The largest animal in the sea world. Ocean animal

We all know well that the largest animals, or giant animals, lived on our Earth millions of years ago - these are various dinosaurs, mammoths, terrible birds and many, many other prehistoric animals. Their gigantic size and appearance seem stunning to us today.

But even today our world is full of the most amazing creatures that amaze with their shapes and sizes. It’s even hard to imagine what could have influenced their height and weight, but they are who they are, the main thing is that they feel quite comfortable among us. What kind of animals are these, and in what natural conditions do they live? We’ll talk about this today. The rating is based on the weight, height and also length of the animals.

1 place. Blue or blue whale

The largest living animal on Earth is the blue or blue whale (lat. Balaenoptera musculus). Even dinosaurs cannot compete with him - his size is impressive. This marine mammal grows up to 30 meters in length, can weigh more than 180 tons, even the tongue of this giant weighs about 2.7 tons (the size of a medium-sized Asian elephant). The blue whale's heart weighs about 600 kilograms - it is the largest heart in the world.

The huge lungs of the blue whale (the volume of which is 3 thousand liters) allow it to remain at a depth without oxygen for about 20 minutes. The maximum speed developed by this mammal is about 35 km/h, and the fountain it produces when reaching the surface is up to 10 m.

2nd place. Sperm whale

The next representative is (lat. Physeter catodon) is the only representative of the sperm whale family today. It is the largest among toothed whales. The male sperm whale grows up to 20 m in length, and weighs up to 50 tons. Females are less impressive in size - from 11 to 13 m, and weigh about 15 tons.

Interestingly, the head of an adult makes up approximately 35% of the total body length. There are sperm whales of larger sizes, but this is rather the exception. In nature, sperm whales have practically no enemies. The exception is killer whales, which attack females and calves; they cannot compete with an adult male.

3rd place. African elephant

African elephant (lat. Loxodonta africana) is the largest land animal living on earth. Includes two types - and. It occupies an honorable third place in this ranking. With a height of 3 to 3.5 meters and a body length of 6-7.5 m, the mass of these animals can reach up to 6, or even 12 tons. Female African elephants are smaller than males: they grow up to 2.7 meters in height and 5.4-6.9 m in length.

Despite its impressive size, it can move at a speed of 35-40 km/h (it can easily overtake a person). He can eat 300 kg of plant food per day. Due to its enormous mass, it sleeps standing up. A very smart animal that is capable of mutual assistance and compassion. But, despite this, it is one of the most dangerous animals on the planet.

4th place. Indian elephant

Indian or Asian elephant (lat. Elephas maximum) is the second largest land animal after the African elephant. The height can reach 2.5-3.5 m, the length of its body is about 5.5-6 m, and this elephant’s tail is not short - 1-1.5 m. This elephant can weigh from 5 to 5.5 tons . Females, just like African elephants, are much smaller.

These elephants are forest dwellers. They prefer light tropical and subtropical broad-leaved forests with dense undergrowth, which consists of shrubs and bamboo. They move easily through dense forests and swampy areas. They live in groups led by the oldest and most experienced female.

5th place. Southern elephant seal

Southern elephant seal (lat. Mirounga leonina) – considered the largest pinniped in the world. These large and corpulent animals can grow up to 6 m in length and weigh up to 4-5 tons.

They can stay under water for about 2 hours (an officially registered record), and dive to a depth of more than 1300 meters. They spend their entire lives in the ocean, and rarely come to land - mainly during the breeding season.

6th place. Hippopotamus or hippopotamus

Hippopotamus (lat. Hippopotamus amphibius) is a mammal from the order Artiodactyla and the suborder Porciniformes. Native to Africa.

Hippos can reach up to 1.5-1.65 meters, their body length can be from 3 to 5 meters, and their weight can be 3 tons or more. These animals increase their mass throughout their lives, their teeth also grow throughout their lives and can reach 0.5 m in length. Interestingly, the skin alone weighs 0.5 tons.

