A person can consider himself the king of nature. But compared with the largest animals in the world, people are nothing more than small things.
Let’s take a look at the giants who are still walking around the Earth.
15. Giant flying fox ≈ 1.5 kg
The largest bats on Earth. These bats inhabit the Philippines. The body size of the fox is about 55 cm, weight is 1.5 kg, but the wingspan is very solid - up to 1.8 meters.
14. Belgian flanders giant - up to 25 kg
Domesticated form of a hare (rabbit). The main selection was carried out in the meat-skink 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 - 25 kg.
13. Chinese gigantic 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 salamander 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 can gain up to 105 kg. By the way, these rodents with pleasure live next to a person.
11. Giant green anaconda ≈ 250 kg
This close relative of the python, the largest snake on Earth. She lives in the tropics of South America. The maximum recorded body length is more than 7.5 meters and weight is 250 kilograms. Asian python exceeds anaconda in length, which is equal to 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 snow and ice, majestic polar bears live - a living embodiment of the formidable forces of nature.
Inuit call polar bears "Nanook", which means "respected."
At birth, a newborn polar bear weighs only 700 grams. And the milk he eats is superior in fat content to the milk of other species of bears. Two months after birth, the teddy bear 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 hardly go and get dirty diapers, the young polar bear is already gaining its normal weight and is able to lift up the sea hare, ringed seal or even a person if he is not careful enough.
Even for the largest bear in the world, finding food can be a problem. Less than two percent of the polar bear hunts are successful, so half of their lives go in search of food.
9. Combed crocodile ≈ 590 kg
Most of the largest animals are not peaceful. But even among them, combed crocodiles stand out for their aggressiveness and bloodthirstiness. The most terrible animal in the world even got into the Guinness Book of Records for the fact that, along with relatives, gobbled up a thousand Japanese soldiers during the Second World War.
But it’s unlikely that combed crocodiles can be ranked among the allies, because they would have enjoyed the same 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 highest terrestrial creatures on the planet. The neck is 1/3 of the body length of the animal and, at the same time, consists of only seven cervical vertebrae, as in most other mammals.
About giraffes, we can safely say that they have a big heart. It weighs 12 kilograms, and creates pressure that would terrify any hypertonic. 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 it not for gossip, but in order to eat leaves from the tallest trees in the African savannah. In length, this organ reaches as much as 45 centimeters.
7. Hippopotamus ≈ up to 4.5 tons
Sub-Saharan Africa has the third largest land animal in the world. But hippos do not really like to walk on the ground. They are semi-aquatic mammals, that is, they spend most of their day in rivers and lakes. That is how they keep their hairless body moist under the scorching African sun. If the hippopotamus is not able to plunge into cool water, its skin will crack.
Hippopotamus females began to give birth under water long before it became a fashionable trend in the human world. By the way, hippos are one of the few mammals whose cubs can suck mother’s milk while under water.
In most European languages, a hippopotamus is called a "hippo." This word came from the Latin language (and there, in turn, from Greek) and in translation means "river horse". Of course, this massive creature cannot be compared with the most beautiful horses, but in water it is very fast and agile.
6. Southern elephant ≈ 2.2 tons
Among the largest animals of our planet there are two elephants at once, one of them being terrestrial and the other marine.
This seal received its name for a leather bag on its nose, which, during anxiety or during mating fights, swells, turning into a large ball.
5. White rhino ≈ 2.3 tons
An old rhinoceros joke says he has poor eyesight, but with such a large size this is no longer his problem. Indeed, these giants do not particularly rely on vision. And even rumor plays a secondary role. But the smell of white rhinos is very well developed. So do not approach it from the windward side.
By the way, unlike their small counterparts of black rhinos, whites usually run away when they see a person. But Black rushes to the attack.
Due to the uncontrolled extermination of white rhinos, the northern subspecies has disappeared. This happened just recently, in 2018, when the last male named Sudan died. So now we can only admire the photos of these largest animals in the world.
But the southern population still exists. But the question is: how long?
4. African shroud elephant ≈ 7 tons
Here 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.
Like smaller brethren, African elephants can use their trunks (which have over 40,000 muscles) to lift anything weighing up to 180 kg. Unfortunately, the largest land animal cannot boast the largest population. Poaching kills 25,000 elephants annually.
3. Great whale shark ≈ 20 tons
It seems strange that the largest shark in the world is not the scariest representative of the shark species. She does not even hunt whales, contrary to her name. Unlike most of its predatory counterparts, a large whale shark is content with plankton for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
This marine giant is not swimming very fast, and almost does not pay attention to people swimming nearby. That allows divers to ride on the back of a whale shark if they wish.
In the video with the largest animals in the world, you can often see people swimming with whale sharks.
2. Sperm whale ≈ 40 tons
One of the best ways to recognize a sperm whale in the ocean is by its massive head. Sperm whales have the largest brain of all living things 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. Spermaceti sac accounts for 90% of the weight of the head of the sperm whale.
Scientists suggest that it is spermaceti that helps these huge toothed whales dive and swim 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 marine creature that weighs a whopping 150 tons and reaches a length of 33 meters. And this is still average, since whalers encountered both 180-ton and even 190-ton whales.
The heart of a blue whale is one and a half meters in size, weighs about 180 kilograms, and its aorta is wide enough to allow a baby to swim through it.
However, despite its gigantic size, blue whales are not dangerous to humans. They do not attack swimmers, and feed on krill, small crustaceans, cephalopods and fish.
But the man for the blue whale is the most dangerous adversary. Due to the 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 blue whale has grown to 10 thousand individuals, it is still on the verge of extinction.
