Top 10 Animal Champions
These animals are champions at something. There are obviously many more that could be added, so if you'd like, see which ones you can track down (or already know of) and add them. How many animal champions can we find?
The great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), also known as the white shark, white pointer, or simply great white, is a species of large mackerel shark which can be found in the coastal surface waters of all the major oceans. It is notable for its size, with larger female individuals growing to 6.1... read more These champions have a bite measured in the 4,000 psi range. The size of the shark has a significant effect on the psi reading - the smaller the shark, the less bite force.
Mature saltwater crocs have a consistent bite force measured in the 3,700 psi range, so take that into consideration. The mammal with the greatest bite force (unnamed here as it would qualify as its own champion and may surprise you) has a bite force of less than half that of the great white and saltwater crocs.
The peregrine falcon, also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. At 240 mph in a dive, they are royalty among champions. The fastest speed ever recorded in the animal kingdom is just a flip of a switch for this bird of prey. An endangered species as recently as the 1970s, these perfect hunters have made an incredibly quick comeback and are now among the widest-ranging creatures on Earth.
A huge victory for conservation efforts.
Altitude champions. These geese do a yearly migration from India to Mongolia that takes them directly over the Himalayan mountain range, the highest land mass on Earth. They have been tagged and tracked at altitudes of a staggering 24,000 feet. Climbers on Everest have claimed to have seen them fly over the world's tallest mountain, which is just over 29,000 feet.
There is less than 10% of the oxygen available there than there is at sea level. These fascinating creatures have amazed biologists for decades. Much is still left to be discovered, but one thing that has been discovered is that these amazing geese slow their metabolism down significantly to lower their need for oxygen at these tremendous heights, which are unrivaled in the animal kingdom.
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 60 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just 14 species can be found - 2 in North America, 9 in Central... read more All birds of prey have excellent long-distance vision, but eagles stand out. They can clearly see a rabbit (or other intended prey) at a distance of two miles. That's eight times better than humans, for example.
That's daytime vision, of course. However, they do not fare as well with nighttime vision.
The Orca, or Killer Whale (Orcinus orca), is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is recognizable by its black-and-white patterned body. Orcas are a cosmopolitan species and can be found in all of the world's oceans, in a variety of marine environments,... read more Water has considerable weight and mass, and therefore a great deal of resistant force. Speed swimmers need to be streamlined and also have powerful muscle structure to cut through the forces working against them. For the mammals, this is the champion, at a top speed of 34.5 mph.
Sound slow? This majestic creature can swim through the aforementioned forces considerably faster than you or I can run out of the water. Orcas rock!
One of the most inappropriately named animals, it is clearly a part of the dolphin lineage.
There are two different types of sloths, two-toed and three-toed, and six species of sloths. I think the data on them can be considered pretty much universal.
Sloths move so slowly that algae can and does grow on them. Sloths have a top speed of 0.003 mph, which is about 16 feet in one hour. Hopefully, they don't have to be anywhere soon.
The name sloth means laziness or sluggishness. Eagles and jaguars are common predators of sloths, so I guess they can sleep in a bit. Ground sloths went extinct about 10,000 years ago. Obviously, these creatures have survived a very long time and fill a niche in nature's grand design. They are extremely cool.
The kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae. In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus: the red kangaroo, antilopine kangaroo, eastern grey kangaroo, and western grey kangaroo. At an astonishing 44'2", this champion can leap almost 15 yards. For anyone who's ever stood on a Canadian or American football field, they will know that's a healthy chunk of real estate. That's a deep out on a wide receiver tree. This animal can leap it from a standing start. Amazing.
For comparison, the world record for the human broad jump is 12'3".
The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a large cat and native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at 80 to 128 km/h (50 to 80 mph) with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being 93 and 98 km/h (58 and 61 mph), and as such has several adaptations... read more
The Greyhound is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing game and Greyhound racing. You'll find the fastest dogs are hunting dogs, for obvious reasons, and this sleek and athletic dog is no exception. Many will recognize the Greyhound is often used as a racing dog, again for obvious reasons.
