Animals and Plants
91 records
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01 / Animals 209 tons Largest animal ever Blue whale See record ↗ -
02 / Birds 2.2 in Smallest bird Bee hummingbird (male) · Cuba See record ↗ -
03 / Birds 35 ft Longest feathers on a bird Phoenix fowl (Yokohama chicken), owned by Masasha Kubota · Kochi, Japan See record ↗ -
04 / Sea Life $3 million Most expensive bluefin tuna sold at auction Kiyomura Corporation (Sushizanmai) · Toyosu Market, Koto, Tokyo, Japan See record ↗ -
05 / Birds 4′ 3.2″ Largest living penguin Emperor penguin · Antarctica See record ↗ -
06 / Sea Life 0.2 in Smallest fish Photocorynus spiniceps (adult male) · Philippine Sea, collected at 1,425 m depth See record ↗ -
07 / Birds 1,850 ft Deepest dive by a bird Emperor penguin · Off eastern Antarctica See record ↗ -
08 / Birds 241.7 mph Fastest bird in a dive Peregrine falcon · Friday Harbor, Washington, USA, after release from a Cessna 172 at approximately 17,000 ft See record ↗ -
09 / Birds 5.71 lb Largest egg laid by a living bird Ostrich (Struthio camelus) · Borlänge, Sweden See record ↗ -
10 / Birds 0 lb Smallest bird egg Vervain hummingbird · Jamaica and nearby islets See record ↗ -
11 / Sea Life 9,816 ft Deepest dive by a mammal Cuvier's beaked whale · Off southern California, United States See record ↗ -
12 / Birds 1,728 words Largest vocabulary of a bird Puck, a budgerigar · Petaluma, California, United States See record ↗ -
13 / Sea Life 3 tons Heaviest bony fish Bump-head sunfish (Mola alexandrini) · Off Faial Island, Azores, Portugal See record ↗ -
14 / Sea Life 20′ 0.2″ Largest predatory fish Great white shark · Temperate offshore waters worldwide; Deep Blue was filmed near Guadalupe Island, Mexico See record ↗ -
15 / Birds 18.5 in Longest bill of any bird Australian pelican · Australia See record ↗ -
16 / Birds 1,896 lb Largest bird ever Vorombe titan (elephant bird) · Madagascar See record ↗ -
17 / Birds 5′ 10.9″ Tallest flying bird Sarus crane See record ↗ -
18 / Birds $2 million Most expensive pigeon sold New Kim · PIPA Pigeon Center, Belgium See record ↗ -
19 / Sea Life 120 ft Largest jellyfish Arctic giant jellyfish (lion's mane jellyfish, Cyanea capillata arctica) · Massachusetts Bay, United States See record ↗ -
20 / Sea Life 44 lb Heaviest lobster caught American or North Atlantic lobster (*Homarus americanus*) caught off Nova Scotia · Off Nova Scotia, Canada See record ↗ -
21 / Sea Life 11 in Largest eye of any animal Giant squid (Architeuthis spp.) and colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis spp.) · New Zealand, for the 2007 colossal squid specimen; a comparable giant squid was caught off Hawaii in 1981. See record ↗ -
22 / Sea Life 750 lb Largest clam Giant clam (Tridacna gigas) specimen collected off Ishigaki Island · Off Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, Japan See record ↗ -
23 / Birds 44.7 mph Fastest running bird Ostrich (Struthio camelus) See record ↗ -
24 / Sea Life 112 years Oldest known freshwater fish Bigmouth buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus), a female collected near Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, USA · Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, USA See record ↗ -
25 / Sea Life 22′ 5.7″ Largest seal Southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina), an individual bull · Possession Bay, South Georgia, South Atlantic See record ↗ -
26 / Sea Life 32′ 1.8″ Largest dolphin Male killer whale (orca), identity not specified See record ↗ -
27 / Sea Life 2,663 lb Largest great white shark caught on rod and reel Alfred Dean · Off Ceduna, South Australia, Australia See record ↗ -
28 / Sea Life 222 minutes (3 hours 42 minutes) Longest dive by a mammal Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) · Waters off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States See record ↗ -
29 / Birds 1.6 billion birds Largest wild bird population House sparrow (Passer domesticus) · Worldwide See record ↗ -
