Largest, Tallest, Fastest, Smallest among Animals

Largest Mammal

Blue Whale (binomial name Balaenoptera musculus) is the largest extant mammal. It is confirmed to reach a length of 29.9 m (98 ft) and weigh up to 199 tonnes.

Smallest Mammal

Kitti's hog-nosed bat also known as the bumblebee bat (binomial name Craseonycteris thonglongyai), is the smallest species of bat and the world's smallest mammal by body length. It measures about 29 to 33 mm (1.1 to 1.3 in) in length and 2 grams (0.071 oz) in mass.

Largest Land Animal

Arican Bush Elephant (binomial name Loxodonta africana), is the largest terrestrial animal with fully grown bulls reaching an average shoulder height of 3.04–3.36 metres and a body mass of 5.2–6.9 tonnes. As the name suggests its main habitat is Africa. The Asian elephant found in India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia is much smaller in size.

Smallest Land Animal

Etruscan Shrew (binomial name Suncus etruscus), is the smallest land animal and also the world's smallest mammal by mass. It measures about 4 cm in length and weighs 1.8 grams in mass.

Fastest Land Animal

Cheetah (binomial name Acinonyx jubatus)), is the fastest land animal capable of running at 93 to 104 km/h. It is found mainly in Africa and Iran.

Tallest Land Animal

Giraffe of genus Girafa with nine subspecies is the tallest land animal the male of which may reach a height of about 4.8 to 5.5 metres.

Largest Monkey

Mandrill (binomial name Mandrillus sphinx), is the largest extant monkey in the world males of which may weigh as much as 30 kg. It is found mainly in West-Central Africa.

Smallest Monkey

Pygmy Marmoset (binomial name Cebuella pygmaea or Cebuella niveiventris) is the smallest monkey in the world. Found in the rainforests of South America they weight as little as 100 grams.

Largest Ape

Gorilla (binomial name Gorilla gorilla or Gorilla beringei) found mainly in Africa may be as tall as 1.8 m and weigh upto 270 kg. They are the largest apes on the planet.

Smallest Ape

Pygmy Gibbon (binomial name Hylobates klossii) also called Kloss's Gibbon is the smallest ape in the world. They may weigh as less as 4 kg and be about 45 cm tall.

Largest Reptile

Saltwater Crocodile (binomial name Crocodylus porosus) found mainly in Asia and Australia, it may be as heavy as 1500 kg and as long as 6 metres.

Largest Land Carnivore

Polar Bear (binomial name Ursus maritimus) is the largest land carnivore in the world. An adult male polar bear may weigh upto 800 kg, somewhat more than brown bear which may weigh uptp 600 kg. Polar bears mostly inhabit the Arctic regions of Russia, Canada, Greenland and Alaska.

Animal with the longest lifespan

Tortoise Tortoises in general are considered the longest living land animals in the world. Some species are noted to have a lifespan of about 150 years. A Seychelles giant tortoise residing in Saint Helena is said to 192 years old as of 2025.

Largest Rodent

Capybara (binomial name Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), native to South America is the largest living rodent. Adult capybaras may grow to 1.3 metres in length and 0.6 metres in height and weigh about 50 kg on an average.
Note: Rodents are mammals characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. Examples: Mice, rats, squirrels, prairie dogs, porcupines, beavers, guinea pigs, and hamsters.

Smallest Rodent

Baluchistan pygmy jerboa (binomial name Salpingotulus michaelis) endemic to Pakistan, is the smallest rodent in the world. Adults are just about 4 - 4.3 cm in length and weigh approximately 3 grams.

Largest Fish

Whale Shark (binomial name Rhincodon typus), is the largest known extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of 18.8 m.

Largest Amphibian

Chinese Giant Salamander (binomial name Andrias sligoi), considered the largest amphibian can reach a length of about 1.8 metres.

Largest Snake

Green Anaconda (binomial name Eunectes murinus) native to South America can grow upto 5.2 metres in length and weigh upto 80 kg.

Longest Snake

Reticulated Python (binomial name Malayopython reticulatus) is the longest snake in the world which can grow upto 6.5 metres in length but weigh lesser than Green Anaconda and Burmese Python.

Longest Venomous Snake

King Cobra (binomial name Ophiophagus hannah), is endemic to Asia and at an average length of 4 metres is the longest venomous snake in the world.

Largest Bird

Ostrich (binomial name Struthio camelus or Struthio molybdophanes), are the two species of ostriches considered the largest birds in the world. They are native to Africa and stand 2.1 to 2.75 metres in height and weigh 100 to 130 kg.

Smallest Bird

Bee hummingbird also known as Helena hummingbird (binomial name Mellisuga helenae) native to Cuba and the Caribbean are the smallest birds in the world. Females weigh 2.6 g and are 6.1 cm long.

Tallest Flying Bird

Sarus Crane (binomial name Antigone antigone is the tallest flying bird in the world. Though not as tall as an ostrich, which are flightless, a sarus crane can stand upto 1.8 metres in height. They are native to India, Southeast Asia and Australia.

Fastest Flying Bird

Perefrine Falcon (binomial name Falco peregrinus is the fastest flying bird in the world. It can reach a speed of 320 km/h during its characteristic hunting stoop actually making it the fastest animal on the planet, much faster than the cheetah.