Who is the biggest on Earth? The biggest shark in the world place. Southern elephant seal
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show a great white shark swimming past scuba divers in cages. You freeze in fear, because this is a huge white shark - a healthy, creepy, carnivorous predator! And you know it's big, even huge, until you see it compared to the poor tiny divers hiding in their cages. Only then will you truly realize the mind-blowing size of this animal!
In fact, most of us don't really know how big some animals are. They don't even have a clue! But don't worry, if this sounds like you, today you will see animals that are actually much larger than you think!
The fact is that animals come in different shapes and sizes. Some people use their weight as a determining factor, believing that the heaviest animal is automatically the largest. Others believe that the largest animal is the longest, while others use the term “largest” to mean the height (height) of the animal.
In short, no matter how we measure animals, there is no doubt that there are animals of incredibly huge sizes! For example, almost everyone knows that the blue whale and the African elephant are the largest animals on the planet (so, naturally, they are also included on this list).
But what does it mean? How big are they? How can we compare them with something whose dimensions are very familiar to us: for example, the size of a football field, a building or even a bus!
Once you get to know these animals better, we think you'll have a better idea of their size (and this discovery may shock you). Here are 25 animals that are much larger than you think!
25. Great white shark
The great white shark is famous for its frightening size: adults, on average, grow up to 4.6 meters in length, although there have been individuals up to 6 meters, weighing up to 1.9 tons. For example, Leonardo DiCaprio can tell about one such close one.
Cute, highly intelligent and incredibly friendly, bottlenose dolphins are associated exclusively with goodwill. Seeing them on TV or in videos posted on the Internet, how they emerge from the water and jump through rings, performing in shows at water parks, it is quite difficult to imagine their impressive size.
However, the size of bottlenose dolphins can vary between 2-4 meters, and their weight can reach 150-650 kg. If you swim next to these animals, they will be almost twice your size (or even more if you are a short person).
23. Sperm whale
Sperm whales are considered the largest toothed whales on the planet. Adult males grow up to 17-20 meters in length, reaching a weight of about 40-50 tons, which means that a Boeing 737-800 with a maximum take-off weight of 75 tons will not be able to lift two such animals into the air.
22. Hippopotamus, or common hippopotamus
Hippos are large, obese animals that are the third largest land mammal (after elephants and white rhinoceroses). They grow up to 3.3-5 meters in length, reaching a weight of up to 3 tons. This is the approximate length and weight of a Hummer H2 SUV.
21. Leo
Widely known as the "king of beasts", an adult lion can weigh over 250 kg - almost the weight of two men like wrestler Brock Lesnar.
20. Ostrich
Ostriches are the largest of modern birds. They usually weigh somewhere between 63-145 kg, almost as much as two adults, growing up to 2.7 meters in length.
Ostriches are known for their strength and long legs, which help them overcome 3-5 meters in just one step. Their strong paws are also a formidable weapon, since an ostrich can kill a person or even such a large animal as a lion with one blow.
19. Dark tiger python
The dusky tiger python is one of the three largest species of snakes in the animal kingdom. Its length, on average, is 3.7 meters, but an individual with a length of 5.74 meters has been found in nature. Yes, this is longer than the height of most trees that grow in your area.
18. Liger
A hybrid cross between a lion and a tigress, the liger is the largest known and living feline. The weight of an adult individual, as a rule, exceeds 300 kg, and the length of a standing hind legs Ligra can reach 3.66-4 meters. To give you an idea of how high this is, let's say that the height of the average one-story house is about 3 meters.
17. Blue or blue whale
Measuring 30 meters in length and weighing 180 tons, blue whales are the largest animals living on our planet and possibly the heaviest to ever live on Earth, including dinosaurs.
Just for comparison: a blue whale is almost twice the length of a city bus and weighs 10 times more. Now every time you see two buses parked next to each other, you will remember blue whale.
16. Fighting bull
Fighting bulls are bulls that compete in Spanish bullfighting. The height of an adult (at the withers) is 1.55 meters. An adult fighting bull weighs between 500-700 kg, almost the same as a Formula 1 car (702 kg) including its driver.
15. Saltwater crocodile
The saltwater crocodile, also known as the saltwater crocodile or man-eating crocodile, belongs to the family of true crocodiles and is the largest reptile on the planet. It is also considered the world's largest terrestrial or coastal predator, at the top of the food chain.
Adult males of average size reach a length of 5 meters and can weigh almost 450 kg - even a heavyweight, world record holder in powerlifting (430 kg) could not lift one of them. However, some males can reach a length of 7 meters, weighing almost 2 tons.
14. Grizzly
Most adult female grizzly bears weigh around 130-180 kg, while males grow to 180-360 kg, almost the same weight as Leonardo DiCaprio's 79 kg.
