Posted by The largest animal in the world is without a doubt the blue whale. The heaviest blue whales ever recorded were weighing over 190 metric tons. The longest specimens are over 33 metres long. As far as we know the blue is in fact the largest animal ever to have lived outsizing even the dinosaurs. Due to excessive hunting the blue whale was almost extinct and is still considered an endangered species.
Since 1966 the biggest animal of the world is protected and has recovered to a certain extend. In 1966 there may have been as few as 1000 that had survived the whalers recent reports estimate that there are now 10,000 to 15,000 blue whales roaming the seas. The largest animals in the world are found in all oceans around the world but more common in the southern hemisphere. They seem to avoid coming close to land. The blue whale is also the largest mammal in the world.
The largest land animal in the world is the African Elephant. A male bull on average would weigh around 6 tons. Specimens as heavy as 12 tons have been reported. The population of Elephants went down sharply in the 20th century. In the 1980ies it was estimated that without protective measures the African Elephant would be extinct by the mid 1990ies. Since ivory trading has been abolished the numbers seem to recover. Elephants are still hunted for sports and despite draconic penalties poaching hasn’t quite stopped but there is a consent that protecting the African Elephants was successful. While the Elephant is the biggest land animal that currently lives it is literally dwarfed by many dinosaurs. Mammoth and other prehistoric relatives though on average weren’t much bigger than today’s elephants.
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