Who is bigger, the blue whale or the African elephant? The largest animals on the planet

Konrad Gesner, History of Animals, 1551

Read first: Konrad Gesner, History of Animals, 1551

Elephant

Read more: elephants, proboscis (order))

Some of these animals live in the mountains, others in the valleys, and some in swamps or swampy places. They naturally love damp places. They live in large numbers in warm regions, but cannot tolerate 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 their belly they catch flies and other annoying insects. Elephants can relax their skin and then wrinkle it again; they catch insects in the folds, squeeze them there and kill them. Each elephant's mouth has four molars on each side, which they use to chew food. Above the teeth there are two large and long fangs protruding from the upper gums. There is, however, a difference between a female and a male - the male’s fangs are not as large as those of the female. The fangs can be up to ten feet long and are so heavy that a grown man could not lift them. Wartman writes about such a pair of tusks that weighed 336 pounds. Some believe that fangs should not be considered teeth, but rather horns, because they sometimes fall out and grow back. An elephant's tongue is short and wide, but it is unusually long nose, called a trunk, which it uses instead of hands.

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

The color white is hated so much that people become enraged at the very sight of it.

The elephant serves food and drink with its trunk, because the trunk is so mobile and bends so much that the elephant can stretch it out and then twist it again. The trunk is hollow and supplies air for the elephant to breathe. 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 water, its trunk rises. The trunk has such strength that it can tear out a bush or an entire tree with its roots. The elephant has a double heart, it does not have a gallbladder, but it has huge lungs. The hind legs bend like a person, although some argue that they have no joints. The legs are round and have five toes. The elephant lives for 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. Many diseases kill elephants. But the cold is especially dangerous for them. An elephant can be saved from the cold by giving it thick red wine to drink. If an elephant eats a worm, which is called a chameleon, it immediately dies from poisoning. Here only wild olives can save him. These fruits contain an antidote. If an elephant swallows a leech, it faces great danger. A tired elephant can benefit from anointing its back vegetable oil mixed with salt and water.

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

The elephant can be completely tamed. 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 towards it and raise their trunks, as if summoning the sun.

Elephants are afraid of snakes. In Ethiopia, they say, there are huge snakes, up to thirty steps long, they don’t have any name, for some reason they are called suicides. As soon as the snake tracks the elephant, it crawls onto a tall tree and hangs down, hooking its tail on a branch. When the elephant approaches, she rushes into his eyes, tears them out, and strangles the elephant.

Elephants serve people for riding instead of horses. Sometimes they are used for household work. An elephant can carry four people on its back. And if someone does not hold on and falls, he will catch him with his trunk so that he does not break. Residents of the Libyan country catch elephants only for their tusks, which are considered very valuable and 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 more than once they lose their minds from tears and suffering and die.

Smoke from the burned elephant hair of everyone poisonous snakes will drive away. Elephant tusk rubbed with honey cures rashes and blemishes on the face.

Zebra

Read more: Burchelov's zebra

In the country of the Congo, as in other places in black Africa, there is an animal called the zebra. She looks like a mule, but is not sterile. And its coloring differs from all other animals. It has three different colors: black, white and chestnut and is colored in stripes from the back to the belly, three fingers wide.

A zebra runs as fast as a horse.

This animal gives birth to a baby every year. Zebras live in very large herds. Local residents consider the zebra a useless animal, not realizing that in times of peace and war it can replace a horse. But they live in ignorance, and have not heard anything about horses, and do not know how to tame the beast, and therefore they carry the burden on their own backs. They allow themselves to be carried by porters on their shoulders in high stretchers, and if they go on a long journey, then a crowd of porters accompanies them. The porters replace each other, and with their fast steps they will overtake the horse.

Giraffe

Read more: Common giraffe

The giraffe is a type of camel. He is a big music lover. Even if he is very tired, upon hearing the song, he immediately continues on his way. A giraffe can run faster than a horse. Giraffe meat contains harmful juices, and is therefore difficult to digest and tasteless. However, its milk is sweeter and better than human milk. It is recommended to drink giraffe milk when a person has irregular stools; it also helps with joint pain.

