There are hundreds of thousands of species of animals of all sizes on earth, among them true giants, whose size, although inferior to prehistoric monsters, is much larger than the animals we usually see around us.
1. Blue whale
The blue whale, also known as the blue whale, is the largest animal known to man on land and in the ocean. It is one of the mustachioed whales. In the last century, an individual weighing 150 tons and 33 meters in length was caught. The tongue of a blue whale alone can weigh 3 tons, which is almost the weight of an Indian elephant! The heart of this whale is also big - 600 kg, and it is also the biggest pump among all the animals. It is comparable in size to a small car.
Blue whales are found not only in tropical waters, but also in circumpolar seas. But a giant of such impressive size is quite harmless, because it feeds on small fish, cephalopod mollusks and large crustaceans. Blue whales have poor eyesight and sense of taste, but their sense of touch and hearing are well developed. Blue whales are very smart and peaceful, but this does not save them from destruction because of the valuable whalebone and fat. That is why there has long been a strict restriction on whale catching in the world, which, however, is not adhered to by some countries.
2. African elephant
It belongs to the trunk family. At a height of 4 m at the withers, it weighs up to 7.5 tons. It inhabits the entire African territory south of the Sahara. There are two subspecies: the small forest elephant and the large savanna elephant. The African savanna elephant is larger than the Indian elephant - it is the largest land animal. The African elephant population numbers about 415,000 and continues to decline.
This intelligent mammal exhibits the abilities of mutual aid and assistance. Often one elephant will use a stick to remove a leech that has sucked on a fellow elephant. At the same time, it is one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. Due to their size, adult elephants have no natural enemies in their habitat, but baby elephants can be easy prey for crocodiles or lions, as well as hyenas and leopards.
3. White Rrhinoceros
The white rhinoceros is second only to the elephant in size among land animals: it weighs up to 5 tons and is up to 4.2 m long and 4.2 m high at the withers. In fact, the white rhinoceros is dark gray in color. He has two horns on his head, which the rhino uses in "showdown" with competitors, but they almost led him to extinction. These herbivorous giants live in northwestern and southern Africa.
4. Southern Sea Elephant
It is the largest species of seal among the largest terrestrial mammals. Specimens weighing 3.5 tons and 6.5 meters in length have been recorded. The elephant seal has a trunk, but it is only about 10 cm long. In total, there are about 750 thousand southern elephant seals in Antarctica. Their colonies can be found on the islands and archipelagos surrounding Antarctica: Heard, South Georgia, Kerguelen, Macquarie. When hunting, these animals are able to dive for more than 20 minutes, to depths of 400-1000 meters, where they catch fish and squid. There is a record of this animal staying underwater for two hours.
5. Hippo
He is also a hippopotamus, a cloven-hoofed animal of the suborder Porcine species. This giant is common in Africa. At 5.4 meters long, it can weigh up to 4 tons. It lives half in the water, though it can also run very fast on the shore. The hippo's huge mouth is capable of opening 150 degrees. This is the most aggressive African animal, which attacks if it does not like something.
6. Giraffe
It is the tallest and most graceful animal living in the African savannas. It weighs up to 1.2 tons and is six meters tall. Although it has an incredibly long neck, it, like other mammals, has only 7 vertebrae. The giraffe has an exceptionally strong heart, pumping 60 liters of blood per minute and creating three times the pressure of ours. The giraffe eats approximately 30 kilograms of plant food in a day. Each giraffe has a unique skin pattern.
7. White Bear
A mature polar bear can weigh a ton and be 3 meters long. The largest bears live in the Bering Sea. Unlike other bears, the polar bear has an elongated neck and flat head. It eats seals, fish, walruses, and sea hares. It has a thick layer of fat under its thick, non-wetting fur, which makes it feel great in icy water.
8. Sea Crocodile
The largest of today's reptiles are saltwater crocodiles, whose females are small (only 3 m), but males grow up to 7 m and can weigh a ton. Their habitat is Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, though they sometimes appear in other places as they can travel considerable distances by sea. In shallow water or on the shore, the saltwater crocodile is very dangerous because it sneaks up on its prey quietly. Many people fall prey to it every year.
9. African Ostrich
Now it is the largest bird in the world, weighing up to 150 kg and 2.5 meters tall. The ostrich has long since forgotten how to fly, but runs like a champion in steps up to 4 meters, developing a serious speed of up to 70 km/h. At the same time, without slowing down, he can sharply change the direction of flight. Surely, many have heard about ostrich burying its head in the sand, but these are only fairy tales: simply from fatigue after running it can drop it.
10. Giant Anaconda
This member of the boa constrictor subfamily is the heaviest and largest in the world. Anacondas are said to be 9 meters long, but no such size has been officially recorded; scientists lean toward the more realistic figure of 6.7 meters. The anaconda has a discreet greenish-gray coloration with darker brown spots. It is mainly found in the South American tropics. This snake is tied to water and is hard to find away from bodies of water. It is an excellent swimmer and hunters underwater. It feeds on everything it comes across - birds, rodents, turtles, even young caimans. The largest specimens can attack large animals, including humans. Like all boa constrictors, the anaconda is not venomous, but chokes and swallows its prey whole.
Thank you for reading to the end, do not miss new publications. Suggest in the comments what else to make the top 10.
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