Which is the largest living animal?

Species of all types have evolved over the centuries to be just to the right height for their needs—and for animals like the giraffe and brown bear, that ideal height is quite lofty. In some cases, the height seems driven by a need for reaching the protein-rich leaves that are higher in trees. In others, outrunning predators led to animals evolving to have longer legs. Alternative explanations for height include heat dispersal in more tropical climates, room for the efficient digestion of large amounts of vegetation, and more. Here are the eight tallest animals in the world. StanislavBeloglazov / Shutterstock Standing between 14 and 19 feet, these leggy and lovable giants are the tallest land mammals on the planet. Sure, most of their height (up to eight feet of it, to be exact) is in the neck, but a giraffe's legs can also average about six feet, easily outgrowing the average human. The giraffe's size is a significant advantage. Between its height, good eyesight, and strong kicks, these animals aren't often brought down, even by lions. As a result, they can live 10 to 15 years in the wild. Peter Fodor / Shutterstock Next to the giraffe in terms of height is the elephant, specifically the African bush elephant ( Loxodonta africana). Males of this species have a shoulder height of 10.5 to 13 feet. The bush elephant's nearest relative, the African forest elephant ( Loxodonta cyclotis), is between seven and eight feet at the shoulder. Given the overall size of bush elephants—...

The Hippopotamus, the world's biggest even-toed ungulate. Wikimedia Commons Even-toed ungulates, or artiodactyls, are a widespread family of plant-eating mammals that includes deer, pigs, cows, and the biggest cleft-hoofed mammal, the common hippopotamus. The pygmy hippopotamus doesn't approach its cousin's five-ton heft. You could make a case for another even-toed creature, the giraffe, which is much taller than a hippo, but they weigh only two tons. The White Rhinoceros, the world's biggest even-toed ungulate. Wikimedia Commons Perissodactyls, or odd-toed ungulates, aren't as diverse as their even-toed cousins. This family consists of horses, zebras, and tapirs on the one hand and rhinoceroses on the other. The biggest perissodactyl is the white rhinoceros, which at five tons rivals The Giant Forest Hog, the world's biggest pig. Wikimedia Commons How big is the giant forest hog? This 600-pound pig has been known to chase African hyenas from their kill, though it's sometimes preyed on by the largest African leopards. Despite its size, the giant forest hog is relatively gentle. It is easily tamed, if not outright domesticated, and can live alongside humans. It's mostly a herbivore, scavenging meals only when it's especially hungry. The Greater Moonrat, the world's biggest hedgehog. Wikimedia Commons The five-pound greater moonrat,native to Indonesia, emits a strong, ammonia-like odor, hisses menacingly to keep enemies at bay, and prefers to live alone, except during mating...

Andrew Sutton/Shutterstock Blue whale Across the land and through the waves of the sea, there is one animal that is bigger than any other living things in the world: the blue whale. The majestic, carnivorous sea creature weighs a colossal 200 tons; that’s nearly 400,000 pounds! When blue whale calves are born, they can weigh up to 3 tons and Janos Rautonen/Shutterstock Saltwater Crocodile Saltwater crocodiles can weigh up to 1,000-pounds and measure up to 17 feet long. The carnivores prowl beneath the water before attacking water buffalos, monkeys, and even sharks. No one seems to mess with the powerful strength of their tails and jaws, which could be what helps them stay at a wildestanimal/Shutterstock Sperm Whale One of the best ways to recognize a sperm whale in the ocean is by their massive heads. Though they do have the largest brains of any living thing on Earth, it’s the fact that their heads are filled with spermaceti that makes their biology so fascinating. To this day, tristan tan/Shutterstock Chinese Giant Salamander There are five species of salamanders, some living in North America and others in Japan. The largest ones hail from China at about four feet long and weighing around 50 pounds. They are the largest amphibians in the world. Similar to most amphibians, salamanders spend their lives underwater, but they don’t have gills. Their wrinkly skin absorbs oxygen to help them breathe. • More Items • • • • • • • More Items • • • • • • • • More Items • • • ...

Learn how the world's largest rodent escapes jaguars, anacondas, and human predators capybara, (genus Hydrochoerus), also called carpincho or water hog, either of two species of large semiaquatic South American capybara ( Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), is the largest living lesser capybara ( H. isthmius) is smaller, growing to about 1 metre (about 3 feet) in length and weighing about 28 kg (62 pounds). Some classifications list capybaras as the only members of family Hydrochoeridae, whereas others place them within the subfamily Hydrochoerinae of the family Caviidae. Capybaras resemble the

K-selected species Male bush elephants often grow as tall as 3.2–4 metres (10.5–13.1 feet) at the shoulder and weigh up to between 4,500 and 6,100 kg (between about 9,900 and 13,500 pounds; 5–6.7 tons), with the largest known bush elephant weighing 10,886 kg (24,000 pounds; 12 tons). Males, on average, are more than 20 percent taller than and nearly twice as heavy as females. To Deadliest Animals Quiz On a hot day, an elephant might use its trunk to spray The fundamental building block of the savanna elephant herd is the family unit, which may see also Classification and conservation status The species L. africana L. africana) and the L. cyclotis). While these two animals have much more in common with each other than they do with Asian elephants ( Elephas maximus), there are several physical differences, in addition to genetic differences, that set them apart from one another. Bush elephants have larger ears that are more pointed and less oval-shaped than those of forest elephants. The tusks of bush elephants curve outward, whereas those of forest elephants are straighter and point down.

