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| {{short description|List of largest organisms on Earth}} | |||
| {{Refimprove|date=April 2008}} | |||
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| ], considered by some measures to be the world's largest living thing.]] | |||
| ] is a clonal colony of an individual ] with an interconnected root system. It is widely held to be the world's most massive single organism.]] | |||
| ], similar in appearance to the one known as ].]] | |||
| This article lists the '''largest ]''' for various types of life and mostly considers ] species,{{efn|The organism sizes listed are frequently considered "outsized" and are not in the normal size range for the respective group.}} which found on Earth can be determined according to various aspects of an organism's size, such as: mass, volume, area, length, height, or even ]. Some organisms group together to form a ] (such as ]s or ]s), but such are not classed as single large organisms. The ] is the world's largest structure composed of living entities, stretching {{convert|2,000|km|mi|abbr=on}} but contains many organisms of many types of species. | |||
| When considering singular entities, the largest organisms are ] which can spread over large areas. ], a clonal colony of the ], is widely considered to be the largest such organism by mass.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.zmescience.com/other/science-abc/heaviest-organism-pando-aspen/|title = The Heaviest Living Organism in the World|date = 9 February 2015|access-date = 10 February 2016|website = ZME Science|last = Mihai|first = Andrei}}</ref> Even if such colonies are excluded, ] retain their dominance of this listing, with the ] being the most massive tree.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Giant Sequoia National Monument|url=http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sequoia/home/?cid=stelprdb5394941|website=Sequoia National Forest|publisher=United States Department of Agriculture - Forest service|access-date=10 February 2016}}</ref> In 2006, a huge ] of the ] '']'' was discovered south of the island of ]. At {{convert|8|km|0}} across, and estimated at 100,000 years old,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theportugalnews.com/news/view/1152-20|title=Portuguese scientists discover world's oldest living organism|website=www.theportugalnews.com|access-date=2019-02-14|archive-date=2019-01-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119070051/http://www.theportugalnews.com/news/view/1152-20|url-status=dead}}</ref> it may be one of the largest and ] clonal colonies on Earth.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.ibiza-spotlight.com/news/2006/monster_plant_280506_i.htm|title= Ibiza's Monster Marine Plant|access-date= 2007-05-09|work=Ibiza Spotlight|date= 28 May 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060827123801/http://www.ibiza-spotlight.com/news/2006/monster_plant_280506_i.htm|archive-date= 27 August 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Pearlman |first=Jonathan |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/9066393/Ancient-seagrass-Oldest-living-thing-on-earth-discovered-in-Mediterranean-Sea.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207170657/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/9066393/Ancient-seagrass-Oldest-living-thing-on-earth-discovered-in-Mediterranean-Sea.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 February 2012 |title='Oldest living thing on earth' discovered |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=7 February 2012 |access-date=11 February 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Arnaud-Haond|first=Sophie|author2=Duarte, Carlos M. |author3=Diaz-Almela, Elena |author4=Marbà, Núria |author5=Sintes, Tomas |author6=Serrão, Ester A. |author7=Bruun, Hans Henrik |title=Implications of Extreme Life Span in Clonal Organisms: Millenary Clones in Meadows of the Threatened Seagrass ''Posidonia oceanica''|journal=PLOS ONE|volume=7|issue=2|pages=e30454|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0030454|pmid=22312426|pmc=3270012|bibcode=2012PLoSO...730454A|year=2012|doi-access=free}}</ref> | |||
| The Aspen tree ('']'') forms large ] of genetically identical trees (technically, stems) connected by a single underground ]. These trees form through root sprouts coming off an original parent tree, though the root system may not remain a single unit in all specimens. The largest known fully-connected Aspen is a grove in Utah nicknamed ], and some experts call it the largest<ref name=oecd>, ] (.doc file)</ref> organism in the world, by mass or volume.<ref> by the ] ]</ref> It covers .43 km² (106 ]s) and is estimated to weigh {{convert|6600|ST|t}}. <ref></ref> | |||
| Among ], the largest species are all ]s, specifically ]. The ] is believed to be the largest animal to have ever lived.<ref name="NYT-20240229">{{cite news |last=Zimmer |first=Carl |authorlink=Carl Zimmer |title=Researchers Dispute Claim That Ancient Whale Was Heaviest Animal Ever - A new study argues that Perucetus, an ancient whale species, was certainly big, but not as big as today's blue whales. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/29/science/giant-whale-perucetus.html |date=29 February 2024 |work=] |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20240229131654/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/29/science/giant-whale-perucetus.html |archivedate=29 February 2024 |accessdate=3 March 2024 }}</ref> The living land animal classification is also dominated by ], with the ] being the largest of these. | |||
| A giant fungus of the species '']'' (Honey Mushrooms) in the ] in ] was found to span 8.9 km² (2,200 ]s)<ref name=UW> at the University of Wisconsin, Department of Botany. Accessed ] ].</ref>, which would make it the largest organism by area. Whether or not this is an actual individual organism, however, is disputed: some tests have indicated that they have the same ]tic makeup <ref name=ABCfungus>Beale, Bob. ] ]. at Environment & Nature News, ABC Online. Accessed ] ].</ref>, but unless its ] is fully connected, it is a ] of numerous smaller individuals. Another clonal colony that rivals the '']'' and the '']'' colonies in size is a strand of the giant marine plant, '']'', discovered in the ] near the ]. It covers a band roughly 8 km (4.3 miles) in length.<ref name=seagrass>. ''Ibiza Spotlight'', ] 2006.</ref> | |||
| ==Plants== | |||
| Excluding multi-stem trees, the ], an individual ] ] with a volume of 1487 ], would hold the title of the world's largest living ], if measured in ].<ref name=NPS> at the ]. Accessed ] ].</ref> This tree stands 83.8 m (274 ft 11 ]) tall and the trunk alone is estimated to weigh over 2,000 tons. The largest single-stem tree ever measured was the “Lindsey Creek Tree,” a ] with a minimum trunk volume of over 2,500 ] and a mass of over 3,600 tons, which fell over during a storm in 1905.<ref></ref> | |||
| {{main|List of largest plants}} | |||
| The largest single-stem tree by wood volume and mass is the ] (''Sequoiadendron giganteum''), native to Sierra Nevada and California; it typically grows to a height of {{convert|70|-|85|m|ft|abbr=on|sigfig=2}} and {{convert|5|-|7|m|ft|abbr=on}} in diameter. | |||
| The largest organism in the world, according to mass, is the ] whose colonies of clones can grow up to {{convert|5|mi|km|order=flip|0}} in size. The largest such colony is ], in the ] in Utah. | |||
| By volume and weight, the largest known living ] is the ], an ] whose official record length is 33.58 m (110 ft 2 in), and weight 210 tons (for a pregnant female). The largest land animals today are ] ]s; one known example weighed roughly 12,272 kg (27,000 ]), although some ] species, including many ]s, were much larger. | |||
| A form of flowering plant that far exceeds Pando as the largest organism on Earth in area and potentially also mass, is the giant marine plant, '']'', living in ], Australia. Its length is about {{convert|180|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} and it covers an area of {{convert|200|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jun/01/what-the-hell-australian-scientists-discover-biggest-plant-on-earth-off-wa-coast | title=Scientists discover 'biggest plant on Earth' off Western Australian coast | website=] | date=31 May 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Edgeloe |first1=Jane M. |last2=Severn-Ellis |first2=Anita A. |last3=Bayer |first3=Philipp E. |last4=Mehravi |first4=Shaghayegh |last5=Breed |first5=Martin F. |last6=Krauss |first6=Siegfried L. |last7=Batley |first7=Jacqueline |last8=Kendrick |first8=Gary A. |last9=Sinclair |first9=Elizabeth A. |date=2022-06-08 |title=Extensive polyploid clonality was a successful strategy for seagrass to expand into a newly submerged environment |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=289 |issue=1976 |pages=20220538 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2022.0538|pmid=35642363 |pmc=9156900 |s2cid=249204370 }}</ref> It is also among the ]. | |||
| ==Vertebrates== | |||
| ===Mammals(Mammalia)=== | |||
| ] is not the largest known animal in the world.]] | |||
| A member of the order ], the ] (''Balaenoptera musculus'') is not believed to be the largest ] to have ever lived. The maximum recorded weight was 190 ]s (209 tons) for a specimen measuring 30 m (100 ft) in length, while longer ones, up to 33.3 m (110 ft), have been recorded but not weighed. | |||
| Another giant marine plant of the genus '']'', '']'' discovered in the Mediterranean near the Balearic Islands, Spain may be the ] organism in the world, with an estimated age of 100,000 years.<ref name=seagrass> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071226063158/http://www.ibiza-spotlight.com/news/2006/monster_plant_280506_i.htm |date=2007-12-26 }}. ''Ibiza Spotlight'' (2006-05-28).</ref> | |||
| The ] (''Loxodonta africana''), of the order ], is the largest living land animal. At ] it is common for an elephant calf to weigh 100 kg (225 lb). The largest elephant ever recorded was shot in ] in 1974. It was a male and weighed 12,272 kg or 13.5 tons (27,000 lb), with an overall length (trunk to tail) of 10.6 m (35 ft) and a shoulder height of 4.2 m (13.7 ft). | |||
| The largest individual flower in the world is '']'', while the ] with the largest unbranched ] in the world is '']''. Both are native to ] in ]. | |||
| *'''Monotreme mammals''' (Monotremata). The largest extant ] is the ] weighing up to 16.5 kg (36.4 lb) and measuring 1 m (3.3 ft) long.<ref><http://rarestzoo.blogspot.com/2006/07/long-beaked-echidna.html></ref> The largest ] (]-bearing mammal) ever was the extinct ] species '']'', known only from a few ]s found in ]. It was the size of a sheep, weighing probably up to 100 kg (220 lb). | |||
| *'''Marsupials''' (Marsupialia). The ] (''Macropus rufus'') is the largest living ]. The maximum size of these lanky mammals is 100 kg (220 lb) and 1.92 m (6.3 ft) tall.<ref><http://www.helium.com/items/891104-kangaroo-largest-species-kangaroos></ref> Many much larger marsupials existed prehistorically, the largest of which was '']''. This rhino-sized herbivore would have easily exceed 2 tonnes (4,400 lb), 3.3 m (11 ft) in length and 1.83 m (6 ft) in height. The ] is the largest living carnivorous marsupial. The maximum size of these stocky mammals is 10 kg (22.2 lb) and 91 cm (3 ft) long. The largest ever carnivorous marsupial to exist would have been the ] and the ] both ranging from {{convert|5|ft|m|abbr=on}} to 6 ft long and weighing between 100 kg to 160 kg. | |||
| *'''Non-Paenungulate Afrotherians''' (Afroinsectiphilia). The largest species of this clade (which also contains elephant shrews, tenrecs and golden moles) is the ]. Aardvarks are typically up to 1.3 m in length with a weight of up to 65 kg, although individuals as large as 100 kg (220 lb) are recorded.<ref></ref> | |||
| ], the largest living terrestrial animal.]] | |||
| *'''Even-toed Ungulates''' (Artiodactyla). The largest species in terms of weight is the ] (''Hippopotamus amphibius''), reaching a maximum size of 4,500 kg (10,000 lb), 4.8 m (16 ft) long and 1.66 m (5.5 ft) tall.<ref></ref> The longest-bodied species, and tallest of all living land animals, is the ] (''Giraffa camelopardalis''), measuring up to 5.8 m (19.3 ft), and despite being relatively slender, reaching a top weight of 2,000 kg (4,850 lb).<ref></ref> | |||
