Super-sized species: meet the world’s BIGGEST ANIMALS

Have you ever wondered what the biggest animals on our planet are? 🌎

The Guinness World Records 2026 book, which is out now, features a special chapter full of record-breaking creatures that will leave you amazed – from  beasts longer than a school bus to insects the size of a fist! ✊

So keep reading to discover some of nature’s largest and most incredible species, and find out what makes them so great.

Largest rodent

Capybaras are the largest rodents on earth. 🌎

Also known by the scientific name Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris or "greater capybara", they live in Central and South America and they are truly cute and friendly, but also… HUGE!

How huge, you ask?

Well, they can easily reach the size of a Labrador dog. 🐕

Fun fact: capybaras, like many other rodents, eat their own poo. 💩

Largest frog species

The world’s largest frog is the African goliath frog, which usually grows to around 30 cm (11.8 in) – similar to an adult rabbit, though with legs outstretched it can be more than double that! 🐇 🐇

Oh, and they can weigh up to 3.3 kg (7 lb 3 oz) – about the same as a newborn baby! 👶

Would you be scared or brave if you saw one jumping right at you?!

Largest animal

The blue whale is the world’s largest animal ever, with some of them weighing in at a massive 200 tonnes (440,000 lb), although 100–150 tonnes (200,000–300,000 lb) is the average. 

Even dinosaurs didn’t reach that size – for example, a blue whale is almost 20 TIMES heavier than a T-rex! 🦖

It can grow up to 30 m (98 ft) long – around the same as the average commercial aeroplane. ✈️

And that’s not the blue whale’s only world record! Read the full list here.

Largest bee species

Wallace’s giant bees can grow to 4.5 cm (1.7 in) long – about the same length as a grown-up’s whole thumb! 🤯

These huge bees were thought to have been extinct, as no one had seen one for almost 40 years until the amazing photographer Clay Bolt found one in 2019.

"It was absolutely breathtaking to see this 'flying bulldog' of an insect that we weren't sure existed anymore," he said. 

"To actually see how beautiful and big the species is in life, to hear the sound of its giant wings thrumming as it flew past my head, was just incredible."

Wow!

Largest land animal

This list wouldn’t be complete without the world’s largest land animal – the African bush elephant, of course! 🐘

The adult males of this species typically weigh 4–7 tonnes (8,800–15,400 pounds) and stand 3–3.7 metres (9 feet 10 inches–12 feet 1 inch) at the shoulder.

That’s massive. 🫢

These huge herbivores, who live in herds, spend their lives in forests, grassy plains and desert areas of sub-Saharan Africa.

Largest penguin species

The world's largest species of penguin is the emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri), who live in the frozen southern continent of Antarctica. 🥶

Look how cute they are!

So how big are they?

Well, they can grow to 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in) – that’s about as much as an 8-year-old kid!

Are you taller or shorter than an emperor penguin?