Nothing inspires fear like a collision of a person with a crocodile or a snake. The current reptiles are descendants of dinosaurs that died out many millions of years ago, and many of them are still dangerous no less than their ancestors. Your attention is invited to a selection of the most terrible reptiles with which it is better not to meet.

Green iguana. The iguana has become quite a popular pet in last years and this gigantic prehistoric reptile acts now as an alternative to the dog. Although the iguana is a herbivore, it can be unpredictable and has sharp razor teeth. In a number of cases, severe injuries have been sustained when the "tame" but powerful iguanas have become agitated and thrown into the faces of the owners or tore their hands with teeth and claws. The iguana can weigh up to 18 kg and reach 2 meters in length, which makes the attack of this giant lizard an event about which it is better not to joke.

leathery sea ​​turtle.The leatherback sea turtle is the largest of all turtles, sometimes reaching 2.5 meters in length. These 900-kilogram omnivorous creatures may be the most widely distributed vertebrates on Earth, but they are becoming rare and endangered due to pollution and fishing. Turtles are usually fairly quiet giants, but if disturbed can break bones with a crushing bite. There was a case when a turtle weighing more than 680 kg sank a small boat near the shore. The reptile barely broke away from the pursuit of the sharks, so it perceived the boat as a threat.

Turtle Mata-Mata. The South American Amazon is famous for its incredible, and sometimes unusual creatures. Unearthly turtles Mata-Mata share the river with piranhas. The fate of the man who stepped on Mata Mata is unknown, but the strange river reptile has an elongated, serpentine neck with a strange mouth filled with two sharp plates that resemble fused human teeth. The prey of these terrible carnivores are water birds, fish and other reptiles. We can only guess what they will do to a boatman passing by.

Big-headed tortoise. The big-headed tortoise is a strange species with a long, serpentine tail almost as long as its body. The turtle won't hesitate to use its crushing bone beak if it senses danger, so it's best to stay away from it. She is also able to climb trees. Unfortunately, this amazing creature is endangered due to poaching.

Softshell turtles. They hide in the sand, waiting for prey before striking it with their sharp teeth. The enormous size and force of the bite can lead to horrific injuries. However, this species is unfortunately currently endangered.

Nile monitor. The Nile monitor reaches 3 meters in length. This fearsome lizard often preys on young crocodiles, in addition to its diet of mammals and birds, and has an extremely powerful bite. The giant reptiles are sold as pets, but owners should be wary of reports of serious injuries and the fact that these lizards can "break a cat's neck in an instant and then swallow it whole." Children should remain out of the reach of these lizards, as with these predators the possibility of an attack is not ruled out.

Yadozub. The gila-tooth is the largest reptile in North America, it reaches more than 0.6 meters in length and is the only poisonous lizard. Yadozuby are endangered and protected by law. Unfortunately, this experience is based on several tragic deaths.

Malayan water monitor. The Malayan water monitor is the second largest lizard in the world and hides in deep rivers and swamps South-East Asia. The lizard has curved teeth and feeds on carrion. If alive man will fall into water where several monitor lizards are feeding, it is very likely that the hunting instinct of the reptiles is activated by human vulnerability, provoking an attack. Water monitor lizards are able to feed on a variety of animals, experiencing little problems only with big booty. They reach a weight of about 70 kg, and their length can be up to 3 meters.

Griffin turtle. The largest freshwater turtle in the world, and today is the most dangerous. The odd-looking reptile, weighing over 90 kg, has a spiked, dinosaur-like shell and a massive beak that can quickly bite off any part of the body and can rip apart a broom handle at lightning speed. A swimmer, accidentally stepping nearby, can easily lose part of his leg. Although deaths have not been confirmed, drownings may have gone unnoticed. The hypothetical report of 180 kg turtles is supported by the continued growth of this species throughout its lifespan, which can be as long as 200 years.

Komodo dragon. The Komodo dragon is found in the woodlands, beaches and plateaus of Indonesia, posing a threat to almost everyone living. Animals weighing 136 kg and 3 meters long are the largest lizards on the ground. Komodo feed on prey as large as buffalo and also attack and eat humans. Komodos knock down their prey, then savagely attack and rip off large chunks of flesh. Scientists have speculated that the Komodo evolved to feed on the island's now-extinct pygmy elephants.

Source: daypic.ru

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. She lives in the tropics 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 capable of picking up a bearded seal, a 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, you 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 tongue. Only they need him not for gossip, but in order to eat leaves from the very tall trees V 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 hippos began to give birth underwater long before it was fashion trend V 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 comes from Latin(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 a leather bag on its nose, which, during anxiety or during mating fights, swells up, turning into a large ball.

5. White rhino ≈ 2.3 tons

The old joke about the rhinoceros says that he has poor eyesight, but with such large sizes it's not his problem anymore. 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 entered 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.

