Which animal is the heaviest and which is the lightest. The five most unpretentious pets for busy people The longest pregnancy in animals

Ecology

They were born with extraordinary qualities and each one is exceptional in its own way.

Here are the strongest, venomous, loudest, fastest, longest and oldest representatives from the animal world.

1. The strongest animal

The strongest animal in the world is the copepod. At only one millimeter in length, the copepod is the strongest and fastest multicellular creature.

Relative to its size, the copepod moves at the highest body acceleration relative to length per second.

Scientists are now studying the jumping abilities of this animal, which will be used in robot technology. The copepod is said to be 10 to 30 times stronger than any machine or animal in the world.

2. The loudest animal

Blue whales make the world's loudest sounds using low-frequency pulses whose noise is up to 188 decibels. The calls of blue whales can be heard at a distance of 800 km. Blue whales are also the largest animals.

3. The deadliest animal

The female malarial mosquito is the deadliest creature in the world. These malaria-carrying mosquitoes kill more than a million people worldwide every year.

4. The most poisonous animal

One box jellyfish with 60 tentacles, despite the fact that each of them is 4.5 meters long, has enough poison to kill 60 adults.

5. The oldest animal

The oldest reptile is the Galapagos giant tortoise, which can live for over 175 years. However, among the oldest animals there are such representatives as the oceanic venus, a mollusk that lived to be 405 years old.

6 Fastest Aquatic Mammal

The fastest aquatic mammal is the white-winged porpoise, which can swim 56 km per hour.

7 Longest Animal Pregnancy

Asian elephants have a gestation period of 19-22 months.

8. The smartest animal

The most intelligent animal, excluding humans, is the chimpanzee, followed by the dolphin.

9. The longest migration in animals

The Arctic tern has the longest migration of all migratory birds. They cover distances of 22,400 km. Among mammals, gray whales and northern sea ​​elephants who travel 20,900 km round trip each year.

10. The highest flying bird

Mountain geese are the highest flying birds. There is evidence that they can fly at altitudes of 10,175 meters and above.

11. The slowest animal

The garden snail is the slowest animal, moving at 48 meters per hour.

12. The tallest and longest land animal

The longest and tallest land animal is the giraffe. It can grow up to 6 meters in height, which is roughly equivalent to a two-story building.

13. The fastest animal

The fastest animal is predatory bird peregrine falcon It can reach speeds up to 321 km per hour.

14. The smallest insect

Baby wasps, mimarids are the smallest insects, whose size is approximately 0.46 mm.

15. The longest animal

The longest animals are nemerte worms, of the species Lineus longissimus. Their longest representative reaches 55 meters in length.

The world is full of wonders, there are many amazing animals in it. All of them are unique in their own way. Some feed on plants, others only fresh meat. Some live in the sea, others on land. Each creature is interesting and unique in its own way. The palm among the giants is rightfully divided by the 3 most major representative: blue whale, sperm whale and African elephant.

The blue whale is a giant among marine mammals

The largest animal on the planet is the blue, blue or azure whale. The body of the whale has a streamlined shape that is optimal for underwater living. The size of the animal can reach 30 m, there are giants weighing about 180 tons or more. Scientists consider the whale to be the largest individual on the planet of all that has ever lived on Earth. The heart of a blue whale weighs about 0.6 tons, the volume of the lungs is more than 3,000 liters, the tongue can weigh up to 2.7-3 tons and more.

The body of the whale is dark gray with a bluish-azure hue, covered with bizarre marble stains. On the back is a large dorsal fin, on the sides - a pair of pectoral fins. Inhabits the waters of the North Atlantic and Far East. The main food source is plankton, fish and squid. A full stomach of a well-fed whale can hold about 1.5 tons of food.

sperm whale - giant toothed whale

The weight of an adult male sperm whale is approximately 60-70 tons, the body length is up to 20 m. The females are much smaller. Habitat - from arctic waters to the equator. The drop-shaped body of the sperm whale allows it to short time make long journeys during the migration period. Unlike whales, which prefer solitude, sperm whales usually stay in small groups of up to 150 individuals.

Animals feed mainly on fish and cephalopods. However, they can attack seals, freely dive to the bottom for crabs, squids, mollusks and sponges to a depth of more than 400 m. The way sperm whales communicate is interesting. They, like blue whales, use sounds for this: characteristic clicks, creaks and frequent crackling.

The African elephant is the largest land mammal.

