Top 10 Biggest Animals in the World

Biggest Animals in the WorldPin

Animals are in numerous sizes, shapes, and types. So, it is best to specify exactly how you define “largest” when digging into the most significant animals.

How do we get to know the biggest animals in the world?

First, there is no contradiction that some animals are giants compared to other animals in their class, whether you measure in weight, length, or height.

1. Blue Whale

The Blue Whale is the most significant animal in the whole world. It reaches a weight of about 180 tons and has a length of 30m.

Their tongues weigh as much as an elephant, and their hearts as much as an automobile. They survive by eating a diet full of rich plankton.

Thus, the Blue Whale is also called the baleen whale.

Quick Facts

Description Largest marine animal, long torpedo-shaped body
Diet Tiny shrimp-like animal called krill
Sexual Maturity Ages 6 10
Range All oceans except Arctic ocean
Population 10,000 to 25,000
Weight 70,000 to 150,000kg
Incubation 10-12 months
Habitat Oceans
Size Female: 25m, Male: 24m
Life Span 80 to 90 years

Scientific Classification

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassMammalia
OrderCetacea
FamilyBalaenopteridae
GenusBalaenoptera
Scientific NameBalsenoptera musculus

More Awesome Facts About The Blue Whale

  • The blue whale is the largest animal to have ever lived on earth.
  • Despite being gigantic, the blue whale feeds on tiny shrimp-like animals called krill.
  • An adult blue whale can take up to 36,000kg of krill daily.
  • Blue whales are great swimmers.
  • They catch their food by diving.
  • Blue Whales have emotions.
  • They are the loudest animals on earth.
  • They quickly form attachments.
  • Their females usually have one young.
  • A baby blue whale is among the biggest animals in the world.

2. Colossal Squid

Squids are cephalopods that belong to the superorder Decapodiformes. They have elongated bodies, eight arms, two tentacles, and large eyes.

The colossal squid is a giant squid in Antarctica’s deep sea. The colossal squid not only has enormous eyes, more significant than the great whales’ eyes, but it is also the largest invertebrate on earth.

Quick Facts

Description A large deep sea predator, two eyes, a beak, eight arms
Diet Small and large fishes
Sexual Maturity 3 years old
Range Antarctica to southern South America
Population Unknown
Weight 1100 pounds
Incubation 16 to 22 days
Habitat Antarctic waters
Size 46 feet
Life Span Two years

Scientific Classification

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumMollusca
ClassCephalopada
OrderTeuthida
FamilyCranchiidae
GenusArchiteuthis
Scientific NameMesonychoteuthis hamiltoni

More Awesome Facts About The Colossal Squid

  • This creature is difficult to catch, so little is discovered about it.
  • Studying them in their natural habitat is hard because they live at depths of around 1000m.
  • Their eyes are the largest in the animal kingdom.
  • The largest documented squid was 45ft long.
  • Their only known predator are sperm whales.

3. African Elephant

The African Elephant is the largest land animal. It can weigh about 7 tons and grow to 35ft from the trunk to the tail. However, they have a shoulder height of 4.2m.

The African Elephant has two species: The Savanna Elephant and The Forest Elephant.

Quick Facts

Description Biggest land mammal, large ears, long trunk
Diet Herbivores that feed on grass
Sexual Maturity Male: 10 to 20 years, Females: 10 to 11 years
Range Sub-Saharan Africa
Population Unknown
Weight 7000 to 14000 lb
Incubation 22 to 24 months
Habitat Forest, amrshes
Size 10 to 13 feet at shoulder
Life Span 70 years

Scientific Classfification

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassMammalia
OrderProboscidae
FamilyElephantidae
GenusLoxodonta africana
Scientific NameLoxondonta

More Amazing Facts About the African Elephant

  • African Elephants can make numerous sounds like grunting, trumpeting, and whistling.
  • They live in a highly developed and organized social structure called the matriarchal herd.
  • The most known feature of elephants is their trunk.
  • Female elephants live beyond their reproductive years.
  • They have the longest pregnancy at 22 months.

4. Giraffe

The giraffe is the tallest living animal on earth, with a height of 19ft. The neck of the giraffe alone is 6ft.

Giraffes feed primarily on vegetation far above the ground, using their long tongues to pull leaves off the trees.

The babies are born after a gestation period of 15 months and are already 2m tall.

Quick Facts

Description Tallest mammals, with their towering legs and long necks
Diet Leaves and buds on trees
Sexual Maturity 12 to 14 months
Range In Chad
Population 117,000
Weight 800kg
Incubation 15 months
Habitat Grasslands in East Africa
Size 4.2 m
Life Span 26 years

Scientific Classification

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassMammalia
OrderArtiodactyla
FamilyGiraffidae
GenusGiraffa
Scientific NameGiraffa camelopardalis  

More Amazing Facts About Giraffe

  • Giraffes have 32 teeth.
  • Their tongues are dark blue.
  • They give birth after 400 to 600 days of mating.
  • They sleep for only four hours a day.

5. Brown Bear

Brown bears and Polar bears share the position of the largest living carnivore on land.

They weigh about 907kg and reach up to 10ft when standing on their hind legs. It has made them earn their spot as the biggest.

You can find brown bears in North America, Asia, and Europe, but you can see polar bears in the Arctic Circle.