7th place. White rhinoceros

White rhinoceros (lat. Ceratotherium simum) – the 2nd largest herbivore on the planet. Adults grow in height - up to 1.6-2 m, in length - about 3.8-4.2 m.

The average weight of a white rhinoceros is about 3 tons; there are individuals much larger - about 8 tons. Interestingly, the white rhinoceros is not white at all, but rather gray. It probably received this name from a distorted Boer word “wijde”, which means “wide-faced” - consonant with the English word “white” (Russian white).

8th place. Walrus

Walruses (lat. Odobenus rosmarus) is one of the ancient large animals that have existed since the last ice age. Fossils found in San Francisco Bay date back approximately 28,000 years.

And even now these giants grow up to 3 m in length and weigh up to 2 tons, the thickness of the skin (on the neck and shoulders of males) is up to 10 cm, and the layer of fat is up to 15 cm. Large ones are perfectly adapted for life in the harsh conditions of the Arctic. They feed mainly on shellfish, but can also eat fish.

9th place. Black rhinoceros

Black rhinoceros (lat. Rhinoceros bicornis) – slightly finer than white. The weight of this animal does not exceed 1.5-2 tons, the body length is about 3-3.5 meters, the height at the shoulders is 1.5-1.6 m. Their habit of moving along the same paths and poor eyesight makes them vulnerable and defenseless against poachers.

The black rhinoceros has no natural enemies, so it is not at all timid and because of this it automatically becomes an easy trophy for hunters. Interestingly, the body of the black rhinoceros is more elongated in length and it is lighter than the white one.

10th place. Saltwater crocodile

Saltwater, or saltwater crocodile (lat. Crocodylus porosus) is the largest and most massive reptile on the planet. The saltwater crocodile can grow up to 5.5-7 meters (usually 5 m) in length, the weight of an adult (male) is from 409 kg to 1.5 tons.

Interesting fact: it has a high commercial value because of its skin, from which various types of clothing, shoes, etc. are made. It is hunted and bred on crocodile farms.

Modern species of animals are absolutely not inferior in size to prehistoric animals, but if people do not treat wild nature with due respect, then they will all become extinct just like those that lived millions of years ago.

Let's take a look at the giants that still walk the Earth.

15. Giant flying fox ≈ 1.5 kg

The largest bat on Earth. These bats live in the Philippines. The fox's body size is about 55 cm, weight is 1.5 kg, but the wingspan is very respectable - up to 1.8 meters.

14. Belgian Flanders Giant – up to 25 kg

Domesticated form of the hare (rabbit). The main selection was carried out in the meat and skin direction, which left an imprint on its size. This is the largest breed of rabbit. Their average weight is 10-12 kg, the maximum recorded is 25 kg.

13. Chinese giant salamander ≈ 70 kg

The largest amphibian on Earth. The length of the salamander reaches 180 cm. These amazing creatures live in China, where their meat is revered as a delicacy, so few salamanders grow to their maximum size.

12. Capybara ≈ 105 kg

The largest rodent on Earth. These cute animals live in South America. Adult capybaras grow up to 1.5 meters in length and can gain up to 105 kg in weight. By the way, these rodents happily live next to humans.

11. Giant green anaconda ≈ 250 kg

This is a close relative of the python on Earth. It lives in the tropics of South America. The maximum recorded body length is more than 7.5 meters, and the weight is 250 kilograms. The Asian python surpasses the anaconda in length, which is 9.7 meters, but loses in weight.

10. Polar bear ≈ 500 kg

To find the largest bear in the world you need to go to the Arctic. There, among the snow and ice, live majestic polar bears - the living embodiment of the formidable forces of nature.

The Inuit call polar bears "nanuk", which means "respected".

At birth, a newborn polar bear cub weighs only 700 grams. And the milk it feeds on is superior in fat content to the milk of other types of bears. Just two months after birth, the cub weighs 10 kg.