However, you may be surprised to find there are a handful of dog species that are rather close to the Greyhound in speed and could give them a run for their money on any given day.
The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. Reaching a maximum confirmed length of 29.9 meters (98 ft) and weighing up to 199 metric tons (196 long tons; 219 short tons), it is the largest animal known to have ever existed. The blue whale's long and slender body can... read more This is a pretty well-known fact. The enormous blue whale dwarfs anything else that lives in the water. It can weigh almost 400,000 pounds. It may also be the largest animal that ever lived.
The Newcomers
Air breathers would be the only ones considered "divers" in the depths of oceans and seas, so this marine mammal is our current champion. They have been tracked to a depth of 1.87 miles (the time on this dive was 2 hours and 17 minutes). Since the tracking devices stop working at just under 2 miles deep, it's possible they have gone even deeper, with some estimates going to 2.5 miles.
These guys are going to be hard to unseat as champions. For perspective, the wreck of the Titanic lies 2.37 miles under the surface of the North Atlantic. This is almost unfathomable for a creature that must breathe on the surface.
750. Found only in a very small portion of Northern California, this highly complex creature has many unanswered questions associated with it. Counting the legs was the easy part.
In labs, they die off rather quickly, leading researchers to believe the lab environment is missing some food source for this millipede. Also, it's important to know that the tropics are packed with centipede and millipede species. As much of the tropics' biodiversity has yet to be discovered, it's possible a new "Most Legs" champion is just waiting to be found.
I would have thought the anaconda, but it is indeed the reticulated python. Anyway, this is one cool-looking snake. Thanks for adding.
An octopus (octopuses or octopodes, see below for variants) is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda. The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like other cephalopods, an octopus is bilaterally symmetric... read more Truly a master of disguise. They can blend into any landscape by not only changing colors but also changing shapes and textures to blend into the surrounding environment. They have even been seen to change shapes to mimic or disguise themselves as other species of animals, such as various types of fish and stingrays.
The giraffe is a tall African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus Giraffa. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant- hoofed herbivorous- on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, Giraffa camelopardalis, with nine subspecies. Most recently, researchers... read more
The common hippopotamus, or hippo, is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae, the other being the pygmy hippopotamus.
Pinniped relates to seals and sea lions. Of them all, these guys are the most likely to eat you. There are many cases of leopard seals attacking people in Antarctica, like a pair of scientists who had a leopard seal chase them across the ice, or one woman who died after one bit her.
Leopard seals are cool. I didn't know they were so aggressive towards humans. Thank you for adding.
These guys look so cool. Perfect camouflage for their environment. Thanks for adding.
This is one impressive fish. Thanks for adding.
Officially listed as the longest living vertebrate, thank you admin. These old-timers live 300-500 years. Females don't even reach sexual maturity until 150-200 years. That's an awfully long childhood.
Slow-moving creatures with an average speed of 0.76 mph, they are nonetheless predators. It's thought that many long-living creatures live in the cold waters of the Arctic regions, as the cold would naturally induce slower metabolisms.
Wow, I kind of assumed the giant tortoise would be the longest-living, but these are way ahead.
The ostrich or common ostrich is either of two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio, which is in the ratite family. In 2014, the Somali ostrich was recognized as a distinct species.
Another record for the sperm whale. The sperm whale's clicks can reach 230 decibels. They are done in short bursts and are low frequency. Some are in infrasound, too deep for humans to hear.
The whale shark is the world's largest living shark as well as the largest living fish. Whale sharks grow up to 45 ft. (13.7 m) long, and can weigh as much as 13 tons (11.6 tonnes). Their mouths alone are a whopping 6 ft. (1.8 m) across-big enough to gulp down three percent of their body weight in food... read more
African elephants are elephants of the genus Loxodonta. The genus consists of two extant species: the African bush elephant, L. africana, and the smaller African forest elephant, L. cyclotis.One has been confirmed to live 150+ years, and high estimates range up to 200 years. Conservative estimates give a range of 80-155 years. These guys take it easy, as do many long-lived creatures. In fact, this champion can go for a year without food or water. Just checking things out.