| *'''Carnivores''' (Carnivora). The largest species is now, with the inclusion of the ], the ] (''Mirounga leonina'') from the ] family. The top size recorded for this species was 5,000 kg (11,000 lb) and 6.9 m (22.5 ft) long. The largest living land carnivores are the ] (''Ursus maritimus'') and the ] (''Ursus arctos''), both from the ] family and both exceptionally exceeding 1 tonne (2,205 lb), 3 m (10 ft) long, and 1.5 m (5 ft) tall at the shoulder. The extinct ] (''Arctodus simus'') was the biggest land carnivore with an average weight of 900 kg (2,000 lb){{Fact|date=August 2008}}. The largest living member of the ] family is the ] (''Panthera tigris × Panthera leo''), with the largest recorded size being 798 kg (1,756 lb){{Fact|date=June 2008}}, and a length of 3.05 m (10 ft). The largest tiger subspecies, the ] (''Panthera tigris altaica''), has an average weight of around 227 kg (500 lb) for males, but can reach around 272-306 kg (600-675 lb) and weights up to 384 kg (845 lb) are unconfirmed. Even larger were the extinct ] (''Panthera leo atrox'') and the '']'', a saber-toothed cat. | |||
| *'''Whales''' (Cetacea). The largest whale and animal is the aforementioned blue whale, a ] (Mysticeti). The largest toothed whale (Odontoceti) is the ], bulls of which range usually range up to 18 metres (59.5 ft) and a mass of 50 tonnes (55 tons), but may possibly grow considerably larger. The ] or Killer Whale (''Orcinus orca'') is the largest species of the oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae). Males normally grow from 6.5-8 m long (20-25 ft) and weigh in excess of 6 tonnes; it has been reported that especially large males have reached nearer 8 tonnes. Females are smaller, growing from 5.7-7m (18-22 ft) and a weight of about 5 tonnes. The longest Orca ever recorded was a male off the coast of Japan, measuring 9.8 m (32 ft). | |||
| * '''Bats''' (Chiroptera). The largest ] species is the ] (''Acerodon jubatus''), a rare ] and ] that is part of the ] family. The maximum size is believed to approach 1.5 kg (3.3 lb), 55 cm (22 in) long, and the wingspan may be almost 1.8 m (6 ft). The ] (''Vampyrum spectrum''), averaging 168 grams (6 oz), 13.5 cm (5.3 in) and about 80 cm (32 in), is believed to be the largest carnivorous bat, belonging to the ] family. | |||
| *'''Armadillos''' (Cingulata). The extant giant of this group is the ] (''Priodontes maximus''). The top size for this species is 60 kg (132 lb) and 1.5 m (5 ft) in length. Much larger prehistoric examples are known, especially '']'', which easily topped 2.7 m (9 ft) and 2 tonnes (4,400 lb). | |||
| *'''Colugos''' (Dermoptera). Of the two ] species in the order ''Dermoptera'' of gliding arboreal mammals in ], the largest and most common is the ] (''Cynocephalus varigatus''). The maximum size is 2 kg (4.4 lb) and 73 cm (29 in). | |||
| *'''Hedgehogs, Gymnures, Shrews, and Moles''' (Erinaceomorpha & Soricomorpha). The largest of these two orders of small mammals is the ] (''Echinosorex gymnura''), the maximum size of which is over 2 kg (4.4 lb) and 60 cm (24 in). | |||
| *'''Hyraxes''' (Hyracoidea). The largest species of hyrax seems to be the ] (''Procavia capensis''), at up to 5.4 kg (12 lb) and 73 cm (29 in) long. | |||
| *'''Rabbits, Hares, & Pikas''' (Lagomorpha). The largest species is the ] (''Lepus europaeus''), which is up to 6.6 kg (14.6 lb) and 76 cm (30 in) long. | |||
| *'''Odd-toed Ungulates''' (Perissodactyla). The largest extant species is the ] (''Ceratotherium simum''). The largest size this species can attain is 4,500 kg (10,000 lb), 4.7 m (15.5 ft) long, and 2 m (6.6 ft) tall.<ref name=Now>{{cite web |url = http://196.36.153.129/cms/african-rhino/irie.aspx| title = African Rhinoceros | work = ] | accessdate = 2008-03-19 }}</ref>. It is slightly larger than the ]. The largest land mammal ever was '']'' or ''Indricotherium'' (formerly known as the ''Baluchitherium''), a member of this order. It stood up to 5.5 m (18 ft) tall, measured over 9 m (30 ft) long and may have weighed up to 20 tonnes (22 tons) though mass estimates vary widely. | |||
| *'''Pangolins''' (Pholiodata). The largest species of ] is the ] (''Manis gigantea''), at up to 1.7 m (5.8 ft) and at least 40 kg (88 lb). | |||
| *'''Anteaters & Sloths''' (Pilosa). The largest species is easily the ] (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla''). A large adult can weigh as much as 65 kg (143 lb) and measure 2.4 m (8 ft) in overall length. The ]s attained much larger sizes prehistorically, the largest of which were '']'' which, at an estimated average weight of 4.5 tonnes (5 tons) and height of 5.1 m (17 ft), was about the same size as the ]. | |||
| ] is the largest living primate.]] | |||
| *'''Primates''' (Primates). The ] (''Gorilla beringei graueri'') is the largest living ]. The maximum size of a male gorilla can be over 225 kg (500 lb) and 1.83 m (6 ft) in the wild, with much heavier weights recorded in captivity. '']'' is the largest known primate ever, probably averaged 3 m (10 ft) tall and weighing 300 to 550 kg (700 to 1,200 lb). It lived around 5 million years ago until about 300 thousand years ago in the region of ] and ]. ]s (''Homo sapiens'') can attain massive weights measured in thousands of lb (up to ]), but these are cases of morbid ], tumor, and other medical malady, and enormous heights (up to ]), due to the growth disorder ]. The tallest humans (who have reached heights of at least ] even when not afflicted with gigantism) are the tallest living primates. | |||
| * '''Elephants, mammoths, and mastodons''' (Proboscidea). Contrary to popular belief, most extinct species in the order '']'', such as ]s and ]s, did not dwarf the modern ]. The ], standing up to 5 m (16 ft) tall, and '']'', which may have surpassed 14 tonnes (15.4 tons) are generally considered the largest species. However, recent evidence shows that the largest mammoth ever was the ] of India. '']'' and ] were also enormous, rivaling the Songhua River Mammoth in size. While African elephants do not normally exceed 7 tonned in weight, some 'freak' specimens can exceed 12 tonnes, placing the modern african elephant in the list of the largest probiscids ever. | |||
| *'''Rodents''' (Rodentia). The largest living ] is the ], native to most of the ] and ] parts of ] east of the ], always near water. Full-grown capybaras can reach a top size of 80 kg (176 lb), 1.5 m (5 ft) long and 90 cm (3 ft) tall. The largest known rodent ever is '']'', an ] species known only from ]s. It was approximately {{convert|3|m|foot|0}} long and {{convert|1.5|m|foot|0}} tall, and is estimated to have weighed around 1 ].<ref name=Rinderknecht>{{cite journal | laysummary = http://journals.royalsociety.org/content/34j867846u164624/ | title = The largest fossil rodent | doi = 10.1098/rspb.2007.1645 | url = http://journals.royalsociety.org/content/34j867846u164624/fulltext.pdf | format = pdf | last = Rinderknecht | first = Andrés | coauthors = R. Ernesto Blanco | date = ] | journal = Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences | accessdate = 2008-01-16 | volume = 275 | pages = 923}}</ref> Prior to the description of ''J. monesi'', the largest known rodent species was '']''. However, this species is known only from very incomplete remains and so its size cannot be estimated with any precision. An almost complete skeleton of its slightly smaller ] relative '']'' was discovered in ] in 2000; it was 3 m (10 ft) long, with an additional 1.5 m (5 ft) tail, and probably weighed around 700 kg (1,540 lb). | |||
| *'''Tree Shrews''' (Scandentia). The largest of the tree shrews seems to be the ] (''Tupaia glis''), at up to 187 ] (6.6 ]) and 40 cm (17 in). | |||
| *'''Dugongs and manatees''' (Sirenia). The largest living species in the order '']'' of ]s and ]s is the ] (''Trichechus manatus''). The maximum size of this species is 1,590 kg (3,500 lb) and 4.1 m (13.5 ft). However, the extinct ] (''Hydrodamalis gigas'') was much larger, growing up to at least 7.9 m (26 ft) long and weighing up to 11 tonnes (12.1 tons). | |||
| === |
===Green algae=== | ||
| ] are photosynthetic unicellular and multicellular ] that are related to land plants. The ] of the unicellular mermaid's wineglass, '']'', can grow to several inches (perhaps 0.1 to 0.2 m) in length. The fronds of the similarly unicellular, and invasive '']'' can grow up to a foot (0.3 m) long.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}} | |||
| {{seealso|dinosaur size}} | |||
| ] is the largest living reptile.]] | |||
| The largest living ], a representative of the order ], is the ] (''Crocodylus porosus''), with adult males being typically 4.5 to 5 m (14.8 to 16.5 ft) long. The largest confirmed saltwater crocodile on record was 20.6 ft (6.3 m) long, and weighed over 1,900 kg (4,100 lb).<ref name="ufl">, by Adam Britton from the Crocodilian Species List.</ref> Unconfirmed reports of much larger crocodiles exist, but examinations of incomplete remains have never suggested a length greater than 23 ft (7 m). | |||
| ==Animals== | |||
| Extinct crocodilians were sometimes much larger, such as '']'', at up to 12 m (40 ft) and 9.1 tonnes (10 tons), '']'', also at up to 12 m (40 ft) and 13.6 tonnes (15 tons), and ], which was 12 m (40 ft) as well, and '']'', possibly up to 18 m (60 ft) long. | |||
| ] | |||
| *'''Lizards & snakes''' (Squamata). The most massive member of this ] superorder is the Green Anaconda ('']''). The maximum verified size is 9.5 m (31.4 ft) and 250 kg (550 lb), although much larger ]s have been reported. Even longer, the Reticulated Python ('']''), can be up to 10 m (33 ft), but is more slender than the anaconda. The largest of the living lizards is the ] (''Varanus komodoensis''). The largest-ever member of the order was probably one of the giant ], such as '']'', '']'', or '']'', all of which grew to around 15 m (50 ft). Some prehistoric snakes such as '']'' and '']'' are thought to have been as big as or bigger than anacondas and pythons, but the fossil remains are too incomplete for accurate determination of the size of the complete snake. The prehistoric ''] prisca'' (or ''Varanus priscus'') is the largest terrestrial squamate known, but the lack of a complete skeleton has resulted in a wide range of size estimates. Molnar's 2004 assessment resulted in an average weight of {{convert|320|kg|lb}}, and a maximum of {{convert|1940|kg|lb}} at {{convert|7|m|ft}} in length, which is toward the high end of the early estimates.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | |||
| ]'' is potentially the largest animal to have walked the earth.]]{{excerpt|Largest animals}} | |||
| | last = Molnar | |||
| | first = Ralph E. | |||
| | authorlink = | |||
| | encyclopedia = Varanoid Lizards of the World | |||
| | article = The Long and Honorable History of Monitors and Their Kin | |||
| | publisher = Indiana University Press | |||
| | year = 2004 | |||
| | pages = 588 | |||
| | url = http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=21751 | |||
| | isbn = 0253343666}}</ref> | |||
| *'''Plesiosaurs''' (Plesiosauria); now extinct. The largest known plesiosaur was ''] haasti'', growing to around 20 metres in length. | |||
| *'''Ichthyosaurs''' (Ichthyosauria). The largest of these marine reptiles (extinct for 90 million years) was the species '']'', at approximately 21 m (70 ft) long. | |||
| *'''Tuataras''' (Sphenodontia). The larger of the two extant species of ] is the ] (''Sphenodon guntheri''). The maximum size is 1.4 kg (3.1 lb) and 76 cm (30 in). | |||
| *'''Turtles''' (Testudines). The largest living turtle is the ] (''Dermochelys coriacea''), reaching a maximum length of nearly 2.7 m (9 ft) and a weight of 932 kg (2,050 lb). There are many extinct turtles that vie for the title of the largest ever. The largest seems to be '']'', which reached a length of 4.84 m (16 ft) across the flippers and a weight of 2,200 kg (4,500 lb). The ] and the ] can both exceed 300 kg (660 lbs) and 130 cm (52 in), and are considered the largest truly terrestrial reptiles alive today. A much larger tortoise survived until about 2000 years ago, '']'' at about 2.5 m (8.4 ft) long and well over a ton. | |||
| * '''Pterosaurs''' (Pterosauria); now extinct. A ] reptile (although not technically a dinosaur) is believed to have been the largest ] that ever existed: the ] ''] northropi''. The maximum size of this soaring giant was believed to have been about 127 kg (280 lb) and 12 m (40 ft) across the wings.<ref name="lawson1975">Lawson, D. A. (1975). "Pterosaur from the Latest Cretaceous of West Texas. Discovery of the Largest Flying Creature." ''Science'' '''187''': 947–948.</ref> Another possible contender for the largest pterosaur is '']'', which is also estimated to have had a 12 m wingspan.<ref name="buffetautetal2002">Buffetaut, E., Grigorescu, D., and Csiki, Z. (2002). "A new giant pterosaur with a robust skull from the latest Cretaceous of Romania." ''Naturwissenschaften'' '''89'''(4): 180–184. </ref> | |||
| ]'' (gray) and '']'' (red) size estimates are based on incomplete fossil evidence.]] | |||