Until he is one and a half years old, he is accompanied everywhere by his caring mother. And at the age of two, when many human children still have difficulty walking and soil their diapers, a young polar bear has already gained its normal weight and is capable of picking up a seal, a ringed seal, or even a person if he is not careful enough.

Even for the world's largest bear, finding food can be a challenge. Less than two percent of polar bears' hunts are successful, so half their lives are spent searching for food.

9. Saltwater crocodile ≈ 590 kg

Most of the largest animals are not peaceful. But even among them, saltwater crocodiles stand out for their aggressiveness and bloodthirstiness. It even got into the Guinness Book of Records for devouring a thousand Japanese soldiers along with its relatives during World War II.

But it is unlikely that saltwater crocodiles can be counted among the allies, because they would feast on Russian, American, and any other soldiers with the same pleasure.

8. Giraffe ≈ 800 kg

Among the largest animals in the world, giraffes immediately stand out for their long necks. Thanks to her, they are the tallest land creatures on the planet. The neck makes up 1/3 of the length of the animal's body and, at the same time, consists of only seven cervical vertebrae, like most other mammals.

One can safely say about giraffes that they have a big heart. It weighs 12 kilograms, and creates pressure that would terrify any hypertensive patient. The body will go to great lengths to ensure that blood can reach the brain.

Giraffes are also famous for their long tongue. Only they need him not for gossip, but in order to eat leaves from the tallest trees in the African savannah. This organ reaches a length of 45 centimeters.

7. Hippopotamus ≈ up to 4.5 tons

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to the third largest land animal in the world. But hippos don’t really like to walk on the ground. They are semi-aquatic mammals, meaning they spend most of their day in rivers and lakes. This is how they keep their hairless bodies hydrated under the scorching African sun. If the hippopotamus does not have the opportunity to immerse itself in cool water, its skin cracks.

Female hippos began giving birth underwater long before it became a fashionable trend in the human world. By the way, hippos are one of the few mammals whose cubs can suck mother's milk while underwater.

In most European languages, hippopotamus is called "hippopotamus". This word comes from the Latin language (and there, in turn, from Greek) and translated means “river horse.” Of course, this massive creature cannot be compared, but in the water it is very fast and agile.

6. Southern elephant seal ≈ 2.2 tons

Among the largest animals on our planet there are two elephants, one of them is terrestrial, and the other is sea.

This seal got its name from the leather pouch on its nose, which, when restless or during mating fights, inflates, turning into a large ball.

5. White rhinoceros ≈ 2.3 tons

The old rhino joke is that he has poor eyesight, but at such a large size this is no longer his problem. Indeed, these giants do not particularly rely on vision. And even hearing plays a secondary role. But the sense of smell in white rhinoceroses is very well developed. So don't approach it from upwind.

By the way, unlike their small brothers black rhinos, white ones usually run away when they see a person. But Black rushes to attack.

Due to the uncontrolled extermination of white rhinoceroses, the northern subspecies has disappeared. This happened as recently as 2018, when the last male, Sudan, died. So now we can only admire the photos of these largest animals in the world.

But the southern population still exists. But the question is: for how long?

4. African savannah elephant ≈ 7 tons

Here is a seven-ton answer to the question of what is the largest animal among land creatures. Due to its size and body weight, the elephant was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest land mammal. Savannah elephants also have their own heavyweights. Thus, in Angola in 1974, an elephant weighing 12.2 tons was shot.

Like their smaller cousins, African elephants can use their trunks (which have over 40,000 muscles) to lift anything weighing up to 180 kg. Unfortunately, the largest land animal does not boast the largest population. 25,000 elephants die every year due to poaching.

3. Large whale shark ≈ 20 tons

It seems strange that this is not the most terrible representative of the shark species. It doesn't even hunt whales, contrary to its name. Unlike most of its predatory counterparts, the large whale shark is content with plankton for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

This sea giant does not swim very fast, and hardly pays attention to people swimming nearby. Which allows divers to ride on the back of a whale shark if they wish.

