Largest Animals
The largest animal ever to have lived is thought to be the blue whale. The maximum recorded weight was 190 tonnes for a specimen measuring 27.6 metres, whereas longer ones, up to 33.6 metres, have been recorded but not weighed. It is estimated however that this individual could have a mass of 250 tonnes. The title of the longest non-colonial animal is probably owned by Lion's mane jellyfish. The African bush elephant is the largest living land animal. A native of various open habitats in sub-Saharan Africa, this elephant is commonly born weighing about 100 kilograms. The largest elephant ever recorded was shot in Angola in 1974. It was a male measuring 10.67 metres from trunk to tail and 4.17 metres 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. This male had a computed weight of 12.25 tonnes.
