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| ===Animals=== | ===Animals=== | ||
| ] as the largest animal.]] | ] as the largest animal.]] | ||
| ]s are believed to be the largest ] ever to have lived, |
]s are believed to be the largest ] ever to have lived, with lengths of up to 30 m (100 feet) and wights of up to 140 ]s (150 ]s) or more. The largest ] is the ], recorded accurately to be up to 12 m long, with unofficial accounts of 18 m. | ||
| ]s |
The ]s is the largest living land ]s. At ] it is common for an elephant calf to weigh 100 kg (225 pounds). The largest elephant ever recorded was shot in ] in 1974. It was a male and weighed 12,000 m (26,400 pounds). | ||
| The largest ] is the ], reaching a height of up to 2.5 |
The largest ] is the ], reaching a height of up to 2.5 m (8 feet). ]s laid by the ] can weigh 1.3 kg and are the largest eggs in the world today (and are also the largest single ] of any organism). | ||
| The largest ] is the ], with adult males being typically 4.5–5 |
The largest ] is the ], with adult males being typically 4.5–5 m long, although exceptionally large crocodiles may surpass 6 m (19 feet) in length and weigh up 1000 kg (2200 pounds). Average-sized males weigh around 450 kg. Females are much smaller than males, with typical female body lengths in the range of 2.5–3 m. | ||
| The ] is the largest ], with some attaining a bell diameter of 2.5 |
The ] is the largest ], with some attaining a bell diameter of 2.5 m (8 feet) and ]s as long as 30.5 m (100 feet) or more. | ||
| ===Plants=== | ===Plants=== | ||
Revision as of 14:29, 20 August 2005
The largest organism found on Earth can be measured using a variety of different methods. It could be defined as the largest by volume, mass or length. Some creatures group together to form a superorganism, though this cannot truly be classed as one large organism.
Largest species
Animals
Blue whales are believed to be the largest animal ever to have lived, with lengths of up to 30 m (100 feet) and wights of up to 140 tonnes (150 short tons) or more. The largest fish is the whale shark, recorded accurately to be up to 12 m long, with unofficial accounts of 18 m.
The savannah elephants is the largest living land mammals. At birth it is common for an elephant calf to weigh 100 kg (225 pounds). The largest elephant ever recorded was shot in Angola in 1974. It was a male and weighed 12,000 m (26,400 pounds).
The largest bird is the ostrich, reaching a height of up to 2.5 m (8 feet). Eggs laid by the Ostrich can weigh 1.3 kg and are the largest eggs in the world today (and are also the largest single cell of any organism).
The largest reptile is the saltwater crocodile, with adult males being typically 4.5–5 m long, although exceptionally large crocodiles may surpass 6 m (19 feet) in length and weigh up 1000 kg (2200 pounds). Average-sized males weigh around 450 kg. Females are much smaller than males, with typical female body lengths in the range of 2.5–3 m.
The lion's mane jellyfish is the largest jellyfish, with some attaining a bell diameter of 2.5 m (8 feet) and tentacles as long as 30.5 m (100 feet) or more.
Plants
The Giant Sequoia is the world's largest tree in terms of total volume. They grow to an average height of 70-85 m (230-280 ft) and 5-7 m (16-23 ft) in diameter. Record trees have been reported to be 93.6 m (307 ft) in height and 8.85 m (29 ft) in diameter; the largest individual is the General Sherman tree, with a volume of 1489 m³. Although not so large in volume, the closely related Coast Redwood is taller, reaching a maximum height of 112.83 m.
The largest flower belongs to the species Rafflesia arnoldii, with a diameter of nearly a meter and a weight up to 11 kg.
Fungi
The largest fungus may be a honey fungus of the species Armillaria ostoyae. One genetically constant mycelium has been found over an area of more than 8.9 km² (3.4 square miles), though it is unlikely that it is a true single organism with all parts of the mycelium connected.
Microorganisms
The largest bacterium ever discovered is the Epulopiscium fishelsoni, found in the gut of surgeon fish in the Red Sea. At 0.5 mm it is visible to the naked eye and up to a million times the size of typical bacterium. The largest virus is the mimivirus, with mature particles of 400 nm in diameter (icosahedral capsid), 800,000 bases and 900 genes. Later research suggested that it could be up to 800 nm long, 1.2 Mbp and 1260 genes.
Extinct creatures
Some of the largest organisms ever to have existed have now died out. Most of them dinosaurs, the creatures grew to enormous sizes. The tallest and heaviest dinosaur known from a complete skeleton is the Brachiosaurus (now Giraffatitan) which was discovered in Tanzania between 1907–1912, and is now mounted in the Humboldt Museum of Berlin. 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 Diplodocus which was discovered in Wyoming, and mounted in Pittsburgh's Carnegie Natural History Museum in 1907.
There are bigger dinosaurs, but they are known from only a small handful of bones. The current record holders all date from the 1970s or later, and include the massive Argentinosaurus, which may have weighed 80,000–100,000 kg (90–110 tons); the longest, the 40 m (130 ft) long Supersaurus; and the tallest, the 18 m (60 ft) Sauroposeidon, which could have reached into a 6th-floor window.
The largest flightless bird was the Dromornis stirtoni, measuring three metres tall and weighing half a tonne. The Leedsichthys, from the Jurassic period (165-155 million years ago), is thought to have been the largest fish to have ever lived, with estimates of some growing to 20-22 m (66 to 72 feet) in length.