| *'''Dinosaurs''' (Dinosauria); now extinct, except for Theropod descendants, the ]. | |||
| ==Fungi== | |||
| :All of the largest dinosaurs, and the largest animals to ever live on land, were plant-eating ]s. The tallest and heaviest sauropod known from a complete skeleton is the '']'' which was discovered in ] between 1907 and 1912, and is now mounted in the ] of ]. It is 12 m (38 ft) tall, and probably weighed between 30,000 – 60,000 kg (30 – 65 tons). The longest is the 27 m (89 ft) long '']'' which was discovered in ], and mounted in ]'s ] in 1907. | |||
| ]''|315x315px]]{{Main|Largest fungal fruit bodies}} | |||
| The largest living ] may be a ]<ref name="UW">{{Cite web|title=Armillaria gallica, the humongous fungus humungus. Tom Volk's Fungus of the Month for April 2002|url=http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/apr2002.html|access-date=2022-12-26|website=botit.botany.wisc.edu}}</ref> of the ] '']''.<ref name=BBCfungus>{{Cite web|title=BBC News | SCI/TECH | Fantastic fungus find|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/869808.stm|access-date=2022-12-26|website=news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> | |||
| A mushroom of this type in the ] in the ] of eastern ], U.S. was found to be the largest fungal colony in the world, spanning {{convert|8.9|km2|acre|abbr=on}} of area.<ref name="UW"/><ref name=ABCfungus>{{Cite web|title=Environment & Nature News - Humungous fungus: world's largest organism? - 10/04/2003|url=https://www.abc.net.au/science/news/enviro/EnviroRepublish_828525.htm|access-date=2022-12-26|website=www.abc.net.au}}</ref> This organism is estimated to be 2,400 years old. The fungus was written about in the April 2003 issue of the '']''. If this colony is considered a single organism, then it is the largest known organism in the world by area, and rivals the aspen grove "]" as the known organism with the highest living ]. It is not known, however, whether it is a single organism with all parts of the ] connected.<ref name=ABCfungus/> Approximations of the land area of the Oregon "humongous fungus" are {{convert|3.5|sqmi|sqkm}} ({{convert|2240|acre|ha}}, possibly weighing as much as 35,000 tons as the world's most massive living organism.<ref name="patton">{{cite web |author1=Vince Patton |title=Oregon Humongous Fungus Sets Record As Largest Single Living Organism On Earth (7 minute documentary video)|url=https://www.opb.org/television/programs/ofg/segment/oregon-humongous-fungus/ |publisher=Oregon Field Guide |access-date=23 September 2019 |date=12 February 2015}}</ref> | |||
| A spatial genetic analysis estimated that a specimen of ''Armillaria ostoyae'' growing over {{convert|91|acre|ha}} in northern ], United States weighs 440 ]s (4 x 10<sup>5</sup> kg).<ref name="Anderson">{{Cite journal | |||
| :There were larger sauropods, but they are known from only a few ]s. The current record-holders were all discovered since 1970, and include the massive '']'', which may have weighed 80,000 – 100,000 kg (90 to 110 tons); the longest, the 35 m (112 ft) long '']''; and the tallest, the 18 m (60 ft) '']'', which could have reached into a 6th-floor window. ''Diplodocus hallorum'' (formerly known as '']'') was once thought to have been about 50 m (170 ft) long, making it the longest known vertebrate, but later reconstructions estimate the length at 35 m (115 ft). | |||
| | last = Anderson | first = A. |author2=Sand, C. |author3=Petchey, F. |author4=Worthy, T. H. | |||
| | title = Faunal extinction and human habitation in New Caledonia: Initial results and implications of new research at the Pindai Caves | |||
| | journal = Journal of Pacific Archaeology | volume = 1 | issue = 1 | pages = 89–109 | |||
| | year = 2010 | hdl = 10289/5404 | |||
| }}</ref><ref name="daley">{{cite web |author1=Jason Daley |title=This humongous fungus is as massive as three blue whales: A new estimate suggests this mushroom is 2,500 years old and weighs 440 tons |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/mushroom-massive-three-blue-whales-180970549/ |publisher=Smithsonian.com |access-date=23 September 2019 |date=15 October 2018}}</ref> | |||
| In '']'', each individual mushroom (the fruiting body, similar to a flower on a plant) has only a {{convert|5|cm|in|abbr=on}} stipe, and a pileus up to {{convert|12.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} across. There are many other fungi which produce a larger individual size mushroom. The largest known fruiting body of a fungus is a specimen of '']'' (formerly ''Fomitiporia ellipsoidea'') found on ].<ref name=BBCFungalFruitingBody>Walker, Matt. (2011-08-01) . Bbc.co.uk</ref> The fruiting body masses up to {{convert|500|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name=ScienceFruitingBody>{{Cite journal | last1 = Dai | first1 = Y. C. | last2 = Cui | first2 = B. K. | doi = 10.1016/j.funbio.2011.06.008 | title = Fomitiporia ellipsoidea has the largest fruiting body among the fungi | journal = Fungal Biology | volume = 115 | issue = 9 | pages = 813–814 | year = 2011 | pmid = 21872178}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1= Cui|first1= Bao-Kai|last2= Decock|first2= Cony|year= 2013|title= ''Phellinus castanopsidis'' sp. nov (Hymenochaetaceae) from southern China, with preliminary phylogeny based on rDNA sequences|journal=Mycological Progress|volume=12|issue=2|pages= 341–351|doi= 10.1007/s11557-012-0839-5|bibcode= 2013MycPr..12..341C|s2cid= 17570036}}</ref> | |||
| :Less well described finds may exceed this. '']'' may have weighed as much as a blue whale and have been considerably longer, and '']'' would have been longer still, at an estimated 60m (200 ft), but ''Bruhathkayosaurus'' is based on very poor material, and the only fossil of ''Amphicoelias'' was lost. | |||
| Until ''P. ellipsoideus'' replaced it, the largest individual fruit body came from '']''. ''R. ulmarius'' can grow up to {{convert|284|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, {{convert|1.66|m|ft|abbr=on}} tall, {{convert|1.46|m|ft|abbr=on}} across, and has a circumference of up to {{convert|4.9|m|ft|abbr=on}}. | |||
| ] | |||
| :*'''Theropods''' (Theropoda). The longest and heaviest ] was the '']'', at 15 to 17.4 metres (49.2 to 57.1 ft) in length and a ] of up to 9 ]s.<ref name="dalsassoetal06">dal Sasso, C., S. Maganuco, E. Buffetaut and M. A. Mendez (2006). "New information on the skull of the enigmatic theropod ''Spinosaurus'', with remarks on its sizes and affinities." ''Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology'', '''25'''(4): 888-896.</ref> This is significantly more massive than other contenders such as the '']'' and '']''. ''Spinosaurus'' is notable for having been the largest ] ] known to exist. | |||
| :*'''Armored Dinosaurs''' (Thyreophora). The longest of the ]ns were '']'' and '']'', both of which measured up to 9 m in length. | |||
| :*'''Cerapods''' (Cerapoda). The largest ] were the ]ids '']'' and '']''.<br>Both species are known from fragmentary remains but are estimated to have reached over 15 m (50 ft) in length<ref name=XZetal07>{{cite journal |last=Zhao |first=X. |coauthors=Li, D.; Han, G.; Hao, H.; Liu, F.; Li, L.; and Fang, X. |year=2007 |title=''Zhuchengosaurus maximus'' from Shandong Province |journal=Acta Geoscientia Sinica |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=111–122 }} </ref><ref name=WJM81>{{cite journal |last=Morris |first=William J. |year=1981 |title=A new species of hadrosaurian dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Baja California: ?''Lambeosaurus laticaudus'' |journal=Journal of Paleontology |volume=55 |issue=2 |pages=453–462 }}</ref> and weighed over 23 ]s (50,700 ]).<ref name=WJM81/> | |||
| ::*'''Ceratopsians''' The largest ]n was '']''. ''Triceratops'' is estimated to have reached about 8 m (26 ft) in length<ref name="Dodhorned">{{cite book|title=The Horned Dinosaurs|year=1996|author=Dodson, P.|publisher=Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey|isbn=0-691-02882-6}}</ref> and weighed 6.1 ]s (13,400 ]).<ref name="Alexander">Alexander, R.M. (1985). Mechanics of posture and gait of some large dinosaurs. ''Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society'' '''83''': 1–25.</ref> The recently discovered '']'' had a skull estimated to be longer than 3 m, and may have been larger than ''Triceratops''.<ref name=wuetal2007">Wu, X-C., Brinkman, D.B., Eberth, D.A., and Braman, D.R. (2007). "A new ceratopsid dinosaur (Ornithischia) from the uppermost Horseshoe Canyon Formation (upper Maastrichtian), Alberta, Canada." ''Canadian Journal of Earth Science'', '''44'''(9): 1243-1265.</ref> | |||
| === |
===Lichen=== | ||
| '']'' is among the largest lichens in the world. The ] of ''U. mammulata'' is usually {{convert|4|to|15|cm|in|abbr=on}} in diameter, but specimens have been known to reach {{convert|63|cm|ft|adj=on}} in the ] of ].<ref name=Brodo>{{cite book | last = Brodo | first = Irwin | title = Lichens of North America | publisher = Yale University Press | location = New Haven | year = 2001 | isbn = 978-0-300-08249-4 }}</ref> | |||
| ] is the largest living bird.]] | |||
| The longest lichen is '']'', which may grow to exceed {{convert|20|feet}} in length.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Usnea longissima'' |url=https://www.lichen.com/bigpix/Ulongissima.html |website=lichen.com |publisher=Lichens of North America |access-date=10 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503045319/https://www.lichen.com/bigpix/Ulongissima.html |archive-date=3 May 2012}}</ref> | |||
| The largest living ], a member of the ], is the ] (''Struthio camelus'') reaching a height of over 2.7 m (9 ft) and weighing over 156 kg (345 lb).<ref name="birding"> records</ref> Eggs laid by the Ostrich can weigh 1.4 kg (3 lb) and are the largest eggs in the world today (and are also the largest single ] of any organism, although the sea algae '']'' could be considered the largest ] active cell). | |||
| ==Protists== | |||
| The largest bird in the fossil record may be the extinct ]s of Madagascar, which were related to the ]. They exceeded 3 m (10 ft) and 500 kg (1,120 lb). The last of the ]s became extinct about 300 years ago. Of almost exactly the same proportions as the largest ]s was '']'' of Australia, part of a 26,000-year old group called ]s of the family ]. The tallest bird ever however was the ] (''Dinornis maximus''), part of the moa family of New Zealand that went extinct about 200 years ago. This moa stood up to 3.7 m (12 ft) tall<ref name=birding/> when it was erected in an unnatural position, but weighed about half as much as a large ] or ] due to its comparatively slender frame. | |||
| ]'', the largest species of giant kelp|283x283px]] | |||
| The largest carnivorous bird was the phorusrhacid ], an extinct flightless bird from South America which reached a weight of 350 to 400 kg (770 to 880 lb) and a height of about 2.8 m (9.2 ft). | |||
| (Note: the group ] is not used in current taxonomy.) | |||
| ===Amoebozoans (])=== | |||
| The largest bird ever capable of flight was '']'', a now extinct member of the ] group, with a wingspan of up to 8.3 m (28 ft), a length of over 3 m (10 ft) and a body weight of 80 kg (176 lb.). | |||
| :Among the organisms that are not ], the largest are the ]s, such as '']'', some of which can reach a diameter over {{convert|12|in|cm|abbr=on|order=flip}}.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630192009/http://waynesword.palomar.edu/slime1.htm |date=2015-06-30 }}. Waynesword.palomar.edu</ref> These organisms are ], but they are ]. | |||
| ===Euglenozoans (])=== | |||
| *'''Waterfowl''' (Anseriformes). The largest species in general is the ] (''Cygnus buccinator''), which can reach an overall length of 1.82 m (6 ft), a wingspan of 3 m (10 ft) and a weight of 17.3 kg (38 lb). However, the heaviest waterfowl ever recorded was an ] ] (''Cygnus olor'') from Poland, who weighed nearly 23 kg (50 lb). The members of the previously mentioned ] are now classified as members of this order, making them the largest "]" that ever lived. | |||
| :Some ]s, such as certain species of '']'', reach lengths of 400 ].<ref name = ProtistServer> | |||
| *'''Swifts & allies''' (Apodiformes). The ] (''Streptoprocne semicollaris'') and the ] (''Hirundapus celebensis'') reach similar large sizes, at up to 225 g (8 oz) and 25 cm (10 in). The ]s are also traditionally included in this order, the largest species of which is easily the ] (''Patagona gigas''). | |||
| {{cite web | |||
| *'''Nightjars & allies''' (Caprimulgiformes). The largest species of this order is the ] (''Nycitbius grandis''), the maximum size of which is about 680 g (1.5 lb) and 60 cm (2 ft). | |||
| |title = Protist Images: Euglena gigas | |||
