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Biggest Animals on Earth

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In the Animal kingdom, size is a big factor in the battle for survival. For these large animals, predators are scarce but illegal hunting activities reduce their number considerably. Contrary to many expectations, the largest animal on Earth was not a dinosaur. The largest known to man was more than half the size of a blue whale. Here are the superlatives in terms of size for the wild.

The Ocean Sunfish

Biggest living animal on EarthThe Blue whale
Biggest weight ever recorded for a blue whale was 190 tones and was 30 m (100 ft). Since whaling was banned, a 7.3% per year increase has been noticed since Soviet Union whaling has ended. Sadly, the Blue Whale remains listed as “endangered” on the IUCN Red List of threatened species

The African Bush Elephant

Biggest land animalThe African Bush Elephant
The baby elephant at birth weighs an amazing 100kg while the biggest elephant recorded weighed 12,272 kg or 13.5 tons. The African Bush Elephant is found in most African countries excluding the Sahara and tropical rainforest of the Congo. Currently, elephants are endangered and almost exterminated in some parts of the continent by ivory poaching.

Biggest carnivore on Earththe Southern Elephant SealSouthern Elephant Seal
The record for the species is held by an animal having a weight of 5,000 kg (11,000 lb) and a height of 6.9 m (22.5 feet). Inhabitants of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands, hunting led these seals on the brink of extinction in the 19th century, but the total population now reaches 600,000.

Biggest rabbit in the worldEuropean Hare
Out of the rabbits and hares, this rabbit native to northern, central, and western Europe and western Asia is the biggest one. The European care can reach 6.6 kg (14.6 lb) and be 76 cm (30 in) long.
Eastern Lowland Gorilla

Biggest primate on Earth - The Eastern Lowland Gorilla
The Largest living primate is this black gorilla; a male of this species reached over 225 kg (500 lb) and 1.83 m (6 ft) in the wild. Overall, the largest primate ever to walk the Earth was the Gigantopithecus, which, according to estimations, reached 3 m (10 ft), weighing 300 to 550 kg (700 to 1,200 lb). Only found in the tropical forests of eastern Zaire, Africa, fewer than 5,000 gorillas may remain according to the latest estimates.
Biggest rodent in the world - The capybara
If you thought mice and rats were an issue, meet the largest of their kind, the capybara. An adult can reach 80 kg (176 lb), 1.5 m (5 ft) long and 90 cm (3 ft) tall. The population is stable and the capybara is not considered a threatened species.

capybara

Biggest reptile in the world - The Green anacondaThe Green anaconda
Main character for many horror movies, the largest anaconda to be recorded had 9.5 m (31.4 ft) and 250 kg (550 lb), although larger ones do exist. The largest anaconda to be captured, even though it was not weighed because it escaped, was 11.43 m (37.5 feet).

Biggest bird the world The Ostrich
Related to the extinct Elephant Birds of Madagascar, that exceeded 3 m (10 ft) and 500 kg (1,120 lb), the Ostrich currently has the title for biggest bird. It can reach 2.7m (9ft) and a weight of 156 kg (345 lb). Its eggs are the largest eggs in the world, reaching 1.4 kg (3 lb).

Ostrich Elephant Birds

The Ocean Sunfish

Biggest fish on Earth - The Ocean Sunfish
The Sunfish is the largest bony fish, reaching 3.6 m (12 ft), a height of 4.5 m (15 ft) and a weight of 2,273 kg (5,000 lb). Found in tropical and temperate waters around the globe, the sunfish has few natural predators and are considered a delicacy in Japan or Taiwan.

Biggest insect in the world Giant weta
If you are afraid of tiny roaches in your kitchen, this can possibly freak you out.The weta is the biggest living insect, weighing 71 grams. Endemic to the New Zealand archipelago, 16 of the 70 species of weta are now at risk of disappearing. To prevent them from going extinct, programs have been implemented since 1970.Giant weta

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Discussion

80 comments for “Biggest Animals on Earth”

  1. I believe Flemish Giants are larger rabbits. I owned a female that weighed 18lbs, and I do not believe she was abnormally large. I suppose males could be even larger. Cool article, though.

    Posted by Corey Tisdale | October 22, 2007, 9:29 am
  2. [...] here for full [...]

    Posted by skycaster » Blog Archive » Biggest Animals on Earth | October 22, 2007, 9:46 am
  3. The Giant Weta is scary..it’s giving me creeps.

    Posted by Joy | October 22, 2007, 11:31 am
  4. Oh well! I forgot the Anconda..^^

    Posted by Joy | October 22, 2007, 11:40 am
  5. The whale shark is the largest fish.