GIRAFFE
(Giraffa camelopardalis)- the tallest of modern animals. A mammal of the artiodactyl order, common in sub-Saharan Africa, where the species usually inhabits savannas with rare standing trees and bushes.

Dimensions. The giraffe is the fourth largest land animal; The only animals larger than the giraffe are the elephant, hippopotamus and rhinoceros. The largest males reach a height of 5.9 m to the crown and 3.7 m at the withers with a weight of approx. 2 t (averages are approximately 5.2 m, 3 m and approx. 1 t). Females are on average smaller: approximately 4.4 m to the crown, 2.7 m at the withers and weighing 600 kg. The giraffe's tail, approximately 1 m long, ends in a brush of black hair.
Coat. The giraffe's skin is densely covered with small and large spots from brown to almost black, which are separated by narrow yellowish or whitish spaces. The shape of the spots is irregular, with smooth or jagged edges, but on the body of each individual individual, as a rule, they are of the same type. A stiff dark brown mane about 12 cm high grows on the neck.
Neck skeleton. Although the giraffe's neck is over 1.5 m long, there are only seven cervical vertebrae, like most other mammals, including humans. However, each cervical vertebra is greatly elongated; in addition, the first thoracic (next to the cervical) vertebra is also modified and very similar to the cervical one.
Blood pressure. High blood pressure is required to keep blood from the heart moving up to the brain. When the animal's head is raised, this pressure at the level of the brain is the same as that of other large mammals. However, when lowering the head, the pressure in it could dangerously increase if the giraffe's brain were not protected by special vascular formations. There are two of them, and both are located at the base of the skull: here blood pressure is extinguished in the “wonderful network” (rete mirabile) of thin intertwining vessels, and the valves in the veins allow blood to pass only in one direction (to the heart), preventing its reverse outflow to the brain.
Horns. Males and females have a pair of short, blunt horns covered with skin on the top of their heads. In males they are more massive and longer - up to 23 cm. Sometimes there is a third horn, on the forehead, approximately between the eyes; in males it is more common and more developed. Two bony outgrowths in the upper part of the back of the head, to which the neck muscles and ligaments are attached, can also grow greatly, resembling the shape of horns, which are called posterior, or occipital. In some individuals, usually old males, both three true horns and two posterior ones are well developed; they are called "five-horned" giraffes. Sometimes in old males other bony outgrowths are observed on the skull.
Gaits. Giraffes have two main gaits: walk and gallop. In the first case, the animal moves at an amble, i.e. alternately bringing forward two legs, first on one side, then on the other side of the body. The gallop looks awkward; the hind and front legs cross, but the speed reaches 56 km/h. During a gallop, the giraffe's neck and head swing strongly, making a figure eight, and the tail either swings from side to side, or is raised high and curled over the back. The giraffe has sharper vision than any other African mammal, with the possible exception of the cheetah. In addition, the enormous height allows one to notice objects at a very great distance.
Food and water. Giraffes are ruminants, like cows. They have a four-chambered stomach, and their jaws constantly chew cud—partially chewed food that is regurgitated from the first chamber of the stomach for secondary chewing. The giraffe's diet consists almost entirely of young shoots of trees and shrubs. Apparently, it prefers thorny acacias, but often also feeds on mimosas, wild apricots and some shrubs, and, if necessary, can also eat freshly grown grass. Giraffes can survive without water for many weeks, possibly months.
Activity. Giraffes are diurnal animals, most active in the early morning and evening. They wait out the peak of the daytime heat, either standing with their neck or head down on a tree branch, or lying down, usually raising their neck and head to watch for danger. Giraffes sleep at night, but only for a few minutes at a time; The total duration of deep sleep apparently does not exceed 20 minutes per night. A sleeping giraffe lies with its neck bent so that its head rests on the lower part of its hind limb.
