Longest Animals in the World
Number one is the blue whale at 24–30 m (79–98 ft) (length), followed by the bowhead whale at 14–18 m (46–59 ft) and the humpback whale at 12–16 m (39–52 ft).
| # | Animal | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue Whale Mammal |
24–30 m (79–98 ft) | length |
| 2 | Bowhead Whale Mammal |
14–18 m (46–59 ft) | length |
| 3 | Humpback Whale Mammal |
12–16 m (39–52 ft) | length |
| 4 | Sperm Whale Mammal |
11–16 m (36–52 ft) | length |
| 5 | Giant Squid Invertebrate |
10–13 m (33–43 ft) total length of the largest adults | length |
| 6 | Whale Shark Fish |
5.5–12 m (18–39 ft) | length |
| 7 | Orca Mammal |
5–8 m (16–26 ft) | length |
| 8 | Reticulated Python Reptile |
3–6 m (10–20 ft) | length |
| 9 | Beluga Whale Mammal |
3–5.5 m (10–18 ft) | length |
| 10 | Narwhal Mammal |
3.5–5.5 m (11.5–18 ft), excluding the tusk | length |
| 11 | Burmese Python Reptile |
3–5 m (10–16 ft) | length |
| 12 | Green Anaconda Reptile |
3–5 m (10–16 ft) | length |
| 13 | Nile Crocodile Reptile |
3–5 m (10–16 ft) | length |
| 14 | Saltwater Crocodile Reptile |
2.5–5 m (8–16 ft) | length |
| 15 | Great White Shark Fish |
3.4–4.9 m (11–16 ft) | length |
| 16 | Greenland Shark Fish |
2.4–4.8 m (8–16 ft) | length |
| 17 | American Alligator Reptile |
2.5–4.5 m (8–15 ft) | length |
| 18 | Tiger Shark Fish |
3–4.3 m (10–14 ft) | length |
| 19 | Bottlenose Dolphin Mammal |
2–4 m (6.6–13 ft) | length |
| 20 | Great Hammerhead Shark Fish |
3–4 m (10–13 ft) | length |
| 21 | King Cobra Reptile |
3–4 m (10–13 ft) | length |
| 22 | Walrus Mammal |
2.2–3.6 m (7.2–11.8 ft) | length |
| 23 | West Indian Manatee Mammal |
2.7–3.5 m (8.9–11.5 ft) | length |
| 24 | Bull Shark Fish |
2.1–3.4 m (7–11 ft) | length |
| 25 | Indo-Pacific Sailfish Fish |
2–3.4 m (6.5–11 ft) | length |
About this ranking
Length is the natural measure for whales, sharks, snakes, crocodiles and fish. The blue whale is the longest as well as the heaviest animal, and the longest snakes and the largest crocodiles are still small beside the great whales and the whale shark.
How it is ranked: Animals measured by total or body length, ranked by the upper end of the typical adult range in meters. Widely repeated but unverified record lengths 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 — 24–30 m (79–98 ft)
Blue whales grow 24–30 m (79–98 ft) long. Antarctic blue whales are the biggest, with the longest scientifically measured individuals just under 30 m, and older whaling reports of about 33 m. Northern Hemisphere blue whales average 23–27 m, and the pygmy blue whale subspecies reaches about 24 m.
2. Bowhead Whale — 14–18 m (46–59 ft)
Bowhead whales grow 14–18 m (46–59 ft) long, and the largest females approach 19 m. The head accounts for about a third of that length, and the mouth holds baleen plates up to 4 m long, the longest of any whale.
3. Humpback Whale — 12–16 m (39–52 ft)
Humpback whales grow 12–16 m (39–52 ft) long, with females averaging 1–1.5 m longer than males. The largest reliably reported reach about 17–18 m. The pectoral flippers are up to 5 m long, and the tail flukes can be 5.5 m wide.
4. Sperm Whale — 11–16 m (36–52 ft)
Sperm whales measure 11–16 m (36–52 ft) long: adult females average about 11 m and adult males about 16 m. Exceptional bulls have been measured at more than 18 m, and heavy whaling of the largest males may be why such giants are seldom seen today.
5. Giant Squid — 10–13 m (33–43 ft) total length of the largest adults
The largest giant squid reach about 12–13 m (39–43 ft) in total length for females and about 10 m (33 ft) for males. Most of that is the two thin feeding tentacles; the mantle, or body, is rarely more than 2.25 m (7.4 ft) long. Older claims of 18 m or more are not backed by measured specimens and probably reflect tentacles that were stretched like elastic.