| *'''Shorebirds''' (Charadriiformes). The largest species in this diverse order is the ] (''Larus marinus''), attaining a size of as much as 85 cm (34 in) and 2.5 kg (5.5 lb). The extinct ] (''Pinguinus impennis''), at 5 kg (11 lb) was the record holder, however. | |||
| |work = Protist Information Server | |||
| *'''Herons & allies''' (Ciconiiformes). The largest species, if measured in regard to body weight and wingspan, is the ] (''Vultur gryphus''), reaching a wingspan of 3.2 m (10.7 ft)<ref name=birding/> and a weight of 15 kg (33 lb). The longest-bodied species is probably the ] (''Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis''), which often exceeds 1.5 m (5 ft) tall. Most of the largest flying birds in the fossil record, including the largest, '']'', were members of the Ciconiiformes. | |||
| |year = 2004 | |||
| *'''Mousebirds''' (Coliiformes). The mousebirds are remarkably uniform, but the largest species is seemingly the ] (''Colius striatus''), at 57 g (2 oz) and over 35 cm (14 in). | |||
| |url = http://protist.i.hosei.ac.jp/PDB/Images/Mastigophora/Euglena/gigas/index.html}}</ref> | |||
| *'''Pigeons''' (Columbiformes). The largest species of the pigeon/dove complex is the ] (''Goura victoria''). Some exceptionally large ones have reached 3.7 kg (8.2 lb) and 85 cm (34 in). The extinct flightless ] (''Raphus cucullatus'') was the largest bird of this order of all time, weighing about 23 kg (50 lb). | |||
| *'''Kingfishers & allies''' (Coraciiformes). The largest species is the ], reaching sizes of as much as 6 kg (13.5 lb) and nearly 1.2 m (4 ft) in length. | |||
| *'''Cuckoos & allies''' (Cuculiformes). The largest species of this order is the ] (''Corythaeola cristata''), a cousin of the ]s. This species, which can weigh over 1.2 kg and measure over 74 cm in length, is much larger than other ]s. | |||
| ] is the biggest of the birds of prey]] | |||
| *'''Birds of prey''' (Falconiformes). The largest species is the ] (''Aegypius monachus''), attaining a maximum size of 14 kg (31 lb), 119 cm (47 in) long and 3 m (10 ft) across the wings. Slightly larger, at up to 1.4 m (4.7 ft) long, wingspan 3 m (10 ft) and weighing at least 15 kg (33 lb), was the now extinct ] (''Harpagornis moorei''), the largest ] known. | |||
| *'''Gamebirds''' (Galliformes). The largest member of this diverse order is the ] (''Meleagris gallopavo''). The largest specimen ever recorded was just short of 14 kg (31 lb) and 130 cm (52 in). The heaviest ] on record weighed 37 kg (81 lb).<ref name=birding/> The longest species, if measured from the tip of the bill to the end of the long tail coverts, is the ] (''Pavo muticus''), at up to 3 m (10 ft) long. A prehistoric, flightless family, sometimes called (incorrectly) "giant megapodes" ('']'') were the biggest galliformes ever, having reached 1.70 m (5.6 ft) long and weighed up to about 30 kg (66 lb). | |||
| *'''Loons''' (Gaviiformes). The largest species on average is the ] (''Gavia adamsii''), at up to 1 m (3.3 ft) and 7 kg (15.4 lb). However, one exceptional ] weighed 8 kg (17.6 lb), heavier than any recorded Yellow-billed Loon. | |||
| *'''Cranes & allies''' (Gruiformes). The ] (''Otis tarda'') and ] (''Ardeotis kori'') are the heaviest birds capable of flight, both occasionally reaching 21 kg (46 lb)<ref name=birding/> and 1.5 m (5 ft) long. The tallest and longest bird flying bird on earth, also represented in the ], is the ] (''Grus antigone''), sometimes standing almost 2 m (6.6 ft) tall. The largest ever gruiform was a species of "terror bird", highly predatory, flightless birds of South America: '']''. This species stood about 2.8 m (9.2 ft) and weigh up to about 400 kg (880 lb). | |||
| ] shares the title of the largest songbird with its common cousin.]] | |||
| *'''Songbirds''' (Passeriformes). Both the ] (''Corvus corax'') and the ] (Corvus crassirostris) are enormous by ] standards. Both of these birds can exceed 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) and 70 cm (28 in). | |||
| *'''Cormorants & allies''' (Pelecaniformes). The largest species is the ] (''Pelecanus crispus''), which attains a length of 1.82 m (6 ft), a wingspan of 3.5 m (11.5 ft) and a body weight of 15 kg (33 lb). A pelecaniform of the late Miocene, '']'', was among the largest flying birds ever, at up to 2.1 m (7 ft) long with a wingspan of 6 m (20 ft). | |||
| *'''Flamingos''' (Phoenicopteriformes). The largest flamingo is the ] (''Phoenicopterus ruber''), at up to 1.5 m (5 ft) tall and 4 kg (8.8 lb). | |||
| *'''Woodpeckers & allies''' (Piciformes). The largest species of this diverse order is the ] (''Ramphastos toco''). The maximum size of this tropical forest bird is possibly as much as 1 kg (2.2 lb) and 75 cm (30 in). | |||
| *'''Grebes''' (Podicepiformes). The largest species of grebe is the ] (''Podiceps major''). It can reach a length of 80 cm (32 in) and a weigh of over 2 kg (4.4 lb). | |||
| *'''Tubenoses''' (Procellariiformes). The largest species is ] (''Diomedea exulans''), which also possesses longest wingspan of any living bird. The maximum dimensions are a length of 1.44 m (4.6 ft) and a wingspan of 3.63 m (nearly 12 ft).<ref name=birding/> Immature have weighed as much as 13.8 kg (35 lb) at the time of their first flights. The largest-ever tubenose (though it is sometimes classified in the order ]) was the albatross-like '']'', with a wingspan of about 6 m (20 ft).<ref> Encyclopedia Britannica Online</ref> | |||
| *'''Parrots''' (Psittaciformes). The longest and largest overall parrot is the endangered ] (''Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus''), reaching nearly 1.2 m (4 ft) long and 2 kg (4.4 lb). However, the heaviest parrot is the nearly-extinct ] (''Strigops habroptilus''), which can weigh over 4 kg (8.8 lb), but doesn't much exceed 60 cm (2 ft). | |||
| *'''Sandgrouse''' (Pterocliformes). The ] (''Pterocles orientalis'') is the largest sandgrouse, at a maximum size of 634 g (1.4 lb) and 45 cm (18 in). | |||
| *'''Penguins''' (Sphenisciformes). The largest species is easily the ] (''Aptenodytes forsteri''), with a maximum size of 1.35 m (4.3 ft) and 46 kg (102 lb). At one time, possibly competing with the ]ian ]s, a number of giant penguins existed. The largest is believed to be '']'', having reached a height of nearly 2 m (6.7 ft) and a weigh of up to 135 kg (300 lb). | |||
| ] is one of the biggest owls]] | |||
| *'''Owls''' (Strigiformes). Both the ] (''Bubo bubo'') and ] (''Bubo blakistoni'') reach very large sizes. Record-sized specimens of both species have weighed about 4.5 kg (10 lb) and measured over 80 cm (32 in) long. The largest owl known to have existed was '']'' of Cuba, having measured over 1 m (3.3 ft) tall. | |||
| *'''Tinamous''' (Tinamiformes). The largest species of ], a group of chunky, elusive ground-birds from tropical America, is the ] (''Tinamus tao''). It can reach a weight over 2 kg (4.4 lb) and length of over 55 cm (22 in). | |||
| *'''Trogons''' (Trogoniformes). The ] (''Pharomachrus mocinno'') is much larger than most ]s. It often exceeds 225 g (8 oz) and is at least 35 cm (14 in) along the head-and-body, with the remarkable tail of the male adding 60 cm (2 ft) to the length. | |||
| === |
===Rhizarians (])=== | ||
| :The largest species traditionally considered ] are giant ]s like ]ns. One such species, the ] '']'', can attain a size of {{convert|20|cm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2008-10-10|title=The 27 Best Deep-Sea Species: #22 Xenophyophores | Deep Sea News|url=https://www.deepseanews.com/2008/10/the-27-best-deep-sea-species-22-xenophyophores/|access-date=2022-12-26|website=www.deepseanews.com|language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
| ], the largest of the surviving ]s.]] | |||
| The largest living ] is the ] (''Andrias davidianus''). The maximum size of this river-dweller is 64 kg (140 lb) and 1.83 m (6 ft). Before ]s became the dominant ]s, several giant amphibian-like tetrapods existed. The largest known was the ]-like '']'', which reached a length of 9 m (30 ft). | |||
| *'''Frogs''' (Anura). Easily the largest member of the largest order of ]s is the ]n ] (''Conraua goliath''). The maximum size of this species is a weight of 3.8 kg (8.4 lb) and a snout-to-vent length of 35 cm (14 in). The largest of the ]s is the ]. However, the extinct ] could grow to be 16 in. long and weigh up to 10 lbs. | |||
| *'''Caecilian''' (Gymnophiana). The largest of the worm-like ] is the ] (''Caecilia thompsoni''), which reaches a length of 1.5 m (5 ft) and can weigh up to about 1 kg (2.2 lb). | |||
| ===Alveolates (])=== | |||
| ===Ray-finned bony fish (''Actinopterygii'')=== | |||
| :The largest ]s, such as '']'', can attain a length over {{convert|4|mm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Micscape Microscopy and Microscope Magazine|url=http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artoct98/spiro.html|access-date=2022-12-26|website=www.microscopy-uk.org.uk}}</ref> | |||
| ] is the largest of the bony fish]] | |||
| The largest living ] is the ] (''Mola mola''), a member of the order ]. ] have been recorded at sizes as large as a length of nearly 3.6 m (12 ft), a height of 4.5 m (15 ft) from fin to fin and a weight of about 2,273 kg (5,000 lb). Much larger ] existed prehistorically, the largest ever known having been '']'', of the ] period. Estimates of the size of this fish range from 13.5 m (45 ft) to 30 m (100 ft), but a maximum size of 22 m (72 ft) seems most realistic. | |||
| *'''Sturgeons''' (Acipenseriformes). The largest species is the huge ] (''Huso huso''). The maximum recorded size of this ] species is nearly 7.9 m (26 ft) and 2,075 kg (4,565 lb). The ] or Great Siberian Sturgeon has been recorded at 1000 kg, making it the largest known ] fish. | |||
| *'''Eels''' (Anguilliformes). The largest species, if measured in weight and overall bulk, is the ] (''Conger conger''). The maximum size of this species is 2.87 m (9.5 ft) and 60.6 kg (133.25 lb)<ref name="saltwater"> of the International Game Fish Association. </ref>. Getting slightly longer, at up to 3 m (10 ft) but never exceeding 36 kg (80 lb), is the ] (''Gymnothorax javanicus''). | |||
| *'''Minnows & allies''' (Atheriniformes). An order best known for its small ] representatives, the largest species is the ] (''Atherinopsis californiensis''). Although it reaches 45 cm (18 in), it is not known to even reach 450 g (1 lb). | |||
| *'''Grinners''' (Aulopiformes). The largest member of this order is the ] (''Alepisaurus ferox''). Slender, with a huge, dramatic spine, these fish can reach 5.4 kg (12 lb) and 2.1 m (7 ft). | |||
| *'''Toadfish''' (Batrachoidiformes). The largest ] is the ] (''Batrachoides surinamensis''), reaching a size of up to 2.27 kg (5 lb) and 58 cm (23 in). | |||
| *'''Flying-fish & allies''' (Beloniformes). The largest member of this order, best known for its members' ability to ] the water and zip through the sky, is the ] (''Tylosurus acus''), a slender fish at up to 1.5 m (5 ft) and a weight of 3.7 kg (8.2 lb). | |||
| *'''Squirrelfish''' (Beryciformes). Best known for their highly ]ous barbs, the ]'s largest representative is the ] (''Sargocentron spiniferum''), at up to 60 cm (24 in) and 3.5 kg (7.7 lb). | |||
| *'''Characins''' (Characiformes). The largest species is the ] (''Hydrocynus goliath''). The top size of this fish is 1.5 m (5 ft) and 44 kg (97 lb)<ref name="freshwater"> of the International Game Fish Association. </ref>. | |||
| *'''Herring''' (Clupeiformes). The largest ] is probably the ] (''Chirocentrus dorab''). The maximum size of this species has been reported as much as 1.83 m (6 ft), but these slender fish have never been recorded as exceeding 3.4 kg (7.5 lb) in weight. | |||
| *'''Carp''' (Cypriniformes). The largest species today is probably the ] (''Catlocarpio siamensis''), which reaches a size of as much as 3 m (10 ft) and a weight of as much as 300 kg (660 lb). In centuries past, the ] (''Barbus tor'') was reported to reach similar or even larger proportions, but large specimens are quite rare recently. | |||
| *'''Killifish & allies''' (Cyprinodontiformes). The largest species is the ] (''Anableps dowei''), reaching a size of 33 cm (13 in) and 588 g (1.3 lb). | |||
| *'''Cod''' (Gadiformes). The largest cod species, although it rarely reachs large sizes anymore due to heavy fishing, is the ] (''Gadus morhua''). The maximum recorded size of this species is 2 m (6.7 ft) long and 96 kg (212 lb). | |||
| *'''Shellears & allies''' (Gonorynchiformes). The well-known ] (''Chanos chanos'') is the largest member of this order. The maximum size is 22.7 kg (50 lb) and 1.84 m (6.1 ft) long. | |||