Social behavior and territoriality. Typically, giraffes live alone (especially old males) or in small loosely formed groups of two to ten animals, less often in larger herds numbering up to 70 individuals. Herds can be mixed (males, females, young animals), bachelor (only young or only mature males) or consist of females and young animals. Giraffe vocalizations are typical of large herbivores, ranging from snorting and mooing to grunts and roars. Not counting migration routes, the area of an individual giraffe's home range, i.e. The area in which it regularly grazes varies from approximately 23 to 163 km2 depending on the terrain.
Fights. Giraffes are extremely peaceful and even timid animals, but males fight among themselves for leadership, and animals of both sexes engage in fights with predators if they cannot escape from them. Within each population, the relationships of adult males are hierarchical. Hierarchy is maintained through fighting or threatening postures, such as lowering the neck to an almost horizontal position, as if the animal is preparing to butt an opponent. When fighting, two or more males stand side by side, facing the same or opposite directions, and swing their necks like giant hammers, trying to hit each other. The fight is often ritualized and does not cause harm to the participants, but sometimes, especially if several males are competing for a female ready to mate, it can end in a real knockout. In a fight with a predator, the giraffe either slashes downwards with its front legs or kicks with its hind legs. The giraffe's hooves are very large - the diameter of the front ones reaches 23 cm. It is known that giraffes even killed attacking lions with a blow of their hooves.
Enemies. The only serious enemy of adult giraffes (apart from humans) is the lion. Most often, he attacks when the giraffe is lying or standing, awkwardly bent, drinking water or nibbling grass. Young giraffes are also preyed upon by other predators, such as leopards and hyenas. Human for a long time killed giraffes for meat, sinews (for making bow strings, ropes and strings 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 numbers and distribution of these animals.
Reproduction. Giraffes breed all year round, but tend to mate most intensively during the rainy season, such as March. Pregnancy lasts 15 months (457 days), and therefore nai more Cubs are born during the dry season, i.e. approximately from May to August. Females typically give birth to one calf approximately every 20 to 23 months for approximately 15 years. During childbirth, the mother bends her hind legs; When a calf falls from a height to the ground, the umbilical cord breaks. Newborn, height approx. 2 m to the top of the head and weighing approx. 55 kg, able to stand up within an hour, and often 10 minutes after birth. He suckles milk up to 13 months, but begins to pluck leaves already at two weeks of age. Usually the calf remains with its mother for another 2-5 months after the end of feeding. The mortality rate of young animals is high - up to 68% of calves die in the first year of life. Female giraffes reach sexual maturity at 3.5 years of age and reach maximum size at 5 years of age; males mature by 4.5 years and are fully grown by seven. In nature average duration life is 6 years, and the maximum is approx. 26. The record for longevity in captivity is 36 years.
Classification and evolutionary history. Giraffe and okapi ( Okapia johnstoni) are the only modern representatives of the giraffe family (Giraffidae). It appeared in Central Asia in the early or middle Miocene, i.e. approximately 15 million years ago, and spread from there to Europe and Africa. The oldest remains of a modern giraffe were found in Israel and Africa and date back to the early Pleistocene, i.e. their age is approx. 1.5 million years. The range of the modern giraffe has greatly decreased as a result of human hunting and anthropogenic changes in the environment. The species was found in northern Africa (in Morocco) 1,400 years ago, and in many areas in the west and south of the continent it was exterminated only in the last century. There are usually nine geographical races, or subspecies, distributed from Mali in the west to Somalia in the east and South Africa in the south.

Collier's Encyclopedia. - Open Society. 2000 .