13. Tuna
Tuna is a marine fin fish belonging to the tribe Thunnini, which consists of 15 species belonging to 5 genera. The sizes of representatives of this tribe can vary greatly. The largest of them, the common tuna, measures 4.6 meters in length and weighs 684 kg. That's more than Jon Brower Minnoch, the heaviest man in human history, who weighed an impressive 635 kilograms.
12. White or polar bear
Polar bears are large carnivores that live in cold climates (within the Arctic Circle).
The largest polar bear ever recorded weighed 1000 kg. On average, polar bears can reach 3 meters in height while standing on their hind legs. It's higher than the most A tall man in the history of mankind (Robert Wadlow), whose height was 2.72 meters.
11. Common wolf
The common wolf is one of the largest representatives of its family currently existing. Males, on average, weigh 43-45 kg, and females - 36-39 kg.
Wolves are also known for their huge appetites: they can eat 20 pounds of food in one sitting. This is more than a typical family of 8-10 people can eat for Sunday lunch.
10. Japanese spider crab
An adult giant Japanese spider crab can reach 4 meters in leg span, 45 cm in carapace length and weigh 20 kg.
Japanese spider crabs are considered the largest arthropods known to man. To give you an idea of their enormous size, the average American compact sedan is 4.27 meters long. This crab can wrap its claws around almost the entire car.
9. Tiger
On average, the body length of these predatory animals varies between 1.5-2.9 meters, and weight ranges from 75 to 325 kilograms.
The largest tigers, Amur or Siberian tigers, can reach a length of 3.3 meters and weigh 300 kg. Just think for a moment: a tiger is more than 8 times heavier than the average family dog (using a Labrador as an example).
8. Spotted hyena
Spotted hyenas are the largest of the three types hyenas The other two species are brown and striped hyenas. Adults reach 1.3 meters in length, weighing 40-64 kg.
The spotted hyena is known for its proportionately large heart, accounting for 1% of its body weight, which gives these animals great endurance during long pursuits.
7. Giraffe
Thanks to their long legs and neck, giraffes are the most... tall mammals on our planet. Only the giraffe’s leg is much longer than the average height of a man (177 cm). Adults weigh 900-1200 kg and reach a height of 5.5-6.1 meters - that's almost like a two-story building!
6. Moose
Elk is the largest species of the deer family. Males are easily recognized by their huge horns, the span of which reaches 1.83 meters.
It is very easy to underestimate the size of elk, but adults can in any case reach 2.3 meters at the withers. If a person 1.83 meters tall stands next to an elk, the animal will rise above him by several tens of centimeters.
5. African elephant
African elephants are the largest land animals on Earth. They are slightly larger than their Asian counterparts. The largest African elephant ever recorded measured 4 meters at the shoulders and weighed more than 10 tons. Adjusted one way or another, but this is almost 5 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs.
4. Eagle owl
The eagle owl, which lives throughout most of Eurasia, is one of the largest representatives of the order of owls. Females grow up to 75 cm in length with a wingspan of 188 cm. Males are slightly smaller in size.
3. Jellyfish Nomura
Nomura's jellyfish is very large
At all times, people have been especially interested in objects whose dimensions are many times larger or smaller sizes person. Let us also ask, which of the organisms living on Earth is the largest and the smallest? It turns out that each Kingdom of Living Nature has its own “record holders”!
Plants are giants and dwarfs. Among the plants, the largest are trees and giant eucalyptus trees. They grow in Australia and reach 100 meters in height! This is the height of a 30-story building! In the seas southern hemisphere The world's largest algae, Macrocystis pyriformis, is found. Of course, no pears grow on it, but its total length can reach 300 m! What about the smallest plants? These are the smallest algae floating in the thickness of reservoirs - phytoplankton. In Greek, this word means “floating or wandering plants.” Note that the words “phytoplankton” and “planet” have the same Greek root! Both of them are wandering! Phytoplanktonic organisms are made up of one or more cells, and many of them are only visible under a microscope. But their mass is simply enormous. Biologists estimate the weight of phytoplankton living in the oceans, seas, lakes and reservoirs at 30 billion tons! Have you noticed how, on a quiet and warm summer day, the water in a small lake suddenly turned green? They say that the water has “bloomed.” In fact, it was the multiplied phytoplankton that “painted” the water green color. Scoop up some of this water with a glass and look at it more closely in the light. You'll see for yourself!
Ocean giants. Well, the largest animals live in the oceans. Look at Figure 14, where the record-breaking animals are compared in size to humans.