In videos of the world's largest animals, you can often see people swimming with whale sharks.

2. Sperm whale ≈ 40 tons

One of the best ways to identify a sperm whale in the ocean is by its massive head. Sperm whales have the largest brain of any living creature on Earth, weighing up to 7.8 kg.

However, the fact that their heads are filled with spermaceti is what makes the biology of these creatures so fascinating. It is the spermaceti sac that accounts for 90% of the weight of the sperm whale's head.

Scientists suggest that it is spermaceti that helps these huge toothed whales dive and emerge from the depths. There must be something that keeps all 40 tons of sperm whale afloat!

1. Blue whale ≈ 150 tons

The largest animal on Earth is a majestic, carnivorous sea creature that weighs a whopping 150 tons and reaches a length of 33 meters. And this is still on average, since whalers encountered 180-ton and even 190-ton whales.

The blue whale's heart is one and a half meters in size, weighs about 180 kilograms, and its aorta is wide enough for a baby to swim through.

However, despite their gigantic size, blue whales are not dangerous to humans. They do not attack swimmers, and feed on krill, small crustaceans, cephalopods and fish.

But a person is the most dangerous enemy for a blue whale. Due to active whaling and severe sea pollution, the largest animal in the world almost disappeared. In 1693, only 5 thousand individuals remained. And although the blue whale population has now grown to 10 thousand individuals, it is still on the verge of extinction.

) whale The length of its body reaches 33 meters, and its weight is about 200 tons. The blue whale is not only the largest in the world, but also the most mysterious: zoologists admit that they still don’t really know anything about these giants. The difficulty in studying the life of these animals is that blue whales live in open oceans, and this presents significant inconveniences in study. It is curious that the heart of a blue whale weighs about 700 kg, and its tongue weighs 4 tons.

As mentioned above, whales are. In other words, they give birth to live young by feeding them milk. Scientists have noted that whale milk is 10 times more nutritious than. This is why baby whales grow quite quickly. They do not suck milk because they do not have lips. The baby whale wraps its mouth around the mother's nipple, and she, in turn, injects milk into his mouth using certain muscles.

The largest sea animals in the world swim at speeds of up to 50 km/h. In addition, they are excellent divers. For example, the sperm whale can dive to depths of up to 3000 meters. A thick layer of fat helps whales dive to such radical depths, saving them from hypothermia. These animals can not float to the surface for as long as 2 hours thanks to a special overgrown nostril that retains air during this time.

The stomach of the world's largest sea animal can hold up to 3 tons of food. A peculiar way of feeding divides whales into grabbers (toothed whales) and filter feeders (baleen whales). The first species includes killer whales, dolphins and sperm whales. For example, killer whales hunt seals and fur seals, and dolphins feed exclusively on fish. Sperm whales adore squid: they dive to great depths for them.

Baleen whales include bowhead, right and gray whales, as well as minke whales. The huge size of the body and mouth make these animals look quite scary in appearance, but this is far from the case. Baleen whales are one of the most harmless animals in the world! Their esophagus is so small that these creatures feed only on plankton and small crustaceans. Their "whiskers" consist of two rows of horny plates that hang from the upper jaw. The whale filters the water through them, filtering out plankton and tiny crustaceans.

In total, about 86 species of cetaceans live in the world. These creatures live in almost all oceans and seas of planet Earth. Whales are often called the lords of the seas. The famous explorer of the ocean and sea depths, Jacques Cousteau, named one of his books about whales: “The Mighty Lord of the Seas.” Lords of the seas and oceans live up to 50 years.

The phrase “World Ocean” evokes a slight trembling in the soul. It seems like something large-scale and powerful, with beautiful colors, strange inhabitants and a gloomy bottom fraught with danger. This is true! A person living on land rarely thinks that every second somewhere under the water such a mysterious life is seething or quietly flowing.