Synonyms:

See what "GIRAFFE" is in other dictionaries:

giraffe- a, m. GIRAFFE s, f. girafe f. 1. Giraffe (giraffe), a two-hoofed animal... with a low back and an incongruously long neck. Dahl. We can show up in cities like giraffes or sieges: it was no joke to see four Russian writers. 19. 4. 1828. P. A.... ... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), a mammal of the family. giraffidae. The body is short, the neck is very long (but there are 7 cervical vertebrae, like most mammals), body height up to 5.5 m, weight up to 1000 kg (males are larger than females). Sharp fluctuations in blood... Biological encyclopedic dictionary

Giraffe, cameleopard, okapi Dictionary of Russian synonyms. giraffe noun, number of synonyms: 8 animal (277) giraffe ... Dictionary of synonyms

- (lat. Camelopardalis) circumpolar constellation Northern Hemisphere … Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Camelopardalis), constellation of the northern part of the sky. Its brightest star, Beta, has a magnitude of 4.0. This constellation includes the star cluster NGC 1502, which can be seen with binoculars... Scientific and technical encyclopedic dictionary

Dictionary Ushakova

GIRAFFE, giraffe, male, and GIRAFFE, giraffe, female. (French girafe) (zool.). A ruminant with a very long neck and very long legs, with sandy hair yellow, found in tropical Africa. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935... ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

Among animals, as well as among people, there are record holders worthy of being included in the Guinness Book of Records. Some of them are recognized as the strongest, others - the fastest. And some can only boast of their enormous weight or number of teeth. But today we are interested in only one category, which we will talk about below.

On Earth there are many terrestrial and sea creatures who can compete for the title heaviest animal in the world. If you ask passers-by on the street which animal is the heaviest, you can hear a variety of answers: elephant and buffalo, whale and shark, hippopotamus and even giraffe. But in this article we must name the only earthly inhabitant whose weight and size significantly exceeds the parameters of its competitors. You will find out how much an elephant and a hippopotamus weigh, and whether they can be considered the heaviest. First, let's get acquainted with some giants that live on land.

Kodiak bear

This is not the heaviest land animal, but I would like to mention it in our review. A subspecies that is protected by the state in many countries. Average weight the male exceeds 700 kilograms, and the female - 300 kilograms. It must be said that there have been recorded cases when the weight of a Kodiak exceeded a ton.

White (polar) bear

This is the heaviest carnivore living on land. The largest polar bear weighed a little over a ton and had a body length of about three meters. The height of the predator standing on its paws was 3.39 m. The average body length of male polar bears is about two and a half meters, the height at the withers is up to one and a half meters, and the average weight reaches eight hundred kilograms. Female bears are approximately half the size of males, their weight does not exceed 300 kilograms. Interestingly, one hundred thousand years ago (during the Pleistocene era) a huge polar bear lived on earth, whose weight exceeded 1.2 tons and its size was four meters in length.

Hippopotamus

This is one of the largest and heaviest animals living on Earth. The weight of large males often exceeds four tons, so the hippopotamus is a worthy competitor to the rhinoceros in the fight for second place in weight among land inhabitants.

Now the hippopotamus is found in natural conditions only in Africa, south of the Sahara, although in ancient times, for example, in ancient times, it had a wider range. This giant lived on the territory North Africa, and scientists also believe that he lived in the Middle East. However, by the early Middle Ages it was destroyed in these regions. In 2006, the International Union for Conservation of Nature classified the hippopotamus as vulnerable.

The number of these animals at that time did not exceed one hundred and fifty thousand heads. The natives of Africa destroy hippos primarily for meat, so bloody wars and instability in many countries of the continent force starving people to look for food, thereby causing enormous damage to the animal population.

African elephant

This is the heaviest land-dwelling animal in the world. It differs from its counterparts living on other continents not only in body weight, but also huge ears, which help him feel most comfortable under the rays of the scorching African sun.

The tusks of these giants are very valuable. It was they who almost caused the complete extermination of elephants. A huge number of animals were killed for expensive trophies. The situation with the disappearance of the population was saved by nature reserves and National Parks.

