Mother nature never fails to amaze us. Human beings may be considered to be the most intelligent of all the animals but when it comes to the size, length, as well as strength, we humans lay nowhere in front of the mighty giant animals. Some of the animals are very endangered and we might have not even heard of them, while others are quite popular and in vogue. Let us see the list of the biggest and the largest animals in the world today.
Here is a list of top 10 biggest animals in the world:
10. The Goliath Beetle
This is the heaviest insect in the world. The insect is considered one of the five species that belong to the family of Goliathus. They are typical of other beetles as far as the appearance is concerned. You can spot these Beetles in the tropical forests of Africa where they feed on a number of fruits as well as the sap of the plant. With a length of around 11-12 centimeters and a weight of somewhere around 100 grams, the Goliath Beetle makes it to the list of the largest animals in the world today.
9. The Giraffe
Well, we all know that Giraffe is the tallest mammal in the world. Let us know a few more facts about this lanky and lean creature. Earlier we used to think that there is just one species of this mighty animal. However, with recent research, we know that there are four different species of Giraffe in the world today. This animal can reach up to a height of 20 feet and the neck itself can be as long as six feet, the height of a human male adult. You can spot this lean and tall creature in the grasslands of most parts of Africa and they usually feed on fruits, grasses, as well as tall bushes where most of the other animals cannot reach.Another amazing fact about them is that they have 32 teeth just like us humans!!
8. The Saltwater Crocodile
With a weight of an astounding 1,000 kilograms and a length of somewhere around 18 feet, the Saltwater Crocodile is unmistakably the largest living reptile in the world today.The reptile is known to be found in the various regions of Northern Australia, Southeast Asia, as well as on the Eastern Coast of India.The animal is known to feed on any prey that will come in the vicinity of its origin, be it water buffalo, monkeys, boar, and different types of fishes too. Do not be misled by the name Saltwater Crocodile! No, they do not just originate in the salt waters. In fact, you can find most of the younger ones in fresh water areas. They are also found in the vicinity of brackish waters.
7. The Chinese Giant Salamander
Although these amphibians have a poor eyesight, they are the largest of all the amphibians in the world. The six feet long animal is today considered amongst one of the most endangered species in spite of getting protection from the Chinese lawmakers. It is curious to know that in the Chinese language, these Salamanders are also called “infant fish” owing to the various types of sounds made by them which include whining, hissing, and other sounds that resemble the sound of a crying human baby.
6. The Green Anaconda
With a height of somewhere around 17 feet, the Green Anaconda is said to be the longest snake in the world. The animal is distinctive owing to its color which is somewhere of an olive-green pattern covered with black blotches all around its body. The scientific name of the snake being Eunectes murinus and are mostly found in countries such as Colombia, Venezuela, Guianas, Brazil, and other South American countries. The prey of this mighty giant usually includesfish, birds, and other small animals found near their habitat. A few larger ones may even feed on large animals such as deer and even caimans, amongst a host of others.
5. The Orca or Killer Whale
Although termed as Killer Whales, the Orca belongs to the oceanic dolphin family and is the largest member of the family to which it belongs. As these mighty dolphins are found in a number of the world’s oceans including oceans in the Arctic and Atlantic regions, they are also called as the cosmopolitan species. Another interesting fact about the Orca is that they are friendly creatures and are also called “apex predators” owing to the fact that these dolphins are not preyed upon by any other animal! These animals have an average lifespan of around 50 years. Although they are known to prey on a lot of animals and even human beings, these animals are essentially very social and friendly creatures and can be found in a lot of amusement parks across the United States and other countries. Did you know that the Killer Whales have the second-heaviest brains amongst all the marine mammals??
4. The Baird’s Beaked Whale
With over 13 meters in length, the Baird’s Beaked Whale resembles the dolphin although an oversized and overweight one. The average weight of a male adult, in this case, could be around 22,000 pounds while a female can be up to 24,000 pounds. They are known to survive in the deep ocean and as such the diet comprises of minute marine species namely squids, sardines, different types of fish, mackerel, amongst a host of other animals and insects found in the vicinity of their survival zone. You can spot this mighty mammal in the Northern Pacific waters of California or under the deep-water bodies of Japan. They are known to be the predators of the mighty Killer Whale.
3. The African Bush Elephant
The African Bush elephant is the heaviest land animal on earth. The males are around 11 feet tall as against the females which are around 9 feet in height. As far as their weight is concerned, an average male elephant of this species weighs around 13,000 lbs. while a female weighs somewhere around 6,600 lbs. These African Elephants have very large ears which make them distinctive from other similar species. The Elephants are herbivorous and they have become really vulnerable and an endangered species today. In fact, in March 2010, these Elephants were classified as vulnerable in the Red List for Endangered Species circulated by the IUCN.
2. The Colossal Squid
Another mighty animal in the animal kingdom is the very elusive Colossal Squid. As against the popular belief, this animal is even larger than the giant squid. The squid is so big that even its one eye is said to be larger than the head of an average human adult. They are, in fact, known to have the largest eyes in the animal kingdom and the eyes are around 25 centimeters in diameter. The largest of the colossal squids can be as long as 45 meters in height.
1. The Blue Whale
The Blue Whale is considered to be the biggest creature which has even survived on earth. In fact, these creatures are even considered bigger than the early dinosaurs. The heart of this mighty animal is the size of a car and they also have enormous blood vessels. They areenormous beings alive on earth. An average Blue Whale is 30 meters long and weighs somewhere around 180 tons. In fact, when you consider only its heart the weight of it is somewhere around an astounding 600 kg. This huge and mighty animal feeds on oceanic creatures known as Krill and Copepods.
These are just the top 10 of all the biggest animals. There are plenty others in the animal kingdom which are really strong and we will be amazed to know the facts of each one of them!!
I’m Hina Khan, working as a writer at Worldblaze.in blog. I love dancing and listening punjabi music. Here I’m sharing all the interesting stuffs that will definitely entertain you.