What is the largest mammal in history?

Nature is very magical and has created many creatures. We humans are tall and big, but there are animals several times larger than us humans. Below is the largest mammal in history that I have compiled for you. Everyone is welcome to share it!

The largest mammal in history

The largest land mammal in the history of the earth is the Tianshan Paraglossus.

The Tianshan Paragiant Rhinoceros is 5 meters tall, 9 meters long and weighs nearly 30 tons. The body is as big as an airplane. It grew in the Turpan area about 30 million years ago. It was the largest mammal that ever lived on land. In January 1993, its fossil skeleton was unearthed at Feiyue Railway Station in the Turpan section of the Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway double-track project. People didn't know it at the time, but it was the most complete giant rhinoceros skeleton in the world. Today, it stands up from the brown-red mudstone of the Oligocene Era and walks into the special exhibition hall of a tall, bright and modern museum, telling people the story of the prehistoric era.

The Tianshan Paraglossus is a herbivore and needs to eat at least 500 kilograms of food a day. Paleontologists discovered plant pollen from that era by analyzing rock samples next to the fossils of Paraglossus. These plant pollens include walnut trees, plants of the family Asteraceae and Fabaceae, as well as plants of the genus Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae.

Ranking of the largest animals in world history

Tenth, Argentinosaurus - belongs to the Titanosaur family and lived in the Cretaceous. The body length is 35-43 meters and the weight is 88-107 tons. It feeds on leaves or other plants on trees. Its natural enemies are Maposaurus and Giganotosaurus.

Ninth, Puertaosaurus reesei--belongs to Puertaosaurus among the titanosaurs and lived in the Cretaceous. The length is 35-40 meters and the weight is 80-110 tons. It is worth mentioning that Puertaosaurus was a gregarious dinosaur, and they sometimes migrated as a group.

Eighth, Sperm Whales--are an independent family of whales. With a body length of 18-24 meters and a weight of 50-120.5 tons, it is the second largest whale in the ocean today after the killer whale. Sperm whales are the largest predatory carnivores and like to eat large squid, octopus and fish, especially king squid.

Seventh, North Pacific right whale - lived in the North Pacific waters in the fourth century (2.6 million years ago to the present), with a body length of 19.8 meters and a weight of 135 tons. North Pacific right whales have very fine baleen hairs and feed on small zooplankton.

Sixth, Pinkshan Ichthyosaurus--living in the Triassic, it is the largest Sasta Ichthyosaurus, with a body length of 30.5 meters and a weight of 153 tons. It is a giant filter feeder.

Fifth, the bowhead whale is the largest species in the baleen whale suborder. The body length is 21 meters and the weight can reach 190 tons. Bowhead whales feed on krill and zooplankton. The bowhead whale is one of the longest-lived animals, with a lifespan of up to 200 years. This lifespan is only comparable to that of turtles among reptiles.

Fourth, Fragile Diplodocus—belongs to the superfamily Diplodocus and lived in the late Jurassic. With a body length of 60-80 meters and a weight of 130-220 tons, it is the largest dinosaur in the Western Hemisphere.

Third, the blue whale is the largest animal today, with a body length of 22-33 meters and a weight of 150-240 tons. The largest known individual was discovered at the beginning of the last century, with a body length of 33.5 meters and a weight of 240 tons. Blue whales are called "razorbacks" because their bodies are streamlined and resemble a razor. Blue whales prey on zooplankton, especially krill. Blue whales eat 4-8 tons of krill in one meal.

Second, Gigantosaurus—belongs to the titanosaur class and lived in India during the Cretaceous. Giganotosaurus was the largest dinosaur and the largest land animal that ever lived. The body length is 50-62 meters and the weight is 220-300 tons.

First, the New Zealand Ichthyosaurus: 38 meters long and 405.8 tons in weight, the largest animal in history.