Whales. The largest animal on Earth is the blue whale. He is a representative of the class of mammals. The largest whale caught was 33 m long and weighed almost 150 tons, which is equal to
25-30 elephants or 150 bulls! His heart weighed as much as a large horse weighs - almost 700 kg, and his tongue alone - 2 tons! And the length of a newborn whale is also quite large - 8 m, and the “baby” weighs 6 tons. The whale feeds on small crustaceans - crustaceans and shrimp - zooplankton. Therefore, the whale does not pose a threat to humans. Quite the contrary. But his strength is enormous. There have been cases when a whale, in order to scratch its back, rubbed against the bottoms of small boats and turned them over! The whale, like all mammals, breathes atmospheric air. Therefore, before diving sometimes tens of meters, he takes a deep breath and holds his breath for several minutes. And the newborn whale must also take its first breath, so that it can then begin its difficult life path in the ocean. There is one scientific mystery associated with whales. The fact is that whales often wash ashore for no apparent reason and die there under the weight of their own weight. Biologists are still tormented by the question of why this happens. Previously, whales were exterminated, and there are no more than 40 thousand of them left in the oceans. Now hunting for them is limited and strictly regulated by international agreements.
Fish. There are about 20 thousand species in the fish class. And the largest is the whale shark, which is almost 20 m long! It is also called the giant shark. But it also feeds on zooplankton and is not dangerous to humans. But about 300 live in the oceans and seas various types the most dangerous sharks with sizes ranging from tens of centimeters to 14 m. Sharks are one of the most ancient animals. They have excellent eyesight and sense of smell. By the way, it is believed that sharks are afraid of the color orange and also... blows to the nose! Of course, you can dress in orange, but it’s better not to hit them on the nose. Therefore, we will not check the validity of this judgment - let it remain a hypothesis. Sharks notice a swimming person at a distance of 100 m. The Carhadon shark is considered one of the most ferocious. This 12-meter predator is armed with several rows of sharp triangular teeth 5 cm long. It can easily cut steel ropes with its teeth! No wonder fishermen find sharks in their stomachs plastic bottles, empty tin cans and even steel hooks! Furthermore, telegraph cables running at great depths along the ocean floor bear hundreds and thousands of marks from shark bites. The Katran shark, which lives in the Black Sea, reaches a length of one and a half meters. Its white meat is very tasty. However, most sharks are inedible. However, the specially prepared fins of some sharks are very tasty and, for example, are considered a delicacy by the Chinese. The branch of biology that studies fish is called ichthyology. In Greek "ichthys" means fish.
Squid and octopus. Those living in tropical seas are almost 25 meters long giant squid and octopuses. They represent an ancient type of mollusk, which contains about 80 thousand species. This also includes, for example, mollusks, which we often incorrectly call “shells.” In ancient times, squids and octopuses were credited with fantastic strength and bloodthirstiness. They were depicted in engravings as terrible monsters, carrying ships and people into the ocean depths! However, apart from ancient drawings, there is no other serious evidence of attacks by these animals on people. Sometimes squids fight with whales, but scientists still don’t know why they do this.
Jellyfish. Reaching 20-25 meters in length, giant polar jellyfish are representatives of the coelenterate phylum, which has about 13 thousand species. The body of giant jellyfish consists of a jelly-like translucent bell from which huge tentacles hang. The tentacles are poisonous and are used by jellyfish to catch small fish and zooplankton. Jellyfish, like many others Marine life, are very sensitive to an approaching storm and go to depth in advance.
Giants on land. Compared to the oceans, animals on land are smaller.
Elephants.. The largest of them is the African savanna long-eared elephant. An elephant is a mammal. Its weight reaches 5-■ 7.5 tons, and its height is 3.5-4 m. An elephant’s heart beats only 25 times per minute, and field mouse, for example, all 300. Despite their impressive size, elephants are good-natured if you don’t offend them. They feed on tree leaves and grasses. They love to swim. Elephants live only in Africa and Asia. In India and some other countries, people use them to carry heavy loads. But the elephant is not the strongest animal in the world. We will tell you who is stronger later.
Giraffes. Another representative of mammals is the African giraffe, the tallest land animal. Remember! The same giraffe that will notice the ship on the horizon before us. His height reaches 6 m! Giraffe is a herbivore. Did you know that a giraffe has a half-meter long tongue? He probably likes to chat!