    Posted by Chris | October 22, 2007, 1:02 pm
  6. I didn’t know that the ostrich can reach 2.7m…pretty cool

    Posted by emil | October 22, 2007, 1:26 pm
  7. The whale shark is the largest fish, but it isn’t the largest bony fish : its skeleton is made of cartilage.

    Posted by ZapPow | October 22, 2007, 2:38 pm
  8. >> Contrary to many expectations, the largest animal on Earth >> was not a dinosaur.

    When people say this, theyy are usually refering to land animals. Also, why mention dinosaurs and then only have the sizes of living animals?

    Posted by Andy | October 23, 2007, 8:25 pm
  9. [...] giving you the Earth’s biggest animals, we have collected pictures of some of the world’s tiniest animals, that easily fit on your [...]

    Posted by Green Expander » Tiny Animals | November 5, 2007, 10:32 am
  10. Can we have a real picture of a blue whale instead of a repeat of that sunfish picture?

    Posted by Topher | November 6, 2007, 6:05 am
  11. [...] Even though they are one of the largest animals on earth, elephants are one of the gentlest creatures when it comes to mating. At an interval or 3 to 6 [...]

    Posted by Green Expander » 10 Amazing Facts About Animal Mating | November 13, 2007, 6:28 am
  12. The largest sea turtle ever recorded anywhere in the world was a leatherback turtle washed up dead at Harlech North Wales in 1988.

    It was a male leatherback turtle that drowned after becoming entangled in buoy ropes and it weighed 916kg and measured 2.91 meters in length.

    http://theturtletalks.com/how-big-can-a-turtle-grow/

    Posted by pelf | November 24, 2007, 8:03 am
  13. sex story amateur san sex amateur

    Posted by sex amateur to | December 11, 2007, 1:23 pm
  14. biggest carnivore on earth would have to be a sperm whale — tops 60 ft, 40 tons….i assume it was intended to reference the largest land carnivore, but the elephant seal hunts in the sea, so…. ;-) anyhow, fun list!

    Posted by Ben | December 13, 2007, 12:12 am
  15. I wish if you could send me pictures of the biggest dinasaures on Earth. Thank you!

    Posted by mohammad | December 13, 2007, 4:08 am
  16. The reticulated python is the longest snake in the world the anaconda is just the heaviest

    Posted by Me | January 4, 2008, 11:33 am
  17. Blue whale tongue is 4000 pounds

    Posted by Ismail | January 6, 2008, 4:16 pm
  18. Howdy ya’ll…im going western for today and boy am i feeling like a COWBOY!!!! Any how i think that poaching those cute,little,inesent,poor,baby,adult elephants is such a mean stupid poor cruel rude rueful thing to do……..forget about the money and SAVE A LIFE…..pass this on!

    Posted by Johnny Boy | March 31, 2008, 2:24 pm
  19. Cheese is yummy, cheese is cool, and guess what ladies and gentlemen?!?!? I EAT CHEESE AT SCHOOL!!!!!!!

    With Love TO Cheese,
    Cheese boy and the provalone

    Posted by CHESSE BOY | March 31, 2008, 2:27 pm
  20. peace.love.animals
    :) :) :) :) :) :) :) IM A ANIMAL FREAK

    Posted by Chickiemamma | March 31, 2008, 2:29 pm
  21. I’m okay with weta’s, and most other insects, going extinct.

    Posted by insecticide | May 21, 2008, 3:08 pm
  22. FISH RULE OVER PIE!!!! THE SUNFISH IS AUSOME!!!1!!

    Posted by FishRule | May 22, 2008, 4:14 pm
  23. MEH WOVE FISH!! SIG DOES TOO!!!1! Sig is on DDLST CTCH withch is an AUSOME SHOW!!!!

    Posted by FishRule | May 22, 2008, 4:18 pm
  24. Sig if you are here, PLEASE: TELL ME ABOUT THE NORTHWESTERN!!! HOW IS SHE DOING????

    Posted by FishRule | May 22, 2008, 4:22 pm
  25. How do you put the smily faces on the note? I do not beleve that the elephant seal is the biggest carnivore on EARTH. I m in a chesse club,
    HORRAY FOR ME!!!!1! OH AND SIG I DON’T KNOW IF YOU LIKE FISH OR NOT. tell meeeee!!!!!!!!

    Posted by FishRule | May 22, 2008, 4:28 pm
  26. Resource for animal images…

    Posted by robbie schmelzer | June 2, 2008, 12:56 pm
  27. I’m almost 100% positive that the information on your “superlatives” list is incorrect. You say that the largest animal to ever live on the Earth wasn’t a dinosaur and that the largest dinosaur was only half the size of a blue whale. However, last time I read anything about dinosaurs, there was a group that lived during the late Jurassic period known as Sorapods that were actually the largest animals ever. (not necesarily all of them were larger, but I think some of them were) Check up on your information.