Ranking of the top ten giant animals in the world

1. The largest animal: blue whale

The blue whale is the largest animal in the world. The blue whale is also the largest type of baleen whale. The longest one was a female whale caught in Antarctic waters from 1904 to 1920. It was 33.58 meters long and weighed 170 tons. The longest recorded whales are two female whales, measuring 33.6 meters and 33.3 meters respectively. The longest whale measured by scientists at the U.S. National Marine Mammal Laboratory was 29.9 meters long, about as long as a Boeing 737 or three double-decker buses. The blue whale's head is so big that 50 people can stand on its tongue. Its heart is as big as a car. Babies can crawl through its arteries, and a newborn blue whale calf weighs more than an adult elephant. During the first seven months of its life, a calf drinks 400 liters of breast milk every day. Baby whales grow very quickly, with weight increasing by 90 kilograms every 24 hours.

Blue whales taxonomically belong to the class Mammalia, the order Cetaceans, the family Fin whales, and the genus Fin whales. Due to the competition for hunting in all major oceans by countries around the world for many years, blue whales with a body length of more than 25 meters are now very rare. In addition, large-scale fishing of lepidopterans has also greatly affected the foraging activities of blue whales.

According to statistics, half a century ago, there were about 300,000 blue whales in the world. By 1974, there were still 25,000 blue whales, but now there are only about 2,000 left. Although there have been international limits on the number of blue whales that can be killed each year since 1932, the prospect of the world's largest animal remains dangerous.

2. The largest land animal: African elephant

There are two types of elephants in the world, one is called Asian elephant, and the other is called African elephant. The Asian elephant is also very large, but it is not the largest land animal in the world. So who is the largest land animal in the world? It is the African elephant. The main difference is that they have large ears shaped like the African continent, while Asian elephants have smaller, rounder ears.

When an African male elephant grows to about fifteen years old, its length reaches more than eight meters; its height reaches about four meters and its weight reaches seven to eight tons, or fourteen thousand kilograms to sixteen thousand catties. Compared with Asian elephants, African elephants have the following characteristics: not only are they large in size and weight, but both male and female elephants have tusks; their ears are both large and round; their sleeping posture is not like sleeping standing up like Asian elephants. It's to lie down and sleep. Otherwise, it will not be able to sleep peacefully. After an African elephant is born, the lactation period lasts for about two years; it is the "marriage" age when it reaches the age of twelve to fifteen years old; it stops growing when it is twenty-four to twenty-six years old.

Among land mammals, elephants have a relatively long pregnancy period, and it takes one and a half to two years to give birth to a calf. Once the baby elephant fell to the ground, it was one meter tall and weighed two hundred kilograms. In nature, the reproductive rate of elephants is relatively low, and they only give birth once every five or six years. How long can they live? Under normal circumstances, their lifespan can reach sixty years, and some can live as long as one hundred years old. According to records, the largest common African elephant is a female elephant, weighing 13.5 tons and standing (from trunk to tail) 4.2 meters.

3. The largest terrestrial carnivore: polar bear

The polar bear is the largest terrestrial carnivore in the world. Male polar bears are about 240-260 cm in length and generally weigh 400-800 cm. Kilogram. Female polar bears are about half smaller than males, with a length of about 190-210 cm and a weight of about 200-300 kg. By the time winter sleep comes, they can weigh up to 500 kilograms due to a large amount of fat accumulation. Although polar bears are covered with thick white fur, their skin is black. We can see the original appearance of the skin from the black skin on their noses, paw pads, lips and around the eyes. And black skin helps absorb heat, which is another good idea for keeping warm. The fur of polar bears is also very special. The middle of their fur is hollow. This structure can reflect sunlight to the black skin under the fur, helping to absorb more heat. In addition, the thick layer of fat under the skin further insulates the body from the cold.

Polar bears are divided into six major populations: Russia's Wrangel Island-Western Alaska population; Northern Alaska population; Canadian Arctic Islands population; Greenland population; Norway's Svalbard Islands-Russia's Franz Josef population Archipelago populations and northern to central Siberian populations.