The three largest animals on the planet are completed by the African elephant. It differs from its counterparts from other continents by its huge ears. They help him feel comfortable in the rays of the scorching sun of Africa. Elephant tusks are worth their weight in gold. It was this dignity of a proud animal that almost led to its disappearance. Hundreds of thousands of unfortunates were killed for the sake of an expensive trophy. National parks and reserves literally saved the population from extermination.

The body weight of an elephant is impressive. Adult males weigh about 7.5 tons, but despite this, the giant is quite mobile, swims excellently and feels comfortable even on rocky terrain. Elephants are herbivores, feeding on grass, young branches of trees and shrubs. An adult eats up to 100 kg of green mass per day. Lives in small herds of 9-14 units. Fortunately, elephants have no enemies other than humans and human greed.

Everyone knows that the largest animal in history, the giant animal lived on Earth many millions of years ago - this is a dinosaur. There were many kinds. And today, the size of prehistoric animals seems simply stunning.

However, the modern animal world is no less amazing and diverse. The earth is full of creatures striking in their size and shape. It’s even hard to imagine what affected their weight and height so much. However, they are what they are, and feel quite comfortable among people.

And yet, what is the largest animal? This is what you have to find out. What kind of creatures are they, and in what conditions do they live. So, below is a rating of the 10 largest animals on our planet. This list is based on the height, length, and mass of the creatures. Let's start from the end.

Saltwater crocodile

In tenth place is saltwater crocodile. It is also called combed or spongy. This crocodile is the largest reptile in the world. An adult male can grow up to seven meters in length, weighing over a ton! As a rule, the length of most crocodiles is about five meters. And they weigh an average of eight hundred kilograms.

Salted crocodiles are quite widespread. Their habitat begins in Northern Australia and ends in Southeast Asia. The crocodile is an active predator. Its daily diet includes insects, mollusks, crustaceans, various small amphibians and fish. But any animal that wanders into its territory becomes a potential victim. Having guarded the victim on land, the crocodile drags it under water, to where it is already useless to resist.

An interesting fact: the saltwater crocodile is highly valued for its skin, which serves as a material for handbags, shoes, clothes, etc. Therefore, this type of crocodiles is grown in artificial conditions: on special farms.

black rhinoceros

Since black rhinos are huge, powerful and absolutely fearless, they have no enemies among animals. But they are easy prey for numerous poachers. Black rhinoceroses prefer to move along the same paths, and besides, they see very poorly. Therefore, they are an excellent target for trophy hunters.

Walrus

In eighth place - walrus. This is perhaps the largest animal that has existed since the Ice Age. Thus, the fossils found in San Francisco Bay are about twenty-eight thousand years old.

Walruses are truly huge: their length reaches three meters, and their weight fluctuates around two tons! These animals have very strong and thick skin. Especially in the neck, where it reaches ten centimeters. And under the skin is another layer of fat fifteen centimeters. Thanks to this, walruses feel great in harsh Arctic conditions. The diet of these animals mainly consists of molluscs, but fish also occasionally come across.

white rhino

Seventh place - white rhinos. They are considered the second largest herbivores on the planet. Grow up to two meters in height and four - in length. Rhinos are heavyweights. Some large individuals reach eight tons!

Interesting fact: despite the name, these animals have a gray color. Why, then, is the "white" rhinoceros, and not the "gray" one? Most likely, the rhinos got this name due to the fact that there was a distortion of the Boer word "wijde". It translates as "broad-faced". And it sounds like English word"white" (white).

Hippopotamus (hippopotamus)

In sixth place is the indigenous inhabitant of Africa from the order of artiodactyls - the hippopotamus. Hippos grow up to one and a half meters in height and five in length. The weight of these mammals fluctuates around three tons, or even more. Throughout life, the mass of the hippopotamus gradually increases. The same applies to his teeth. In old hippos, teeth can reach half a meter in size!

An interesting fact is that only one hippo skin weighs half a ton.

southern elephant seal

Fifth place is occupied by the southern elephant seal - the largest animal on earth from the category of pinnipeds. Large and obese, elephant seals grow up to six meters in length. And their body weight is about five tons. The largest of the elephant seals was shot in the winter of 1913 in South Georgia. It weighed over five tons and was seven meters long.

The main diet of these animals is fish and squid, which live at a depth of up to a thousand meters. In search of prey, elephant seals dive many times and spend a lot of time under water. So the record was registered - the animal was under the ode for about two hours. By the way, these mammals spend most of their lives in the open ocean; they get out on land rather rarely, as a rule, during the breeding season.

Southern elephant seals are the largest dangerous animals. They are the largest predators in the world.

