Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Polar bear


The polar bear is the largest carnivore that lives on land weighing around 400–680 kg (880–1,500 lb) & reaching 11 feet in length.Female polar bears are half the size of males and normally weigh 150–249 kg (330–550 lb) measuring 1.8–2.4 metres (5.9–7.9 ft) in length.The largest polar bear on record weighing 1,002 kg(2,210 lb) was a male shot at Kotzebue Sound in northwestern Alaska in 1960.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Colossal Squid


The Colossal Squid is the largest invertebrate on Earth.It is the world's largest squid species.Colossal squids measure in the range of 12–14 m (39–46 ft).The largest known specimen of colossal squid was captured in 2007 in New Zealand which weighed 495 kg (1091 lb) and measured 10 m (33 ft) in length.The Colossal Squid also have the largest eyes(about 11 inches across) of any living animal in the world.

Whale shark


The whale shark is the largest living fish reaching 12.2 m (40 ft) in length and can weigh up to 13.6 tonnes (15 short tons).

Anaconda


Anaconda is the largest snake in the world.The python holds the world's record for length of a snake,with the longest ever measured at 33 feet.The longest python is longer than the record-holding anaconda,but the girth of the anaconda is far bigger.The largest anaconda yet found reaching 9 m (27 feet) and 220 kg (550 pounds).

Saltwater Crocodile


Saltwater crocodile is the world's largest reptile weighing 880 to 3,300 pounds (400–1,500 kg) and reaching 17 feet (5 meters).The largest confirmed saltwater crocodile on record is a 23 foot long living in Orissa, India (according to the Guiness World Book of Records).

Giraffe



The giraffe is the tallest of all land animals.The adult male weighs 1,191 kg(2,630 lb) while the adult female is 828 kg(1,830 lb).It is approximately 4.3 metres (14 ft) to 5.2 metres (17 ft) tall.The tallest Giraffe recorded stood 5.87 metres tall (19.2 feet) and weighed approximately 2,000 kg (4,400 pound).

Hippopotamus



The Hippopotamus is the third largest living land mammal(between 1½ and 3½ tons), behind the white rhinoceros (1½ to 4 tons) and elephants (3 to 7 tons).

White Rhinoceros



The White Rhinoceros is the second world's largest land mammal after the elephants.It has a massive body and large head, a short neck and broad chest.The head and body length is 3.4 to 4.2 m (11 to 13.75 ft), with the tail adding another 50 to 70 cm (20 to 27.5 in).The shoulder height is 150-185 cm (59-73 inches).Weight typically ranges from 1,440 to 3,600 kg(3,168 to 7,920 lb),with the male being slightly heavier.The record-sized White Rhinoceros was about 4500 kg(10,000 lb).

African Elephant



The African Bush Elephant is the largest living land animal weighing over 6 tonnes.The largest elephant ever recorded was shot in Angola in 1974.It was a male and weighed 12,272 kg(27,060 lb) with an overall length of 10.6 m (35 ft) and a shoulder height of 4.2 m (14 ft).

Blue Whale


The Blue Whale is believed to be the largest animal to have ever lived, with the largest extinct Dinosaurs believed to overcome the blue whale in terms of Length,but not in weight. The maximum recorded weight was 190 tonnes for a specimen measuring 30 m (98 ft),while longer ones,up to 33.3 m (109 ft),have been recorded but not weighed.
A Blue Whale's tongue weighs around 2.7 tonnes and when fully expanded,its mouth is large enough to hold up to 90 tonnes of food and water.Despite the size of its mouth, the dimensions of its throat are such that it cannot swallow an object wider than a beach ball.Its heart weighs 600 kg(1,320 lb) and is the largest known in any animal.A Blue Whale's aorta is about 23 cm (9 in) in diameter.A human could crawl through the aorta(a major blood vessel).During the first seven months of its life,a Blue Whale calf drinks approximately 400 litres(100 US gallons) of milk every day.Blue Whale calves gain weight quickly,as much as 90 kg (200 lb) every 24 hours. Even at birth,they weigh up to 2,700 kilograms (6,000 lb)the same as a fully grown hippopotamus.Blue Whales eat tiny organisms like plankton and krill.