Snakes. The longest snake is the South American water boa anaconda. E1go length exceeds 10 m. It represents the class of reptiles, in which there are about 4 thousand species of snakes, turtles and lizards. Anaconda lives in tropical forests. And it feeds on animals that it lies in wait on the banks of reservoirs, pounces on them, strangles them in its arms, and then swallows them whole. The boa constrictor, like all snakes, is an animal with pronounced irregularity of feeding. We now know that processing food requires energy - calories. Therefore, the feeling of after-dinner heaviness is familiar to everyone. However, the sensations that we experience cannot be compared with what the boa constrictor “experiences” after its dinner. The fact is that boa constrictors’ meals are often separated by “unplanned” fasts, lasting up to 2-3 months! But, if it happens to be refreshed, the boa constrictor can swallow a “dish” equal to half its own weight! When digesting such a “dinner”, the boa constrictor’s oxygen consumption increases 17 times! He mobilizes all the strength of his body and soul to digest food and spends so many calories that he can lie motionless for several days! Among poisonous snakes They also have their giants. The largest of them - the king cobra-hamadryad - reaches a length of 5.5 meters! Sometimes she even attacks elephants, although without much result. By the way, snakes, just like cats and some other animals, have special sensory organs - peculiar “thermal locators”. With their help, they perceive infrared thermal radiation and see their victims even in complete darkness!
Crocodiles. The world's largest crocodiles live in the mouths of warm tropical Australian rivers or in wetlands. Their length exceeds 10-12 m. They represent an ancient class of amphibians, which includes about 2 thousand species of newts, frogs and other company. They all feel equally good in water and on land. Hence the name. The crocodile appears to be inactive. But when it smells prey, it becomes a fast and ferocious predator! By the way, crocodiles are very ancient animals, and their body has a rather complex structure. For example, a crocodile can stay underwater for more than an hour without breathing!
Birds. There are almost 2 thousand species in the class of birds. And the largest bird is the African ostrich. Its height is 2 m, its weight reaches 200 kg, and an ostrich can live, if no one eats it, up to 50, ■ even up to 70 years. The ostrich does not fly, but it runs so fast that it can outrun a galloping horse! An ostrich egg is 20 times larger than a chicken egg and holds 1-1.5 liters of water! True, you need to cook such an egg for at least half an hour. A female ostrich brings up to 100 eggs per year. Therefore, people have long paid attention to these birds. For some time now, ostriches have been bred at home.
First it was done on farms in Africa and Australia, and now in Europe and North America. The ostrich has great strength - with a blow of its paw it can not only knock down, but also kill a person. Birds are studied by a branch of biology - ornithology. In Greek "ornithos" means bird.
Well, who is the smallest among living organisms?
Let's get acquainted with living dwarfs. Each of the Kingdoms has its own dwarfs - single-celled organisms. Their dimensions are hundredths and thousandths of a millimeter! To imagine how small, for example, bacteria are, it is enough to say that in 1 cubic meter. cm fits 600 billion bacteria! And among those whom we can see without a microscope, there are also dwarfs. For example, duckweed, which has round leaves, grows on the surface of quiet reservoirs. The dimensions of its leaves do not exceed 2-10 mm. The dwarf marsh frog fits on your little fingernail! The smallest bird, the hummingbird, lives in tropical forests. It is no larger in size than a bee, but weighs as much as a small coin!
You stand on the ocean shore, look at the endless expanses, and the thought involuntarily creeps in, what kind of inhabitants are hidden by the thickness of the water?
Animal world People primarily associate the seas and oceans with whales and sharks, so quite often you can hear the question, what are the largest animals in the world?
Let's try to deal with giant water monsters and identify the tallest inhabitants of the oceans and seas.
Everyone knows from childhood that the largest animal on the planet is the whale. If you believe distant ancestors, then three such animals held the Earth on their backs. Well, if we turn to science, it turns out that the largest (of those who were measured) specimen of the blue (blue) whale grew to 33.58 meters, and it was a female. The heaviest blue whale ever caught weighed over 190 tons. And then, the specialists had to weigh the record holder in parts, so the error was huge. One way or another, the result is impressive. Because 190 tons is the mass of two dozen elephants.
By the way, the blue whale is also considered the most vocal animal in the world. It can make sounds that can be heard 800 kilometers and further.
However, it is not easy for a whale to win the palm in the race for the title of the largest animal on the planet. Some other inhabitants of the planet are also taking part in the dispute, which, by the way, continues even now. And all of them, oddly enough, are sea inhabitants. There are even semi-mythical ones on the list, the existence of which is only guessed at. For example, megalodon. Many fans of sensations are trying to question the fact of its extinction to this day. There are even witnesses who observed giant sharks, and they say that it was not a whale or even a whale shark. But it is worth noting the real representatives of the fauna who are fighting for the title of the largest animal on Earth. More precisely, to say the longest. This is a giant jellyfish lion's mane or cyanide. Broadband giant water world can grow up to 37 meters (including tentacles). The diameter of the umbrella of this living creature is approximately 250 centimeters. And if we objectively evaluate these facts, then the jellyfish is longer and larger than the whale.