Indian elephant

The Indian elephant also has a second name - "Asian". He would have deserved the title of "the largest animal in the world" living on land, "if not for his African counterpart. Elephants reach a height of three and a half meters, and a length of about six meters. In addition, these animals have enough a long tail(from a meter to two). The weight of an Indian elephant can reach five and a half tons. By the way, females are much smaller than males.

Asian elephants are forest dwellers. Most often they can be found in subtropical and tropical regions. deciduous forests. Elephants love bamboo and shrubs. They move easily through overgrown jungles and swampy areas.

An interesting fact: Indian elephants live in packs, led by the most experienced and adult female.

African elephant

In third place in the ranking is the African elephant - the largest animal among those who live on land. Males weigh about six tons and reach eight meters in length and three in height. Females weigh half as much, and in height - no more than two to three meters.

The largest animal living on land has practically no enemies. Of course, due to its size. But little elephants are still attacked by bloodthirsty lions, leopards, hyenas and crocodiles.

Elephants are surprisingly fast moving. So, their average speed is about forty km / h. Thus, an elephant can easily overtake a person. Of course, such dimensions require a lot of food: for example, one elephant can eat about three hundred kilograms of grass per day. These animals are very intelligent and even capable of compassion. But, despite this, they are considered one of the most dangerous on the planet.

An interesting fact: due to their huge size, the African elephant has to sleep standing up.

Sperm whale

Second place goes to the sperm whale. To date, it is the largest animal on earth from the suborder of toothed whales, as well as the only remaining member of the sperm whale family. Huge male sperm whales reach twenty meters in length and weigh fifty tons! But the female representatives are much smaller: up to eleven meters in length, weighing fifteen tons. Of course, you can meet larger sperm whales, but this is an exception.

In nature, adult male sperm whales have no enemies. And for cubs and females, only killer whales pose a threat.

An interesting fact: thirty-five percent of the total body of a sperm whale is only one head.

Blue whale

So, the largest animal (photo - in the article) is the blue whale. Other names are blue, or vomited. Refers to marine mammals. In total, there are three types of these giants in the world - southern, northern and dwarf whales. They practically do not differ in outward signs and sizes. Sometimes scientists distinguish a fourth species - the Indian whale. Northern and southern blue whales live in cold circumpolar waters, while pygmy whales live in tropical seas. All subspecies lead almost the same lifestyle. They usually swim alone, sometimes in pairs. You can also meet small groups, but even in them each of the whales keeps separately.

The blue whale is the largest animal in the world that has ever existed and is known to science. Even dinosaurs are not able to compete with him - he is truly huge! So, an adult can grow up to thirty meters in length. Weight can be about one hundred and eighty tons. Yes, only one tongue of this animal weighs as much as a medium-sized Indian elephant (about three tons).

The blue whale has the largest heart in the world. It is about the size of a car and weighs about the same. The volume of the lungs reaches three thousand liters. This allows the whales to stay at underwater depths for about half an hour without oxygen. These giants swim fast enough (about forty km / h). You can notice them even from afar by the ten-meter fountains that arise during the ascent to the surface.

The blue whale's diet consists mainly of plankton and small shrimp-like creatures. They are called "krill". Every day, whales consume about forty million representatives of krill.

largest pet

But what about our smaller brothers, whom we tamed? Among them, too, there are quite large individuals, which cannot be ignored.

The largest dog breed is the English Mastiff. On average, males grow up to ninety centimeters and weigh about one hundred and twenty kilograms. Bitches weigh a little less - somewhere up to a hundred kilograms. These dogs are aristocrats. They are loved not only for power, but also for poise, courage, and peacefulness. The English Mastiff will make both an excellent watchdog and a fun companion dog.

The largest animal in the world of this breed is an English mastiff named Aikama Zorbo. He got into the Guinness Book of Records due to his weight of one hundred and fifty-odd kilograms.

The largest breed of domestic cats is the Ashera. It reaches a meter in length and at the same time weighs about fifteen kilograms.

This is an exotic hybrid cat that looks like a small leopard. This type was withdrawn in 2006. To create Ashera, the genes of the African serval, Asian leopard and common domestic cats were mixed. The animal got its name thanks to the pagan goddess Ashera.

This cat is not only the largest, but also the most expensive. So, the Ashera kitten costs more than twenty thousand dollars. However, this does not bother those who want to get such a pet, they take a queue in advance. This cat is a rarity, as the company raises only a hundred animals a year.

Ashera is somewhat reminiscent of a small sphinx. She is the perfect pet. It is considered hypoallergenic, loves to play with children, rub against his legs and, of course, sleep. Yes, and absolutely not picky about food. Ashera is the only one of all cats who can be walked on a leash.

