Heaviest Animals in the World
Number one is the blue whale at 100–150 tonnes (110–165 US tons), followed by the bowhead whale at 75–100 tonnes (83–110 US tons) and the sperm whale at 14–45 tonnes (15–50 US tons).
| # | Animal | Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue Whale Mammal |
100–150 tonnes (110–165 US tons) | adults; the heaviest recorded, Antarctic females, approached 190 tonnes |
| 2 | Bowhead Whale Mammal |
75–100 tonnes (83–110 US tons) | adults; females are larger than males |
| 3 | Sperm Whale Mammal |
14–45 tonnes (15–50 US tons) | adult females about 14–15 tonnes, adult males about 35–45 tonnes |
| 4 | Humpback Whale Mammal |
25–40 tonnes (28–44 US tons) | adults; females are slightly larger than males |
| 5 | Whale Shark Fish |
about 9,000–18,000 kg (20,000–40,000 lb) | large adults; estimates, because very few have ever been weighed |
| 6 | African Elephant Mammal |
2,700–6,000 kg (6,000–13,200 lb) | adult females about 2,700–3,500 kg, adult males 4,500–6,000 kg |
| 7 | Orca Mammal |
3,000–6,000 kg (6,600–13,200 lb) | adults; females 3,000–4,000 kg, males often over 6,000 kg, with the largest near 10,000 kg |
| 8 | Asian Elephant Mammal |
2,000–5,000 kg (4,400–11,000 lb) | adult females average about 2,700 kg, adult males about 4,000 kg |
| 9 | Hippopotamus Mammal |
1,300–3,200 kg (2,870–7,050 lb) | adults; females average about 1,300–1,500 kg, males 1,500–3,200 kg |
| 10 | White Rhinoceros Mammal |
1,700–2,400 kg (3,750–5,290 lb) | adults; females average about 1,700 kg, males about 2,300 kg; exceptional bulls reach 3,600 kg |
| 11 | Giant Manta Ray Fish |
about 1,200–2,000 kg (2,650–4,400 lb) | large adults; the heaviest recorded are around 2,400–3,000 kg |
| 12 | Walrus Mammal |
400–1,700 kg (880–3,750 lb) | adults; Pacific females 400–1,250 kg, Pacific males 800–1,700 kg; Atlantic walruses are smaller |
| 13 | Beluga Whale Mammal |
700–1,600 kg (1,540–3,530 lb) | adults; females 700–1,200 kg, males 1,100–1,600 kg |
| 14 | Narwhal Mammal |
800–1,600 kg (1,760–3,530 lb) | adults; females average about 900 kg, males up to 1,600 kg |
| 15 | Black Rhinoceros Mammal |
800–1,400 kg (1,760–3,090 lb) | adults; males and females are similar in size |
| 16 | Giraffe Mammal |
800–1,200 kg (1,760–2,650 lb) | adult averages: females about 830 kg, males about 1,190 kg; the largest bulls approach 1,900 kg |
| 17 | Cow Mammal |
400–1,100 kg (880–2,400 lb) | adult cows 400–800 kg, bulls of large breeds 900–1,100 kg or more |
| 18 | Great White Shark Fish |
520–1,100 kg (1,150–2,400 lb) | adults; females are larger, and the biggest females are estimated at close to 2,000 kg |
| 19 | Bactrian Camel Mammal |
300–1,000 kg (660–2,200 lb) | adults; males are much heavier than females |
| 20 | Greenland Shark Fish |
about 300–1,000 kg (660–2,200 lb) | adults; most weigh a few hundred kilograms and the largest about 1,000 kg or more |
| 21 | Horse Mammal |
380–1,000 kg (840–2,200 lb) | light riding horses 380–550 kg, heavy draft breeds 700–1,000 kg |
| 22 | Ocean Sunfish Fish |
247–1,000 kg (545–2,200 lb) | adults; the largest exceed 2,000 kg |
| 23 | Saltwater Crocodile Reptile |
males 400–1,000 kg (880–2,200 lb); females 80–150 kg (180–330 lb) | adult females 80–150 kg; mature males 400–1,000 kg |
| 24 | African Buffalo Mammal |
300–900 kg (660–1,980 lb) | adults; Cape buffalo 500–900 kg, the small forest buffalo around 300 kg |
| 25 | American Bison Mammal |
360–900 kg (790–2,000 lb) | adults; cows 360–500 kg, bulls 700–900 kg or more |
About this ranking
The heaviest animals all live in the sea, where water supports their weight. The blue whale is the heaviest animal known to have existed, outweighing the largest land animal, the African elephant, by more than twenty times. On land the limits are set by legs and bones: no living land animal comes close to the great whales.
How it is ranked: Ranked by the upper end of the typical adult weight range, converted to kilograms. Exceptional record individuals are not used. The list covers the 214 animals in the AnimalStats database, not every species on Earth.
The top five in detail
1. Blue Whale — 100–150 tonnes (110–165 US tons)
Adult blue whales weigh roughly 100–150 tonnes (110–165 US tons). The heaviest ever weighed, Antarctic females taken during the whaling era, approached 190 tonnes. Females are larger than males, and weight swings widely over the year as whales fatten on the feeding grounds and fast on migration.
2. Bowhead Whale — 75–100 tonnes (83–110 US tons)
Adult bowhead whales weigh roughly 75–100 tonnes (83–110 US tons). Only the blue whale is heavier on average, even though several whale species are longer, because the bowhead is extremely stout and wrapped in blubber up to about 50 cm thick. Females grow larger than males.
3. Sperm Whale — 14–45 tonnes (15–50 US tons)
Adult female sperm whales weigh about 14–15 tonnes, and adult males about 35–45 tonnes (up to roughly 50 US tons). Males weigh around three times as much as females, the greatest size difference between the sexes of any whale. The largest bulls on record exceeded 55 tonnes.
4. Humpback Whale — 25–40 tonnes (28–44 US tons)
Adult humpback whales weigh 25–40 tonnes (28–44 US tons). Females are a little larger than males. A humpback loses a substantial share of its body weight each winter, because it eats little or nothing for months while it migrates and breeds in tropical waters.
5. Whale Shark — about 9,000–18,000 kg (20,000–40,000 lb)
Large adult whale sharks weigh roughly 9,000–18,000 kg (20,000–40,000 lb). These are estimates, because almost none have been put on a scale. A 12 m shark is thought to weigh around 15–20 tonnes, and the biggest individuals, at over 18 m, may be considerably heavier.