Weight African elephants impressive: adult males weigh more than 7.5 tons, but the heaviest land animal is very mobile, swims well and feels confident even on rocky terrain. African elephants are herbivores. They feed on young shoots of trees and shrubs, and grass. An adult consumes up to one hundred kilograms of green mass per day. Animals form small herds of 9-14 individuals. Apart from humans, elephants have no enemies in nature.

Knowing how much an elephant and a hippopotamus weigh, you can easily determine the leader by body weight. This is, of course, African elephant, which is the heaviest land animal. It's time to meet the underwater inhabitants. Perhaps in sea depths lives the heaviest animal in the world.

Whale shark

This is the largest shark among its relatives. Despite its impressive size (up to twenty meters) and impressive weight (up to twenty tons), it is not the heaviest. Representatives of this species live in southern and northern seas. Northern individuals are much larger.

This gray-brown giant, covered with white spots, the arrangement of which is unique to each individual, lives for about seventy years. They feed by filtering out plankton and straining water. During the day, the shark passes 350 tons of water and eats more than two hundred kilograms of plankton. The mouth of this “fish” can accommodate up to five people; its jaws are strewn with fifteen thousand small teeth.

But these inhabitants of the depths are never the first to attack a person, and many scuba divers even touch them. whale sharks little studied and very slow. Their numbers are small, so the species is listed in the Red Book.

Sperm whale - toothed whale

Another very large, but not the heaviest animal. The weight of an adult male is about seventy tons, and his body length reaches twenty meters. The shape of the sperm whale's body (in the form of a drop) allows it to perform short terms(during migration) long journeys.

Sperm whales, unlike whales, live in groups of up to 150 animals. The representative of the species has a huge rectangular head, compressed at the sides. It makes up a third of the whale's entire body. At the bottom there is a mouth with cone-shaped teeth. In these animals, the lower jaw is mobile and can open almost 90 degrees, which helps to capture fairly large prey.

Sperm whales (sperm whales) have one blowhole located in front of the head. It is slightly shifted to the left. Sperm whales feed on cephalopods and fish. But at the same time they can attack seals, dive to the bottom for squid, crabs, sponges and mollusks, descending to a depth of more than 400 meters.

The blue whale is the heaviest animal

This is truly the largest animal on our planet. The length of the body reaches thirty meters, and the mass of the blue whale is 180 tons or more. In this species, the females are slightly larger than the males.

It's hard to imagine, but the tongue of this sea giant weighs about 2.7 tons, which is comparable to the weight of an Indian elephant. The blue whale has the largest heart among mammals: it weighs 900 kilograms. To get an idea of its size, look at the Mini Cooper. They are quite comparable in size and weight.

The heaviest animal in the world has an elongated and rather slender body. On the huge head there are disproportionately small eyes. The sharp muzzle has a wide lower jaw. The blue whale has a blowhole, from which, when exhaling, it releases a fountain of water reaching a height of 10 meters. In front of the blowhole there is a clearly visible longitudinal ridge - the so-called breakwater.

This giant has dorsal, strongly shifted back. Compared to its body size, it is quite small and shaped like a triangle. Its back edge is covered with scratches, forming an individual pattern for each whale.

Physiological features

The blue whale's sense of smell and vision are rather poorly developed. But touch and hearing are wonderful. Representatives of this species of whales have a huge lung capacity, and the amount of blood exceeds eight thousand liters. Despite its impressive size, the blue whale has a narrow throat with a diameter of only ten centimeters. The pulse of this is 5-10 beats per minute and rarely increases to 20 beats.

The skin of the blue whale is even and smooth, with the exception of stripes on the belly and throat. These animals practically do not grow overgrown with crustaceans, which often settle on other whales in huge quantities. The color of the animal is predominantly gray with a blue tint. The head and lower jaw are usually a darker, richer gray.

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

Giraffes are incredibly peaceful creatures, living in small herds of no more than 12-15 individuals. Each handsome spotted animal loves other members of its herd and respects the leader, which is why the 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 mothers, who, without further ado, ready to rush at a pack of hyenas or lions, if they threaten the lives of children.