The world's largest rabbit is the Belgian flandre. This is a very ancient Flemish breed, bred in the sixteenth century (the city of Ghent, Belgium). These rabbits can weigh about thirty pounds (thirteen kilograms) and be the size of a large dog.

Among animals, as, indeed, among people, there are champions worthy of getting into the Guinness Book of Records. Some of them are recognized as the strongest, others - the fastest. And some can only boast of their huge weight or number of teeth. But today we are only interested in one category, which we will discuss below.

There are many terrestrial and marine life who can compete for the title heaviest animal in the world. If you ask passers-by on the street which animal is the heaviest, you can hear a variety of answers: an elephant and a buffalo, a whale and a shark, a hippopotamus and even a giraffe. But in this article, we must name the only terrestrial inhabitant whose weight and size significantly exceeds the parameters of competitors. You will find out how much an elephant and a hippopotamus weigh, and whether they can be considered the heaviest. First, let's get acquainted with some giants that live on land.

Kodiak bear

This is not the heaviest land animal, but I would like to mention it in our review. A subspecies which in many countries is under state protection. The average weight of a male exceeds 700 kilograms, and that of a female - 300 kilograms. At the same time, it must be said that cases have been recorded when the weight of the kodiak exceeded a ton.

White (polar) bear

It is the heaviest carnivore that lives on land. The biggest polar bear weighed a little over a ton and had a body length of about three meters. The height of the predator standing on its paws was 3.39 m. The average body length of male polar bears is about two and a half meters, the height at the withers is up to one and a half meters, and average weight reaches eight hundred kilograms. Bears are about half the size of males, their weight does not exceed 300 kilograms. It is interesting that a hundred thousand years ago (during the Pleistocene era) a huge polar bear lived on earth, whose weight exceeded 1.2 tons, and its size was four meters in length.

Hippopotamus

This is one of the largest and heaviest animals living on Earth. The weight of large males often exceeds four tons, so the hippopotamus is a worthy competitor to the rhinoceros in the fight for second place in terms of mass among terrestrial inhabitants.

Now the hippo in natural conditions is found only in Africa, south of the Sahara, although in ancient times, for example, it had a wider range. This giant lived in North Africa, and scientists believe that he lived in the Middle East. However, by the early Middle Ages, it was destroyed in these regions. In 2006 international union The Nature Conservancy declared the hippopotamus vulnerable.

The number of these animals at that time did not exceed one hundred and fifty thousand heads. The natives of Africa destroy hippos primarily for the sake of meat, so bloody wars and instability in many countries of the continent force starving people to look for food, thereby causing great damage to the animal population.

African elephant

This is the heaviest animal in the world that lives on land. From brothers living on other continents, he differs not only in body weight, but also in huge ears, which help him feel most comfortable under the rays of the scorching African sun.

The tusks of these giants are highly valued. It was they who nearly became the cause of the complete extermination of elephants. A huge number of animals were killed for expensive trophies. The situation with the disappearance of the population was saved by nature reserves and national parks.

The weight of African elephants is impressive: adult males weigh more than 7.5 tons, but at the same time, the heaviest land animal is very mobile, swims well and feels confident even on rocky terrain. African elephants are herbivores. They feed on young shoots of trees and shrubs, grass. An adult absorbs up to one hundred kilograms of green mass per day. Animals form small herds of 9-14 individuals. In addition to humans, elephants have no enemies in nature.

Knowing how much an elephant and a hippopotamus weigh, different ones can easily determine the leader by body weight. This is, of course, the African elephant, which is the heaviest land animal. It's time to get acquainted with the underwater inhabitants. Perhaps the heaviest animal in the world lives in the depths of the sea.

whale shark

This is the largest shark among its relatives. Despite the impressive size (up to twenty meters) and impressive weight (up to twenty tons), this is not the heaviest. Representatives of this species live in the southern and northern seas. Northern individuals are much larger.

This gray-brown giant, covered with white spots, the location of which is unique to each individual, lives for about seventy years. They feed by filtering out plankton and filtering the water. During the day, the shark passes 350 tons of water and eats more than two hundred kilograms of plankton. The mouth of this "fish" can accommodate up to five people, its jaws are strewn with fifteen thousand small teeth.

But these inhabitants of the depths are never the first to attack a person, and many scuba divers even touch them. whale sharks little studied and very slow. Their number is small, so the species is listed in the Red Book.

sperm whale - toothed whale

Another very large, but not the heaviest animal. The weight of an adult male is about seventy tons, and its body length reaches twenty meters. The body shape of the sperm whale (in the form of a drop) allows it to make long journeys in a short time (during the migration period).

