Largest Animals in the World: The Biggest on Land and Sea

Records versus estimates: how giant animals are measured

Measuring a giant is harder than it sounds. Few blue whales have ever been weighed whole; most weights come from whales cut up and weighed in pieces during the whaling era, with extra allowance for lost blood and fluids. Many famous size records are single old reports that cannot be checked today.

Length can also be measured in different ways, along a straight line or along the curve of the body, which adds several percent. Throughout this list, we give typical adult sizes first and then the largest reliable records, and we say when a figure is only an estimate.

The biggest animals at a glance

1. Blue whale: the largest animal ever

The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) has a maximum confirmed length of about 29.9–30.5 m (98–100 ft) and an estimated maximum weight of 190–200 tonnes, heavier than any dinosaur known. Most adults are smaller than these record giants. Remarkably, it feeds on krill, shrimp-like animals only a few centimeters long, gulping huge mouthfuls of water and straining them through baleen plates.

Whaling killed hundreds of thousands of blue whales in the 20th century, and the species is still listed as Endangered. For more comparisons, read How big is a blue whale?

2. Fin whale: the second longest whale

The fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) is the second longest whale after the blue whale. The biggest individuals reportedly measured 26–27 m (85–90 ft), although most are much smaller. It is slender and fast, which has earned it the nickname “greyhound of the sea.” Like the blue whale, it was heavily hunted and is listed as Vulnerable.

3. Sperm whale: the largest predator

The sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest toothed animal and the largest predator on Earth. Males average about 16 m (52 ft) long, larger males reach 18–19 m (59–62 ft), and an 18 m (59 ft) male is estimated to weigh about 57 tonnes. Females are much smaller. Sperm whales dive more than 2,000 m (6,600 ft) deep to hunt squid, and they have the largest brain of any animal.

4. Whale shark: the largest fish

The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest living fish and the largest animal that is not a whale. The biggest reliably recorded individual measured 18.8 m (61.7 ft). A long-term study at Ningaloo Reef in Australia found that males average about 8–9 m (26–30 ft), while females grow larger. It is a gentle filter feeder that swallows plankton and small fish, and it is listed as Endangered. See how it measures up against the biggest whale in whale shark vs blue whale.

5. Southern elephant seal: the largest seal

Bull southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) of the sub-Antarctic weigh about 3,000–3,700 kg (6,600–8,200 lb) and measure 4.6–5.8 m (15–19 ft) long, making them the largest seals and the largest members of the order Carnivora. Females weigh only 350–900 kg (770–1,980 lb), one of the greatest size differences between the sexes of any mammal.

6. African bush elephant: the largest land animal

The African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the heaviest animal on land. Fully grown bulls stand about 3–3.4 m (10–11 ft) at the shoulder and weigh 5.2–6.9 tonnes (11,500–15,200 lb). The largest one on record stood about 4 m (13 ft) tall at the shoulder and weighed an estimated 10.4 tonnes. An adult eats roughly 150 kg (330 lb) of plants a day.

7. Giraffe: the tallest animal

The giraffe is the tallest living animal. Bulls usually stand 4.9–5.7 m (16–19 ft) to the top of the head, and females 4.3–5 m (14–16.5 ft). The tallest giraffe in record books, a bull named George at Chester Zoo in England, was listed at about 5.8 m (19 ft). Its neck alone can be about 2 m (6.6 ft) long, yet it has the same number of neck bones as a human: seven.

8. White rhinoceros and hippopotamus: the next heaviest on land

After elephants, the heaviest land animals are the white rhinoceros and the hippopotamus. White rhino bulls average about 2,000–2,300 kg (4,400–5,100 lb), with reliable records up to 3,600 kg (7,900 lb). Hippo bulls average around 1,500 kg (3,300 lb), and big ones exceed 2,500 kg (5,500 lb).

9. Polar bear: the largest land carnivore

Male polar bears (Ursus maritimus) usually weigh 300–800 kg (660–1,760 lb) and measure 2–2.5 m (6.6–8.2 ft) long, making the polar bear the largest land carnivore. The heaviest on record, a male from Alaska in 1960, reportedly weighed 1,002 kg (2,209 lb). Big Kodiak brown bears from Alaska can be just as large.

10. Saltwater crocodile: the largest reptile

The saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) of Southeast Asia and northern Australia is the largest living reptile. Adult males typically measure 4–5 m (13–16.5 ft), and a few very old males pass 6 m (20 ft) and 1,000 kg (2,200 lb). Lolong, a male captured in the Philippines in 2011, measured 6.17 m (20 ft 3 in) and weighed 1,075 kg (2,370 lb), the largest crocodile ever held in captivity.

11. Leatherback sea turtle: the largest turtle

The leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) is the largest turtle and the heaviest reptile that is not a crocodile. Adults typically weigh 250–700 kg (550–1,540 lb), and the largest verified one weighed about 650 kg (1,433 lb). Instead of a hard shell, it has a leathery back. It dives deep for jellyfish and is listed as Vulnerable.

12. Green anaconda and reticulated python: the largest snakes

The heaviest snake is the green anaconda of South America, and the longest is the reticulated python of Southeast Asia, reliably measured at nearly 7 m (23 ft). Snake sizes are often exaggerated, so verified records are much smaller than legends. Find the full ranking in largest snakes in the world.

13. Common ostrich: the largest bird

The common ostrich (Struthio camelus) of Africa is the tallest and heaviest living bird. Males stand 2.1–2.75 m (6 ft 11 in–9 ft) tall and usually weigh 100–130 kg (220–290 lb). It cannot fly, but it is the fastest animal on two legs. For the biggest flying birds and widest wings, see largest birds in the world.

14. Chinese giant salamanders: the largest amphibians

The Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) and the closely related South China giant salamander (Andrias sligoi) are the largest amphibians alive. They can reach about 1.8 m (5.9 ft) and 50 kg (110 lb), although most are much smaller. These fully aquatic salamanders live in rocky mountain streams and are Critically Endangered because of overcollection for food, habitat loss and pollution.

15. Colossal squid and giant squid: the largest invertebrates

The colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) of the Southern Ocean is the heaviest invertebrate known; one specimen weighed about 495 kg (1,091 lb). It also has the largest eyes of any animal, about 27 cm (11 in) or more across. The giant squid (Architeuthis dux) is lighter but longer: the largest females are estimated at 12–13 m (39–43 ft) including their two long feeding tentacles.

16. Japanese spider crab: the largest arthropod by leg span

The Japanese spider crab (Macrocheira kaempferi) has the longest legs of any arthropod, with a leg span of up to about 3.7 m (12 ft) from claw tip to claw tip. Its body, though, is only about 40 cm (16 in) across. The heaviest arthropod is a different crustacean: the American lobster, whose record weight is 20.1 kg (44.4 lb).

17. Lion’s mane jellyfish: one of the longest animals

The lion’s mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) of cold northern seas is the largest known jellyfish. A specimen measured off the coast of Massachusetts in the 19th century had a bell 2.1 m (7 ft) across and tentacles reported at about 36.6 m (120 ft), longer than a blue whale. Because that figure rests on a single old record, it is best treated as an exceptional case.

18. Biggest insects and spiders

Land invertebrates stay far smaller than ocean giants, partly because insects breathe through tiny air tubes and all arthropods must molt their hard exoskeletons to grow. Even so, the Goliath birdeater of South America is the heaviest spider, at up to about 175 g (6.2 oz) and 13 cm (5.1 in) of body length. Africa’s Goliath beetles, up to about 11 cm (4.3 in) long, rank among the heaviest adult insects, and their larvae can weigh more than 100 g (3.5 oz).