World Ocean

It is known that our planet is mostly made of water. Images from space, where blue color predominates, confirm this. At the same time, it is still called Earth, and not some kind of “Waterland” or “Oceania”. Do not forget that there is moisture in the earth itself.

Three quarters of the planet's surface is occupied by water - the World Ocean. It is believed that it is united and simply divided by continents into different oceans. Therefore, when you hear about the Pacific, Arctic or another ocean, know that we are talking only about part of the World Ocean.

The ocean is divided into four main parts: Pacific, Indian, Atlantic and Arctic. Each of them includes seas, bays and straits.

Already in the 15th century, people sought to explore the World Ocean; sailors set out on expeditions to study the boundaries of water spaces. Of course, only superficial data was collected at that time. The depths began to reveal their secrets much later, and today they are not fully explored. Ocean inhabitants often become heroes of feature and scientific films, which everyone enjoys watching.

Alive organisms

Thanks to explorers, mariners and operators of the deep sea, we know that life also exists in the aquatic environment of the ocean. It is unlikely that they themselves can know and convey all the diversity of underwater life, the beauty of the ocean floor and the power of water.

Plant and animal refers to the living organisms that inhabit its space. Scientists derive classifications of the species, subspecies and classes that make up these worlds.

The inhabitants of the ocean: mollusks, crustaceans, plants and many others - live their lives without looking back at humanity and progress. The underwater ocean is beautiful and unique, leaving people with a lot of mysteries.

Pacific Ocean

It is considered the warmest, largest and deepest. The Pacific or Great Ocean contains more than half of all living organisms in the world's oceans. The animals of the Pacific Ocean fascinate with their sizes, shapes, and colors.

In its depths live the mammals sperm whales, whales, as well as dugans, crayfish, giant squids and many other representatives of marine fauna. The shark, an animal of the ocean that terrifies people, is very common here. Several species of these fish live in the ocean: blue, mako, fox, whale and representatives of other species. It is noteworthy that in the Pacific Ocean and its seas there are unique species of sharks, representatives of which are no longer found in other waters.

The abundance and abundance of any ocean is influenced by many factors: phytoplankton, currents, water temperature and environmental pollution. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a consequence of man's careless attitude towards nature; it causes colossal damage to flora and fauna.

Fishing is thriving in settlements on the shores. Most of the world's catch that ends up on the table of the inhabitants of planet Earth is obtained from the Pacific Ocean.

Many animals of the Pacific Ocean are found in the Atlantic and Indian. But there are rare and unique representatives that live only here.

Indian Ocean

Its flora and fauna are extremely diverse. The third largest and deepest ocean is rich in unusual organisms that glow at night: certain peridines, tunicates.

The Indian Ocean under the surface of the water hides a variety of fish (coryphens, tuna, sharks), reptiles (turtles, snakes), mammals (whales, sperm whales, dolphins, seals, elephant seals). There are many inhabitants above the surface of the ocean: albatrosses, frigates, penguins.

A very beautiful and large animal of the ocean is the sea devil (or Manta). This is an amazing animal weighing more than two tons. It is noteworthy that the sea devil is an absolutely harmless creature. Relatively recently, people considered him a bloodthirsty killer, but, as it turned out, nature did not endow him with either deadly or defensive weapons. If he meets a carnivorous shark on his way, he will probably say goodbye to his life.

The food of this inhabitant of aquatic spaces is plankton, larvae and small fish. It filters the water, leaving the food in the mouth. It is noteworthy that the brain of this representative of the fauna is much larger than that of stingrays or sharks. The sea devil is very curious and happily coexists with divers.

Environmental problems have also affected the Indian Ocean, especially animals in the seas and oceans suffer from the oil film.

Arctic Ocean

It is the smallest of the four parts of the World Ocean. Due to harsh weather conditions, its flora and fauna are not so diverse. Most of the surface of the water is covered with ice; it drifts, freezing to the shores.

