A distinctive feature of these representatives of the animal world is that they feed their young with milk. Modern biology today has more than 5,500 species of mammals, which includes Homo sapiens.
But in all this diversity, we consider the largest representatives of this class, and in each order we represent the largest mammal.
Brown hare. Order rabbit-like
This nimble representative of the hare-like squad is the largest of all hares. The body of adult individuals of a hare-hare grows to 68 centimeters in length, while their weight can reach up to 7 kilograms.
Longer ears with black tips distinguish it from their relatives. But the color of the coat varies from tan to gray.
Rivers live in open steppe spaces from Europe to Asia Minor. You can meet them, and not in such arid North Africa. Of the features, we note that fleeing from predators can reach speeds of more than 50 kilometers per hour.
Capybara. Rodent squad
A rather exotic animal can be found near small ponds and along the banks of the rivers of Latin America. Capybara, or as they are also called capybaras, are the largest representatives of the rodent detachment.
At the withers, their height reaches 50-60 centimeters, and the body length grows to 1.4 meters. At the same time, these lovers of ponds weigh up to 60 kilograms.
Capybaras try not to go far from the water, swim and dive perfectly. In dry periods, they come together in large groups and can travel long distances to find water and food.
Kangaroo. Infraclass marsupials
Among the amazing representatives of marsupials, the largest is a large red kangaroo. This species lives in almost all regions of Australia, except for some areas of the east coast.
They reach a weight of up to 85 kilograms and a body length of 1.5 meters. With such dimensions and weight, they can reach speeds of 65 kilometers per hour.
Note that they live mainly in arid places, and have adapted for a long time without water, eating herbs and flowering plants.
Eastern gorilla. Squad primates
And here the largest mammal from the huge family of hominids is the inhabitant of the Central African forests, the eastern gorilla.
The males of progressive primates reach a weight of 160 kilograms, but the females are much smaller and weigh from 70 to 112 kilograms. Biologists note that in history there were individuals weighing 220 kilograms.
Eastern gorillas are a social animal living in a group where there is a dominant leader, females and calves. Note that this is an endangered species, and now the killing of these animals for meat is prohibited.
Kodiak. Squad predatory
The bear Kodiak, living on the islands of the Kodiak archipelago, off the coast of Alaska, is the largest predator on earth. The height at the withers of an adult bear is 1.6 meters, and the largest individual known today weighed 760 kilograms.
In the diet of this species of bears, an important role is played by fish. During salmon spawning, Kodiaks gather in large groups in small rivers and hunt.
In the middle of the twentieth century of their population, I significantly decreased, and now there is a restriction on the hunting of this animal.
Southern elephant seal. Squad carnivores
Of all the pinnipeds, this inhabitant of the southern seas is the largest, because its size is truly impressive. Adult seals grow to 6 meters in length, and weigh more than 4 tons.
They feed on squid, small fish and krill. Note that these are excellent divers who can dive to a depth of 700 meters. But the longest time recorded by scientists under water was 2 hours.
In the XIX century, this species was the object of active fishing, but today hunting for them is prohibited.
White rhino. Squad
In a large squad, the largest is the white rhino, whose body weight reaches 4 tons. The largest of the rhinoceros family in the shoulders has a height of 1.8-2 meters, and the body length is slightly more than 4 meters.
The largest population of white rhinos lives in South Africa, as well as, but a slightly smaller number in the forests of the Congo. It is noteworthy that the northern rhinos are slightly larger than their southern counterparts.
Despite their large size, they feed mainly on herbs. Due to the popularity of hunting for them, the population has declined sharply, and after all, they previously lived throughout Africa.
Hippopotamus. Artiodactyl squad
But of the artiodactyls, the largest is the hippopotamus, which reaches a weight of more than 4 tons, and at the same time grows up to 4 meters in length.
For a long time, pigs were considered the closest relatives of these giants, but recent studies by zoologists have proven that their closest relative is a whale.
A rather aggressive animal, and it is better to avoid meeting him in the wild, because the death toll from hippos is many times greater than from predatory lions or leopards.
African elephant. Proboscis squad
Modern science has recently begun to divide the largest land mammal into two subspecies - the savannah and the forest.
The African elephant grows up to four meters in height, and weighs a record 6 tons. In recent years, the population has declined significantly, due to the fact that the usual habitats of elephants are occupied for agricultural purposes.
Their relatives, who live in the jungle of India, are slightly inferior to their brothers in size and weight.
Blue whale. Cetacean Squad
But the largest mammal lives in the waters of the ocean, and bears a beautiful species name Blue whale. The elongated, slender body of the whale reaches a length of more than 30 meters and a weight of about 130 tons.
They live throughout the oceans, and unlike relatives, the blue whale loves to swim alone. Although, it is worth noting that they actively communicate with each other through sound signals.
The blue whale eats mainly plankton; the diet also includes small crustaceans and small fish.
So we found out which mammal is the largest on our amazing planet, with its diverse fauna. As you can see, the blue whale is the undisputed leader in body size and weight.
The largest mammal, both in water and on earth, is quite friendly animals, despite its impressive size.