distance.

The giraffe's neck has only seven vertebrae, the same number as the human neck. Although the neck of a giraffe exceeds 1.5 m in length, there are only seven cervical vertebrae, like most other mammals, including humans. It's just that each cervical vertebra is greatly elongated.
Although giraffes sometimes sleep lying down, most of the time they are upright and sleep standing up, sometimes placing their head between two branches to keep from falling.

INTERESTING FACTS about giraffes.

The color of each giraffe is unique.
Scientists say that it is impossible to find two identically colored giraffes. The drawings of each animal are strictly individual, unique, characteristic only for him (as well as the drawing on the fingers of a person).

Giraffes are pacers.
Maybe because the front legs of a giraffe are longer than the back ones,the giraffe moves with an amble - that is, alternately brings forward both right legs, then both left ones. Therefore, the running of a giraffe looks like very clumsily: the hind and front legs are crossed, but the speed reaches 50 km / h! During the gallop, the neck and head of the giraffe sway strongly, writing out, as it were, a figure eight, and the tail either dangles from side to side, or is lifted high and twisted over the back.

There are five-horned giraffes.
Males and females have a pair of short, blunt horns covered with skin on top of their heads. In males, they are more massive and longer - up to 23 cm. Sometimes there is also a third horn, on the forehead, approximately between the eyes; in males it is more common and more developed. Two bone outgrowths in the upper part of the occiput, to which the cervical muscles and ligaments are attached, can also grow strongly, resembling horns in shape, which are called posterior, or occipital. It turns out that in some individuals both three true horns and two rear horns are well developed - that's why they are called "five-horned" giraffes. Many old males generally have the whole head in the "bumps".

A giraffe can go without water longer than a camel.
Giraffes ruminate like cows. They have a four-chambered stomach, and their jaws are constantly chewing cud—partially chewed food that is regurgitated from the first chamber of the stomach for secondary chewing. Giraffes prefer thorny acacias so the giraffe's mouth is surrounded by a horny layer of skin that protects it from the sharp thorns and its saliva, which is very thick, envelops the thorns, which facilitates the act of swallowing.
Often they also feed on other shrubs and grass. Since the food of giraffes is very juicy, they are able to go without water for many weeks, possibly months.

Giraffes silently "talk".

The fact that many animals are able to communicate with the help of sounds not perceived by the human ear has long been known. Dolphins, for example, use ultrasound for this. Giraffes as well as elephants, blue whales and alligators prefer to "chat" in the subsonic range.

In zoos, scientists have recorded many hours of "talk" of giraffes on film. All sounds made by these tall animals have a frequency below 20 hertz and are not audible to humans. That's why giraffes have enjoyed the reputation of being "dumb" for so long.

The results of studies indicate that in 24 hours giraffes emit several hundred sounds that differ in duration, frequency and amplitude in the infrasonic range. All these differences allow us to talk about the communication of giraffes, and not just consider the sounds they make as noise.
By the way, the opinion that giraffes do not make any audible sounds at all is erroneous. They may roar or bellow loudly in dangerous situations.

Enemies.

Adult giraffes have only two serious enemies - a lion and a man.

Most often, the lion attacks when the giraffe is lying or standing, clumsily bent over - drinking water or nibbling grass. Young giraffes are also preyed upon by other predators, such as leopards and hyenas. If the giraffe fails to escape, it fights back with its feet. A kick with a sharp hoof is so strong that it can decapitate a lion.

For a long time, man killed giraffes for meat, tendons (for making bowstrings, ropes and strings of musical instruments), tassels from the tail (for bracelets, fly swatters and threads) and skins (shields, drums, whips, sandals, etc. were made from it .). Uncontrolled hunting has become one of the main reasons for the decline in both the number and distribution of these animals.

Our world is truly amazing. It is full of beings big and small, low and high. Today we bring you an unusually interesting selection. It contains photographs of the fifteen largest animals in the world, broken down into different categories such as mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, etc. Some of these animals are real giants!

1. The largest animal in the world is the blue (or blue) whale.
The blue whale, also called the blue whale or the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), is a marine mammal that belongs to the order Cetacea to the suborder Baleen whales. At 30 meters (98 feet) long and 180 metric tons or more in weight, it is the largest known animal to have ever lived on our planet. The tongue of a blue whale can weigh up to about 2.7 tons (5,952 pounds), which is about the weight of a medium-sized Asian elephant. The blue whale's heart weighs about 600 kilograms (1,300 pounds) and is the largest such organ of any living creature. The heart of a blue whale is not only the size of a small car, but it also weighs about the same as the mentioned car. And the lung capacity of a blue whale exceeds 3,000 liters.

2. The blue whale is thought to feed almost exclusively on small shrimp-like creatures known as krill.

3. The basis of the diet of the blue whale is plankton. Thanks to their filtering apparatus, which consists of baleen plates, the blue whale can consume a whopping 3.6 metric tons (7,900 pounds) or more daily during the summer months.