| *'''Ribbonfish & allies''' (Lampriformes). The largest member of this small but fascinating order is the ] (''Regalecus glesne''), also the longest ] on earth. Slender and compressed, this fish averages over 6 m (20 ft) long and can weigh 275 kg (605 lb). One fish was 11.3 m (37.3 ft) long, but there is a possibility that the oarfish reaches 16 m (55 ft). | |||
| *'''Gars''' (Lepisosteiformes). The largest of the gar, and the largest entirely freshwater fish in ], is the ], ''Atractosteus spatula'', reaching a size of 3 m (10 ft) and 127 kg (279 lb)<ref name="freshwater"/>. | |||
| *'''Anglerfish''' (Lophiiformes). The largest of this diverse order is the ] (''Lophius piscatorius''). This big-mouthed fish can attain a size of 58 kg (127 lb) and a length of 1.9 m (6.2 ft). | |||
| *'''Lanternfish''' (Myctophiformes). The largest of the numerous but small ] is ] (''Gymnoscopelus bolini''), at up to 249 g (8.8 oz) and 35 cm (14 in). | |||
| *'''Pearlfish & allies''' (Ophidiiformes). The largest member of this order is the ] (''Lamprogrammus shcherbachevi''). A cuskeel can be nearly 2 m (6.7 ft) long, but even large fish probably aren't much over 10 kg (22 lb) since they are quite slender. | |||
| *'''Bony-tongued fish''' (Osteoglossiformes). The largest species is the ]n fish usually known as the ], ''Arampaima gigas''. This laterally compressed fish can reach a size of about 3 m and a weight of 202 kg (455 lb). | |||
| ] is one of the largest species of the ]-like fish]] | |||
| *'''Perches & allies''' (Perciformes). The title of the largest member of this order, the most numerous order of all vertebrates, is a matter of some debate. A large ] is the biggest of these fishes, as they are known to exceed even the huge ], ''Thunnus thynnus'', in size. The ], ''Makaira indica'', the ], ''Makaira nigricans'', and the ], ''Makaira mazara'', all reach similar large sizes, at up to 900 kg (2,000 lb) and 4.7 m (15.5 ft). | |||
| *'''Flatfish''' (Pleuronectiformes). The largest of the well-known and heavily-fished flatfish is the ], ''Hippoglossus stenolepis''. This giant can reach 363 kg (800 lb) and 2.67 m (8.8 ft), although fish even approaching this size would be extraordinary these days. | |||
| <!-- Deleted image removed: ], the largest species of ].]] --> | |||
| *'''Salmon & allies''' (Salmoniformes). The largest species is the ], ''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha''. The maximum size of this fish is 61.4 kg (135 lb) and 1.5 m (5 ft) long. | |||
| *'''Sculpins''' (Scorpaeniformes). Although less venomous than many smaller fish in the same order, the ], ''Erilepis zonifer'', is largest ]. The maximum size is 1.9 m (6.2 ft) and the weight can be 90 kg (200 lb). | |||
| *'''Catfish''' (Siluriformes). Most authorities now give the crown of the largest ] to the ], ''Pangasianodon gigas''. This huge fish has been recorded at a size of over 2.7 m (9 ft) and a weight of 293 kg (646 lb).<ref name="ng_20050629">{{cite news | |||
| |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/06/0629_050629_giantcatfish.html | |||
| |title=Grizzly Bear-Size Catfish Caught in Thailand | |||
| |publisher=] News | |||
| |date=2005-06-29 | |||
| |accessdate=2006-06-29 | |||
| }}</ref><ref name="msnbc">{{cite news | |||
| |url=http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8404622/ | |||
| |title=Fish whopper: {{convert|646|lb|abbr=on}} a freshwater record | |||
| |date=2005-07-01 | |||
| |accessdate=2006-06-29 | |||
| }}</ref><ref name="iht">{{cite news | |||
| |url=http://www.iht.com/bin/print_ipub.php?file=/articles/2005/08/24/news/fish.php | |||
| |title=Hunt for the big fish becomes a race | |||
| |author=Mydans, Seth | |||
| |publisher=] | |||
| |date=2005-08-25 | |||
| |accessdate=2006-06-29 | |||
| }}</ref> However, the ], ''Silurus glanis'', may possibly be longer. The largest wels scientifically recorded was 3 m (10 ft) and 220 kg (484 lb). | |||
| *'''Bristlemouths''' (Stomiiformes). The largest of the ]s is the ], ''Opostomias micripnus''. The top size of a female of this species is probably over 452 g (1 lb) and 50 cm (20 in) long. | |||
| *'''Seahorses & allies''' (Syngnathiformes). The largest of this diverse order is the ], ''Fistularia petimba'', reaching a length of 2 m (6.6 ft) and weight of over 4.5 kg (10 lb). | |||
| *'''Dories''' (Zeiformes). The largest species of dory is the ], ''Zeus capensis'', reaching a size of 90 cm (36 in) and a weight of 20 kg (44 lb). | |||
| ===Stramenopiles (])=== | |||
| ===Cartilaginous fish (''Chondrichthyes'')=== | |||
| :The largest ] are ] from the northwestern Pacific. The floating stem of ''] pyrifera'' can grow to a height of over {{convert|45|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Discover|url=https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover.html|access-date=2022-12-26|website=www.nhm.ac.uk|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Giant kelp|url=https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/animals-a-to-z/giant-kelp|access-date=2022-12-26|website=www.montereybayaquarium.org}}</ref> | |||
| ] and a human.]] | |||
| :Macrocystis also qualifies as the largest ], the largest ], and the largest protist generally. | |||
| The largest living ], of the order ], is the ], verified in size at up to 13.6 m (45 ft) long and 22 tons (44,000 lb). There are many accounts of larger ]s, but most are probably overestimated. | |||
| *'''Ground Sharks''' (Carcharhiniformes). The largest species of this order is the ], ''Galeocerdo cuvier''. This species can attain a weight of at least 1527 kg (3,360 lb) and length of possibly as much as 6.4 m (21 ft). | |||
| *'''Mackerel sharks''' (Lamniformes). The largest living species is the ], ''Cetorhinus maximus'', also the second largest ]. The maximum, verified size for this shark is 12.4 m (41 ft) and weight is 16 tonnes (17.6 tons). An even larger lamnid, generally regarded as the largest predatory fish ever, is the '']'', a relative of the ]. The top size of this species has probably been exaggerated in the past, but a large '']'' probably reached 16 m (52.8 ft) and weighed 36 tonnes (40 tons). | |||
| ], here seen at ], ], is the largest ray.]] | |||
| *'''Stingrays & allies''' (Myliobatiformes). Both the largest species of this order and the largest of the rays is the ], ''Manta birostris''. This peaceful leviathan can reach a size of 3 tonnes (3.3 tons), a "disk" width of 7.6 m (25 ft) and a length of 5 m (16.5 ft). | |||
| *'''Sawfish''' (Pristiniformes). These little known cartilaginous fish can often reach huge sizes. The largest bulk recorded for a sawfish is for the ], ''Pristis perotteti'', which weighed 2.4 tonnes (2.7 tons). At this weight, the ] must have measured nearly 9 m (30 ft). | |||
| *'''Skates''' (Rajiformes). The largest and most diverse order of ]' largest species is the ], ''Rhynchobatus djiddensis''. The top size of the species is 250 kg (550 lb) and 3.1 m (10.2 ft). | |||
| *'''Dogfish''' (Squaliformes). The largest member of this order is the ], ''Somniosus microcephalus''. This species probably reaches 7.2 m (24 ft) and large specimens weigh over 1,364 kg (3,000 lb). | |||
| *'''Angelsharks''' (Squatiniformes). The largest of the bottom-dwelling angelsharks is the ], ''Squatina squatina'', attaining a size of 100 kg (220 lb) and 2.42 m (8 ft). | |||
| == |
==Bacteria== | ||
| The largest known species of ] is named '']'', which grows to {{convert|1|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wong |first=Carissa |title=Largest known bacteria in the world are visible to the naked eye |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/2325909-largest-known-bacteria-in-the-world-are-visible-to-the-naked-eye/ |access-date=2022-06-24 |website=New Scientist |language=en-US}}</ref> making it visible to the naked eye and also about five thousand times the size of more typical ].<ref name="science1">{{cite web|url=https://www.science.org/content/article/largest-bacterium-ever-discovered-has-unexpectedly-complex-cells |first = Elizabeth |last = Pennisi|author-link = Elizabeth Pennisi|title=Largest bacterium ever discovered has unexpectedly complex cells |date=|work=]|publisher=science.org|accessdate=2022-02-24|language=en}}</ref> ] described it as possessing the "size and shape of a human ]."<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-06-23 |title=Record bacterium discovered as long as human eyelash |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-61911817 |access-date=2022-06-24}}</ref> ] published a new paper on the bacterium on June 23, 2022.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Volland |first1=Jean-Marie |last2=Gonzalez-Rizzo |first2=Silvina |last3=Gros |first3=Olivier |last4=Tyml |first4=Tomáš |last5=Ivanova |first5=Natalia |last6=Schulz |first6=Frederik |last7=Goudeau |first7=Danielle |last8=Elisabeth |first8=Nathalie H. |last9=Nath |first9=Nandita |last10=Udwary |first10=Daniel |last11=Malmstrom |first11=Rex R. |date=2022-06-24 |title=A centimeter-long bacterium with DNA contained in metabolically active, membrane-bound organelles |url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abb3634 |journal=Science |language=en |volume=376 |issue=6600 |pages=1453–1458 |doi=10.1126/science.abb3634 |pmid=35737788 |bibcode=2022Sci...376.1453V |s2cid=249990020 |issn=0036-8075}}</ref> According to a study coauthored by Jean-Marie Volland, a marine biologist and scientist at California's Laboratory for Research in Complex Systems, and an affiliate at the US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, ''T. magnifica'' can grow up to 2 centimeters long.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Amarachi Orie |date=June 23, 2022 |title=World's largest bacterium discovered is the size of a human eyelash |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/23/world/worlds-largest-bacteria-magnifica-intl-scli-scn/index.html |access-date=2022-06-28 |website=CNN}}</ref> | |||
| ===Sponges (''Porifera'')=== | |||
| Arguably the most primitive form of animals in existence, the largest species of ] is the ], ''Xestospongia muta''. These massively-built ]s can reach 2.42 m (8 ft) in height and can be of about the same number of feet across the thickest part of the "body". | |||
| *'''Calcareous sponges''' (Calcarea). The largest of these small, inconspicuous ]s is probably the species '']'', attaining a height of 30 cm (1 ft). Most ]s do not exceed 10 cm (4 in) tall. | |||
| *'''Hexactinellid sponges''' (Hexactinellida). A relatively common species, '']'', can reach a height of 1 m (3.3 ft) once they are of a very old age. This is the maximum size recorded for a hexactinellid sponge. | |||
| *'''Cyanobacteria''' | |||
| ===Cnidarians (''Cnidaria'')=== | |||
| :One of the largest "]" is '']'', whose filamentous cells can be 50 μm wide.<ref name = Stal2007>{{Cite book|last = Stal|first = Lucas J.|year = 2007|contribution = Diversity and Versatility, Clues to Life in Extreme Environments|title = Algae and Cyanobacteria in Extreme Environments|series = Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology|volume = 11, Part 7|editor = Seckbach, J.|pages = |place = Dordrecht, The Netherlands|publisher = Springer|doi = 10.1007/978-1-4020-6112-7_36|isbn = 978-1-4020-6111-0|url = https://archive.org/details/algaecyanobacter0000unse/page/659}}</ref> | |||
| The ] is the largest ] species, of the class ]. The largest specimens of this giant can attain a bell diameter of 2.5 m (8 ft), a weight of 150 kg (330 lb.) and can possess ]s as long as 40 m (120 ft) or more. | |||
| *'''Corals and sea-anemones''' (Anthozoa). The largest individual species are the ]s of the genus '']'', which can attain a mouth disc diameter of 60 cm (2 ft). Longer, but much less massive overall, are the anemones of the genus '']'', at up to 2 m (6.6 ft) tall. Communities of ] can be truly massive, a single colony of the '']'' genus can be over 10 m (33 ft), but the actual individual organisms are quite small. | |||
| *'''Box jellyfish''' (Cubozoa). The largest of the ] is the species '']'', which can attain a mass of 6 kg (13.2 lb in weight), a 30 cm (1 ft) bell and a ] length up to 2 m (6.6 ft). This species is also the most common and dangerous box jelly. | |||
| *'''Hydrozoans''' (Hydrozoa). The colonial ] '']'' can attain lengths of 40-50 m (130-165 ft). | |||
| ==Viruses== | |||
| ===Flatworms (''Platyhelminthes'')=== | |||
| ] | |||
| The largest terrestrial species of this phylum of mostly ]s, called ]s in common language, is the ], ''Bipalium kewense'', of the class ]. This planarian can reach a length of 60 cm (2 ft) and is quite massive for a ]. | |||
