Wild animals have long fascinated people. The funny thing is that the bigger they become, the more interested we are with them. There are a number of large animal species found on land and water, some much bigger than us humans. These amazing animals will always take our breath away, just by their size alone. Here’s a short list of the biggest animal species you can find in the wild.
The Largest Animal on Earth - Blue Whale
Balaenopteramusculus, commonly called the blue whale, belongs to the baleen whalessuborder. When it reaches its full maturity, it can grow to about 98 ft. or 30 meters in length. It can also weigh around 200 short tons or 180 metric tons. This animal has a big heart, literary. A blue whale’s heart is about the same size and weight of a mini-cooper. Ironically, these giants feed on one of the smallest organizes on earth, Krill.
The Biggest(And Heaviest) Land Animal - African Bush Elephant
When it comes to animals living on land, the African Bush Elephant takes the crown as the biggest and heaviest. A full grown male African elephant can grow to 19.7 to 24.6 ft. or 6 to 7.5 meters in length and 10.8 ft or 3.3 metersin height from the shoulder. They weigh in at 13,000 lb or 6 tons. Female specimens are smaller but don’t underestimate their power. Because of their size, African bush elephants naturally don’t have predators, however younger elephants are very vulnerable to crocodile and lion attacks.
Tallest Land Animal – Giraffe
Giraffes hold the record of the tallest animal on land. They can grow to 16–20 ft or 5–6 m tall and weigh in at 3,500 lb or 1,600 kg. They’re known for their slender, elongated necks which can reach to about half of their actual height. They’re herbivores and they spend most of their time grazing on trees.
Largest Carnivore - Southern Elephant Seals
The thing about these animals is that there is a huge difference in size between males and females in the specie. This sexual dimorphism results to males becoming six times heavier compare to females. The bulls can weigh an average of 4,900 to 8,800 lb or 2,200 to 4,000 kg. They grow to 15 to 19 ft or 4.5 to 5.8 meters long. The biggest of the male specimen ever recorded was 22.5 ft or 6.85 meters in length and weigh in at 11,000 lb or 5,000 kilograms.
Largest Land Carnivores – Kodiak and Polar Bears
These two bears are notorious for their sizes. Ursusmaritimus or Polar Bear or and Ursusarctosor Kodiak bears have very similar body sizes so it’s not really clear which of the two is larger. Both species measure to 5.2 ft or 1.6 m in shoulder height. When they stand on two feet, they can reach 10.0 ft. or 3.05 m. heaviest specimens of both bears that was recorded were around 2,000 lbs. or roughly about 1,000 kg.
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