There are currently more than 20,000 polar bears living in the world, and the number is relatively stable. In order to protect their survival, as early as 1972, the United States enacted a law prohibiting the hunting of polar bears except for survival needs. In 1973, countries in the Arctic Circle, including the United States, Canada, Norway, Denmark and the Soviet Union, further signed an international convention to protect polar bears. In addition to restricting hunting and trade, the convention also further proposed the protection of their habitat and cooperative research. terms. Due to the rise in global temperatures, the ice floes in the Arctic have gradually begun to melt. The former home of polar bears has been destroyed to a certain extent, and their prey has also been reduced accordingly. In addition, no matter how good their swimming skills are, they cannot stay in the sea for a long time. The increasingly open seas have increased their risk of drowning. The future of polar bears may have to rely on more protective measures from humans.

4. The largest reptile: Crocodile crocodile

Crocodile crocodile is the largest reptile in the world. It is distributed in Southeast Asia and northern Australia. The average adult male crocodile is 4.8 to 5.5 meters long and weighs 770 kilograms. The largest one is more than 7 meters long and weighs more than 1.5 tons. The largest crocodile today is 7.1 meters long and lives in Odisha, India. The largest crocodile confirmed in history is from Australia, with a body length of 8.6 meters. Female crocodiles are much smaller than males, usually between 2.5 and 3 meters long. Compared with other crocodiles, the crocodile's neck scales are thinner and its body is wider.

Crocodile is a large and ferocious crocodile. Territorial awareness. It has a physiological structure adapted to high salinity water quality. Crocodiles are at the top of the wetland food chain and are even more terrifying than tigers in some areas. The larvae mainly prey on insects, amphibians, crustaceans, small reptiles and fish. The adults prey on larger animals, but mainly feed on mud crabs, turtles, monitor lizards and water birds. Some larger animals Adults even prey on buffalo, livestock, wild boar and monkeys. They mate in May-June and lay eggs in July-August. They build nests and lay eggs in the tree-lined hills beside the Tamsui River. There are about 50 eggs in each nest, with white calcium shells and an egg diameter of 8 cm.

The female crocodile stays close to the nest, flicking her tail from time to time and sprinkling water to moisten the nest. The baby crocodiles will hatch in about 75-90 days. In Australia, the crocodile has records of cannibalism and even attacking ships, so it is also called the "man-eating crocodile".

Crocodile has a large body, good quality and high value for its skin, delicious meat, especially the tail, and its skin can be used for tanning. Therefore, many countries in the world raise crocodiles. Papua New Guinea, Australia, Southeast Asia, and even Europe, which does not produce crocodiles, have large-scale breeding farms.

5. The tallest land animal: Giraffe

Giraffe is a unique animal in Africa. It has a long neck and raises its head. The tallest male giraffe can reach 6 meters in height. Therefore it is the tallest animal on land. Giraffes are also the tallest rare animals in the world. They are mainly distributed in Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia in Africa. They live on the vast grasslands of tropical and subtropical Africa. However, the ancestral home of giraffes is in Asia. According to paleontologists, giraffes originated in Asia. Especially in some places in China and India, from more than 20 to 23 million years ago, ancestors of giraffes once lived, but their necks and legs were not as long as today. Later, due to changes in the earth's ecological environment and climate, there was a lack of food. Giraffes with shorter necks died one after another because they could not reach the leaves on tall trees, while those with longer necks survived tenaciously.

Giraffes are timid and kind-hearted animals. Whenever they encounter natural enemies, they will immediately run away. It can run at a speed of 50 kilometers per hour. When it can't run away, its giant hammer-like hooves are very powerful weapons. In addition to a pair of big eyes that are natural "lookout posts" for monitoring enemies, giraffes will also keep turning their ears to find the source of the sound. They will not continue to eat until they determine that everything is safe. Giraffes like to eat leaves on large trees, and also eat tender leaves of plants that contain moisture. Its tongue can reach more than 50 centimeters when extended, making it extremely dexterous and convenient for feeding on leaves. Because the legs are too long, it is very inconvenient for giraffes to drink water. They have to spread their front legs or kneel on the ground to drink water, and they are very vulnerable to attacks from other animals when drinking water, so giraffes living in groups often do not drink water together.