Another representative of the fauna of the sea does not lag behind the jellyfish. It's gigantic sea worm bootlace. In the 19th century, a worm about 55 meters long was discovered on the coast of Scotland near St. Andrews after a storm. Its width was only 10 centimeters. However, scientists did not recognize the giant as a giant. This is because worms can stretch and contract. Whale shark However, sharks also compete for the title of the largest. And which one can call itself the largest and largest fish in the World Ocean?
Now scientists assign leadership in body size to the whale shark. Experts believe that it is the largest of known to science fish However, debate on the topic of the maximum size of the fish continues among scientists.
The documented record is 14 meters. But it is not uncommon for information to appear about the capture of a larger representative of the species. Some sharks grow to 20 meters or more. For example, in 2002, near Chinese Taiwan, fishermen caught a female weighing 34 tons and 20 meters long.
Scientists note that the difficulty in setting size limits whale shark not only that large specimens are quite rare in nature. In fact, this fish is listed on the IUCN Red List and fishing is prohibited. Catching an animal is punishable by law.
But this fact rarely stops poachers, since the fins of this individual alone cost tens of thousands of dollars in Asian markets. And if fishermen manage to catch a whale shark, then, of course, the catch is hidden from prying eyes and ears, especially scientists. The fish are usually cut on site, the fins and the most valuable parts of the body are trimmed, and the rest is returned to the sea.
Despite the disputes among scientists, no one denies that the whale shark is the largest modern fish known to science. By the way, almost nothing is known about their method of reproduction. Until recently, it was believed that sharks lay eggs. This conclusion was made after a huge egg 36 centimeters long was found at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico in 1953. And he was mistaken for the future baby whale shark. But at the end of the last century, a pregnant female was caught, inside of which there were embryos that had already hatched. Therefore, it became clear that sharks reproduce by ovoviviparity. Small sharks are already appearing with a length of 60 centimeters.
Whale shark in the waters
By the way, the most big shark, which the man caught, is just a whale. She was harpooned off the coast of Pakistan (near Baba Island) in 1949. The weight of the giant was 20 tons, and the length was almost 13 meters. The girth of the torso is also impressive - 7 meters. The fishermen immediately killed the fish, cut them into parts and sold them.
Another inhabitant of the waters is not far from the record holder - this giant shark. It is known that the size of such fish reaches 11 meters. And there is information about the capture of a larger individual (up to 15 meters), but it is not documented. It is worth noting that the giant shark and whale shark are almost not dangerous to humans. They feed only on zooplankton. And they are not at all interested in humans as prey. 
And they are dangerous because with one movement of the tail fin they can break a person’s spine or cause other serious injury. Therefore, you need to be careful in the immediate vicinity of monster fish.
Largemouth shark
Largemouth sharks, a rather rare species of underwater predators, also grow quite large. The maximum recorded size of a largemouth shark is 7 meters. But who knows, maybe more people are swimming in the depths of the ocean large individualsBigmouth shark
White shark
In 1978, in the Azores, near the harbor of San Miguel, a 7-meter white shark was caught using dozens of harpoons. This is a record to date. The White Death, as it is also called, resisted the fishermen and killed two people. She broke the spine of one and bit the other in half.By the way, there are cases when a white shark was caught with a fishing rod. So, in 1959, the Australian Elf Dian caught a cannibal on a steel fishing line in a small motor boat in the ocean. The weight of the predator was 1207 kilograms, and the length was just over five meters.
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Our world is truly amazing. It is full of creatures big and small, low and tall. Today we offer you an extraordinary interesting selection. It contains photographs of fifteen of the largest animals in the world, divided into various categories such as mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, etc. Some of these animals are real giants!
1. The largest animal in the world is the blue (or blue) whale.
The blue whale, also called the blue whale or vomit whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal that belongs to the order Cetaceans in the suborder Mysticetes. Reaching 30 meters (98 feet) in length and weighing 180 metric tons or more, it is the largest animal known to have ever lived on our planet. Language blue whale can reach a weight of about 2.7 tons (5952 lb), which is approximately the same weight as an average size Asian elephant. The blue whale's heart weighs about 600 kilograms (1,300 pounds) and is the largest such organ of any living creature. Not only is the heart of a blue whale the size of a small car, but it also weighs about the same as said car. And the volume of a blue whale’s lungs exceeds 3 thousand liters.
2. The blue whale is thought to feed almost exclusively on small shrimp-like creatures known as krill.
3. The diet of the blue whale is based on plankton. Thanks to its filtering apparatus, which consists of whalebone plates, summer months a blue whale can consume a whopping 3.6 metric tons (7,900 lb) or more daily.
