The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is one of the largest sharks in the world that still exist today. Animals can have dimensions larger than normal dimensions. Moreover, this phenomenon has existed since the dinosaurs lived on Earth. Just like humans, animals also experience evolution or change from time to time, growing into species with smarter adaptation skills.
Even though there are no more dinosaurs, until now there are still the most animals that live and grow, you know. The dimensions of these animals are indeed not as big as dinosaurs, but they are always called giant animals or the largest animals in the world. Well, this time we would like to invite you to get acquainted with the 8 most abundant animal species in the world that still exist today.
1. Whale Shark
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest fish in the sea that still exists today, but has been reclassified (re-classified) as an endangered species. This marine animal has a body dimension of 18 m, with a weight of up to 24 tons! They eat plants and small animals, but their favorite food is plankton. The most unique thing about the whale shark is that, when hungry, it will open its big jaws to filter out all the food that can enter its mouth. The head of the whale shark has a blunt snout with short protruding barbels at the nostrils.
2. Blue Whale
From the group of marine animals, especially whales, we know the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) as the largest whale in the world. The blue whale weighs about 180 metric tons or 180,000 kg! Uniquely, this can beat the size of a dinosaur which is considered to be the largest animal that has ever existed. What’s more, this blue whale’s tongue can actually weigh as much as an elephant. Even so, every day they only eat up to 4 to 8 tons of plankton.
3. African elephant
The elephant is one of the animals that cannot be disputed if it is said to be the largest animal. They are dubbed as the most land animals on Earth. Just imagine, an elephant’s ivory alone can reach 67 kg, while its trunk weighs 100 kg! Then, how big are the dimensions of the elephant’s body? African elephants (Loxodonta) are known to weigh up to 6,350 kg, friends. Currently, the African elephant is listed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
4. Giraffe
Not the biggest, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoology Pages, the giraffe (Giraffa) is the tallest animal in the world. A giraffe’s neck can reach up to 1.8 m, with feet that are also 1.8 m. Female giraffes can reach up to 4.3 m, while males can reach 5.5 m. According to National Geographic, giraffes can eat tens of pounds of leaves in a week. Even though they can eat a lot of leaves, they can also not drink for weeks, you know. With its long legs, the giraffe can also run fast at speeds reaching 56 kilometers per hour.
5. Ostriches
The average ostrich (Struthio camelus) found in nature is generally 2.7 m tall. Instead it weighs between 99 kg to 158 kg. Ostrich, one of the biggest animals in the world. With these dimensions, the ostrich is called the largest living bird in the animal world. Not only that, ostriches can produce eggs with a length of up to 15 centimeters and weighing up to 1.5 kg. Of course this dimension looks bigger than the chicken eggs we usually find.
6. Brown Bear
The brown bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) is also known as the grizzly bear, weighing up to 362 kg! Many people don’t know that grizzly bears can run fast even though their body dimensions are large. They can run at a speed of 48 km per hour, so it will be dangerous for humans who are shocked when they see them. Quoted from LiveScience, grizzly bears will only attack humans who criticize their children, their food, or their territory.
7. Gorilla
Gorillas (Gorilla) are the largest primates in the world. The special Beringei gorilla species, has a size of 1.9 m and weighs up to 205 kg. The gorilla, which is thought to be very large compared to its species, lives in the mountain forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Unfortunately, there are currently only 5,000 gorillas left on Earth, so they are listed as endangered animals.
8. Komodo
The Komodo (Varanus komodoensis) is the largest lizard in the world. They are called dangerous carnivorous lizards. They can eat deer, small dragons, especially large buffalo. Komodo has a body that reaches 3 m in length, weighing up to 136 kg. The original habitat of the Komodo dragon is Indonesia, especially on Komodo Island, east of Sumbawa Island. Then, there is also Rinca Island, which is located near Komodo Island. In other countries, Komodo dragons can be found in the Louisville Fauna Garden, the Ohio Fauna Garden, and the Pittsburgh Fauna Garden in the United States