4. This means that it can eat up to 40 million krill per day, while the daily calorie requirement of an adult blue whale is in the region of 1.5 million. kcal.

6. The largest land animal in the world: African elephant. The African elephant is the largest land animal. Male African elephants are 6 to 7.5 meters (19.7 to 24.6 ft) long, 3.3 m (10.8 ft) tall at the withers, and can weigh up to 6 tons (13,000 lb). Female African elephants are much smaller, averaging 5.4 to 6.9 m (17.7 to 22.6 ft) long, 2.7 meters (8.9 ft) high at the withers, and weighing up to reach 3 tons (6600 pounds). Adult African elephants generally have no enemies in their natural habitat due to their extremely large size, but baby elephants (especially newborns) are one of the favorite prey species for bloodthirsty attacks by lions or crocodiles, and are also often attacked by leopards or hyenas. According to the latest data, in the wild, the population of African elephants ranges from 500 to 600 thousand individuals.

7. The tallest land animal in the world: the giraffe.

The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is an African mammal from the artiodactyl order of the giraffidae family. It is the tallest land animal in the world. its height averages 5–6 meters (16–20 ft). Male giraffes have an average weight of 1,600 kilograms (3,500 lb), while females can weigh around 830 kilograms (1,800 lb). A distinguishing characteristic of the giraffe is its very long neck, which can reach over 2 meters (6 ft 7 in) in length. Actually, the neck accounts for almost half of the vertical height of the animal. The long neck is the result of a disproportionate elongation of the cervical vertebrae, and not an increase in the number of vertebrae, of which the giraffe, like almost all other mammals, has only seven.

8. The largest predator in the world: the southern elephant seal.
The southern elephant seal is the largest carnivore on our planet. The size of the southern elephant seal is evidence of extreme sexual dimorphism, the most significant of any mammal, as male southern elephant seals are typically five to six times heavier than females. While females can average 400 to 900 kilograms (880 to 2,000 lb) and be 2.6 to 3 meters (8.5 to 9.8 ft) long, southern elephant seal males average approximately 2,200 to 4,000 kg (4,900 to 8,800 lb) and can reach 4.5 to 5.8 meters (15 to 19 ft) in length. The record-breaking southern elephant seal, shot at Possession Bay, South Georgia on February 28, 1913, measured 6.85 meters (22.5 feet) in length and is estimated to have weighed approximately 5,000 kilograms (11,000 pounds).
Southern seamen can dive multiple times while hunting, staying submerged for more than twenty minutes each time, tracking their prey, squid and fish, at depths of 400 to 1,000 meters (1,300 to 3,300 ft). The documented record for the longest time underwater for a juvenile elephant seal was approximately two hours. The maximum depth to which southern elephant seals can dive is over 1,400 meters (4,600 ft).

9. The largest land predator in the world: Polar bear and Kodiak bear.

The world's largest terrestrial predators are the white polar bear (Ursus maritimus) and the Kodiak brown bear (Ursus arctos). If everything is more or less clear with the white polar bear, then the Kodiak bear is less known.

10. Kodiak is a subspecies of brown bears that are found on Kodiak Island and other islands of the Kodiak archipelago off the southern coast of Alaska. Since the polar white bear and the Kodiak brown bear have approximately the same body size, it is not clear which of them actually ranks first in size. In both species, the height at the withers is over 1.6 meters (5.2 ft), and the total body length can reach 3.05 m (10.0 ft). The absolute weight records for a polar bear and a brown bear were 1,003 kg (2,210 lb) and 1,135 kg (2,500 lb), respectively.

11. The largest reptile in the world: Saltwater (combed or spongy) crocodile.
The saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is the largest living reptile in the world. The habitat of combed crocodiles is from Northern Australia to Southeast Asia and the east coast of India. An adult male saltwater crocodile can weigh between 409 and 1,000 kilograms (900–2,200 lb) and is typically 4.1 to 5.5 meters (13–18 ft) long. However, males can exceed 6 meters (20 ft) in length and sometimes weigh over 1,000 kg (2,200 lb). Saltwater crocodile is the only crocodile species that regularly reaches a length of 4.8 m (16 ft) and even exceeds this mark. The saltwater crocodile is an active predator that feeds mainly on insects, mollusks, amphibians, crustaceans, small reptiles and fish. However, it attacks almost any animal that is in its territory, either in water or on land. The crocodile always drags the victim, which he watches over on land, into the water, where it is more difficult for her to resist him.

12. The largest amphibian in the world: the Chinese giant salamander.
The Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) is the largest salamander in the world. Individual individuals of the Chinese giant salamander can reach a length of 180 centimeters (6 feet), although at present such giants are extremely rare. This species is endemic to mountain rivers and lakes in China. One of the conditions necessary for the survival of the Chinese giant salamander is clean and very cold water.

13. To date, this species is considered endangered due to habitat destruction, pollution and targeted destruction, since the meat of the giant amphibian is considered a delicacy and is used in traditional Chinese medicine.

