The Biggest and Longest Animals
We have compiled an exciting list of records about the largest and longest animals just for you!
What is the most accurate to find out which creature is the biggest? After all, the longest animal is not necessarily the biggest. The elephant, for instance, can get more than 22.9 feet (7 meters) long but “only” 12.99 feet (3.96 meters) high. The giraffe is up to 20 feet (6 meters) high but has a very short body.
The solution: You have to combine height and the length of an animal to find out which one is the biggest. The blue whale is the biggest animal, because in addition to its length of more than 108.2 feet (33 meters) it has a huge girth and a massive body.
Top 20 Tallest Animals (Body Height)
There are animals that are not as long but rather tall, such as the giraffe. If you feel dizzy when looking down a 16.4 feet (5 meters) springboard, you get an idea of how things look from a giraffe’s perspective. Luckily the giraffe is used to holding its head high.
| Tallest terrestrial animal | Giraffe | 16.4-19.6 feet (5-6 meters) |
| Tallest elephant | African Elephant | 12.9 feet (3.96 meters) |
| Tallest bird | Ostrich | 9.1 feet (2.8 meters) |
| Tallest camel | Dromedary | 7.8 feet (2.4 meters) |
| Tallest cattle | Gaur | 7.2 feet (2.2 meters) |
| Tallest horse | Shire Horse | 6.8 feet (2.1 meters) |
| Tallest deer | Moose | 6.8 feet (2.1 meters) |
| Tallest cattle | American bison | 6.6 feet (2.01 meters) |
| 2nd tallest cattle | Holstein friesian cattle | 6.2 feet (1.9 meters) |
| Tallest rhinoceros | White rhino | 6.1 feet (1.86 meters) |
| Tallest hippo | Hippopotamus | 5.4 feet (1.65 meters) |
| Talles zebra | Grévy's zebra | 5.2 feet (1.6 meters) |
| Tallest animal of prey | Polar bear | 5.2 feet (1.6 meters) * |
| 3rd tallest cattle | Musk ox | 4.9 feet (1.5 meters) |
| Tallest donkey | American Jack Mammoth | 5.6 feet (172.72 cm) |
| Tallest wildebeest | Blue wildebeest | 4.9 feet (1.50 meters) |
| 2nd tallest camel | Llama | 4.5 feet (1.40 meters) |
| Tallest feline predator | Lion | 4 feet (1.23 meters) |
| Tallest dog | Great Dane | 3.67 feet (1.12 meters) * |
| Tallest animal of prey | Siberian tiger | 3.6 feet (1.1 meters) * |
* Shoulder height
Top 20 Longest Animals (Body Length)
The giant ribbing worm Lineus longissimus is not the biggest animal – even though it can reach a length of 180.4 feet (55 meters) according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Its body only measures 0.19-0.39 inch (5–10 mm) in diameter.
| Longest animal | Giant ribbon worm L. longissimus * | 180.4 feet (55 m) |
| Longest cnidarian | Siphonophore P. dubia ** | 131.2-164 feet (40-50 meters) |
| Longest whale | Blue whale | 109.97 feet (33.52 meters) |
| 2nd longest invertebrate | Giant squid | 60 feet (18.30 meters) |
| Longest carnivore | Sperm whale | 59 feet (18 meters) |
| Longest fish | Whale shark | 41.6 feet (12.70 meters) |
| Longest dolphin | Orca | 32.15 feet (9.80 meters) |
| Longest snake | Reticulated python | 22.80 feet (6.95 meters) |
| Longest predatory fish | White shark | 19.6 feet (6 meters) |
| Longest poisonous snake | King cobra | 18.7 feet (5.70 meters) |
| Longest freshwater fish | Beluga | 16.4-19.6 feet (5-6 meters) |
| Longest marine animal of prey | Southern elephant seal | 22.4 feet (6.85 meters) |
| Longest big cat | Siberian tiger | 10.9 feet (3.30 meters) |
| Longest terrestrial animal of prey | Polar bear, Kodiak bear *** | 10.17 feet (3.10 meters) |
| Longest lizard | Komodo dragon | 9.97 feet (3.04 meters) |
| Longest tortoise | Leatherback turtle | 8.39 feet (2.56 meters) |
| Longest amphibian | Chinese giant salamander | 5.9 feet (1.80 meters) |
| Longest mussel | Giant mussel T. gigas | 3.93 feet (1.20 meters) |
| Longest insect | Ghost insect P. chani | 22.32 inches (56.7 cm) |
| Longest frog | African goliath frog | 12.99 inches (33 cm) |
* The giant ribbon worm is also called „long nemertine“.
** Although it is categorized as a siphonophore: P. dubia is basically a sort of colony of numerous little creatures that are firmly connected to each other.
*** The polar bear and the Kodiak bear are almost equally long. Therefore both of them are categorized as the longest animals of prey.
Which Records Are Correct?
You will often find different data regarding the length, height, weight etc. of animals in books as well as on the internet. Why? Sometimes the measurements are exaggerated or contain unintentional mistakes. Sometimes the information is obsolete and has not been updated.
The Tallest Human Being
An average adult male human being is about 5.8 feet (1.78 meters) and a woman about 5.41 feet (1.65 meters) tall (people generally were about 3.9 inch (10 cm) smaller in the Middle Ages). But people can get much taller than this. The tallest human who has ever lived ... was 8.92 feet (2.72 meters) tall. At the age of 10 he was already 6.56 feet (2 meters) tall. His name was Robert Wadlow and he lived in the USA from 1918-1940. The tallest woman of the world was Trijntje Keever from Holland. She was 8.36 feet (2.55 meters) tall and lived from 1616-1633.
More articles about extra large or long animals? Here you can find everything about the biggest birds, the biggest fish, the longest sharks and the longest snakes.