Largest Animals in the World

Want to know which are the largest animals in the world? The animal kingdom is a vast realm of specimens of all kinds: big and small, tough and delicate, carnivores and herbivores, dangerous and endangered. For this particular countdown we chose to rank the largest animals to inhabit this planet and we took into account every aspect that large encompasses, including weight, length, and height.

Make sure you check out our list on the World’s Most Famous Animals and find out which are the beastliest celebrities right now.

Are you curious about the largest animals in the world? Let’s take a look at the impressive countdown.

10. Chinese Giant Salamander

With a length of 180 cm and a weight of around 65 kg, the Chinese giant salamander is the largest amphibian on Earth right now. Since the 1950s, the population of this animal has declined significantly by more than 80%. The conservation status of the Chinese giant salamander is classified as critically endangered, and the causes behind this include overhunting, pollution, and habitat loss.

9. Giraffe

This well-known African mammal is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant too. Giraffes are very elongated and their necks are the most striking thing about them; they can be over two meters long, which is a significant part of their full height (somewhere between five and 6 meters).

8. Great White Shark

The great white shark is one of the largest animals in the world and probably one of the scariest ones. This enormous predator can grow to be over 6 m long and weigh more than 3000 kg. Only threatened by the orca, the great white shark is known to have attacked humans on several occasions.

7. Southern Elephant Seal

The southern elephant seal is a ferocious carnivore and one of the largest animals on this planet. There’s a significant difference in size and weight between male and female specimens: male southern elephant seals weigh about three times as much as females.  In fact, the largest known male specimen weighed 5,000 kg and was almost 7 m long.

6. Saltwater Crocodile

Also known as the Indo-Pacific crocodile, the saltwater crocodile is the largest living of all reptiles and also one of the world’s biggest animals. Males can weigh up to 2,000 kg and reach a length of almost 7 m, and their size is a great advantage when it comes to hunting their prey.