4. This means that it can eat up to 40 million krill per day, while the daily caloric requirement of an adult blue whale is in the region of 1.5 million. kcal
6. The largest land animal in the world: African elephant. The African elephant is the largest land animal. Male African elephants reach 6 to 7.5 meters (19.7 to 24.6 ft) in length, 3.3 m (10.8 ft) high at the withers, and can weigh up to 6 tons (13,000 lb). Female African elephants are much smaller, measuring on average 5.4 to 6.9 m (17.7 to 22.6 ft) long, 2.7 meters (8.9 ft) high at the withers, and weighing up to reach 3 tons (6600 lb). Adult African elephants generally have no enemies in their natural environment habitat due to their extremely large size, but elephant calves (especially newborns) are one of the favorite types of prey for bloodthirsty attacks by lions or crocodiles, and are also often attacked by leopards or hyenas. According to the latest data, in wildlife The population of African elephants ranges from 500 to 600 thousand individuals.
7. Tallest land animal in the world: giraffe.
The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is an African mammal from the order artiodactyl family Giraffidae It is the tallest land animal in the world. its height averages 5-6 meters (16-20 ft). Male giraffes have an average weight of 1,600 kilograms (3,500 lb), while females can weigh around 830 kilograms (1,800 lb). A distinctive characteristic of the giraffe is its very long neck, which can reach over 2 meters (6 ft 7 in) in length. In fact, the neck accounts for almost half of the animal’s vertical height. The long neck is the result of a disproportionate lengthening of the cervical vertebrae, and not an increase in the number of vertebrae, of which the giraffe, like almost all other mammals, has only seven
8. Top predator in the world: Southern sea Elephant.
The southern elephant seal is the largest carnivore on our planet. The size of the southern elephant seal is evidence of extreme sexual dimorphism, the most significant of any mammal, as male southern elephant seals are typically five to six times heavier than females. While females on average can weigh 400 to 900 kilograms (880 to 2,000 lb) and be 2.6 to 3 meters (8.5 to 9.8 ft) in length, male southern elephant seals weigh on average approximately 2,200 to 4,000 kg (4,900 to 8,800 lb) and can reach 4.5 to 5.8 meters (15 to 19 ft) in length. Absolute record Southern elephant seal, shot at Possession Bay, South Georgia, on February 28, 1913, measured 6.85 meters (22.5 ft) in length and was estimated to weigh approximately 5,000 kilograms (11,000 lb).
Southern marines can dive repeatedly when hunting, remaining underwater for more than twenty minutes each time, stalking their prey, squid and fish, to depths of 400 to 1,000 meters (1,300 to 3,300 ft). The documented record for staying underwater for a juvenile elephant seal was approximately two hours. Maximum depth The depth to which southern elephant seals can dive is more than 1,400 meters (4,600 ft).
9. Largest land predator in the world: Polar bear and Kodiak bear.
The world's largest land-based predators are the white polar bear (Ursus maritimus) and the Kodiak brown bear (Ursus ARCTOS). If everything is more or less clear with the white polar bear, then the Kodiak bear is less known.
10. Kodiak is a subspecies of brown bears that are found on Kodiak Island and other islands of the Kodiak archipelago near south coast Alaska. Since polar polar bear and the Kodiak brown bear have approximately the same body size; it is not clear which of them actually takes first place in terms of size. In both species, the height at the withers is over 1.6 meters (5.2 ft), and the total body length can reach 3.05 m (10.0 ft). Absolute weight record for polar and brown bear was 1003 kg (2210 lb) and 1135 kg (2500 lb) respectively.
11. The largest reptile in the world: Saltwater (combed or spongy) crocodile.
Saltwater crocodile(Crocodylus porosus), is the largest reptile currently existing in the world. The habitat of saltwater crocodiles ranges from Northern Australia to South-East Asia And east coast India. An adult male saltwater crocodile can weigh between 409 and 1,000 kilograms (900-2,200 lb) and is typically between 4.1 and 5.5 meters (13-18 ft) in length. However, males can exceed 6 meters (20 ft) in length and sometimes reach weights of over 1,000 kg (2,200 lb). The saltwater saltwater crocodile is the only crocodile species that regularly reaches lengths of 4.8 m (16 ft) and even exceeds this mark. The saltwater crocodile is an active predator that feeds primarily on insects, molluscs, amphibians, crustaceans, small reptiles and fish. However, it attacks almost any animal that is on its territory, either in the water or on land. The crocodile always drags the victim it watches on land into the water, where it is more difficult for it to resist it.
12. The largest amphibian in the world: the Chinese giant salamander.
The Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) is the largest salamander in the world. Individual specimens of the Chinese giant salamander can reach a length of 180 centimeters (6 feet), although giants like these are now extremely rare. This species is endemic mountain rivers and lakes in China. One of the conditions necessary for the survival of the Chinese giant salamander is clean and very cold water.