The Antarctic blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus ssp. Intermedia) is the biggest animal on the planet, weighing up to 400,000 pounds (approximately 33 elephants) and reaching up to 98 feet in length. The whale has a heart the size of a small car, and during the main feeding season, it consumes around 7936 pounds of krill per day. It is the loudest animal on Earth, even louder than a jet engine -- its calls reach 188 decibels while a jet reaches 140 decibels. The whales' low-frequency whistle can be heard for hundreds of miles and is probably used to attract other blue whales. The Antarctic blue whale is ‘critically endangered’ The blue whale population in Antarctica was drastically reduced by commercial whaling, which started in the southern Atlantic Ocean in 1904. Despite legal protection through the International Whaling Commission in the 1960s, illegal hunting continued until 1972. From about 125,000 individuals in 1926, numbers were reduced to about 3,000 individuals in 2018, which classifies the species as “critically endangered” on the IUCN Red List. A remarkable number of Antarctic blue whales was recently sighted A team of scientists led by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) was able to share some good news when returning from their recent expedition to the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. They counted 55 Antarctic blue whales during their 2020 expedition, which they describe as “unprecedented”. The South Georgia Waters remain an important summer feeding groun...

In 2020, researchers saw for the first time what may be the longest animal ever. The creature, spotted in a deep-sea canyon off Australia, was a roughly 150-foot-long (45 meters) siphonophore. Each member of this group of species is made up of lots of smaller animals called zooids, which connect to form a long, string-like colony similar to a coral but that swims freely in the ocean. Given it took so long for humans to set eyes on this ginormous siphonophore, it raises the question, are there more giant animals humans haven't discovered yet? The answer is almost certainly yes. Scientists are still learning about life on Earth and the siphonophore is one of several giants that humans have found in recent decades. Siphonophores live between about 2,300 and 3,280 feet (700 to 1,000 m) below the surface, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. But scientists don't always have to go to such depths to find new colossal creatures. In 2011, a previously unknown whale species washed up on a New Zealand beach. Scientists identified the giant in 2021 as a new member of the beaked whale family — a relatively unknown group of deep-diving whales that are rarely seen alive, according to Whale and Dolphin Conservation, an international charity that works to protect whales and dolphins. While researchers are still only beginning to unlock the secrets of the deep ocean, they're a lot more familiar with large animals living on land. African bush elephants cut unmissable silhoue...

Blue whales are the largest of all the animals that ever existed on this planet. Ranging between 80 and 105 feet, they are bigger than any elephant or dinosaur known to man. This immense size is equivalent to the total length of three regular-sized school buses. They weigh up to 200 tons which equates to about 15 school buses. Their tongues alone can weigh as much as the largest land animal, the elephant, and their heart rivals the weight of a regular sedan automobile. Blue Whales are carnivorous mammals, and their scientific name is Balaenoptera musculus. Blue whales do not have teeth and instead rely on baleen plates to capture their prey (baleen plates are made out of strong material similar to the keratin found in human fingernails). Life Span Blue Whales are among the longest-living animals on the planet. Scientists had been trying to find a way to calculate or estimate their ages for decades until they discovered they could use their earplugs. A Blue Whale’s waxy earplug develops layers approximately every six months. By counting these layers, scientists can estimate the number of years that particular blue whale has existed. Using this formula, their average lifespan has been established to be around 85 years. 110 years is the the longest ever recorded age of a blue whale. Appearance Just like their name suggests, blue whales are truly blue when viewed inside the water. However, that is not the case when they appear above the water. On the surface, they are still bl...

K-selected species Male bush elephants often grow as tall as 3.2–4 metres (10.5–13.1 feet) at the shoulder and weigh up to between 4,500 and 6,100 kg (between about 9,900 and 13,500 pounds; 5–6.7 tons), with the largest known bush elephant weighing 10,886 kg (24,000 pounds; 12 tons). Males, on average, are more than 20 percent taller than and nearly twice as heavy as females. To Animal Factoids On a hot day, an elephant might use its trunk to spray The fundamental building block of the savanna elephant herd is the family unit, which may see also Classification and conservation status The species L. africana L. africana) and the L. cyclotis). While these two animals have much more in common with each other than they do with Asian elephants ( Elephas maximus), there are several physical differences, in addition to genetic differences, that set them apart from one another. Bush elephants have larger ears that are more pointed and less oval-shaped than those of forest elephants. The tusks of bush elephants curve outward, whereas those of forest elephants are straighter and point down.

Blue whales are the largest of all the animals that ever existed on this planet. Ranging between 80 and 105 feet, they are bigger than any elephant or dinosaur known to man. This immense size is equivalent to the total length of three regular-sized school buses. They weigh up to 200 tons which equates to about 15 school buses. Their tongues alone can weigh as much as the largest land animal, the elephant, and their heart rivals the weight of a regular sedan automobile. Blue Whales are carnivorous mammals, and their scientific name is Balaenoptera musculus. Blue whales do not have teeth and instead rely on baleen plates to capture their prey (baleen plates are made out of strong material similar to the keratin found in human fingernails). Life Span Blue Whales are among the longest-living animals on the planet. Scientists had been trying to find a way to calculate or estimate their ages for decades until they discovered they could use their earplugs. A Blue Whale’s waxy earplug develops layers approximately every six months. By counting these layers, scientists can estimate the number of years that particular blue whale has existed. Using this formula, their average lifespan has been established to be around 85 years. 110 years is the the longest ever recorded age of a blue whale. Appearance Just like their name suggests, blue whales are truly blue when viewed inside the water. However, that is not the case when they appear above the water. On the surface, they are still bl...