| The largest virus on record is '']'', with the length of 4 micrometres, comparable to the typical size of a bacterium and large enough to be seen in light microscopes. It was discovered in 2018 (being mistaken for ]s beforehand), having been found on an ] in the genus '']''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Barthélémy |first1=Roxane-Marie |title=Serendipitous Discovery in a Marine Invertebrate (Phylum Chaetognatha) of the Longest Giant Viruses Reported till Date |journal=Biology |date=8 January 2019}}</ref> Prior to this discovery, the largest virus was the peculiar virus genus '']'', which have a size of approximately 1 ] and whose genome contains 1,900,000 to 2,500,000 base pairs of DNA.<ref name="Brumfiel">{{cite news | url=https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2013/07/18/203298244/worlds-biggest-virus-may-have-ancient-roots | title=World's Biggest Virus May Have Ancient Roots | work=National Public Radio | date=18 July 2013 | access-date=18 July 2013 | author=Brumfiel, Geoff}}</ref> | |||
| *'''Monogenean flatworms''' (Monogenea). The largest members of this group of very small parasites are among the genus of ]s , '']'', reaching a length of 2 cm (0.8 in). | |||
| *'''Flukes''' (Trematoda). The largest species of ] is '']'', which most often attacks ]s and ]. One of these flukes can be up to 7.5 cm (3 in) long and 2 cm (0.8 in) thick. | |||
| *'''Tapeworms''' (Cestoda). The largest species of ] is commonly called the ], ''Diphyllobothrium latum'', since they are commonly contracted from eating ]. This devastating parasite has been recorded as reaching a length of 20 m (66 ft) in the internal organs of a ], and a length of 30 m in other hosts<!--I guess, because 30 is listed on tapeworm page?-->.{{Fact|date=May 2007}} | |||
| '']'' infects ] specifically, however '']'' infects '']'' ]. | |||
| ===Roundworms (''Nematoda'')=== | |||
| The largest ], '']'', is a parasite found in the ]s of sperm whales which can reach up to 9 m in length. | |||
| ===Segmented worms (''Annelida'')=== | |||
| The largest of the ]s is the ], ''Microchaetus rappi''. This huge worm can reach a length of as much as 6.7 m (22 ft)<ref></ref> and can weigh over 1.5 kg (3.1 lb). Only the ], ''Megascolides australis'', and a few giant ]s reach nearly comparable sizes, reaching 4 m (13 ft) and 3.6 m (11.9 ft), respectively. | |||
| ===Echinoderms ''(Echinodermata)''=== | |||
| The largest species of ] in terms of bulk is the ] species ''],'' of the class ], which reaches a weight of over 6 kg (13.2 lb). However, at a maximum span of 63 cm (25 in), it is quite a bit shorter than some other echinoderms. The longest-bodied echinoderm is the brisingid sea star ''],'' reaching a span of 1.4 m (4.5 ft), despite being quite slender. | |||
| *'''Crinoids''' (Crinoidea). The largest species of ] is the ], ''Heliometra glacialis'', reaching a total width of 78 cm (31 in) and an individual arm length of 35 cm (14 in). In the past, crinoids grew much larger, and stalk lengths up to 40 m (130 ft) have been found in the fossil record. <ref>{{cite book | |||
| | last = Ponsonby | |||
| | first = Dr. David | |||
| | coauthors = Prof. George Dussart | |||
| | title = The Anatomy of the Sea | |||
| | publisher =Raincoast Books | |||
| | year = 2005 | |||
| | location = Vancouver | |||
| | pages = 129 | |||
| | isbn = 0-8118-4633-4}}</ref> | |||
| *'''Sea-urchins & allies''' (Echinoidea). The largest ] is the species '']'', which can reach a shell width of 33 cm (13 in). | |||
| *'''Sea-cucumbers''' (Holothuroidea). The bulkiest species of ] is '']'', weighing several pounds, being about 21 cm (8.3 in) in diameter, and reaching a length of 1 m (3.3 ft) when fully extended. Species of ] in the genus '']'' can reach an extended length of 2 m (6.6 ft), but are extremely slender. | |||
| *'''Brittle stars''' (Ophiuroidea). The largest known specimen of ] is '']''. This species can measure 70 cm (28 in) in arm length and has a disk diameter of about 14.3 cm (5.63 in). | |||
| ===Ribbon worms (''Nemertea'')=== | |||
| The largest ], and the longest extant animal, is the ], ''Lineus longissimus''. A specimen found washed ashore on a beach in ], ] in 1864 was recorded at a length of 55 m (180 ft).<ref>] 1995. ''The Guinness Book of Animal Records''. Guinness Publishing. p. 232.</ref> | |||
| ===Molluscs (''Mollusca'')=== | |||
| ].]] | |||
| Both the largest ] and the largest of all ]s is believed to be the ], ''Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni''. Current estimates put its maximum size at 12 to 14 metres (39–46 ft) long, based on analysis of smaller specimens. On February 22, 2007, authorities in New Zealand announced the capture of the largest colossal squid seen. It was later measured at 10 m (33 ft) long and 494 kg (1,098 lb) in weight.<ref></ref> | |||
| The ] (''Architeuthis dux'') was previously thought to be the largest squid, and while it is less massive and has a smaller mantle than the Colossal Squid, it may exceed the colossal squid in overall length including tentacles. The giant squid can measure up to 13 m (43 ft) or more from tentacle tip to tail tip, or 2.25 m (7.4 ft) in mantle length, and can weigh up to 275 kg (600 lb).<ref name=OShea>O'Shea, S. 2003. The Octopus News Magazine Online.</ref> | |||
| *'''Aplacophorans''' (Aplacophora). The largest of these worm-like, shell-less ]s are represented in the genus '']'', which can reach 30 cm (12 in) long. Most aplacophorans are less than 5 cm (2 in) long. | |||
| *'''Chitons''' (Polyplacophora). The largest of the ]s is the ], ''Cryptochiton stelleri'', which can reach a length of 33 cm (13 in). | |||
| *'''Bivalves''' (Bivalvia). The largest of the ] ]s is the ], ''Tridacna gigas''. Although even more enormous sizes have been reported for this monstrous but passive animal, the top verified size is 273 kg (600 lb), 1.16 m (3.85 ft) in length and 76 cm (30 in) wide. The largest bivalve ever was '']'', a ] giant that reached an axial length of up to 3 m (nearly 10 ft).<ref></ref> | |||
| *'''Gastropods''' (Gastropoda). The largest of this most diverse and successful ] class is the ], ''Syrinx aruanus'', reaching a size of 16.4 kg (36 lb), a length of 70 cm (28 in) and a width of 96 cm (38 in). The largest of the terrestrial snails is the ], ''Achatina fulica'', at up to 1 kg (2.2 lb) and 35 cm (14 in) long. | |||
| *'''Cephalopods''' (Cephalopoda). (See ].) While generally much smaller than the giant '']'' and '']'', the largest of the octopuses, the ], ''Enteroctopus dofleini'', can be very large. The largest confirmed weight of a giant octopus is 71 kg,<ref>Cosgrove, J.A. 1987. Aspects of the Natural History of ''Octopus dofleini'', the Giant Pacific Octopus. M.Sc. Thesis. Department of Biology, University of Victoria (Canada), 101 pp.</ref> with a {{convert|7|m|ft|adj=on}} arm span.<ref>{{cite web | title = Octopus - Species | url = http://www.octopus.com/species/}}</ref> | |||
| ===Arthropods (''Arthropoda'')=== | |||
| ] is the largest of all arthropods.]] | |||
| The ], ''Macrocheira kaempferi'', a ] of the class ], is the largest ] in the world in overall size, weighing up to 20 kg (44 lb), having a body up to 60 cm (2 ft) long and having a leg span of almost 4 m (13 ft). It is indisputably the largest member of ] (crabs). | |||
| However, the ], ''Homarus americanus'', another ] and the largest member of ] (lobsters and crayfish), rivals the Japanese spider crab in mass, if not dimension. This ] has been recorded at heavier weights, up to 22 kg (48.4 lb), and can measure 1.18 m (3.9 ft) along the body. | |||
| The ], ''Birgus latro'', also a crustacean, is the largest land arthropod and the largest land invertebrate, up to 40 cm (1.3 ft) long and weighing up to 4 kg (8.8 lb). Its legs may span 1 m (3.25 ft). | |||
| The largest arthropod ever known to exist was the ] (sea scorpion) '']'', which was between 2.5 and 2.6 m (8.2-8.5 ft) in length . It was closely followed by '']'', an aquatic eurypterid that was up to 2.3 m (7.5 ft) in length. The closest living relatives of ] are the ], ]s, and ]s. | |||
| *'''Arachnids''' (Arachnida). The largest species of arachnid is probably the ], ''Theraphosa blondi''. However, of very comparable dimensions and possibly even greater mass, are the ], '']'', and the ], '']''. Some of these huge ] "]s" have been recorded as reaching a leg span of 28 cm (11 in), a body length over 9 cm (3.5 in) and a body weight exceeding 85 g (3 oz). The largest of the ]s is the species '']'', which can reach 29 cm (11.5 in) long and a weight of up to 57 g (2 oz). However, they were dwarfed by ], a giant extinct species of scorpion from Scotland. | |||
| *'''Branchiopods''' (Branchiopoda). The largest of these primarily freshwater ]s is probably '']'', which can reach a length 10 cm (3.9 in). | |||
| *'''Centipedes''' (Chilopoda). The biggest of the ]s is the ], ''Scolopendra gigantea'', reaching a relatively enormous length of 33 cm (13 in). | |||
| *'''Millipedes''' (Diplopoda). Two species of ] both reach a very large size '']'' and '']''. Both of these species can slightly exceed a length of 28 cm (11 in). The 300-million year old '']'', either a primitive ] or a close relative, was the largest land ] ever, having measured at least 2.5 m (8.2 ft) long and 45 cm (18 in) wide. | |||
| *'''Barnacles & allies''' (Maxillopoda). The largest species is a ] (''Pennella balaenopterae''), known exclusively as a ] from the backs of ]s. The maximum size attained is 32 cm (about 13 in). The largest of the ]s is the ], ''Balanus nubilis'', reaching 7 cm (2.8 in) in diameter and 12.7 cm (5 in) high. | |||
| *'''Horseshoe crabs''' (Merostomata). The four modern ]s are of roughly the same sizes, at up to 60 cm (2 ft) in length. Easily the best known species is '']'' of North America. | |||
| *'''Ostracods''' (Ostracoda). The largest of these small and little-known but numerous ]s is the species '']'', reaching a maximum length of 3 cm (1.3 in). | |||
| *'''Amphipods, Isopods, and allies''' (Peracarida). The largest species is the ], which can reach a length of 45 cm (18 ]es) and a weight of 1.7 kg (3.7 ]). | |||
| *'''Sea spiders''' (Pycnogonida). The largest of the ]s is the deep-sea species ''Colossendeis colossea'', attaining a leg span of nearly 60 cm (2 ft). | |||
| *'''Remipedes''' (Remipedia). The largest of these cave-dwelling ]s is the species '']'', at up to 4.5 cm (1.8 in). | |||
| *'''Trilobites''' (Trilobita). The largest of these extinct marine arthropods, a specimen of ''] rex'' from ] attained a length over 70 cm (27 inches). | |||
| ====Insects (''Insecta'')==== | |||
| ] is arguably the world's heaviest insect]] | |||
| ]s, which are a type of ], are easily the most numerous group of ]s on the planet, with about a million species identified so far. The title of heaviest insect in the world has many rivals, the most frequently-crowned of which is the ] of the ], ''Goliathus goliatus'', the top size of which is at least 115 g (4.1 oz) and 11.5 cm (4.5 in).<ref name="goliath"></ref> The largest confirmed weight of an adult insect is 71 grams for a ], ''Deinacrida heteracantha'',<ref name="weta">{{cite web | |||
| |title=Chapter 30 — Largest Insect | |||
| |url=http://ufbir.ifas.ufl.edu/chap30.htm | |||
| |author=David M. Williams | |||
| |publisher=] | |||
| |date=2001-04-21 | |||
| |work=Book of Insect Records | |||
| }}</ref> although it is likely one of the ]s, ''Megasoma elephas'' & ''Megasoma actaeon'', or goliath beetles, both of which can commonly exceed 50 g (3 oz) and 10 cm (4 in), can reach a higher weight. | |||
| The longest insects are the stick insects, see below. | |||
| Representatives of the extinct dragonfly-like ] ] such as the ] '']'' and the ] '']'' are the largest ] species ever known. These creatures had a wingspan of some 70 cm (28 in) and a body weight of over 452 g (1 lb), making them about the size of a ]. | |||
| *'''Cockroaches''' (Blattodea). The largest ] is the ] (''Macropanesthia rhinoceros''). This species can attain a length of 8.3 cm (3.3 in) and a weight of 36 g (1.3 oz). | |||
| *'''Beetles''' (Coleoptera). The ]s are the largest order of organisms on earth, with about 350,000 species so far identified. The most massive species are the '']'', '']'' and '']'' ]s already mentioned. The longest species is the ], ''Dynastes hercules'' with a maximum overall length of at least 19 cm (7.5 in) including the very long antennae, and a weight of up to 85 g (3 oz), about an ounce less than the bulkier ]s. | |||
| *'''Earwigs''' (Dermaptera). The largest of the ]s is the ], ''Labidura herculeana'', which is up to 8.4 cm (3.3 in) in length. | |||
| *'''True flies''' (Diptera). The largest species of this huge order is the species '']'', which can reach a length of 6 cm (2.4 in) and a wingspan of 10 cm (4 in). Species of ], the largest of which is '']'', can attain a length of 23 cm (9 in) but are extremely slender and much lighter in weight than '']''. | |||