14. Largest rabbit / hare in the world: "Belgian flandre". The Belgian Flemish is an ancient breed of domesticated rabbit that originates from the Flemish region.

15. They were first bred back in the sixteenth century in the vicinity of the city of Ghent, Belgium. Belgian Flemish rabbits can weigh up to 12.7 kilograms (28 pounds).

16. The largest bat in the world: the giant golden flying fox. In the photo: a giant golden flying fox. Spectacled flying fox.

The largest of all bat species is the giant golden flying fox (Acerodon jubatus), an endangered bat species from the rainforests of the Philippines, which is part of the fruit bat family. The basis of the diet of giant golden flying foxes is fruits. The maximum weight of giant golden flying foxes can be 1.5 kg (3.3 lb), they can be up to 55 centimeters (22 in) long, and their wingspan can be nearly 1.8 meters (5.9 ft). The giant flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus) is inferior to the golden flying fox in terms of body weight and length, but is ahead of it in wingspan. Scientists have recorded individuals with a wingspan ranging from 1.83 meters (6.0 feet) to 2 meters (6.6 feet).

17. The largest rodent in the world: capybara.
The largest of the existing rodents is the capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), a species that is found along the shores of various reservoirs in tropical and temperate parts of Central and South America, east of the Andes - from Panama to Uruguay to northeast Argentina. One of the main conditions for the existence of capybaras is the presence of a nearby reservoir.

18. The largest specimens of capybaras can reach 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) in length and 0.9 meters (3.0 feet) in height at the withers. They can weigh up to 105.4 kg (232 lb). This is a very active species. Capybaras are social animals that live in groups of up to a hundred individuals, but the average number of one colony is 10-20 individuals on average.

19. Largest bony fish in the world: common moonfish (sunfish, headfish).

Osteichthyes, also called "bony fish", are a taxonomic group of fish that have bony, not cartilaginous, skeletons. The vast majority of fish belong to the species Osteichthyes. This is an extremely diverse and numerous group, which consists of more than 29,000 species. This is the most numerous class of vertebrates that currently exists.

20. The largest representative of bony fish is the widespread common moonfish (sunfish, fishhead) or Mola Mola. She has an extremely strange body shape - it is laterally compressed, very high and short, which gives the fish an outlandish appearance and a shape similar to a disk. In fact, it does not have a body as such - a sunfish is literally a "head with a tail." A mature Common Fishhead has an average length of 1.8 meters (5.9 ft), width from fin to fin up to 2.5 meters (8.2 ft), and an average weight of 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb). However, scientists have recorded individuals that can be up to 3.3 meters (10.8 feet) long and 4.2 meters (14 feet) across. The weight of such giants can reach 2,300 kilograms (5,100 pounds).

21. Largest lizard/snake in the world: giant green anaconda.

The giant anaconda, sometimes also called the green anaconda (Eunectes murinus), is a species of snake in the boa subfamily. It lives in the tropical part of South America east of the Andes, Paraguay, Northern Bolivia, French Guiana. The maximum recorded body length is 7.5 meters (25 feet), and the maximum recorded weight reaches 250 kilograms (550 pounds), although there are rumors of much larger green anacondas. The reticulated python (Python reticulatus) from Southeast Asia is longer in body length but thinner, and members of this species have been reported to reach a maximum of 9.7 meters (32 ft) in length.

22. The world's largest bird: ostrich.

The ostrich, the largest bird on our planet (Struthio camelus), is found on the plains of Africa and Arabia. The scientific name of the ostrich in Greek means "camel sparrow". A large male ostrich can reach a height of 2.8 meters (9.2 feet), and weigh over 156 kilograms (345 pounds). Ostrich eggs can weigh up to 1.4 kilograms (3 pounds) and are the largest bird eggs in the world today. Ostriches can run at a top speed of up to 97.5 km/h (60.6 mph), making the ostrich the fastest bird on earth and the fastest bipedal creature in the world.

The Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus) is a member of the Pelican family. The habitat of curly pelicans is a significant area from Southeast Europe to India and China. Dalmatian pelicans inhabit swamps and shallow lakes. It is the largest of the pelicans, averaging 160-180 centimeters (63-70 inches) in length, and weighing 11-15 kilograms (24-33 pounds). The wingspan of the curly pelican is just over 3 meters (10 ft). An average weight of 11.5 kilograms (25 lb) makes the Dalmatian Pelican the heaviest flying bird. Although a large male bustard or swan may exceed the pelican in maximum weight.

24. The largest arthropod in the world: Japanese spider crab.

The Japanese spider crab is a type of sea crab that lives in the waters off the coast of Japan. In the span of the first pair of legs, it reaches 3.8 meters (12 feet), and can weigh up to 41 pounds (19 kilograms).

26. In its natural habitat, the Japanese spider crab feeds on shellfish and animal carcasses and can live up to 100 years.