The largest modern animal on earth. The largest animals on the planet
When hearing the word “giant,” most people imagine either huge diplodocus or a mammoth from the Ice Age. Another option is not excluded - eucalyptus and baobab trees. However, there are still many creatures whose size may pleasantly (and not so pleasantly) surprise you. Oddly enough, huge living organisms exist not only in fairy tales and the prehistoric past, but also share the planet with us right now! Here's a list of notable animals, from dog-sized rabbits to human-sized crabs. Feel tiny with the largest inhabitants of the world!
Female hippopotamus during evening rest
Looking at these funny creatures (which, by the way, are one of the most aggressive mammals in the world: more people suffer from them than from crocodiles and sharks), it is difficult to believe that their closest relatives are sea whales. Although they have come to land, hippos are still completely devoted to the aquatic environment, as evidenced by the etymology of their Greek name - “river horse”.
Male gorilla at rest
This gorilla species is on the verge of extinction. The humanly intelligent primate lives only in a small area of Africa, where deforestation and poaching have made life a struggle for survival. The eastern gorilla is the largest member of the great ape species.
The largest breed of rabbit is the Flanders
Domestic Flanders rabbit and collie
About the size of an average dog, this breed of game rabbit can impress foodies and furry lovers alike. The largest rabbit was first bred in the Middle Ages near the Belgian city of Ghent.
Octopus in an early 19th century engraving
Only recently has it been possible to prove the existence of giant squids, since they rarely appear on the surface. Many oceanologists are confident that the legendary Kraken is a representative of this subspecies of cephalopods. Until the end of the 20th century, the only evidence of its existence were plate-sized sucker marks on the bodies of sperm whales. However, in 2004, Japanese researchers managed to photograph a living giant squid in its habitat.
"Flying" stingray in shallow water
This majestic stingray, nicknamed the “sea devil,” can have a “wingspan” of up to eight meters. Moreover, the manta ray can easily jump several meters out of the water. Unfortunately, this beautiful sight can only be observed on the open sea and only during the breeding season.
Old white shark on the hunt
This sea monster is the largest and most aggressive fish alive (it's good that megalodons are extinct). Moreover, it has no natural enemies other than killer whales and people.
Capybara is a peaceful rodent animal
Rodent takes sunbaths
This cute creature feels comfortable at home and is increasingly becoming a pet. The capybara is the largest rodent. They live in families or even groups in South America.
Anaconda during the hunt
This snake is the largest in the world and even has its own horror movie franchise. Large individuals can reach eight meters in length. Some types of pythons can surpass the anaconda in size, but do not surpass it in thickness.
The head and structure of the front part of the body of the perch
As the name suggests, this perch lives in the Nile River and is the largest freshwater fish. Its length can reach the height of an adult. Its other name is “water elephant”.
The trace left by the movement of such a carcass is the best signal to turn back
This species of reptile is the largest living one. The saltwater crocodile can be found in the Indian Ocean off the coast. This monster is known for its aggressiveness, so if you see two rows of teeth swimming towards you, you better run away.
Flying fox on vacation
Unfortunately, this large bat is on the verge of extinction due to the fact that its habitats in the Philippines are being deforested and polluted. Acerodon is peaceful and feeds exclusively on fruits.
Komodo dragon digests lunch
These legendary "dragons" are the largest lizards in the world. They are known for their gluttony: in one meal they can eat almost as much as their own weight. However, there is also a downside to their appetite: the metabolism of monitor lizards is so slow that the monitor lizard only needs to eat once a month.
Cassowary comb is considered an aphrodisiac
These are the largest birds outside of Africa. Despite their peaceful disposition, cassowaries can attack people during the current period or if the bird feels a threat to its offspring.
Killer whale chasing a fur seal
In fact, killer whales are not whales. They are the largest representatives of the dolphin family. They have high intelligence and live in large families.
Female sperm whale with calf
These huge whales are the largest predators on the planet. In addition, sperm whales have the largest brain. However, this does not save them from whalers.