6. The largest bird: the ostrich

Also known as the African ostrich) is the largest flightless bird in existence. Produced in Africa. It belongs to the family Struthionidae of the order Struth-ioniformes. The male bird is about 2.75 meters tall and weighs 155 kilograms. The neck length accounts for almost half of the body, and the female bird is slightly smaller. Ostrich eggs are the largest eggs in modern times. The male bird has mostly black body feathers, but the wings and tail are white; the female bird has mostly brown feathers. Most of the head and neck are light red to light blue; slightly downy; the head is small, the bill is short and slightly wider; the eyes are large, brown with thick black eyelashes. They live in desert grassland areas. Lives in groups and is diurnal. It has sensitive smelling and hearing, and is good at running. It uses its wings to help when running. It can span 8 meters in one step, reach a speed of 70 kilometers per hour, and can jump up to 3.5 meters. Use the stems and leaves of the plant to plant an ostrich (Struthio camelus). The male is on the left. Feeds on seeds, fruits, insects, worms, small birds and reptiles.

Ostriches often live in groups of 5 to 50 individuals, often accompanied by herbivores. Ostrich uses its powerful legs (only two toes, the main toe is so developed that it almost becomes a hoof) to evade enemies, and can reach speeds of up to 65 kilometers per hour when frightened. If cornered, kick your opponent. Ostriches mainly feed on plants and can live for a long time without water. Male birds compete with each other for 3 to 5 female birds, making roaring and hissing sounds. Medieval knights liked to decorate their helmets with ostrich feathers. Ostrich skin produces soft, fine leather. Therefore, ostrich farms were established in South Africa, the southern United States, Australia and other places, but after World War I, the industry declined. Ostrich skin makes soft, fine leather. After training, ostriches can ride and drive single-seater two-wheelers. Ostriches are not easy to adapt to the breeding conditions and can live up to 50 years. Ostrich is a typical flightless bird. Ostriches from various places have slight differences in skin color, body size and egg characteristics. In the past, they were thought to be different species, but in fact they are just subspecies of ostriches.

7. The largest amphibian: Chinese salamander

The Chinese salamander is the largest amphibian in the world, weighing 64 kilograms and 1.83 meters long. The giant salamander, whose scientific name is giant salamander, is a rare amphibian tailed animal unique to China. It mainly lives in caves and underground rivers. It has a history of 350 million years and is known as a "living fossil". The world's earliest fossils were unearthed in Inner Mongolia, China, about 165 million years ago. In 1988, the "People's Republic of China and the National Wildlife Conservation Commission" listed it as a national second-level wild protected animal, and it is one of China's national treasures. The giant salamander is brown in color with black patches on its back. It has an oblate head with pairs of warts. It has four legs. It is about one meter long and weighs about 5 to 6 kilograms. It lives in the clear mountains. , in low-temperature streams, they lay eggs at the end of summer, and they hatch in about 2 to 4 weeks.

Because the giant salamander has existed for a long time, it is considered to have miraculous curative effects, and is rich in nutrients such as inorganic salts, amino acids, proteins, and fats. Therefore, it is expensive and is often caught by humans for eating or viewing. Coupled with the destruction of their living environment, they are almost on the verge of extinction. Currently in China, it is illegal to sell wild salamanders, but artificially bred ones are not subject to this restriction (but there are quantity controls).