It is worth noting that although the variety of fauna species here is significantly inferior, the animals of the Arctic Ocean are larger and live longer than their counterparts from other waters.

The inhabitants of the coldest ocean include: fish (150 species), birds (30 penguins, walruses, beluga whales, whales.

Perhaps the most beautiful and dangerous animal of the ocean is the polar bear. This beautiful and powerful beast feeds on fish, seals, carcasses of dead whales and birds. All year round, the polar bear deftly swims underwater and climbs onto ice floes in search of prey. The average life expectancy of a bear is 15-20 years, but many die young - up to five years.

Environmental problems of the Arctic Ocean are the most pressing issue, since in addition to pollution and the disappearance of some populations, we are talking about melting ice and global warming.

Atlantic Ocean

The second largest ocean contains almost all species of animal life in the entire Pacific Ocean. This diversity was made possible thanks to the climate. The fauna of the Atlantic Ocean is distributed zonally; the Atlantic is famous for its boundaries and the number of ocean deserts.

Flora and fauna are very diverse. The most colorful animal in the ocean is perhaps - there are 16 species of flying fish. They “fly up” from the water and lay eggs on any floating object.

Environmental problems of the world's oceans

The development of civilization and technological progress bring a lot of useful and even vital things to people, but this is what destroys nature, including the World Ocean. The populations of many animals have been lost irretrievably, and species of animals and plants of the deep sea are disappearing every year.

Human activity and inactivity inevitably entails sad consequences. And although the seas and oceans are under the care of the UN and a special unit of the IMO, the future of the World Ocean is in danger.

People should protect the oceans for many reasons, the main ones being its resources and the “road” connecting the continents.

People tend to experience inexplicable delight at the sight of everything huge. Animals are no exception: elephants, whales and other giants of the fauna world invariably attract our attention and fascinate. But we will not talk about them here, but about the most outstanding representatives of the animal world, belonging to species that are not usually associated with particularly impressive sizes. So outstanding that it is difficult to believe in the real existence of some of them on our planet.

1. Goliath tarantula spider. What do we know about spiders? They are small, sometimes poisonous creatures with 8 legs that spin webs. They eat flies, which in turn are eaten by lizards and birds. But not always... In front of you is the Goliath tarantula (or Teraphosa Blonda) - the largest spider in the world. It lives in the Amazon jungle and hunts frogs, toads, lizards, mice and even small snakes. It can weigh 175 grams with a limb span of up to 28 cm. But, despite its name, it does not eat birds.

2. Zeus is the tallest dog in the world, according to the 2013 Guinness Book of Records. If Zeus stood on his hind legs, his height was more than 2 meters. The Great Dane's owners called him a gentle giant and said they were often asked if they were sure it was a dog and not a horse. Zeus was a certified therapy dog ​​and loved to sit on his “patients” laps to make them smile. However, due to the weight of 70 kg, these smiles sometimes turned into grimaces. Unfortunately, Zeus is no longer with us, he did not live only 3 days before his sixth birthday.

3. Giant African snail. It's easy to imagine that the giant African snail must be large. It’s not called giant for nothing. But so much so?.. This palm-sized monster lives not only in Africa and, with its voracious appetite and high reproduction rate, poses a serious threat to agriculture.

4. Darius is the largest rabbit in the world. This, if I may say so, bunny weighs 22.5 kg and exceeds 130 cm in length. By the way, he has a son named Jeff, who is still growing, but is already catching up in size with his dad. It costs their kind-hearted owner, 63-year-old Annette Edwards, £5,000 a year to keep the couple.

5. Chinese giant salamander. This thing is the largest modern amphibian; its length, including its tail, can reach 180 cm. Despite its creepy appearance, the Chinese happily eat their gigantic salamanders, so how much they still have left is unknown. But don’t despair, because there is also a Japanese giant salamander, a little smaller.

