Largest Vertebrates |
Name |
Length and Weight |
Sea mammal |
Blue or sulphur-bottom whale (Balaenoptera musculus) |
100–110 ft (30.5–33.5 m) long; weighs 135–209 tons (122.4–189.6 tonnes) |
Land mammal |
African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) |
Bull is 10.5 ft (3.2 m) tall at shoulder; weighs 5.25–6.2 tons (4.8–5.6 tonnes) |
Living bird |
North African ostrich (Struthio c. camelus) |
8–9 ft (2.4–2.7 m) tall; weighs 345 lb (156.5 kg) |
Fish |
Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) |
41 ft (12.5 m) long; weighs 16.5 tons (15 tonnes) |
Reptile |
Saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) |
14–16 ft (4.3–4.9 m) long; weighs 900–1,500 lb (408–680 kg) |
Rodent |
Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) |
3.25–4.5 ft (1–1.4 m) long; weighs 250 lb (113.4 kg) |
Smallest Vertebrates |
Name |
Length and Weight |
Sea mammal |
Commerson’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus commersonii) |
Weighs 50–70 lb (236.7–31.8 kg) |
Land mammal |
Bumblebee or Kitti’s hog-nosed bat (Craseonycteris thong longyai) or the pygmy shrew (Suncus erruscus) |
Bat is 1 in (2.54 cm) long; weighs 0.062–0.07 oz (1.6–2 g); shrew is 1.5–2 in (3.8–5 cm) long; weighs 0.052–0.09 oz (1.5–2.6 g) |
Bird |
Bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenea) |
2.25 in (5.7 cm) long; weighs 0.056 oz (1.6 g) |
Fish |
Angler fish (male) (Photocorynus spiniceps) |
0.24 in (6.2 mm) long |
Reptile |
Gecko (Spaerodactylus ariasae) |
0.63 in (1.6 cm) long |
Rodent |
Pygmy mouse (Baiomys taylori) |
4.3 in (10.9 cm) long; weighs 0.24–0.28 oz (6.8–7.9 g) |