8. The largest fish: whale shark

Whale shark, commonly known as tofu shark and giant shark, is a global migratory fish species and is the largest known marine fish, with a length of 13.6 meters. length and weight of 22,000 kilograms. Whale sharks belong to the family Carcharhinidae, order Barbeles, suborder Whale Sharks, and are gray or brown in color with a light-colored underside, with obvious small yellow or white spots and narrow horizontal lines. The mouth is huge and attached to the front. Distributed in tropical to temperate sea areas of the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean. This giant shark is not only the largest of sharks, but also the largest of all fish. But its temperament is very docile and does not attack people. Whale sharks swim slowly and often float on the water to bask in the sun. Feeds on plankton, crustaceans, molluscs and small fish. The output is not large. When eating, it opens its mouth wide, swallows the water and plankton together, and uses its gills to filter the food. It has more than 300 rows of more than 6,000 teeth, but it has no effect.

Whale sharks lay eggs. Their eggs are 30 centimeters long and 9 centimeters wide, larger than ostrich eggs. They are said to be the largest eggs among living animals. The meat of whale sharks can be eaten, the skin can be tanned, the fins can be processed into shark fins, the liver can be extracted into cod liver oil, and the bones and offal can be made into fish meal. Whale sharks are truly a treasure.

9. The largest invertebrate: giant squid

This giant squid is one of the largest animals in the world and the largest invertebrate. It belongs to the class Cephalopod and Gun. Form order, giant squid family, it is also called "king squid" in many Chinese articles. In fact, there is a difference between squid and cuttlefish. As far as ordinary-sized squid and cuttlefish are concerned, they are very similar in appearance, but there are obvious differences: the squid has a long and narrow body, a bit like the head of a javelin, so it is also called calamari. The tentacles of a squid are not as long as those of a cuttlefish, and they cannot all be retracted into the body. However, because the term king squid has been used for a long time, it is also commonly used in many formal articles, and it is probably considered a legal name.

The two long predatory tentacles of the giant squid have swollen upper ends with powerful suction cups, and the suction cup rings have sharp teeth. The other eight tentacles also have suckers with long sharp teeth, which makes it easy for the prey to be trapped. Once caught, escape is difficult, and the sharp, powerful beak-like mouth dispatches helpless prey with terrifying efficiency. But their huge bodies cannot make them invincible animals. On the contrary, they are the favorite food of sperm whales. Indigestible giant squid beaks can often be seen in the stomachs of dead sperm whales, and many sperm whales have There are circular scars left by the sharp teeth on the giant squid's sucker. Giant squid can grow up to 14 meters in length. The largest giant squid on record was 10 meters long and weighed 494 grams.

Scientists don’t know much about this animal, because so far people have never seen a living animal in the wild. What we know comes from the carcasses of giant squid that wash up on the beach. More are carcasses from fishermen's trawl nets. They are carnivores, and based on studies of the food in their stomachs, they are not likely to be picky eaters, stuffing almost everything into their stomachs. They have well-evolved large eyes and have very good eyesight, and there are a large number of luminous creatures in the deep zone where they live. These giant squids use their large eyes to follow the light and hunt easily.

This giant animal was the subject of many ancient sea monster legends, and even during World War II, shipwreck crews reported that their shipmates were eaten by these creatures in the darkness of the night. There are also reports of giant squid running to the surface and dragging people on boats into the sea. Although none of those reports have been officially confirmed, they are depicted in many drawings as fearsome and powerful predators.

10. The largest insect: the giant beetle

Just by the name, you can tell that it is awesome. Yes, it is the largest insect in the world? The giant. The giant beetle, native to the tropical rainforests of Africa, is one of the largest insects in terms of size, weight and volume. Mature giant beetles can reach 11.5 centimeters in length and weigh 115 grams. As larvae, they can weigh up to 4 ounces (about 113.4g), but when they become adults, they lose half their weight. Adult giant beetles have armor-like shells and can make a sound like a toy helicopter when they spread out their two pairs of wings and fly. The male giant beetle has a Y-shaped horn on its head, which is a powerful weapon for fighting other male beetles when competing for feeding sites and mating; the female giant beetle has a wedge-shaped head to help them lay eggs. Dig the soil to make a hole. In the wild, giant beetles generally feed on ripe fruits and tree sap; in captivity, they usually feed on cat food or dog food.