Top 5 Largest Animals in The World

By: Nicat Quliyev on 05:22

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1. The Capybara

The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is a large rodent of the genus Hydrochoerus of which the only other extant member is thelesser capybara (Hydrochoerus isthmius). The capybara is the largest rodent in the world. Close relatives are guinea pigs and rock cavies, and it is more distantly related to the agouti, chinchillas, and the coypu. Native to South America, the capybara inhabits savannas and dense forests and lives near bodies of water. It is a highly social species and can be found in groups as large as 100 individuals, but usually lives in groups of 10–20 individuals. The capybara is not a threatened species and is hunted for its meat, hide and also for a grease from its thick fatty skin which is used in the pharmaceutical trade.

2. The Saltwater Crocodile

The saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is also widely known by the common names, estuarine or Indo-Pacific crocodile, more rarely or informally referred to as the saltie, marine or sea-going crocodile. This species is the largest of all living reptiles, as well as the largest terrestrial and riparian predator in the world. The males of this species can reach sizes up to 6.3 m (20.7 ft) and weigh up to 1,360 kg (3,000 lb). However, an adult male saltwater crocodile is generally between 4.3 and 5.2 m (14 and 17 ft) in length and weighs 400 to 1,000 kg (880–2,200 lb), rarely growing larger.^[5] Females are much smaller and often do not surpass 3 m (9.8 ft). As its name implies, this species of crocodile can live in salt water, but usually resides in mangrove swamps, estuaries, deltas, lagoons, and lower stretches of rivers. They have the broadest distribution of any modern crocodile, ranging from the eastern coast of India, throughout most of Southeast Asia, and northern Australia.

The saltwater crocodile is a formidable and opportunistic hypercarnivorous, apex, ambush predator. It is capable of taking almost any animal that enters its territory, including fish, crustaceans, reptiles, birds, mammals, including other predators, and humans. Due to their size and distribution, saltwater crocodiles are the most dangerous extant crocodilian to humans.

3. The Flemish Giant Rabbit

The Flemish Giant originated in Flanders. It was bred as early as the 16th century near the city of Ghent, Belgium. It is believed to have descended from a number of meat and fur breeds, possibly including the Steenkonijn (Stone Rabbit—referring to the old Belgian weight size of one stone or about 3.76 kg (8 lb 5 oz)) and the European "Patagonian" breed (now extinct). This "Patagonian" rabbit, a large breed that was once bred in Belgium and France, was not related to the Patagonian rabbit of Argentina (Sylvilagus brasiliensis), a separate wild species weighing less than two pounds (about 1 kg), nor the Patagonian hare (Dolichotis patagonum), a species in thecavy family of rodents that cannot interbreed with rabbits. Thomas Coatoam, in his Origins of the Flemish Giants, tells us, "The earliest authentic record of the Flemish Giant Rabbit occurred about the year 1860."

4. The Giant golden-crowned flying fox

The giant golden-crowned flying fox (Acerodon jubatus), also known as the golden-capped fruit bat, is a rare megabat and one of the largest bats in the world. The species is endangered and is currently facing the possibility of extinction because of poaching and forest destruction. It is endemic to forests in the Philippines. The bat can reach up to 1.2 kg (2.6 lb) in weight and 1.7 m (5.6 ft) in wingspan.^[3] Like other megabats, this species is non-aggressive towards humans and is frugivorous. Even though they are not aggressive, handling the bat without proper training and vaccination is dangerous, as some can carry deadly diseases.

5. The Japamese spider crab

The Japanese spider crab has the greatest leg span of any arthropod, reaching 3.8 metres (12 ft) from claw to claw. The body may grow to a size of 40 cm or 16 in (carapace width) and the whole crab can weigh up to 19 kilograms (42 lb)^[2]—second only to the American lobster among all living arthropod species. The males have the longer chelipeds;^[3] females have much shorter chelipeds, which are shorter than the following pair of legs.^[4] Apart from its outstanding size, the Japanese spider crab differs from other crabs in a number of ways. The first pleopods of males are unusually twisted, and its larvae appear primitive.^[1] The crab is orange, with white spots along the legs.^[5] It is reported to have a gentle disposition, despite its ferocious appearance.^[5]

Source - wikipedia.org