Crab at Tokyo Aquarium
A true champion among arthropods. This type of crab lives off the coast of Japan. It is known for its size (can weigh up to 20 kg), taste (gourmets around the world line up for its phalanges) and longevity (there are individuals that live for a century).
Female elephant scaring off intruders
It’s scary to imagine, but these mammals can weigh up to 5 tons. And given their aggressiveness and size, elephant seals can easily be called the largest carnivores on land (although they hunt marine life, fortunately for us).
Pelican before flying for fish
This pelican species is the largest flying bird. Lives on the territory of the Eurasian continent.
Emu during mating season
The comical, but dangerous and aggressive bird is known to be the largest in the world. It can accelerate to 70 km/h, which allows ostriches to win in two categories: the fastest two-legged creature and the fastest flightless bird.
Giraffe in a US zoo
Everyone is well aware of these amazing and cute creatures. Despite its good nature, the giraffe can run fast and fight back even lions. This mammal is the tallest of land animals.
Huge fish at the New Mexico Aquarium
This inhabitant of the oceans is the largest representative of bony fish (those that do not have cartilage, but full-fledged bones).
Salamander in Beijing Zoo
The Chinese have put the fate of this species of lizard at risk of extinction, as they value its meat for its taste and use its internal organs in traditional medicine.
A bear looks for food in the polar winter
Despite their apparent “plushness,” polar bears are strong and vicious predators that can tear apart a person in a matter of seconds. They say that there is no escape from him except shameful flight.
Male scaring off trespassers
The largest land creature. Representatives of this species have no enemies who could attack it with impunity (except for people who destroy elephants on an industrial scale). Its weight can reach 12 tons.
Young whale playing with a school of fish
Perhaps, over time, new species of living beings will acquire monstrous proportions. And among those living today there may be unknown giants, which we will definitely learn about.
Instructions
The extinct dinosaur Amphicelia is described from a fragment of one single dilapidated vertebra, so its size and the very existence of this dinosaur are in doubt. According to calculations, its length ranged from 40 to 62 meters, and its weight was up to 155 tons. Scientific: kingdom - animals, phylum - chordates, - reptiles, - lizards, infraorder - sauropods, family - diplopoids, genus - amphicoelias.
The blue whale is a modern marine animal whose length reaches 33 meters and its weight can exceed 150 tons. Scientific classification: domain - eukaryotes, kingdom - animals, phylum - chordates, class - mammals, order - , family - minke whales, genus - minke whales, species - blue whale. It feeds on plankton, filtered through the lamellar whalebone: the basis of nutrition is krill, less often larger crustaceans, small fish, etc. There are four subspecies of the blue whale - northern, southern, dwarf and Indian. They differ slightly in size and range of habitat. The blue whale is found throughout the world's oceans. Whales rarely gather in small groups; single individuals are more common. By 1960, thanks to whaling, the blue whale was on the verge of extinction. Today, their total number does not exceed 10,000 individuals. In blue whales, females are much larger than males; there is an opinion that whales (puking whales) were previously larger than modern individuals. Their vision and sense of smell are poor. Hearing and touch are well developed. The weight of the tongue is 4 tons, and the size of the pharynx is only 10 cm in diameter. Lung volume exceeds 3 thousand liters. Large individuals have a blood volume of over 8 thousand liters. The blue whale's heart is the largest in the entire animal kingdom and its weight is about one ton, and its pulse is 5 - 10 beats per minute. Females give birth once every 2 years, and pregnancy lasts 11 months. However, population growth cannot compensate for its decline. A born baby weighs about 2-3 tons and reaches 6-8 meters in length. The cub feeds on mother's milk for 7 months and grows up to 16 meters during this period. Whales reach physical maturity at 15 years of age and live up to 80–90 years.
Instructions
Blue whale. The blue (or blue) whale is the largest, and therefore the heaviest animal on Earth. Currently, the officially recorded maximum weight of this giant is 195 tons, but scientists claim that some species weigh more than 200 tons! These whales reach a length of 35 meters. Scientists have also recorded the weight of some of the organs of these sea heavyweights. For example, the tongue of one captured female blue whale weighed 4.22 tons, and the heart - 698.5 kilograms. The babies of these giants are the largest babies in the world. It is curious that from the first days of life, baby whales weigh about 3 tons, reaching 7 meters in length.
