The Biggest Animals In The World: The Ultimate List For Kids

Over time immemorial the evolutionary and adaptive patterns of animals have led to the creation of overtly big sizes.

It is hard to point out only the single largest animal in the entire world. Found in a variety of ecosystems like the marine, freshwater, and land, several animal species have been listed as the biggest out of all the other animal species.

There are a number of animals which record to be the biggest wild animals across the world.

Be it the blue whale of the ocean, the polar bear of the Arctics, the African elephant on land, the Queen's Butterfly, Ostrich, and Capybara of the woods, all these species have been identified as much bigger in size than any of its other subspecies.

Over the eons of evolution, some have become extinct from the planet while most are listed to be endangered in the IUCN Red List and the rest are free from the dangers of extinction for the time being.

Humans, although tiny in length over the giant species, have purposely caused a lot of harm threatening their survival on earth.

Proper knowledge about the world's biggest animals will not only bring awareness to the man about their existence but will also help in the conservation of these large species.

Can't wait to learn about the interesting facts related to the biggest animals in the world? Read on to find out more. You can also check out interesting facts about Atlantic ocean animals and baby farm animals here.

What are the biggest animals in the world?

Here is a list of the biggest animals in the world.

Out of all the animals, the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is the largest living marine animal in the world. Measuring over 100 ft (30.9 m) in length and weighing 180 tonnes, it is the largest marine mammal.

The African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the biggest land animal on earth listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN.

The Ostrich (Struthio camelus) is the largest bird species in the world growing up to 9 ft (2.7 m) tall and weigh an average of 346 lb (156.9 kg). Among all reptiles, the Saltwater Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is the largest and the male is 20 feet (6.09 m) long and weighs 2205 pounds (1000 kg).

The Chinese Giant Salamander (Andrias Dravidians) records to be the largest amphibian species.

The largest rodent happens to be the Capybara which looks like a giant guinea pig and is 2 ft (24 inches) tall, 4.6 ft (1.4 meters) in length that weigh over 143 lb (64.9 kg). Marine Shark is the largest marine carnivore in the world found in the stretches of the deep seas and oceans.

Blue Whale: The Largest Living Animal In The World

The mighty blue whale dons the first position among the largest animals in the world.

As the marine environment has greater buoyancy, the evolution of the large species has enabled their humongous growth in body size as the seas are spacious enough to accommodate such large animals in it.

The heart of a blue whale is comparable to a car and the weight of its tongue is as much as that of a fully grown elephant.

Despite being an ocean giant, it feeds on small fishes like krills and can consume up to 4 tons of krill fish a day. They are deep-water hunter mammals, diving up to 1,640.4 ft (500 m) below sea level.

To inhale air, it propels its body upwards and surfaces atop the seas releasing air and spraying water with a force that reaches up to 29.5 ft (9 m) on air.

In the recent past, blue whales are dwindling rapidly due to anthropogenic factors apart from the frequent attacks of whale sharks and other carnivorous predators.

Top 10 Largest Land Animals Across The World

Get to know about the world's largest land animals of the world.

The African elephant is the largest (by weight) land animal, having a height of 13 ft (3.96 meters) and an average weight of 24,251 lb (11 tons). Having 40,000 muscles on its body, the mammal is capable of doing all kinds of activities and utilizing all its body parts with ease, except for jumping or hopping.

An Adult Giraffe is the tallest animal on earth in terms of height, growing 19.7 ft (6 meters) tall with the neck alone being 6.6 ft (2 meters) long.

The slithering long python is another of the largest snake species found on the planet. The polar bear of the Arctic is the largest land animal of the cold frigid world and the largest land carnivore species.

Ostrich, the largest bird is also a land animal as it cannot fly owing to its huge body structure but are fast runners. The eggs of an ostrich also form the largest eggs in the world.

A unique fork-tongued species named Komodo dragon records to be the largest lizard in the world.

