10 Titans in the animal kingdom

1.Largest animal
Blue whale

The blue whale is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales. At up to 32.9 metres in length and 172 metric tons or more in weight, it is the largest animal ever known to have existed.
Long and slender, the blue whale’s body can be various shades of bluish-grey dorsally and somewhat lighter underneath. There are at least three distinct subspecies: of the North Atlantic and North Pacific, B. m. intermedia of the Southern Ocean and B. m. brevicauda found in the Indian Ocean and South Pacific Ocean. Found in the Indian Ocean, may be another subspecies. As with other baleen whales, its diet consists almost exclusively of small crustaceans known as krill.

2.Largest living land animal
African Bush elephant

The African Bush Elephant is the largest living terrestrial animal, normally reaching 6 to 7.3 metres in length and 3 to 3.5 metres in height at the shoulder, and weighing between 6,000 to 9,000 kg.
The largest on record, shot in Angola in 1965, was a bull weighing 12,274 kg and standing 4.2 metres high, the body of which is now mounted in the rotunda of the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.. The museum’s website states that the specimen weighs only 8 tons.The Bush Elephant normally moves at a rate of 6 km/h , but it can reach a top speed of 40 km/h when scared or upset.

3.Largest living land carnivore
Polar bear

The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world’s largest carnivore species found on land. It is also the largest bear, together with the omnivore Kodiak bear which is approximately the same size. An adult male weighs around 350–680 kg, while an adult female is about half that size. Although it is closely related to the brown bear, it has evolved to occupy a narrow ecological niche, with many body characteristics adapted for cold temperatures, for moving across snow, ice, and open water, and for hunting the seals which make up most of its diet. Although most polar bears are born on land, it spends most of its time at sea, hence its name meaning “maritime bear”, and can hunt consistently only from sea ice, spending much of the year on the frozen sea.

4.Largest reptile
Saltwater crocodile

The saltwater or estuarine crocodile is the largest of all living reptiles. It is found in suitable habitats throughout Southeast Asia, Northern Australia, the Eastern coast of India and the surrounding waters. The Alligator Rivers of Northern Australia are misnamed due to the resemblance of the saltwater crocodile to alligators as compared to freshwater crocodiles, which also inhabit the Northern Territory. An adult male saltwater crocodile’s weight is 600 to 1,000 kilograms and length is normally 4.1 to 5.5 metres, though mature males can be 20 feet or more and weigh 1300 kilograms or larger. This species has the greatest sexual dimorphism of any modern crocodilian, with females being much smaller than males. Typical female body lengths in the range of 2.1 to 3.5 metres. The largest female on record measured about 4.2 metres. The mean weight of the species as a whole is roughly 450 kilograms.

5.Tallest living land animal
Giraffe

The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant. It is covered in large, irregular patches of yellow to black fur separated by white, off-white, or dark yellowish brown background. The average mass for an adult male giraffe is 1,200 kilograms while the average mass for an adult female is 830 kilograms . It is approximately 4.3 metres to 5.2 metres tall, although the tallest male recorded stood almost 6 metres.
The giraffe is related to deer and cattle, but is placed in a separate family, the Giraffidae, consisting of only the giraffe and its closest relative, the okapi. Its range extends from Chad in Central Africa to South Africa.
Giraffes usually inhabit savannas, grasslands, or open woodlands. However, when food is scarce they will venture into areas with denser vegetation. They prefer areas with plenty of acacia growth. They will drink large quantities of water when available, which enables them to live for extended periods in dry, arid areas.

6.Largest living bird

Ostrich
The Ostrich, is a large flightless bird native to Africa. It is the only living species of its family, and its genus, . Ostriches share the order with the kiwis, Emus, and other ratites. It is distinctive in its appearance, with a long neck and legs and the ability to run at maximum speeds of about 45 miles per hour the top land speed of any bird.The Ostrich is the largest living species of bird and lays the largest egg of any living bird .
The diet of the Ostrich mainly consists of plant matter, though it also eats insects. It lives in nomadic groups which contain between five and fifty birds. When threatened, the Ostrich will either hide itself by lying flat against the ground, or will run away. If cornered, it can attack with a kick from its powerful legs. Mating patterns differ by geographical region, but territorial males fight for a harem of two to seven females.
The Ostrich is farmed around the world, particularly for its feathers, which are decorative and are also used for feather dusters. Its skin is used for leather and its meat marketed commercially.

7.Largest amphibian

Chinese giant salamander

The Chinese giant salamander is the largest salamander in the world, reaching a length of 180 cm, although it rarely – if ever – reaches that size today. Endemic to rocky mountain streams and lakes in China, it is considered critically endangered due to habitat loss, pollution, and over-collecting, as it is considered a delicacy and used in traditional Chinese medicine. Records from Taiwan may be the results of introductions. It has been listed as one of the top-10 “focal species” in 2008 by the Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered project.

8.Largest fish
Whale shark

The whale shark, is a slow moving filter feeding shark, the largest living fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of 12.65 metres and a weight of more than 21.5 tonnes , but unconfirmed claims report considerably larger whale sharks. This distinctively-marked fish is the only member of its genus and its family, which belongs to the subclass. The shark is found in tropical and warm oceans, lives in the open sea with a lifespan of about 70 years. The species originated about 6000 years ago. Although whale sharks have very large mouths, they feed mainly, though not exclusively, on plankton, microscopic plants and animals, although the BBC program Planet Earth filmed a whale shark feeding on a school of small fish.

9.Largest invertebrate
Colossal Squid

The Colossal Squid sometimes called the Antarctic or Giant Cranch Squid, is believed to be the largest squid species in terms of mass. Though it is known from only a few specimens, current estimates put its maximum size at 12–14 metres long, based on analysis of smaller and immature specimens, making it the largest known invertebrate.

10.Heaviest insect
Goliath beetle

The Goliath beetles are among the largest insects on Earth, if measured in terms of size, bulk and weight. Goliath beetles can be found in many of Africa’s tropical forests, where they feed primarily on tree sap and fruit. Little appears to be known of the larval cycle in the wild, but in captivity, Goliathus beetles have been successfully reared from egg to adult using protein-rich foods such as commercial cat and dog food. Goliath beetles measure from 60–110 millimetres for males and 50–80 millimetres for females, as adults, and can reach weights of up to 80–100 grams in the larval stage, though the adults are only about half this weight. The females range from a dark brown to silky white, but the males are normally brown/white/black or black/white.