What is the Largest Land Animal
Many of us know that the largest animal in the world is the Blue whale at 100 feet (30.5 m) from head to tail. We also know that the blue whale lives in the ocean. Is there an animal that lives on land that can rival the blue whale for the title? What is the largest land animal alive today? Read on to find out.
The Largest Land Animal
The title of largest land animal on earth goes to the African bush elephant. This amazing creature has been measured at 13 feet in height and weighs in at roughly 27,000 lb (12 metric tonnes). It would take 165 full grown male humans to equal the weight of this enormous animal. Male or bull African bush elephants are larger than their female counterparts. Most fully grown bull elephants will grow to be an average of 24 feet in length. On average, African bush elephants move at a rate of 6 km/h (4 mph), but they can reach a top speed of 40 km/h (25 mph) when scared or upset.
The African Bush Elephant and the Blue Whale
Despite being the largest land animal the African Bush Elephant is tiny compared to the Blue whale. The blue whale outweighs the African Elephant by a staggering 117 tonnes. It would take 12 and a half large Bull African Elephants to equal the weight of the largest Blue Whale on record. It would take 4 elephants standing end to end to be as long as a Blue Whale.
Watch this video of the African elephant in the wild:
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