List of heaviest land mammals

The heaviest land mammal has a weight up to 6 short tons (5.4 t), the African Elephant.^[1] This enormous mammal measures approximately 24 feet (7.3 m) and eats 500 pounds (230 kg) of vegetation like grasses and leaves a day.^[2] Their two elongated teeth-tusks can grow continuously during their lives and reach about 9 feet (2.7 m) in length.^[2] The average walking speed of an elephant is 4.5 miles per hour (7.2 km/h), but they can run at recorded speeds up to, and sometimes exceeding, 15 miles per hour (24 km/h).^[3]

Heaviest land mammals

This list is of the heaviest land mammals when including their tusks, horns, etc.

Rank	Name	Image	Family	Taxonomy Classification	Mass
1	African elephant		Elephantidae	African bush elephant, North African elephant, African forest elephant, Loxodonta atlantica, Loxodonta exoptata	24,000 pounds (11,000 kg) [2]
2	Asian elephant		Elephantidae		12,100 pounds (5,500 kg)[2]
3	White rhinoceros		Rhinocerotidae	Ceratotherium neumayri, Ceratotherium mauritanicum, Northern white rhinoceros, Southern white rhinoceros	5,100 pounds (2,300 kg)[2]
4	Hippopotamus		Hippopotamidae	H. a. amphibius, H. a. kiboko, H. a. capensis, H. a. tschadensis, H. a. constrictus	4,000 pounds (1,800 kg)[2]
5	Gaur		Bovidae	B. g. gaurus, B. g. readei, B. g. hubbacki	3,300 pounds (1,500 kg)[2]
6	Black rhinoceros		Rhinocerotidae	South-central Black Rhinoceros, Eastern Black Rhinoceros, Western Black Rhinoceros	3,100 pounds (1,400 kg)[2]
7	American bison		Bovidae		2,800 pounds (1,300 kg)
8	Giraffe		Giraffidae	G. c. camelopardalis, G. c. reticulata, G. c. angolensis, G. c. antiquorum, G. c. tippelskirchi, G. c. rothschildi, G. c. giraffa, G. c. thornicrofti, G. c. peralta	2,700 pounds (1,200 kg)[2]
9	Walrus		Odobenidae		2,200 pounds (1,000 kg)[2]
10	Water buffalo		Bovidae	B. bubalis carabanesis, Bubalus bubalis, B. bubalis bubalis, B. bubalis arnee	1,400 pounds (640 kg)[2]
11	Cape buffalo		Bovidae	Syncerus caffer caffer, S. c. nanus, S. c. brachyceros, S. c. aequinoctialis, S. c. mathewsi	1,300 pounds (590 kg)

See also

• Mammal
• Mammal classification

External identifiers for Mammalia
Encyclopedia of Life	1642
ITIS	179913
NCBI	40674
Also found in: Wikispecies, Arctos

References

1. ©G.Ellis/GLOBIO.org;Animals: The Animal Kingdom; Largest Living Animal on Land Retrieved 2011
2. Weird Pictures, Wonderful Things 2011; The Wondrous;Account By TabiTop 10 Heaviest Land Animals On The Earth Retrieved November 14, 2010
3. Stanford News Service Stanford News Service Retrieved April 3, 2016

External links

• BBC Wildlife Finder – video clips from the BBC's natural history archive
• GlobalTwitcher.com – All species in the world with distribution maps and images
• Paleocene Mammals, a site covering the rise of the mammals, paleocene-mammals.de
• Evolution of Mammals, a brief introduction to early mammals, enchantedlearning.com