6. Ludo is the longest cat in the world. Maine Coons are known for being quite large and fluffy cats. But Ludo is not your average Maine Coon. Already at 17 months he weighed more than 11 kg and exceeded 110 cm in length. At the same time, according to his owners, who are themselves shocked by the size of their pet, he eats even less than their other cats. Maine Coons are considered to be very friendly. Would you dare to pet a cat the size of a dog?

7. Goliath frog. If you're afraid of frogs, you'll want to stay away from Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, where this monster lives. Goliath is the largest living frog. The length of its body can reach 30 cm, and even more with outstretched legs. Otherwise, it differs little from the most common frogs; its tadpoles at birth do not have outstanding sizes. They are just growing very actively.

8. Big Jake is the biggest horse in the world. In principle, horses can hardly be called small animals, but even among them there are particularly outstanding individuals. The official height of this Belgian gelding is 210.2 cm, and he weighs more than a ton. Already at birth, he weighed over 100 kg - much more than the average foals of his breed. Big Jake lives on a farm in Wisconsin, works in harness and has quite a following.

9. Liger Hercules. A liger is a hybrid of a male lion and a tigress. And it not only exists, but sometimes reaches colossal proportions. Hercules was registered in the 2006 Guinness Book of Records as the largest feline living on earth. Standing on his hind legs, Hercules is 3.7 meters tall and weighs more than 400 kg. He was born at the Endangered and Rare Species Institute in Miami, Florida, lives at the Florida interactive theme park Jungle Island, and participates in Tiger's Tale every day.

10. Japanese spider crab. This giant, reaching 19 kg in weight and a claw span of 5.5 meters, belongs not on a gourmet’s plate, but on the set of a horror film, you might think, and you’ll be wrong. In Japan, it is considered a delicacy and is actively fished, which leads to a sharp decline in the population. Currently, measures are already being taken to preserve the largest arthropod on earth.

11. Blossom is the tallest cow in the world. Blossom was lucky enough to get into the Guinness Book of Records twice. In 2015, she was recognized as the tallest living cow, but, unfortunately, she did not live long after that. This sad event upset the representatives of the Book of Records so much that the next year they decided to enter it again, this time as the tallest cow in history. This beauty of the Holstein breed was 190 cm tall and weighed close to a ton.

12. Stingray. This monster was caught by American wildlife TV star Jeff Corwin in the Mai Klong River in Thailand. Weighing more than 360kg, the stingray has been hailed as the largest stingray and possibly the largest freshwater fish ever caught in the world.

13. Jellyfish is the longest snake in the world, another Guinness Book of record holder. The length of the reticulated python named Madame Medusa is more than 7.5 meters. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri, belongs to the entertainment group Full Moon Productions and regularly performs in shows for the thrill-seeking crowd. Madame's menu consists of rabbits and piglets, and every 2 weeks she is served a whole deer for dinner. When Medusa is in a good mood, she purrs like a cat. But if it starts to hiss, it’s better to run away quickly, Madame is angry.

14. Lolong is the world's largest saltwater crocodile. Unlike other good-natured giants on this list, Lolong had not only an impressive size, but also an aggressive disposition. In September 2011, a huge crocodile suspected of attacking people was caught near the town of Bunawan, Agusan del Sur province in the Philippines. This required the joint efforts of the authorities, the local population and crocodile hunters, three weeks of continuous hunting and 100 people to pull the animal ashore. What they eventually managed to catch was a 50-year-old saltwater crocodile, 6.17 meters long and weighing just over a ton. Lolong was settled in an eco-park 8 km from Bunawan, where he became a local celebrity and brought in a good income until he died two years later, according to one version, from pneumonia aggravated by stress.

15. Big Bill is the biggest pig in the world. Big Bill set his record back in 1933. But since then, not a single pig has been able to come close to the impressive figures of this giant from Tennessee - weight 1157.5 kg, height 150 cm and length 275 cm.