13. Today, the species is considered critically endangered due to habitat destruction, pollution and targeted killing, as the meat of the giant amphibian is considered a delicacy and is used in traditional Chinese medicine.
14. Largest rabbit/hare in the world: "Belgian Flanders". The Belgian Flanders is an ancient breed of domesticated rabbit that originates from the Flemish region.
15. They were first bred in the sixteenth century in the vicinity of Ghent, Belgium. Belgian Flanders rabbits can weigh up to 12.7 kilograms (28 pounds).
16. Largest bat in the world: giant golden flying fox. Pictured: a giant golden flying fox. Spectacled flying fox.
The largest of all bat species is the giant golden flying fox (Acerodon jubatus), an endangered species of bat from the rainforests of the Philippines that is part of the fruit bat family. The main diet of giant golden flying foxes is fruit. Giant golden flying foxes can have a maximum weight of 1.5 kg (3.3 lb), they can reach 55 centimeters (22 in) in length, and their wingspan can be almost 1.8 meters (5.9 ft). The giant flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus) is inferior to the golden flying fox in body weight and length, but is ahead of it in wingspan. Scientists recorded individuals with wingspans ranging from 1.83 meters (6.0 ft) to 2 meters (6.6 ft).
17. The largest rodent in the world: capybara.
The largest existing rodent is the capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), a species that is found along the shores of various bodies of water in the tropical and temperate parts of the Central and South America, east of the Andes - from Panama to Uruguay to northeast Argentina. One of the main conditions for the existence of a capybara is the presence of a nearby body of water.
18. The largest capybaras can reach 1.5 meters (4.9 ft) in length and 0.9 meters (3.0 ft) in height at the withers. They can weigh up to 105.4 kg (232 lb). This is a very active species. Capybaras are social animals that live in groups of up to hundreds of individuals, but the usual size of one colony is on average 10-20 individuals.
19. Largest bony fish in the world: common sunfish (sunfish, headfish).
Osteichthyes, also called "bony fish", are a taxonomic group of fish that have bony rather than cartilaginous skeletons. The vast majority of fish belong to the species Osteichthyes. This is an extremely diverse and numerous group, consisting of more than 29,000 species. This is the largest class of vertebrates currently existing.
20. The largest representative bony fish is the widespread common sunfish (sunfish, headfish) or Mola Mola. It has an extremely strange body shape - it is laterally compressed, very high and short, which gives the fish an outlandish appearance and a disk-like shape. In fact, it does not have a body as such - the sunfish is literally a “head and tail”. Mature Common Headfish have an average length of 1.8 meters (5.9 feet), a fin-to-fin width of 2.5 meters (8.2 feet), and an average weight of 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds). However, scientists have recorded individuals that can be up to 3.3 meters (10.8 feet) long and 4.2 meters (14 feet) across. These giants can weigh up to 2,300 kilograms (5,100 pounds).
21. Largest lizard/ snake in the world: giant green anaconda.
The giant anaconda, sometimes also called the green anaconda (Eunectes murinus), is a species of snake in the subfamily Boa constrictors. It lives in the tropical part of South America east of the Andes, Paraguay, Northern Bolivia, French Guiana. The maximum recorded body length is 7.5 meters (25 feet), and the maximum recorded weight reaches 250 kilograms (550 pounds), although there are rumors of green anacondas being much larger. The reticulated python (Python reticulatus) of Southeast Asia is larger in body length but slimmer, and members of this species are reported to reach a maximum length of 9.7 meters (32 ft).
22. The world's largest bird: ostrich.
The ostrich, the largest bird on our planet (Struthio Camelus), is found on the plains of Africa and Arabia. The scientific name of ostrich comes from Greek and means “camel sparrow.” A large male ostrich can reach a height of 2.8 meters (9.2 feet), and weigh more than 156 kilograms (345 pounds). Ostrich eggs can weigh up to 1.4 kilograms (3 pounds) and are the largest bird eggs V modern world. Ostriches can develop when running maximum speed up to 97.5 km/h (60.6 mph), making the ostrich the fastest bird on earth and the fastest bipedal creature in the world.
The Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus) is a member of the pelican family. The Dalmatian Pelican's habitat covers a large area from South-Eastern Europe to India and China. Dalmatian pelicans live in swamps and shallow lakes. It is the largest of the pelicans, and on average members of this species can reach 160-180 centimeters (63-70 inches) in length, and weigh 11-15 kilograms (24-33 pounds). The Dalmatian Pelican has a wingspan of just over 3 meters (10 feet). Average weight At 11.5 kilograms (25 pounds), the Dalmatian pelican is the heaviest flying bird. Although a large male bustard or swan can exceed a pelican in maximum weight.