Sperm whales, unlike whales, live in groups of up to 150 animals. The representative of the species has a huge rectangular head, compressed on the sides. It makes up a third of the entire body of the whale. Below is a mouth with cone-shaped teeth. These animals have lower jaw mobile and can open almost 90 degrees, which helps to capture fairly large prey.

Sperm whales (sperm whales) have one blowhole located in front of the head. It is slightly shifted to the left. Sperm whales feed on cephalopods and fish. But at the same time, they can attack seals, dive to the bottom for squid, crabs, sponges and mollusks, descending to a depth of more than 400 meters.

The blue whale is the heaviest animal

This is really the largest animal on our planet. The length of the body reaches thirty meters, and the mass of the blue whale is 180 tons and more. The females are slightly larger than the males.

It's hard to imagine, but the tongue of this sea giant weighs about 2.7 tons, which is comparable to the weight of an Indian elephant. The blue whale has the largest heart among mammals: it weighs 900 kilograms. To imagine its dimensions, look at the Mini Cooper car. They are comparable in size and weight.

The heaviest animal in the world has an elongated and rather slender body. On a huge head are disproportionately small eyes. The pointed muzzle has a wide lower jaw. The blue whale has a blowhole, from which, when exhaling, it releases a fountain of water, reaching a height of 10 meters. In front of the blowhole there is a well-marked longitudinal ridge - the so-called breakwater.

This giant has a dorsal fin that is strongly shifted back. Compared to its body size, it is quite small and triangular in shape. Its rear edge is covered with scratches, forming an individual pattern for each whale.

Physiological features

The sense of smell and vision of the blue whale are rather poorly developed. But the sense of touch and hearing are excellent. Representatives of this species of whales have a huge lung capacity, and the amount of blood exceeds eight thousand liters. Despite its impressive size, the blue whale has a narrow throat with a diameter of only ten centimeters. The pulse of this is 5-10 beats per minute and rarely rises to 20 beats.

The skin of the blue whale is even and smooth, except for the stripes on the belly and throat. These animals are practically not overgrown with crustaceans, which often settle on other whales in large numbers. The color of the animal is predominantly gray with blue tint. The head and lower jaw are usually painted in a darker and more intense gray.

The largest and heaviest animal, the most big weight, the largest crocodile and snail, the longest snake, the longest worms, the heaviest flying bird, the largest bacterium and the smallest light dog.

Which group of animals has the largest total weight?
Due to their numbers, insects have the largest total weight of all living creatures (including humans). All currently living insects would pull more than 2 billion tons. Compare: all humans weighed together would weigh only 200 million tons - only one tenth of the total weight of insects.

What is the heaviest animal?
The blue whale is the largest and heaviest animal. Two once killed animals weighed 136 and 195 tons. They reach a length of 35 meters. They feed on tiny organisms that live in the sea.

Which earthworm is the longest?
The earthworm found in Australia can reach a length of more than 3 meters. The largest of the described specimens was 3 centimeters in diameter and was thicker than the thumb of an adult.

What animal lifts its nose the highest?
The giraffe carries its head and nose at a height of 6 meters. Thus, the giraffe is the tallest animal in the world.

How much does the largest snail weigh?
The largest snail found, weighed and measured was Syrinx aruanus. This huge specimen weighed 16 kilograms and had almost a meter in girth. Her house was 70 centimeters long. Syrinx aruanus lives in Australia, it is an aquatic snail, and in water, as you know, weight decreases. Snails living on land are somewhat smaller: the largest land snail, African, is slightly heavier than half a kilogram at maximum length 35 centimeters.

Where does the largest crocodile live?
The largest crocodiles in the world live in South America, in the Orinoco and Amazon river basins. They reach 8 meters in length, their weight is about 2 tons.

What is the length of the longest snake?
The large anaconda found in South America is usually about 8 meters long. But once an anaconda was caught, the length of which was 14 meters and a diameter of 82 centimeters.

Which flying bird is the heaviest?
The weight of the trumpeter swan reaches 22 kilograms, and yet it flies. He lives in Northern Europe and North America. One of its ancestors, the long-extinct Gigantornis eaglesomei, was even heavier: it probably weighed around 28 kilograms. This bird lived 70 million years ago.

Can the largest bacteria be seen with the naked eye?
Even the largest bacterium is still too small to be seen without a microscope. The largest bacterium, Beggiatoa mirabilis, measures a maximum of 0.05 (one twentieth of a millimeter).

Which dogs are the lightest?
Chihuahuas weigh just over a kilogram. This dog breed originated in Mexico.