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

The uniqueness of giraffe behavior and physiology

Of all mammals, the giraffe has the most long tongue(50 cm), which helps absorb up to 35 kg of plant food daily. The animal can also clean its ears with its black or dark purple tongue.

Giraffes have very sharp eyesight, and their enormous growth additionally allows them to spot danger at a very long distance. The African animal is also 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 also differs from other animals in its step size, 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 birth, the babies are already quite firmly on their own two feet. At birth, the calf is approximately 1.5 m tall and weighs about 100 kg. 7-10 days after 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 some kind of kindergarten. At this time, children are in danger, because every parent hopes for the vigilance of other females, and the cubs often become prey to predators. For this reason, only a quarter of the offspring usually survive to one year.

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

Interesting facts about giraffes

Other "giraffes"

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

The giraffe is a surprisingly intelligent animal with unique habits characteristic only of it. Peaceful, gentle disposition and funny appearance These animals will not leave any person indifferent.

Our world is truly amazing. It is full of creatures big and small, low and tall. Today we offer you an extraordinary interesting selection. It contains photographs of fifteen of the largest animals in the world, broken down by various 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 vomit whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is marine mammals, which belongs to the order of cetaceans in the suborder of baleen whales. Reaching 30 meters (98 ft) in length and 180 metric tons or more in weight, it is the largest known to science animals that have ever existed on our planet. A blue whale's tongue can weigh about 2.7 tons (5,952 lb), which is about the same weight as an average size Asian elephant. The blue whale's heart weighs about 600 kilograms (1,300 pounds) and is the largest such organ of any living creature. Not only is the blue whale's heart the size of a small car, but it also weighs about the same as said car. And the volume of a blue whale’s lungs exceeds 3 thousand liters.

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

3. The diet of the blue whale is based on plankton. Thanks to its filtering apparatus, which consists of whalebone plates, summer months a blue whale can consume a whopping 3.6 metric tons (7,900 lb) or more daily.

4. This means that he can eat up to 40 million krill per day, given that daily requirement The calories of an adult blue whale are around 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 reach 6 to 7.5 meters (19.7 to 24.6 ft) in length, 3.3 m (10.8 ft) high at the withers, and can weigh up to 6 tons (13,000 lb). Female African elephants are much smaller, measuring on average 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 lb). Adult African elephants generally have no enemies in their natural environment habitat due to its extreme large sizes, but elephant calves (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 wildlife The population of African elephants ranges from 500 to 600 thousand individuals.

7. Tallest land animal in the world: giraffe.

The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is African mammals from the squad artiodactyl family Giraffidae 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 distinctive characteristic of the giraffe is its very long neck, which can reach over 2 meters (6 ft 7 in) in length. In fact, the neck accounts for almost half of the animal’s vertical height. Long neck is the result of a disproportionate lengthening 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. Top predator in the world: 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 on average can weigh 400 to 900 kilograms (880 to 2,000 lb) and be 2.6 to 3 meters (8.5 to 9.8 ft) in length, male southern elephant seals weigh on 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 all-time record holder of the southern elephant seal, shot at Possession Bay, South Georgia, on February 28, 1913, measured 6.85 meters (22.5 ft) in length and was estimated to weigh approximately 5,000 kilograms (11,000 lb).
Southern marines can dive repeatedly when hunting, remaining underwater for more than twenty minutes each time, stalking their prey, squid and fish, to depths of 400 to 1,000 meters (1,300 to 3,300 ft). The documented record for staying underwater for a juvenile elephant seal was approximately two hours. The maximum depth to which southern vessels can dive elephant seals, is over 1,400 meters (4,600 ft).

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

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

10. Kodiak is a subspecies of brown bear that is found on Kodiak Island and other islands of the Kodiak archipelago off the southern coast of Alaska. Since the polar 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). Absolute weight record for polar and brown bear was 1003 kg (2210 lb) and 1135 kg (2500 lb) respectively.