The speed with which blue whales grow and develop is also amazing. During the first year of a two-ton whale's life, its weight increases 30 million times! This is considered the highest growth rate worldwide. The blue whale is not only the heaviest and largest on Earth, but also the loudest. The sounds he makes during his communication can be heard even 850 kilometers away. If you compare the blue whale with the largest land animal - the African elephant, it becomes clear that the first weighs exactly 20 times more than the second! Surprisingly, these sea giants feed on tiny organisms: crustaceans and plankton.
Shrews. Shrews are recognized as the smallest animals and the lightest. But not all, of course, but only two species: the tiny shrew and the pygmy shrew (Etruscan shrew). Shrews are small mammals that resemble mice in appearance. In fact, they are relatives of hedgehogs, muskrats and moles. This is understandable: shrews are not rodents, but insectivorous animals, included in the same class of the same name with all of the above “relatives”. The tiny shrew is the smallest and lightest animal that lives in Russia and Transbaikalia. This baby weighs only 2 grams, and the length of its body is up to 5 centimeters.
The lightest and smallest creature on Earth is another shrew - the pygmy shrew. Its weight is no more than 2 grams, and its body length is about 3 centimeters! Due to their small size, these babies require a lot of energy, and therefore a lot of food. They feed disproportionately to their weight and cannot remain without food for more than 2 hours. The diet of the lightest vertebrates in the world consists of invertebrate animals and plant foods. It is worth noting that not all shrews are the smallest animals on the planet. Among them there are also quite large species. For example, the world's largest shrew is considered to be the giant shrew. Her body weight is 100 grams, and her body length is 18 centimeters.
One of the most mysterious animals today is the so-called Chupacabra. Of course, we can also recall the monster living in the depths of Loch Ness, but in terms of its popularity today, it is the Chupacabra that is significantly ahead of the potential plesiosaur nicknamed Nessie.
The mysterious chupacabra is a “hero of our time”
The name of this semi-mythical creature comes from two words - “chupa” (suck) and “cabra” (goat). Contrary to its name, the Chupacabra is not a “sucking goat” at all. In general, entire legends have already been created about this mysterious animal, which in popularity have even surpassed the famous Loch Ness monster.
Chupacabra, without any exaggeration, can be called “the hero of our time.” This animal can be seen both in photographs and in videos. It is, of course, too early to talk about the reliability of these materials. And yet, people who know the Chupacabra claim that it is a real thing from nightmares.
The mysterious animal Chupacabra - fiction or reality?
According to eyewitnesses, goats that have it become victims of the chupacabra. Hence its name. For a more objective picture, it is worth noting that not only goats, but also sheep, etc. become victims of this creature.
Today, the theory of the origin of this mysterious creature has turned into a whole legend. The boundaries of myth and reality are already blurred. Although some skeptics, who claim to have seen this strange creature with their own eyes, consider it to come not from nightmares, but from Chernobyl. However, these guesses are refuted by the fact that the first chupacabras, according to recorded evidence, were seen not near Chernobyl or in Pripyat, but in Puerto Rico of the last century.
In 2000, not only Puerto Ricans, but also Spaniards saw the Chupacabra. Since that time, rumors began to spread that the mysterious creature was somehow phenomenally multiplying and spreading throughout the planet.
Today in Russia, several cases of mysterious death of domestic sheep, turkeys, cows and, of course, goats have been officially recorded and witnessed. For example, residents of the Orenburg region who claim to have seen this creature describe it as a fox without hair, bouncing as it moves on the ground.
Chupacabra attack
A documented version of an attack on sheep by an unknown creature dates back to 1996. Dr. Soledad de la Peña, who performed a necropsy on one of the sheep, confirmed that there were no signs of rigor mortis. According to her, this sheep was completely bled dry.