| *'''Mayflies''' (Ephemeroptera). The largest mayflies are members of the genus '']'' from ]. These insects can reach a length of 5 cm (2 in). | |||
| *'''True bugs''' (Hemiptera). The largest species of this diverse, huge order is a ], ''Lethocerus maximus''. This species can attain a length of 11.6 cm (4.6 in), although it is more slender and less heavy than most other insects of this size (principally the huge ]s). | |||
| *'''Ants & allies''' (Hymenoptera). The largest of the ]s, and the heaviest species of the order, are the females of '']'', reaching a length of 5 cm (2 in). The ant that averages the largest for the mean size of the whole colony is '']'', averaging up to 3.3 cm (1.3 in). The largest of the ] species, also in the order ], is '']'', the females of which can be 3.8 cm (1.5 in) long, with a 6.3 cm (2.5 in) wingspan. The largest wasp is probably the so-called ] species '']'', at up to 6.8 cm (2.8 in) long and 11.6 cm (4.6 in) wingspan, although many other '']'' approach a similar size. | |||
| *'''Termites''' (Isoptera). The largest of the ]s is the ]n species '']''. The huge larvae of this species can attain a length of 10.6 cm (4.2 in) and breadth of 5.5 cm (2.2 in); the adults, on the other hand, are about a third of the size. | |||
| ] is the largest species of butterfly.]] | |||
| *'''Moths & allies''' (Lepidoptera). The largest species is probably either the ], ''Ornithoptera alexandrae'', a butterfly, or the ], ''Attacus atlas'', a moth. Both of these species can exceed a length of 8 cm (3.2 in), a wingspan of 28 cm (11 in) and a weight of 12 g. Their larvae can weigh up to 58 g (1.9 oz). However, the White Witch, '']'', has the longest recorded wingspan of the order, and indeed of any living insect, at up to at least 30 cm (12 in), though it is exceeded in surface area and mass by both '']'' and '']''. | |||
| *'''Praying mantises''' (Mantodea). The largest species of this order is the ], ''Tenodera aridifolia''. The females of this species can attain a length of up to 10.6 cm (4.2 in). | |||
| *'''Dragonflies''' (Odonata). The largest living species of ] is '']'', attaining a size of as much as 19 cm (7.5 in) across the wings and a body length of over 12 cm (4.7 in). The largest species of dragonfly ever is the extinct '']''. | |||
| *'''Grasshoppers & allies''' (]). The largest of this widespread, varied complex of insects is the ], ''Deinacrida heteracantha'', of New Zealand. This formidable insect can weigh over 75 g (2.6 oz) and measure up to nearly 10 cm (4 in), rivaling the huge ]s in size. | |||
| *'''Stick insects''' (Phasmatodea). The longest known ] is '']'', with one specimen held in the ] in ] measuring {{convert|567|mm|in}} in total length.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2008/october/worlds-longest-insect-revealed.html|title= World's longest insect revealed|accessdate=2008-10-16 |work= |publisher= ]|date=2008-10-16 }}</ref> This measurement is however with the front legs fully extended. The body alone still measures {{convert|357|mm|in}}.<ref>{{cite journal |coauthors= Hennemann, F.H. & Conle, O.V.|year= |month= |title= Revision of Oriental Phasmatodea: The tribe Pharnaciini Günther, 1953, including the description of the world's longest insect, and a survey of the family Phasmatidae Gray, 1835 with keys to the subfamilies and tribes (Phasmatodea: "Anareolatae": Phasmatidae)|journal= Zootaxa|volume= 1906|issue= |pages= 1-316 pp|publisher= Magnolia Press|location= Auckland, New Zealand|issn= 1175-5326|url= http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2008/f/z01906p316f.pdf|accessdate=2008-10-16 |year=2008 |month=Oct |language= English}}</ref> The species with the second longest body is '']'', which measures up to {{convert|328|mm|in}},<ref name=Brock>Brock, P.D. 1999. ''The amazing world of stick and leaf-insects''. Cravitz Printing Co., Essex, England.</ref> while the overall length (from the hind to the front legs) is up to {{convert|546|mm|in}},<ref name=Brock /> and the body weight is up to 72 g (2.5 oz).{{Fact|date=October 2008}} The second longest insect in terms of total length is '']'', measuring up to {{convert|555|mm|in}}.<ref>Seow-Choen, F. (1995). The longest insect in the world. ''Malayan Nat.'' '''48''': 12.</ref> | |||
| *'''Stoneflies''' (Plecoptera). The largest species of ] is '']'', a species favored by ] as lures. This species can attain a length of 5 cm (2 in) and a wingspan of nearly 7.5 cm (3 in). | |||
| *'''Booklice''' (]). The largest of this order of very small insects are the barklouse of the genus '']'', the top size of which is about 1 cm (0.4 in). | |||
| *'''Fleas''' (Siphonaptera). The largest species of ] is '']''. This parasite is known exclusively from the fur of the ] and can reach a length of 1.2 cm (0.5 in). | |||
| *'''Thrips''' (]). Members of the genus '']'' are the largest kinds of ]s. The maximum size of these species is approximately 1.3 cm (0.5 in). | |||
| ==Plants== | |||
| ]]] | |||
| The largest single-stem plants are all members of the ] division. By ] and ], the largest ] is the ] (''Sequoiadendron giganteum''). They grow to an average height of 70 – 85 m (230 – 280 ft) and 5 – 7 m (16 – 23 ft) in diameter. Specimens have been recorded to be up to 94.9 m (307 ft) in height and (not the same individual) 8.98 m (29 ft) in diameter; the largest individual is the ], with a volume of 1,489 m³.<ref name=sequoiadendron></ref> Although not so large in volume, the closely related ] (''Sequoia sempervirens'') is taller, reaching a maximum height of 115.55 m (379.1 ft)<ref name=sillett></ref>. These trees dwarf any other non-communal ], as even the largest ]s are likely to weigh one-sixteenth as much as a large ] or ]. See ] for other tree records. | |||
| *'''Algae'''. The largest form of algae is the huge form of ] from the northwestern ] known as the ] (''Macrocystis pyrifera''). The record-sized stem from one of these just slightly exceeded 60 m (200 ft). | |||
| *'''Liverworts''' (Marchantiophyta). The largest species of ] is a ] species, '']''. The top size of this species is 1.1 m (3.6 ft) long, a diameter of 2.5 cm (1 in) and a stem length of 10 cm (4 in). | |||
| *'''Mosses''' (Bryophyta). The world's largest ] is '']'', of ]. This species can be 50 cm (20 in) tall.<ref></ref> | |||
| *'''Horsetails''' (Equisetophyta). The largest of ]s is the species '']'', of central ]. The biggest specimen known was 8 m (26.4 ft) tall and had a diameter of 2.5 cm (1 in). | |||
| *'''Ferns''' (Pteridophyta). The largest species of fern is the majestic ] (''Angiopteris evecta''), of the ]n area. A single ] of this plant can exceed 5 m (16.5 ft) in height. | |||
| *'''Conifers''' (Pinophyta). Besides the giant '']'' and '']'' already mentioned, the ]s also include the largest tree by ] in the world, the ] (''Taxodium mucronatum''). The thickest recorded tree, found in ], is called ], with a circumference of 35.87 m (118.3 ft) and a diameter of 11.42 m (37.5 ft) at 1.5 m (5 ft) above ground level. | |||
| *'''Cycads''' (Cycadophyta). The largest species of ] is ] (''Lepidozamia hopei''), of the ] area of ]. The largest examples of this species have been over 17 m (56 ft) tall and have had a diameter of over 50 cm (20 in). | |||
| *'''Flowering plants''' (Magnoliophyta). This is the most diverse and numerous division of plants, with upwards of 400,000 species. Typically the largest ] (angiosperm) has been considered '']'', which can reach heights of 99.6 m (327 ft)<ref name="centurion">{{cite web|url=http://www.nativetreesociety.org/worldtrees/australia/eucalypt_redemption.htm |title=Eucaypt redemption|publisher=Eastern Native Tree Society|accessdate=2008-12-05}}</ref>. | |||
| ].]] | |||
| Stands of trees connected to a single root system (a single organism genetically) may be considered the largest organisms, and the largest ]s. The largest known such colony is a male Aspen in ], nicknamed ] ('']''), which is estimated to weigh in at approximately 6,000 tonnes (6,615 tons).<ref name=oecd/> | |||
| Another form of ] that rivals Pando as the largest organism on earth in breadth, if not mass, is the giant marine plant, '']'', discovered in the ] near the ], ]. Its length is about 8 km (4.3 miles). Although this plant has not been proven to be a single connected organism, all the samples do have the same ]. It may also be the oldest living organism in the world, with an estimated age of 100,000 years.<ref name=seagrass/> | |||
| Other records among ]s include, the title of largest ], which belongs to the species '']''. One of these ]s can reach a diameter of 1 m (3.3 ft) and weigh up to 11 kg (24 lb). The largest unbranched ], resembling (but not qualifying as) a giant flower, belongs to the ] (''Amorphophallus titanum''), reaching almost 3 m (10 ft) in height. The absolute largest inflorescence, at up to 8 m (26.5 ft) long, is borne by the ] (''Corypha umbraculifera'') of India. | |||
| ==Fungi== | |||
| ] The largest living ] may be a ]<ref name=amarilla></ref> of the ] '']''.<ref name=BBCfungus></ref> | |||
| A mushroom of this type in the ] in the ] of eastern ], U.S. was found to be the largest fungal colony in the world, spanning 8.9 km² (2200 acres) of area.<ref name=UW/> This organism is estimated to be 2400 years old. The fungus was written about in the April 2003 issue of the ''Canadian Journal of Forest Research''. While an accurate estimate has not been made, the total ] of the colony may be as much as 605 ]s. If this colony is considered a single ], then it is the largest known organism in the world by area, and rivals the aspen grove "]" as the known organism with the highest living ]. It is not known, however, whether it is a single organism with all parts of the ] connected.<ref name=ABCfungus/> | |||
| In '']'' each individual mushroom (the fruiting body, similar to a flower on a plant) has only a 5 cm (2 inch) stem and a bell of up to 12.5 cm (5 in) across. There are many other ] which produce a larger individual size mushroom, the largest being '']''. '']'' is up to 284 kg (626 lb), 1.66 m (5 ft 6 in) tall, 1.46 m (4 ft 10 in) across, and has a circumference of 4.9 m (16 ft 2 in). | |||
| 2 in). | |||
| ==Other kingdoms== | |||
| *'''Protists'''. Among the organisms that are not multicellular, the largest are the ]s, such as '']'', some of which can cover an area more than 1,000 cm² (1 sq ft). The largest species traditionally considered ] are giant amoeboids like ]ns. One such species, the ] ''Syringammina fragilissima'', can attain a size of 20 cm (8 in). The largest ]s, such as '']'', can attain a length over 1 mm. The largest ] are the giant kelps, ''] pyrifera'', which can grow to a height of over 45 m (150 ft). | |||
| *'''Bacteria'''. The largest species of ] ever discovered is '']'', which grows to 0.75 mm (0.03 in) in diameter, making it visible to the naked eye and up to a million times the size of more typical ]. | |||
| *'''Viruses'''. The largest known ] is the ] (the ''Acanthamoeba polyphaga'' mimivirus), with mature particles of 400 ] in diameter (]), 800,000 ] and 900 ]s. Later research suggested that it could be up to 800 nm long, 1.2 ] and 1,260 ]s. | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| {{div col|colwidth=30em}} | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | * ] | ||
| *] | * ] | ||
| *] | * ] | ||
| * ] | |||
| *] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| ==Notes== | |||
| * ] | |||
| {{reflist|2}} | |||
| * ] | |||
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| * ] | |||
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| * ] | |||
| {{div col end}} | |||
| {{Records|state=collapsed}} | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| ===Notes=== | |||
| * Wood, The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats. Sterling Pub Co Inc (1983), ISBN 978-0851122359 | |||
| {{Notelist}} | |||
| ===Citations=== | |||
| {{Reflist|35em}} | |||
| == External links == | |||
| ] | |||
| * Melissa Breyer. ] April 28, 2015 | |||
| ] | |||
| {{Records}} | |||
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Revision as of 16:02, 25 December 2024
List of largest organisms on Earth
This article lists the largest organisms for various types of life and mostly considers extant species, which found on Earth can be determined according to various aspects of an organism's size, such as: mass, volume, area, length, height, or even genome size. Some organisms group together to form a superorganism (such as ants or bees), but such are not classed as single large organisms. The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest structure composed of living entities, stretching 2,000 km (1,200 mi) but contains many organisms of many types of species.