    Posted by Avery Pedersen | June 2, 2008, 6:16 pm
  28. oooooooooooohhhhh!!!I I want to ride on the African bush elephant!!!!!!!!!!!!!but i will ride it someday in my dreams……….

    Posted by saring | June 22, 2008, 7:42 pm
  29. you said that there was a kind of dinosaur that was the largest live animal was it a land or a sea animal because it is physically not possable for bones to saport such a heavy weight on land

    Posted by joshua w | June 24, 2008, 5:39 pm
  30. Bush is the biggest animal of the earth

    Posted by clinton | July 23, 2008, 5:53 am
  31. Is there any dinosaur that is still in existence now.

    Posted by Jimoh Abdullahi | July 29, 2008, 7:55 am
  32. please i want the picture of the laggest animal on earth.

    Posted by Jimoh Abdullahi | July 29, 2008, 8:06 am
  33. I am little bit concerned about the size of the Biggest carnivore on Earth – the Southern Elephant Seal.
    The height of 6.9 m (22.5 feet)sounds a bit impossible, or do you mean the length?

    Posted by Walter Zaombo | August 6, 2008, 9:47 am
  34. it is very usefull site. it gives us imformation of every type.

    Posted by param | August 20, 2008, 10:31 pm
  35. Hi,i never seen befor such type of huge animal.Did any one know the biggest flying birds.

    Posted by Shrikant kurud,india | September 1, 2008, 10:12 pm
  36. i can minjam blognya. I am from Indonesia, can you speak indonesian
    or arabic

    alif mabruri’s last blog post..Sejarah Palang Merah

    Posted by alif mabruri | September 6, 2008, 8:37 am
  37. The worst largest carnivore is the sperm whale not the southern elephant seal

    Posted by JackD | September 9, 2008, 1:42 pm
  38. A tigger is weaker thaw

    Posted by Omin | September 16, 2008, 5:42 pm
  39. Yawn…move on. I like small cats not big ones, please tell me about them.

    Posted by Chris Row | September 17, 2008, 11:56 am
  40. hmmmmmmmmmm………I Like Animals

    Posted by Sirajuddin | September 22, 2008, 2:31 am
  41. Save animals to save world

    Posted by Sirajuddin | September 22, 2008, 2:32 am
  42. all of you suck anyways the blue whale beats you anyday!

    Posted by luke | September 26, 2008, 7:41 pm
  43. Naaaaa Tho

    Posted by Abby | October 2, 2008, 7:51 am
  44. cool

    Posted by samantha | October 8, 2008, 12:12 pm
  45. I was a Field Guide in the South African geme Reserves and is currently operating as a tour operator in South Africa. Regarding the elephants weight. I have never come upon any information regarding the weight exeding 6 tons for a adult African Elephant.

    Posted by Albert Roos | October 9, 2008, 5:04 am
  46. hi,

    Posted by raji | October 20, 2008, 11:58 pm
  47. Hi i think that the fish with the fins that stick up straight and down id a wierd fish but you know i’ve been trying to save up money for saving the rain forest and the polar bears.And you can make a donation now if you send the money to 110 William street if you need any information just call the number which is 1413-584-6175 and ask for Lilia im ten years old and like saving things like the polar bears and the Rain forest.Thank you good bye

    Lilia’s last blog post..Save the planet (and money) with Green Expander

    Posted by Lilia | October 23, 2008, 7:00 am
  48. Largest carnivore on earth today Mountain is the Sperm whale, Largest Ape is the Northern Mountain gorila not the Lowland, largest snake ‘not’ on the ‘guinnes’ was a Green Anaconda shot by General Candido Rondon in Brasil 11meters(37feet) long. Largest insect in mass is the Brasilian giant bettle, largest spider the brasilian bird eating.

    Posted by Angelo Ecker | October 25, 2008, 10:30 pm
  49. Whoa! You’re sooooo wrong about dinosaurs not being the biggest animals ever! In fact, the largest animal that ever existed was the Bruhathkayosaurus matleyi. I am sure of it. Trust me. I have my resources. I know a certain someone that will forever be associated with it.

    Posted by IloveJensen | November 1, 2008, 2:29 am
  50. No one knows for sure how large it was, but it exceeds the blue whale. And it wasn’t a sea animal, but was a land animal. However, it was the largest animal that has ever been disoovered…so far.