24. Largest arthropod in the world: Japanese spider crab.
The Japanese spider crab is a species of sea crab that lives in the waters off the coast of Japan. It has a leg span of 3.8 meters (12 feet) and can weigh up to 41 pounds (19 kilograms).
26. In its natural habitat, Japanese spider crab feeds on shellfish and animal carcasses and its lifespan can be up to 100 years.
Go to the section table of contents:Sharks
Family: Cetornidae = Basking sharks
Genus: Cetorhinus = Basking sharks
Elephant shark = Basking shark
L.A. BELOVA
In the winter of 1939 on the shore Atlantic Ocean, near Provincetown in American state Massachusetts, the sea-bleached skeleton of a huge animal was found. Its length was about 7.5 m. And although the huge skull resembled the skull of a fish, the four truncated legs, or rather the “bones” from them, and the long elongated spine caused bewilderment. Soon people were talking about the “sea serpent” all along the coast.
But, as it turned out, 
years ago this belonged to the giant shark (Cetorhinus maximus) - the second largest shark extant today. This fish can reach 14 m in length and weigh up to 10 tons. This is only slightly less than the “record holder” - the whale shark (Rhincodon typus). The pectoral fins of a giant shark are large and powerful - they serve as “load-bearing planes” that do not allow the heavy front half of the fish’s body to fall down when swimming. When dead body If a giant shark is washed ashore and the soft tissues decompose, then the remains of these fins are preserved next to the elongated skull and long spine. And if it was a male shark, then near the skeleton you can also find a couple of meter-long pterygopodia. As a result, it seems that the remains of some mysterious four-legged creature lie on the shore.
Very large specimens of the giant shark are rare, but even “small” individuals of this species look impressive - their average length 4–8 m, and weight – from 3 to 6 tons. Despite its terrifying appearance, the giant shark is a harmless creature. This fish feeds on plankton, which it collects by cruising near the surface of the water at a speed of two to three knots (3–5 km/h) with its mouth wide open and filtering through its gills up to 2000, and according to other sources, up to 6000 tons of water every hour. The teeth of the giant shark are small, no more than 0.5 cm. But the gill slits are huge - they cover the head from the back to the throat, and when the fish protrudes its gills, it seems that its head is about to break off from the body. And through the open mouth you can see the inside of the gill cavity. Each gill arch carries 1000–1300 long horny gills 
ridges on which planktonic organisms settle. The stomach of the giant shark is very large; in large specimens, about 1 ton of planktonic mass was found in it.
In some young specimens of the giant shark, the laterally compressed snout hangs over the mouth like a trunk, and the head is flattened on the sides, which gives the fish a resemblance to an old elephant with sunken cheeks. Such fish were called “elephant sharks”, and they were long considered representatives a separate type. In adult basking sharks, the snout is less curved, and the resemblance to an elephant disappears.
The giant shark lives in moderately cold and temperate waters of both hemispheres. Individual specimens are also found here - off the coast of the Kola Peninsula and even in the White Sea. In summer, basking sharks actively feed or drift slowly, protruding their dorsal and caudal fins and the tip of their snout from the water. For this, the British call them basking shark - a shark basking in the sun. These fish live alone or in small groups.
Almost nothing is known about the reproduction of the basking shark. The smallest fish of this species ever caught had a length of 165 cm. Based on indirect data, it can be judged that these sharks are ovoviviparous and give birth to 1–2 cubs, and the “pregnancy” lasts at least 3 years.
In winter, when the number of planktonic organisms drops and the water temperature becomes low, basking sharks are practically invisible. Many researchers believe that at this time, the energy expenditure when swimming to collect plankton would be much higher than the shark could obtain from food. Therefore, these fish are probably inactive during the winter, which allows them to economically use up the fat reserves accumulated in the summer. They lie passively on the ocean floor in such a position that the current ensures the flow of water through the gills. But what the situation really is is unknown - maybe the fish simply migrate south and stay far from the shores.
Fat reserves are deposited mainly in the liver, the weight of which can be up to 20% of the total weight of the fish. Because of this oil, which was used for technical purposes, basking sharks have long been hunted along the Atlantic coast of Europe. Seeing an animal grazing in plankton fields, hunters approached it in boats or small vessels and hurled harpoons at it. When it became known that shark liver oil contains more vitamins than the classic “fish oil” - cod, the demand for basking sharks increased sharply. Especially many sharks were caught during World War II. Then the boom passed, but the reserves of these amazing fish turned out to be undermined. Nowadays the giant shark is rare and is listed in the International Red Book...