Most eyewitnesses claim that chupacabras are humanoid creatures of small stature, having a huge head disproportionate to the body with large black eyes, and emitting a nauseating odor.
The doctor reports that even the internal organs of the sheep did not contain a drop of blood. There were no signs of cadaveric decomposition. Soledad de la Peña officially documented two symmetrical holes with a diameter of 7 mm. They were located on sheep skin in the chest area.
According to Dr. Peña, the Chupacabra is a completely intelligent creature that is completely unknown to science today. She advised to forget about all sorts of prejudices and not to judge anything ahead of time.
It is considered interesting that the largest mammals on planet Earth are not land animals, but sea animals. The record holder among mammals is the blue whale, whose size is amazing.
The blue (or blue) whale breaks all records and becomes the largest mammal of our time. The maximum recorded length of this animal is 33.5 m. Only a weight of 2400 can beat the average weight of a whale (150 tons). But despite such large sizes, these mammals are plankton. The heart of a whale, weighing 600 kg, can be compared with a small car, and the tongue (2.7 tons) can be compared with an African elephant.
Previously, blue whales inhabited all the oceans of the Earth, up to 250,000 lived in Antarctica alone. But now there are no more than 11,000 individuals left, although they are longer than humans, up to 120 years.
In the summer, these mammals prefer to live in the north, in polar waters, but by winter they go on a “journey” to the south. Their speed is very high; for example, one whale can swim more than 3,000 km in a month and a half. During this period, animals sometimes do not eat at all, but spend what they have accumulated.
Although blue whales are solitary, they have a unique way of communicating through “singing.” This sound reaches up to 188 dB and can be compared to the volume of a jet engine. The screams are heard by other individuals of this species, even if they are separated by more than 1600 km. Moreover, these animals can “take” frequencies that humans are unable to hear.
Biologists are still interested in the blue whale, trying to solve the mystery of their singing and save these animals, because they are on the verge of extinction.
The African tiger snail is rightfully considered the largest gastropod. Its official name reflects the characteristics of its size - giant Achatina.
Typically, the size of these snails does not exceed 30 centimeters from head to tail and 10 centimeters in diameter of the cone-shaped shell. The Guinness Book of Records included a specimen whose body length reached almost 40 centimeters, and the shell - from base to top - more than 27. This one weighed 900 grams.
Distribution history
The giant clams are native to the East African rainforest. Local tribes consumed snail meat as food, and large, beautiful shells were used as dishes and decorations. But even despite such simple fishing, the population of these gastropods grew rapidly, exploring more and more new territories. And soon the giant ones spread across the islands of the Indian and Pacific oceans, and then in Asia.
From Japan, where farmers began to grow snails for culinary and industrial purposes, Achatina came to Europe and the USA. But if in France this animal literally came to the table and was purchased in huge quantities, then in the American state of Florida, acquaintance with it almost turned into an environmental disaster.
This gastropod is a hermaphrodite, so for its active reproduction the gender of the individuals in the pair does not matter. Such fertility, rapid growth and incredible gluttony of Achatina led to the almost complete destruction of agricultural crops. In addition, giant snails swarmed around the walls of houses and ate the plaster from them, probably to replenish the lack of minerals in the body. Only extreme measures and quarantine helped stop the further spread of the mollusk across America.
Recently, the extravagant African Achatina has become a popular pet. Keeping a snail as a pet is as easy as it is enjoyable. Unpretentious in care and nutrition, the mollusk, as it turned out, is capable of becoming attached to its owner and avoiding strangers. The researchers came to the conclusion that adult Achatina have long-term memory and, unlike young animals, choose their favorite vacation spot to which they always return.
This gastropod eats almost everything - from herbs and vegetables to milk and eggs, but salt, citrus fruits, coffee, fatty and spicy foods can lead to the death of the snail.
If you follow the temperature and humidity standards in the Achatina terrarium and provide it with a good varied diet, then you can enjoy the unobtrusive company of the largest mollusk for ten years.