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

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 Chinese giant salamander can reach a length of 180 centimeters (6 feet), although nowadays giants like these are extremely rare. This species is endemic 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. Today this species is considered endangered due to habitat destruction, pollution environment 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 flanders" The Belgian Flanders is an ancient breed of domesticated rabbit that originates from the Flemish region.

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

16. Largest bat in the world: giant golden flying fox. Pictured: a giant golden flying fox. Spectacled flying fox.

The largest of all bat species is the giant golden flying fox (Acerodon jubatus), a critically endangered species. bats from tropical forests Philippine, which is part of the fruit bat family. The main diet of giant golden flying foxes is fruit. Weight Limit Giant golden flying foxes can weigh 1.5 kg (3.3 lb), can reach 55 centimeters (22 in) in length, and have a wingspan of almost 1.8 meters (5.9 ft). The giant flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus) is inferior to the golden flying fox in body weight and length, but is ahead of it in wingspan. Scientists recorded individuals with wingspans ranging from 1.83 meters (6.0 ft) to 2 meters (6.6 ft).

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

18. The largest capybaras can reach 1.5 meters (4.9 ft) in length and 0.9 meters (3.0 ft) 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 hundreds of individuals, but the usual size of one colony is on average 10-20 individuals.

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

Osteichthyes, also called "bony fish", are a taxonomic group of fish that have bony rather than cartilaginous skeletons. The vast majority of fish belong to the species Osteichthyes. This is an extremely diverse and numerous group, consisting of more than 29,000 species. This is the largest class of vertebrates currently existing.

20. The largest representative of bony fishes is the widespread common sunfish (sunfish, headfish) or Mola Mola. It has an extremely strange body shape - it is laterally compressed, very high and short, which gives the fish an outlandish appearance and a disc-like shape. In fact, it does not have a body as such - the sunfish is literally a “head and tail”. Mature Common fish-head has average length 1.8 meters (5.9 feet), fin-to-fin width reaches 2.5 meters (8.2 feet), and average weight is 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds). However, scientists have recorded individuals that can be up to 3.3 meters (10.8 feet) long and 4.2 meters (14 feet) across. These giants can weigh up to 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 subfamily Boa constrictors. It lives in the tropical part of South America east of the Andes, Paraguay, Northern Bolivia, and 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 green anacondas being much larger. The reticulated python (Python reticulatus) of Southeast Asia is larger in body length but slimmer, and members of this species are reported to reach a maximum length of 9.7 meters (32 ft).

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 ostrich comes from Greek and means “camel sparrow.” A large male ostrich can reach a height of 2.8 meters (9.2 feet), and weigh more than 156 kilograms (345 pounds). Ostrich eggs can weigh up to 1.4 kilograms (3 pounds) and are the largest bird eggs in the world. modern world. Ostriches can develop when running maximum speed up to 97.5 km/h (60.6 mph), making the ostrich the most fast bird on earth and the fastest bipedal creature in the world.

The Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus) is a member of the pelican family. The Dalmatian Pelican's habitat covers a large area from South-Eastern Europe to India and China. Dalmatian pelicans live in swamps and shallow lakes. It is the largest of the pelicans, and on average members of this species can reach 160-180 centimeters (63-70 inches) in length, and weigh 11-15 kilograms (24-33 pounds). The Dalmatian Pelican has a wingspan of just over 3 meters (10 feet). With an average weight of 11.5 kilograms (25 lb), the Dalmatian Pelican is the heaviest flying bird. Although a large male bustard or swan can exceed a pelican in maximum weight.

24. Largest arthropod in the world: Japanese spider crab.

The Japanese spider crab is a species of sea crab that lives in the waters off the coast of Japan. It has a leg span of 3.8 meters (12 feet) and can weigh up to 41 pounds (19 kilograms).