While the adult males extend up to 10 ft (3.4 meters) long, females are comparatively shorter in size. Being excellent predators, they are capable of preying on buffalos and humans alike.

The Giant Weta of New Zealand has a long survival history on earth. When New Zealand drifted away from the supercontinent millions of years ago, this insect had no predators resulting in huge population growth.

They are the heaviest insect living on trees.

Looking like a guinea pig but bigger in inches comes the Capybara, the largest animal in the rodent family. Coming next is the Red Kangaroo measuring 5.3 ft (1.6 m), the largest marsupial species on earth.

Top 7 Largest Aquatic Animals Found In The Wild

Apart from the Blue Whale, there are a few other sea animals that have grown into a remarkably large size.

The Whale Shark is the largest sea fish and is also a predator of the blue whale. Next comes the largest arthropod found at the depths of marine life, known as the Japanese Spider Crab.

Orcas are the biggest among the dolphin family.

Among the living sea amphibians, the Chinese Giant Salamander is the largest living fossil who is now an endangered species, rarely found in the wild waters.

Colossal Squid is the largest invertebrate in sea wildlife ranging from 45-60 ft (13.7 -18.3 m). The Saltwater Crocodile happens to be the biggest and scariest reptile, measuring over six meters in length.

An adult crocodile can prey on large living animals like buffalo and sharks by gulping them whole in a single go. The Goliath Frog is the biggest amphibian with a mass of several tons, that can leap forward by jumping almost 32.8 ft (10 m) above the ground with their large webbed feet.

Coming next is the Green Anaconda stretches up to 22.9 ft (7 m) long and these weigh over 551 lb (250 kg), the heaviest and biggest snake species found in both water and land.

Largest Species In Air

How many of these have you seen flying in the air?

The Wandering Albatross is the largest bird species with a wingspan measuring 11.5 ft (3.5 m) long. Belonging to the family of butterflies, comes Queen Alexzandra birdwings which record to be the largest butterfly, whose wingspan extends up to 1 foot long. Finally, the world's largest beetle is the Titan Beetle, growing up to 6.5 in (16.5 cm) long.

Is hunting of biggest animals legal across the world?

Hunting of the world's largest animals has become illegal all across the world.

While most of these largest animals are on their way to become endangered for various reasons, some have already become extinct in the wild.

Titanoboa, the giant snake in Colombia of South America, 48 feet (14.6 m) in length, that weighed 3,000 lb (1.36 tons) has already become extinct.

The life of the largest living Red Kangaroos, Salamander, Blue Whale, Polar Bear are now under threat because of anthropogenic factors contributing to habitat loss, climate change, and falling prey to over-hunting by humans. Hunting of all the listed animals is totally banned and is an offensive crime punishable under animal protection and conservation laws.

People from all across the world should step forward in protecting these animals from extinction as they are the treasures of Mother Nature.

Where are the biggest animals in the world located?

The biggest animals are spread across different habitats of the world.

The Whale Shark and Blue Whales are found wandering around all the oceans, with populations greater in Southern Hemisphere with a larger ocean expanse. The African Elephant and Ostrich bird are native to African countries.

The tallest giraffes are found in every country, except the polar regions of the world. While Polar Bears are endemic to the Arctic icebergs.

As research records in history suggest, the rodent Capybara, the insect with the maximum inches: Titan Beetle and the Green Anaconda are dwellers of South America's rainforests. While the Chinese Salamanders are endemic to the Yangtze river basin of China, the largest arthropod, the Japanese Spider Crab is found off the Japanese coast from Honshu to Tokyo Bay.

Indonesia is home to the Komodo dragon, the largest of its kind. The Wandering Albatross is found around the coasts of New Zealand in the Southern Oceans.

The Queen Alexandra Birdwing butterflies are endangered and endemic to Australia's forests of Papua New Guinea. Finally, the Colossal Squid is found in the cold Antarctic waters of the Southern Hemisphere.

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