30 / Birds 19′ 8.2″ Largest bird nest Bald eagle pair (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) · Near St Petersburg, Florida, United States See record ↗ -
31 / Sea Life 22,825 ft Deepest octopus sighting Dumbo octopus (Grimpoteuthis) · Java Trench, Indian Ocean See record ↗ -
32 / Birds 8′ 11.9″ Largest living bird Ostrich (Struthio camelus), male · Sub-Saharan Africa See record ↗ -
33 / Sea Life 157 lb Largest octopus Giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) · North Pacific; the record specimen was measured by Canadian researchers. See record ↗ -
34 / Sea Life 12′ 1.3″ Largest crab by leg span Japanese giant spider crab (Macrocheira kaempferi) · Off the southeastern coast of Japan; the largest specimen was displayed at Sea Life Scheveningen, The Hague, Netherlands. See record ↗ -
35 / Birds 200 beats per second Fastest wingbeat of a bird Ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) · Canada See record ↗ -
36 / Birds 40 lb Heaviest flying bird Kori bustard (Ardeotis kori) · South Africa See record ↗ -
37 / Birds 33 lb Largest bird of prey Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) · Andes and western South America See record ↗ -
38 / Birds 78.9 mph Fastest bird in level flight Gray-headed albatross (Thalassarche chrysostoma) · Near Bird Island, South Georgia, Antarctica See record ↗ -
39 / Plants 3,156 lb Heaviest pumpkin Ron Wallace · Warren, Rhode Island, USA See record ↗ -
40 / Plants 3′ 7.7″ Largest single flower Rafflesia arnoldii · Sumatra and Borneo, Indonesia See record ↗ -
41 / Animals 13.5 tons Largest land animal African bush elephant See record ↗ -
42 / Animals 64.3 mph Fastest land animal Cheetah See record ↗ -
43 / Pets 6′ 3.5″ Highest jump by a dog Feather · Frederick, Maryland, United States See record ↗ -
44 / Insects and Reptiles 2.4 tons Largest turtle Archelon ischyros specimen · North America, Late Cretaceous seas; the largest known specimen was discovered in South Dakota, United States. See record ↗ -
45 / Pets 60 tricks Most tricks performed by a dog in one minute Daiquiri and Jennifer Fraser; equalled by Hero, the Super Collie, and Sara Carson Devine · Calgary, Alberta, Canada; equalled in Lancaster, California, USA See record ↗ -
46 / Pets 3′ 3.6″ Tallest dog living Reginald “Reggie” Johnson Reiss · Idaho Falls, Idaho, United States See record ↗ -
47 / Pets 13.7 in Longest ears on a dog Tigger, a Bloodhound · St Joseph, Illinois, United States See record ↗ -
48 / Insects and Reptiles 0.39 lb Largest spider by mass Goliath bird-eating tarantula (Theraphosa blondi) · Northern South America; the Guinness-listed species range includes Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, Venezuela, and northern Brazil. See record ↗ -
49 / Sea Life 27,349 ft Deepest fish caught on the seafloor Pseudoliparis snailfish (species unknown) · Mariana Trench, Pacific Ocean See record ↗ -
50 / Insects and Reptiles 157 lb Heaviest insect (captive giant weta) Little Barrier giant wētā (Deinacrida heteracantha) · New Zealand See record ↗ -
51 / Animals 1,984 lb Heaviest land predator on record Polar bear (male shot in 1960) · Kotzebue Sound, Alaska, USA See record ↗ -
52 / Pets 30.2 in Longest tail on a dog Keon, an Irish Wolfhound, owned by Ilse Loodts · Westerlo, Belgium See record ↗ -
53 / Pets 30 years Oldest living cat Flossie · Orpington, England, United Kingdom See record ↗ -
54 / Insects and Reptiles 36 mph Fastest flying insect Australian dragonfly (Austrophlebia costalis), also called the southern giant darner · Eastern Australia See record ↗ -
55 / Insects and Reptiles 10′ 2″ Largest lizard Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), largest verified specimen · St Louis Zoological Gardens, Missouri, United States See record ↗ -
56 / Insects and Reptiles 0.01 mg/kg (mouse LD50) Most venomous snake Inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus) · Southwestern Queensland and adjacent areas of New South Wales and South Australia, Australia See record ↗ -