    Posted by IloveJensen | November 1, 2008, 2:32 am
  51. the blue whale is the biggest mammal.
    the above pictures are very good

    Posted by tasneem | November 2, 2008, 5:00 am
  52. True, but the largest animal to EXIST on Earth was Bruhathkayosaurus matleyi.

    Posted by IloveJensen | November 3, 2008, 1:29 am
  53. SHYYYYYYYYYYYYT

    Posted by darius sams | November 3, 2008, 11:38 am
  54. I saw the biggest animal,my doubt is clear,thanks to yahoo.

    Posted by Asain | November 22, 2008, 5:29 am
  55. thanks to yahoo because I saw all the verry important things in the world, and i learn a lot from yahoo. THANKS YAHOO

    Posted by ivan louie g. duran | December 5, 2008, 11:47 am
  56. yah its true that the biggest bird in the world is ostrich and the largest egg in the word is come from the ostrich

    Posted by ivan louie g. duran | December 5, 2008, 11:49 am
  57. RIGHT THEY ARE WELL COOL this websit eis good ty its verey good

    Posted by callum | January 3, 2009, 6:33 am
  58. and right back two me please =] so i no your real

    Posted by callum | January 3, 2009, 6:34 am
  59. When it said the biggest primate what does it go by? The gorilla is the largest I guess if you go by common size, but what about when humans reached sweights over 600lbs.?

    Posted by Ange | January 20, 2009, 11:24 am
  60. WHOO HOO!!! The large sunfish is AWESOME! I heard birds can land on it like a rock!! Until it moves though…

    Posted by Rachel Fish | January 30, 2009, 5:55 pm
  61. The largest non-clonal organism to exist today is the Sequoia, largest living clonal organism is the honey mushroom!

    Posted by Morgan Campbell | February 12, 2009, 10:21 pm
  62. i love it this is amazing

    Posted by carii | February 26, 2009, 2:47 pm
  63. That is so cool! My younger sister would love this site!

    Posted by Jillian Bisson | March 1, 2009, 9:04 pm
  64. the largest carinvore is the grizzley bear i thought?

    Posted by grg prce | March 3, 2009, 4:17 am
  65. Really i love wildlife(i love animals) u guys tried in getting all this information.keep it up

    Posted by oladipupo | March 7, 2009, 8:44 am
  66. thanks for the information!!if ever there is dynasaurs,surely it is the biggest of them all!!!

    Posted by aaron | March 8, 2009, 6:46 am
  67. if i woud say that the biggest animal is whale fiah

    Posted by amenah shafi | March 10, 2009, 9:33 am
  68. you sould have better animals

    Posted by hannah webster | March 11, 2009, 4:15 pm
  69. the biggest animal in the world is blue whale flamingo dienasor and more

    Posted by amenah shafi | March 14, 2009, 6:57 am
  70. this animals are great… I wish that all of this animals are safe in this world. So, I wish that all of us will protect this great gifts of God for the mankind.

    Posted by caya | April 14, 2009, 8:03 am
  71. All of you should not be fighting! Instead, you should be on Yahoo! searching for more websites which relates to this webpage!

    PS: Looks like the style of Internet Language have gone a little too far.

    Posted by NOTE | April 15, 2009, 6:45 am
  72. This site is cool. It’s nice to know you can get some info on these animals. I never heard of half of them…lol.

    Posted by jodi | April 20, 2009, 3:07 am
  73. omg i lov animales

    jenny’s last blog post..Silent Carbon Footprint: Top Ten Sources You’d Never Expect

    Posted by jenny | April 22, 2009, 11:44 am
  74. I wnt to knw more abt anaconda pls send me information abt same

    Posted by Dev sharma | May 2, 2009, 11:42 pm
  75. YoU aLl ArE wRoNg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Posted by Bonquiqui Shanaynay | May 13, 2009, 9:57 am
  76. add my myspace.
    Im amazing
    http://www.myspace.com/serena_sabotage

    Posted by Serenity | May 13, 2009, 1:05 pm
  77. the are horible

    Posted by lllllllllllllllllllllllllll | May 16, 2009, 7:29 am
  78. Hey Chris, you’re wrong! It said that the ocean sunfinsh was the largest BONY fish. The whale shark is comprised of cartilage and is considered a shark - hence the name. I just wanted to say this.

    Posted by Jeff | May 25, 2009, 10:00 am
  79. these r really great, soooooper

    Posted by maya | May 30, 2009, 1:10 am
  80. Very interesting info and fantastic photos, especially the snake.

    Best Beach Vacations’s last blog post..Creating an LLC - A Brief Rundown on How to Do It

    Posted by Best Beach Vacations | June 21, 2009, 1:46 pm

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