Floats this one sea ​​giant not very fast, and almost does not pay attention to people passing by. 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 better ways to recognize a sperm whale in the ocean - 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, which weighs a whopping 150 tons and reaches a length of 33 meters. And this is still on average, since the whalers met both 180-ton and even 190-ton whales.

Heart blue whale It is 1.5 meters in size, weighs about 180 kilograms, and its aorta is wide enough for a baby to swim through.

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 marine animals on earth, the largest snakes, the most big elephants and so on. Get ready to be amazed! Pleasant and useful time forwarding is guaranteed!

The largest animal is the blue whale

The blue whale is the largest animal on earth. Not only that, it is also recognized as the largest animal of all. known to science that have ever existed in the world of "creatures". Length 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 blue whale heart 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. In adults African elephants enemies in wild nature practically none, 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 - Southern sea ​​Elephant


The southern elephant seal is the largest living carnivore today. 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.

Largest land carnivore - White polar bear and Kodiak bear

The largest land carnivores are the white polar bear and the Kodiak bear, which is a species of 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 exclusive 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 sizes, since these salamanders are a favorite delicacy of many peoples, and are also traditionally used in folk 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

by the most great view bats is a giant flying fox with a golden crown. 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, she lives near the 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 biggest 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 most big snake- 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 most big bird in the world - Ostrich

most big bird in the world is an 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 special kind sea ​​crab living in the waters surrounding 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 his natural environment habitat crab spider 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 marine mammals. 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 No natural enemies due to its large size, but cubs (especially newborns) are vulnerable to lion and crocodile attacks, and (rarely) to leopard and hyena attacks.

Tallest land animal in the world: Giraffe

Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is an African artiodactyl mammals and the tallest terrestrial 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. 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 east coast 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. Featured interesting facts you will also find a lot of interesting information about alligators.

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

Most great view bats - Giant golden-crowned flying fox (Acerodon jubatus), an endangered fruit bat from rainforest Philippines, which 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. Simple big flying fox(Pteropus vampyrus) is smaller in body weight and length, but exceeds the golden-crowned varieties in wing span. 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 may also run maximum speeds at approximately 97.5 km/h, which makes 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 their natural habitat japanese crab The spider feeds on molluscs and can live for 100 years.

The animal world of the planet is full of a variety of representatives that amaze the human imagination with their size. There are both the smallest individuals, and surprisingly huge specimens that feel quite comfortable in natural environment a habitat. It is the latter that especially attract the attention of a person and make one only guess what caused such an impressive weight and height. What is the largest animal on Earth?

The blue whale is the largest animal on the planet that a person 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 larger animals are also known in history:

  • in 1926 whalers met a female weighing 150 tons;
  • in 1947 a whale weighing 190 tons was slaughtered.

In view of incredible size It is not possible to weigh a whole animal on a whaling ship, so a special method of weighing in parts has been developed.

On a note! Only one tongue of a blue whale weighs about 2.7 tons - this is exactly the body weight of the average Indian elephant. The heart of a mammal has a weight of at least 600 kg, which can be compared in weight and size with the dimensions of a Mini Cooper car.

You can meet this champion in the water areas 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. During the day, the whale spends up to 1 million calories, to replenish which he needs to eat 1 ton of krill or other small mollusks.

Other giants of the planet

In addition to the blue whale, other large animals that belong to different categories live on our planet. So, among birds, rodents, reptiles and other representatives of the animal world, there are champions that attract attention with their abnormally large dimensions.

The largest animal among those living on land. The average weight of males is 7-8 tons, body length is 6-7.5 m at a height of 3-3.5 m, and the weight of their tusks can reach 100 kg. They practically do not meet enemies in the wild, sometimes only cubs suffer from the attack of lions or crocodiles. But these elephants are often subjected to human destruction (elephant tusks are a valuable hunting item), therefore they are listed in the Red Book.

Interesting! African elephants they sleep standing up and are still able to mourn the dead, in which they can be compared with a person

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 aquatic environment, and very rarely get out on 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 flatlands 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

Most big representative rodents on the planet. Adult animals can grow up to 150 cm in height and weigh up to 100 kg. They live near water in temperate and tropical latitudes South America. Capybaras adapt well to life with humans, so they are sometimes used local residents as pets.

It is the largest reptile. It lives in Southeast Asia, off the eastern coast of India and in northern Australia. The body length of adult crocodiles can exceed 6 m, and weight - 1 ton. This is a very dangerous predator that can attack 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 a snake is 11.43 m. But scientists believe that in wild forests South America, you can meet individuals with large parameters. The anaconda wraps itself around its victim until it is completely suffocated and then swallows it whole, after which it can go without food for up to 1 month.

The largest arthropod, since its weight reaches 19 kg, and the body length with paws is 3.9 m. This giant lives in the waters Japanese islands, feeds on small mollusks and is able to live up to 100 years.

Modern large animals of the Earth are by no means inferior in size to their prehistoric predecessors. But if a person does not treat them with respect and continues to destroy their habitat, they risk disappearing from the face of our planet, like dinosaurs millions of years ago.