57 / Insects and Reptiles 25.2 in Longest insect Giant Chinese stick insect (Phryganistria chinensis) · China See record ↗ -
58 / Insects and Reptiles 106.7 dB Loudest insect Shrill thorntree cicada (Brevisana brevis) · Sub-Saharan Africa, including Zambia, South Africa and Malawi See record ↗ -
59 / Insects and Reptiles 28 in Largest insect by wingspan Meganeuropsis permiana · Elmo, Kansas, United States See record ↗ -
60 / Plants 7,496 tons Heaviest organism Armillaria ostoyae (the Humongous Fungus) See record ↗ -
61 / Pets 38 years Oldest cat ever Creme Puff · Austin, Texas, USA See record ↗ -
62 / Pets 3.6 in Shortest dog living Pearl, Chihuahua · Orlando, Florida, USA See record ↗ -
63 / Plants 35.8 in Fastest-growing plant Bamboo · Asia See record ↗ -
64 / Plants 151 ft Tallest grass Giant bamboo (Dendrocalamus sinicus) · Yunnan, China See record ↗ -
65 / Plants 77 sq mi Largest organism by area Shark Bay seagrass (Posidonia australis) · Shark Bay, Western Australia See record ↗ -
66 / Plants 85 ft Largest leaf Raphia regalis palm · Republic of the Congo See record ↗ -
67 / Plants 351 lb Heaviest watermelon Chris Kent · Sevierville, Tennessee, USA See record ↗ -
68 / Plants 3 sq mi Largest fungus colony Honey fungus (Armillaria ostoyae) · Malheur National Forest, Oregon, USA See record ↗ -
69 / Insects and Reptiles 20′ 2.9″ Largest crocodile in captivity Lolong, saltwater crocodile · Bunawan, Philippines See record ↗ -
70 / Pets 29 years Oldest dog ever verified Bluey, Australian cattle dog · Rochester, Victoria, Australia See record ↗ -
71 / Insects and Reptiles 25′ 2″ Longest snake in captivity Medusa, reticulated python · Kansas City, Missouri, USA See record ↗ -
72 / Birds 74 years Oldest known wild bird Wisdom, a Laysan albatross · Midway Atoll, Pacific Ocean See record ↗ -
73 / Animals 34.2 mph Fastest primate Patas monkey · Sub-Saharan Africa See record ↗ -
74 / Sea Life 507 years Longest-lived non-colonial animal Ming the ocean quahog clam · Off Iceland, North Atlantic See record ↗ -
75 / Animals 211 years Longest-lived mammal Bowhead whale · Arctic and sub-Arctic seas See record ↗ -
76 / Sea Life 62 ft Largest fish Whale shark · Arabian Sea See record ↗ -
77 / Birds 37,073 ft Highest-flying bird Rüppell's vulture · Over Abidjan, Ivory Coast See record ↗ -
78 / Birds 59,652 miles Longest bird migration tracked in one year Arctic tern · Farne Islands, UK to Antarctic waters and back See record ↗ -
79 / Birds 12′ 1.7″ Largest wingspan of any living bird Wandering albatross · Southern Ocean See record ↗ -
80 / Animals 0 lb Smallest mammal by mass Etruscan shrew · Mediterranean region, Asia and Africa See record ↗ -
81 / Sea Life 236 decibels Loudest animal Sperm whale · Deep oceans worldwide See record ↗ -
82 / Birds 8,426 miles Longest non-stop bird flight tracked Bar-tailed godwit · Alaska to Tasmania See record ↗ -
83 / Sea Life 1,091 lb Heaviest squid Colossal squid · Ross Sea, Antarctica See record ↗ -
84 / Plants 4857 years Oldest known individual tree Methuselah, a Great Basin bristlecone pine · White Mountains, California, USA See record ↗ -
85 / Plants 52,513 cu ft Largest tree by volume General Sherman, a giant sequoia · Sequoia National Park, California, USA See record ↗ -
86 / Plants 381 ft Tallest living tree Hyperion, a coast redwood · Redwood National Park, California, USA See record ↗ -
87 / Plants 55 lb Largest seed Coco de mer palm · Seychelles See record ↗ -
88 / Animals 241.7 mph Fastest animal Peregrine falcon See record ↗ -
89 / Animals 392 years Longest-lived vertebrate Greenland shark See record ↗ -
90 / Animals 194 years Oldest living land animal Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise · Saint Helena See record ↗ -
91 / Animals 18′ 0.5″ Tallest living animal Giraffe See record ↗
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