The largest animals on earth are record-breaking animals that have reached the maximum parameters among their species in terms of mass, height or length. In this list you will find the names of the largest animals and learn a lot of interesting things about the largest animals on earth.
10. Capybara
Capybara (other name: capybara) is the largest representative of the Rodent order. The word capybara in the Indian language means “lord of the grass.” An adult capybara reaches a length of up to 135 cm, with a height at the withers of up to 60 cm. A capybara weighs up to 65 kg, females are larger than males.
9. Tiger
The tiger is the largest predator of the cat family. The largest tigers are the Bengal and Amur tigers. These big cats can reach up to 3 meters in length, excluding the length of the tail. The weight of a tiger can reach up to 300 kg. The height at the withers is up to 115 cm.
Weight records are known for these tiger species. The Bengal tiger's maximum weight was 388 kg, and the Amur tiger's maximum weight was 384 kg. The word tiger means "sharp" and "fast".
8. Polar bear
The polar bear (other names: polar bear, northern bear, umka) is a large predator from the Bear family. The only one of the largest land predators on the planet that is prone to tracking and hunting humans, considering them as equal prey. A polar bear can reach a body length of 3 meters and weigh 1 ton. Height at the withers is up to 150 cm. Females are smaller than males.
7. Big red kangaroo
The big red kangaroo (another name: the giant red kangaroo) is the largest kangaroo. Adult males reach a length of 1.5 meters and a body weight of 85 kg. The length of the tail is about 1 meter. Sometimes the height of especially large males is up to 2 meters. Females are smaller than males.
6. Gorilla
Gorillas are a genus of the largest apes, representatives of the order Primates. In adult males, the height can reach up to 2 meters, and the shoulder width is 1 meter. The weight of males reaches 250 kg or more. Females are almost 2 times smaller than males.
5. Giraffe
The giraffe is a mammal from the order Artiodactyls, which is the tallest animal on the planet. The length of the neck of these animals is 1/3 of the length of the entire body. The male grows up to 6 meters in height and weighs about 1000 kg. Females are slightly smaller than males in size.
4. Hippopotamus
The common hippopotamus, or hippopotamus, is a large land mammal from the order Artiodactyls. A weight of 3 tons is not uncommon for this animal, because its weight can reach 4.5 tons. The height of the hippopotamus is up to 165 cm. The body length of an adult usually reaches 3 meters, but can reach up to 5 meters.
3. White rhinoceros
The white rhinoceros is a huge mammal, a member of the Rhinoceros family. Old males reach a body weight of 5 tons. Rhinoceroses usually weigh 2-2.5 tons. Their body length is 4 meters and height is 2 meters.
2. Savannah elephant
The savannah elephant is an animal from the African elephant genus. The savannah elephant is the largest animal and the largest land mammal. The body length of these elephants reaches 7 meters, and the height is 3.5 meters. The average body weight of a word is 7 tons, but can reach up to 12 tons. Males are slightly larger than females.
1. Blue whale
The blue whale, or blue whale, is the largest animal on Earth in terms of mass and length that has ever lived. The blue whale is also the largest whale of all Cetaceans and the largest mammal.
The size of the blue whale is quite impressive. It’s not for nothing that the blue whale is currently the largest animal on Earth. These giants reach a length of 30 meters and weigh more than 150 tons. And despite its size, the blue whale easily turns over on its back, as you can see in the photo below.
Females are slightly larger than males. The largest female blue whale was 33 meters long and weighed 190 tons, and the largest male weighed 180 tons and had a body length of 31 meters.
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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! The blue whale's tongue alone 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. The average weight of males is 7-8 tons, the body length is 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 the wild; sometimes only 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 the length is 2.6-3 m. They spend most of their lives in the aquatic environment, and very rarely come to land (mainly during the breeding season). A unique feature of these animals is that males are usually 5-6 times heavier than females.
It is considered the largest 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 of 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 individuals with larger parameters can be found in the wild forests of South America. 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 of the Japanese islands, feeds on small mollusks 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 people do not treat them with respect and continue to destroy their habitat, they risk disappearing from the face of our planet, like dinosaurs millions of years ago.