When considering singular entities, the largest organisms are clonal colonies which can spread over large areas. Pando, a clonal colony of the quaking aspen tree, is widely considered to be the largest such organism by mass. Even if such colonies are excluded, trees retain their dominance of this listing, with the giant sequoia being the most massive tree. In 2006, a huge clonal colony of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica was discovered south of the island of Ibiza. At 8 kilometres (5 mi) across, and estimated at 100,000 years old, it may be one of the largest and oldest clonal colonies on Earth.
Among animals, the largest species are all marine mammals, specifically whales. The blue whale is believed to be the largest animal to have ever lived. The living land animal classification is also dominated by mammals, with the African bush elephant being the largest of these.
Plants
Main article: List of largest plantsThe largest single-stem tree by wood volume and mass is the giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), native to Sierra Nevada and California; it typically grows to a height of 70–85 m (230–280 ft) and 5–7 m (16–23 ft) in diameter.
The largest organism in the world, according to mass, is the aspen tree whose colonies of clones can grow up to 8 kilometres (5 mi) in size. The largest such colony is Pando, in the Fishlake National Forest in Utah.
A form of flowering plant that far exceeds Pando as the largest organism on Earth in area and potentially also mass, is the giant marine plant, Posidonia australis, living in Shark Bay, Australia. Its length is about 180 km (112 mi) and it covers an area of 200 km (77 sq mi). It is also among the oldest known clonal plants.
Another giant marine plant of the genus Posidonia, Posidonia oceanica discovered in the Mediterranean near the Balearic Islands, Spain may be the oldest living organism in the world, with an estimated age of 100,000 years.
The largest individual flower in the world is Rafflesia arnoldii, while the flowering plant with the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world is Amorphophallus titanum. Both are native to Sumatra in Indonesia.
Green algae
Green algae are photosynthetic unicellular and multicellular green plants that are related to land plants. The thallus of the unicellular mermaid's wineglass, Acetabularia, can grow to several inches (perhaps 0.1 to 0.2 m) in length. The fronds of the similarly unicellular, and invasive Caulerpa taxifolia can grow up to a foot (0.3 m) long.
Animals
Clockwise from top left: an African bush elephant, the largest extant terrestrial animal; a blue whale, the largest animal ever to exist; and a colossal squid, the largest invertebrate
The largest animal currently alive is the blue whale. The maximum recorded weight was 190 tonnes (209 US tons) for a specimen measuring 27.6 metres (91 ft), whereas longer ones, up to 33 metres (108 ft), have been recorded but not weighed. It is estimated that this individual could have a mass of 250 tonnes or more. The longest non-colonial animal is the lion's mane jellyfish (37 m, 120 ft).
In 2023, paleontologists estimated that the extinct whale Perucetus, discovered in Peru, may have outweighed the blue whale, with a mass of 85 to 340 t (94–375 short tons; 84–335 long tons). However, more recent studies suggest this whale was much smaller than previous estimates putting its weight at 60 to 113 tonnes. While controversial, estimates for the weight of the sauropod Bruhathkayosaurus suggest it was around 110–170 tons, with the highest estimate being 240 tons, if scaled with Patagotitan, although actual fossil remains no longer exist, and that estimation is based on described dimensions in 1987. In April 2024, Ichthyotitan severnensis was established as a valid shastasaurid taxon and is considered both the largest marine reptile ever discovered and the largest macropredator ever discovered. The Lilstock specimen was estimated to be around 26 metres (85 ft) whilst the Aust specimen was an even more impressive 30 to 35 metres (98 to 115 ft) in length. Whilst no weight estimates was made as of yet, Ichthyotitan would have easily rivalled or surpassed the blue whale. The upper estimates of weight for these prehistoric animals would have easily rivaled or exceeded the largest rorquals and sauropods.
The African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) is the largest living land animal. A native of various open habitats in sub-Saharan Africa, males weigh about 6.0 tonnes (13,200 lb) on average. The largest elephant ever recorded was shot in Angola in 1974. It was a male measuring 10.67 metres (35.0 ft) from trunk to tail and 4.17 metres (13.7 ft) lying on its side in a projected line from the highest point of the shoulder, to the base of the forefoot, indicating a standing shoulder height of 3.96 metres (13.0 ft). This male had a computed weight of 10.4 to 12.25 tonnes.Fungi
The largest living fungus may be a honey fungus of the species Armillaria ostoyae. A mushroom of this type in the Malheur National Forest in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon, U.S. was found to be the largest fungal colony in the world, spanning 8.9 km (2,200 acres) of area. This organism is estimated to be 2,400 years old. The fungus was written about in the April 2003 issue of the Canadian Journal of Forest Research. If this colony is considered a single organism, then it is the largest known organism in the world by area, and rivals the aspen grove "Pando" as the known organism with the highest living biomass. It is not known, however, whether it is a single organism with all parts of the mycelium connected. Approximations of the land area of the Oregon "humongous fungus" are 3.5 square miles (9.1 km) (2,240 acres (910 ha), possibly weighing as much as 35,000 tons as the world's most massive living organism.
A spatial genetic analysis estimated that a specimen of Armillaria ostoyae growing over 91 acres (37 ha) in northern Michigan, United States weighs 440 tons (4 x 10 kg).
In Armillaria ostoyae, each individual mushroom (the fruiting body, similar to a flower on a plant) has only a 5 cm (2.0 in) stipe, and a pileus up to 12.5 cm (4.9 in) across. There are many other fungi which produce a larger individual size mushroom. The largest known fruiting body of a fungus is a specimen of Phellinus ellipsoideus (formerly Fomitiporia ellipsoidea) found on Hainan Island. The fruiting body masses up to 500 kg (1,100 lb).
Until P. ellipsoideus replaced it, the largest individual fruit body came from Rigidoporus ulmarius. R. ulmarius can grow up to 284 kg (626 lb), 1.66 m (5.4 ft) tall, 1.46 m (4.8 ft) across, and has a circumference of up to 4.9 m (16 ft).
Lichen
Umbilicaria mammulata is among the largest lichens in the world. The thallus of U. mammulata is usually 4 to 15 cm (1.6 to 5.9 in) in diameter, but specimens have been known to reach 63-centimetre (2.07 ft) in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.
The longest lichen is Usnea longissima, which may grow to exceed 20 feet (6.1 m) in length.
Protists
(Note: the group Protista is not used in current taxonomy.)
Amoebozoans (Amoebozoa)
- Among the organisms that are not multicellular, the largest are the slime molds, such as Physarum polycephalum, some of which can reach a diameter over 30 cm (12 in). These organisms are unicellular, but they are multinucleate.
Euglenozoans (Euglenozoa)
- Some euglenophytes, such as certain species of Euglena, reach lengths of 400 μm.
Rhizarians (Rhizaria)
- The largest species traditionally considered protozoa are giant amoeboids like foraminiferans. One such species, the xenophyophore Syringammina fragilissima, can attain a size of 20 cm (7.9 in).
Alveolates (Alveolata)
- The largest ciliates, such as Spirostomum, can attain a length over 4 mm (0.16 in).
Stramenopiles (Stramenopila)
- The largest stramenopiles are giant kelp from the northwestern Pacific. The floating stem of Macrocystis pyrifera can grow to a height of over 45 m (148 ft).
- Macrocystis also qualifies as the largest brown alga, the largest chromist, and the largest protist generally.
Bacteria
The largest known species of bacterium is named Thiomargarita magnifica, which grows to 1 cm (0.39 in) in length, making it visible to the naked eye and also about five thousand times the size of more typical bacteria. BBC News described it as possessing the "size and shape of a human eyelash." Science published a new paper on the bacterium on June 23, 2022. According to a study coauthored by Jean-Marie Volland, a marine biologist and scientist at California's Laboratory for Research in Complex Systems, and an affiliate at the US Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, T. magnifica can grow up to 2 centimeters long.
- Cyanobacteria
- One of the largest "blue green algae" is Lyngbya, whose filamentous cells can be 50 μm wide.
Viruses
The largest virus on record is Megaklothovirus horridgei, with the length of 4 micrometres, comparable to the typical size of a bacterium and large enough to be seen in light microscopes. It was discovered in 2018 (being mistaken for bristles beforehand), having been found on an arrow worm in the genus Spadella. Prior to this discovery, the largest virus was the peculiar virus genus Pandoravirus, which have a size of approximately 1 micrometer and whose genome contains 1,900,000 to 2,500,000 base pairs of DNA.
Pandoravirus infects amoebas specifically, however Megaklothovirus infects Spadella arrow worms.
See also
- Charismatic megafauna
- Deep-sea gigantism
- Genome size
- Island gigantism
- Largest body part
- Largest prehistoric animals
- List of longest-living organisms
- List of heaviest land mammals
- List of world records held by plants
- List of largest inflorescences
- Lists of organisms by population
- List of longest vines
- Megafauna
- Smallest organisms
- Superorganism
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References
Notes
- The organism sizes listed are frequently considered "outsized" and are not in the normal size range for the respective group.
Citations
- Mihai, Andrei (9 February 2015). "The Heaviest Living Organism in the World". ZME Science. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
- "The Giant Sequoia National Monument". Sequoia National Forest. United States Department of Agriculture - Forest service. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
- "Portuguese scientists discover world's oldest living organism". www.theportugalnews.com. Archived from the original on 2019-01-19. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
- "Ibiza's Monster Marine Plant". Ibiza Spotlight. 28 May 2006. Archived from the original on 27 August 2006. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
- Pearlman, Jonathan (7 February 2012). "'Oldest living thing on earth' discovered". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
- Arnaud-Haond, Sophie; Duarte, Carlos M.; Diaz-Almela, Elena; Marbà, Núria; Sintes, Tomas; Serrão, Ester A.; Bruun, Hans Henrik (2012). "Implications of Extreme Life Span in Clonal Organisms: Millenary Clones in Meadows of the Threatened Seagrass Posidonia oceanica". PLOS ONE. 7 (2): e30454. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...730454A. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030454. PMC 3270012. PMID 22312426.
- Zimmer, Carl (29 February 2024). "Researchers Dispute Claim That Ancient Whale Was Heaviest Animal Ever - A new study argues that Perucetus, an ancient whale species, was certainly big, but not as big as today's blue whales". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- "Scientists discover 'biggest plant on Earth' off Western Australian coast". TheGuardian.com. 31 May 2022.
- Edgeloe, Jane M.; Severn-Ellis, Anita A.; Bayer, Philipp E.; Mehravi, Shaghayegh; Breed, Martin F.; Krauss, Siegfried L.; Batley, Jacqueline; Kendrick, Gary A.; Sinclair, Elizabeth A. (2022-06-08). "Extensive polyploid clonality was a successful strategy for seagrass to expand into a newly submerged environment". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 289 (1976): 20220538. doi:10.1098/rspb.2022.0538. PMC 9156900. PMID 35642363. S2CID 249204370.
- Ibiza's Monster Marine Plant Archived 2007-12-26 at the Wayback Machine. Ibiza Spotlight (2006-05-28).
- ^ Wood, Gerald The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats (1983) ISBN 978-0-85112-235-9
- Davies, Ella (20 April 2016). "The longest animal alive may be one you never thought of". BBC Earth. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
- "Largest mammal". Guinness World Records.
- Motani, Ryosuke; Pyenson, Nicholas D. (29 February 2024). "Downsizing a heavyweight: factors and methods that revise weight estimates of the giant fossil whale Perucetus colossus". PeerJ. 12: e16978. doi:10.7717/peerj.16978. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 10909350. PMID 38436015.
- "How Large Are Blue Whales Really? Size Comparison". 22 February 2019. Archived from the original on 11 November 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2019 – via www.youtube.com.
- "How big are blue whales? And what does 'big' mean? By palaeozoologist on DeviantArt". February 2014.
- McClain, Craig R.; Balk, Meghan A.; Benfield, Mark C.; Branch, Trevor A.; Chen, Catherine; Cosgrove, James; Dove, Alistair DM; Gaskins, Leo C.; Helm, Rebecca R. (13 January 2015). "Sizing ocean giants: patterns of intraspecific size variation in marine megafauna". PeerJ. 3: E715. doi:10.7717/peerj.715. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 4304853. PMID 25649000.
- Bianucci, Giovanni; Lambert, Olivier; Urbina, Mario; Merella, Marco; Collareta, Alberto; Bennion, Rebecca; Salas-Gismondi, Roberto; Benites-Palomino, Aldo; Post, Klaas; de Muizon, Christian; Bosio, Giulia; Di Celma, Claudio; Malinverno, Elisa; Paolo Pierantoni, Pietro; Maria Villa, Igor; Amson, Eli (2 August 2023). "A heavyweight early whale pushes the boundaries of vertebrate morphology". Nature. 620 (7975): 824–829. Bibcode:2023Natur.620..824B. doi:10.1038/s41586-023-06381-1. PMID 37532931. S2CID 260433513. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- Pester, Patrick (8 March 2024). "Colossus the enormous 'oddball' whale is not the biggest animal to ever live, scientists say". Lve Science. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
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External links
- 10 of the largest living things on the planet Melissa Breyer. TreeHugger April 28, 2015
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