Quick Facts

Description Slight slump above its shoulder, round ears, curved claws
Diet Plants, fish, berries, small mammals
Sexual Maturity 3.5 to 7 years
Range Yukon and Northwest territories
Population 200,000
Weight 80 to 600kg
Incubation 180 to 270 days
Habitat Ice fields, forests
Size 2.8m
Life Span 20 to 30 years

Scientific Classification

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassMammalia
OrderCarnivora
FamilyUrsidae
GenusUrsus
Scientific NameUrsus arctors

More Amazing Facts About Brown Bear

  • They are intelligent animals.
  • They care so much about family.
  • Some species of bears build nests in the trees.
  • They have a great sense of sight, smell, and hearing.
  • They cry when separated from their mothers.

6. Whale Shark

Underwater, the whale shark is the largest living fish. It is 12m long and weighs up to 22 tons. Even though they are massive, they mostly feed on tiny plankton.

They are present in tropical areas and are vulnerable.

Quick Facts

Description World’s largest fish, broad head, large mouth, large gill slits.
Diet zooplanktons like shrimps.
Sexual Maturity 25 to 30 years
Range Deep and shallow coastal waters
Population 119,000 to 238,000
Weight 19,000kg
Incubation—–
Habitat Australia
Size 5.5 to 10m
Life Span 100 years

Scientific Classification

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumMollusca
ClassChondrichthyes
OrderOrectolobiformes
FamilyRhincodontidae
GenusRhincodon
Scientific NameRhincodon typus

More Amazing Facts About The Whale Shark

  • The whale shark is a filter feeder. It expands its large jaws and filters everything it comes across to digest tiny creatures.
  • The baby shark’s lifecycle has not been discovered.
  • They inhabit the warm waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

7. Saltwater Crocodile

The Saltwater Crocodile is the largest reptile on earth. It has an average length of 17ft, but sometimes it can reach 21ft. Their weight is up to 453kg.

They are evenly distributed in salt and brackish waters in Australia, India, and Asia. They feed on every animal they can get their teeth on.

Quick Facts

Description Largest reptile, pale yellow, black stripes
Diet Meat
Sexual Maturity Female: 10 to 12 years, Male: 16 years
Range Northern Australia, Eastern India, Southeast Asia
Population More than 200,000
Weight Male: 1,000kg; Female: 76-100kg
Incubation 80 days
Habitat Fresh water rivers
Size Male: 4.3 – 5.2m; Female: 2.3 – 3.5m
Life Span 70 years

Scientific Classification

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassReptilia
OrderCrocodilia
FamilyCrocodylidae
GenusCrocodylus
Scientific NameCrocodylus acutus

More Amazing Facts About The Saltwater Crocodile

8. Ostrich

The ostrich is the most prominent and largest living bird in the world. It has a height of 2.7m and a weight of 156kg.

Also, they do not have teeth. The ostrich can survive for days without drinking water because they can make their water internally and get the rest from the vegetation they consume.

Quick Facts

Description Largest bird, long legs, long neck, dangerous long beak
Diet Plants, roots, lizard, insect
Sexual Maturity 4 to 5 years
Range In the wild in Africa
Population 150,000
Weight 63 to 140kg
Incubation 44 days
Habitat Savannah, Sahel
Size 9ft
Life Span 45 years

Scientific Classification

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
 ClassAves
OrderSthruthioniformes
FamilySthruthionidae
 GenusSthruthio
Scientific NameSthruthio camelus

More Awesome Facts About The Ostrich

  • They have three stomachs.
  • Ostriches can go without drinking water for days.
  • The largest bird in the world is the flightless ostrich.
  • Their eggs are the largest among the living birds.

9. Chinese Salamander

The Chinese Salamander is the largest amphibian in the world. It weighs about 30kg, but sometimes it can reach up to 60kg, also growing to 6ft.

They are called living fossils but are endangered and scarce in the wild despite their fascinating nature.

Quick Facts

Description Largest amphibian, thick body, four stubby limbs, blunt head, tiny eyes
Diet Fish, frogs
Sexual Maturity 5 to 6 years
RangeForested regions, 100 to 1500m
Population 50,000
Weight 25 to 30kg
Incubation 40 to 60 days
Habitat Mountain rivers, large streams
Size 1.2m
Life Span 50 years

Scientific Classification

KingdomAnimalia
 PhylumChordata
ClassAmphibia
OrderUrodela
 FamilyCryptobranchidae
GenusAndrias
Scientific NameAndrias davidianus

More Amazing Facts About The Chinese Salamander

  • The Chinese Salamander has poor eyesight.
  • They don’t have gills but spend their entire lives underwater.
  • The females lay between 300 to 400 eggs during breeding.

10. Goliath Beetle

The Goliath Beetle is ranked the heaviest insect in the world. It has a length of 4.5 inches. Its habitat is in the African tropical forests, and they are usually brown, white, or black.

Quick Facts

Description Heaviest beetle in the world, sharp claws, six legs, two set of wings
Diet Fruit and tree sap
Sexual Maturity —-
Range West Africa, 80 to 115mm
Population —-
Weight 60 to 110mm
Incubation 12 to 14 days
Habitat Warm climates and dense rain forest
Size 1.2m
Life Span Three months

Scientific Classification

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderColeoptera
FamilyScarabaeidae
GenusGoliathus
Scientific NameGoliathus

More Awesome Facts About The Goliath Beetle

  • They got their name from the Bible’s Goliath.
  • Goliath Beetles enjoy food high in sugar.
  • Their males have Y-shaped horns on their heads.
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