One third of the Earth is covered with water so the great number of living creatures on our beautiful planet call it home. The ocean is home to an abundance of amazing species. Some impress us with their beautiful hues, others with how they disguise themselves, and many with how they survive in an ecosystem so different from ours. But what has attracted people for millennia is how big some of these sea creatures are.
An expansive (and uncharted) ocean offers greater space for growth and shelter. Some of these creatures are still incredibly enigmatic and elusive. The water is home to a vast array of amazing species. In this article we are going to take a brief look at the largest water animals in the world.
Top 10 Largest Water Animals in the World
Here, in this article we are going to take a brief look into the top 10 largest water animals in the world. This list might not be accurate as some individual animals could be bigger in size compared to other in the same species. Let’s dive into the Top 10 largest water animals in the World.
10. Japanese Spider Crab
[Image source: https://animalalmanacblog.wordpress.com]
The largest ocean crab species found in the waters surrounding Japan is the Japanese spider crab (Macrocheira kaempferi). It is the arthropod with the longest leg-span, measuring around 3.7 meters. In addition to using camouflage, the Japanese Spider Crab’s hard exoskeleton helps shield it from larger predators like octopuses. The rough shell of the crab melds with the rocky seabed. A spider crab decorates its shell with sponges and other creatures to enhance the illusion. The orange-colored crab has white spots running along its legs.
- Size: 12.5 feet (leg-span)
- Weight: 39 – 42 pounds
- Average Life-Span: up to 100 years
The Japanese spider crab is an omnivore, meaning it eats both animals and plants. It occasionally consumes dead animals in an act of scavenging. Adults can be found between 160 and 1,970 feet (50 to 600 m) beneath the surface. They like to live in the ocean’s deeper layers inside burrows and vents. With its legs spanning up to 3.7 meters (12.5 feet) across claw to claw, the Japanese spider crab has the widest leg span among any known arthropod. The crab’s body can reach a width of 40 cm (16 in) for its carapace, and its total weight can reach up to 19 kg (42 lb), making it the second-most massive alive arthropod species, behind the American lobster.
9. Giant Oarfish
Giant oarfish (Regalecus gelsne) is the species of oarfish belonging to the family of Regalecidae. It is also commonly referred to as ribbon fish, pacific oarfish or king of herrings. With the exception of polar regions, it is an oceanodromous species that is found all over the planet. It is the longest ray-finned fish in the world. It features a ribbon-like, narrow laterally built body with short pectoral fins, long, oar-shaped pelvic fins which give it its popular name, and a dorsal fin running the length of its body. It has red fins, silver and blue colors, and pigmented dark spots.
- Size: 56 feet
- Weight: 500 – 600 pounds
- Average Life-Span: 7 – 12 years
This species is the world’s longest bony fish, with a record length of 17 meters (56 feet) however, It is usually 3 meters (9.8 feet) long. The gigantic oarfish’s organs are concentrated around the top of the animal, which may allow it to survive the loss of substantial parts of its tail. Giant oarfish livers are orange or red, most likely due to the presence of astaxanthin in their diet. It has no swimming bladder. Oarfish will spawn for an extended length of time, generally at the end of the summer. Oarfish will subsequently experience gonad regression, which means they will not breed for the rest of the year.
8. The Great White Shark
The great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), often known as the white shark, is a type of large mackerel sharks that lives in the coastal surface waters of all major oceans. Arguably the largest known living macropredator fish in the world, the great white shark is a major predator of marine mammals, including dolphins and pinnipeds. he longest surviving female great white shark specimen was 5.83 m (19.1 ft.) in length and weighed approximately 2,000 kg (4,410 lb) at maturity. Great white sharks are known for their size. Great white sharks are capable of short bursts of up to 25 km/h (16 mph) and depths of up to 1,200 m (3,900 ft.).
- Size: 19 – 21 feet
- Weight: 4000 – 4500 pounds
- Average Life-Span: above 70 years
The great white shark has been reported to prey on a range of other creatures, including fish, sharks, and seabirds. Great white sharks exhibit sexual dimorphism, with females usually larger than males. Great whites also rely on the fat and oils stored in their livers to make long-distance migrations over nutrient-poor oceans. The great white shark is one of the few sharks that regularly raises its head above the sea surface to look at other objects, such as prey. These sharks prefer prey with a high concentration of energy-rich fat. It has only one known natural predator: the orca.
7. Orca
The largest dolphin in the oceanic dolphin family is the toothed orca (Orcinus orca), also known as the killer whale. Orcas are distinguished by their bodies with patterns of black and white. Apex predators, orcas have a diverse diet. Individual populations frequently focus on specific kinds of prey. This comprises a wide range of fish, sharks, rays, and marine mammals, including whales, dolphins, and seals. They have strong social ties; certain populations are made up of matrilineal family units that are remarkably persistent (pods). There has never been a recorded fatal attack in an orca’s native habitat, and orcas generally pose no threat to humans.
- Size: 20 – 26 feet
- Weight: 5900 – 6000 pounds
- Average Life-Span: 50 – 80 years
The largest dolphin species that exists today is the orca. Males typically weigh more than 6 tones (5.9 long tons; 6.6 short tons) and measure between 6 and 8 meters (20 and 26 feet) in length. Male orcas have considerably larger pectoral fins than females, which are spherical and large like paddles. When the mouth is closed, the orca’s top teeth slip into the spaces between its lower teeth due to its strong jaws and teeth. Orcas have strong hearing, superb sense of touch, and exceptional vision both above and below the sea. Because they hunt in packs similar to wolves, they are frequently referred to as “wolves of the sea”.
6. Lion’s Main Jellyfish
Known by various names such as gigantic jellyfish, arctic red jellyfish, or hair jelly, the lion’s mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) is among the largest known species of jellyfish. It only inhabits the Arctic, northern Atlantic, and northern Pacific Oceans’ frigid, boreal waters. largest specimen ever documented was taken in 1865 off the coast of Massachusetts and its bell was measured upto 210 centimeters (7 feet) in diameter, while its tentacles measured about 36.6 m (120 feet) in length. The term “lion’s mane jellyfish,” or Cyanea capillata, comes from its colorful, trailing tentacles that resemble a lion’s mane. Their sizes can differ significantly, but they can reach a bell diameter of more than two meters (6 feet 7 inches).
- Size: 19 – 21 feet
- Weight: 4000 – 4500 pounds
- Average Life-Span: above 70 years
Lion’s mane jellyfish are mostly found at the surface, at depths of little more than 20 meters (66 feet). Their sluggish pulsations weakly propel them ahead, thus they rely on ocean currents to travel long distances. The female jellyfish carries fertilized eggs in a tentacle, where they develop into larvae. When the larvae are mature enough, the female drops them on a hard surface, where they quickly develop into polyps. Seabirds, larger fish like ocean sunfish, jellyfish, and most sea turtles will only attack juveniles. Human contact with jellyfish can result in momentary pain and regional redness.
5. Giant Manta Rays
The giant manta ray (Mobula birostris) is the world’s largest ray species, belonging to the Mobulidae family. It is found all across the world, primarily in tropical and subtropical areas, but sometimes in temperate waters. The huge oceanic manta ray can reach a maximum length of 9 m (30 ft.) and a disc width of 7 m (23 ft.), weighing around 3,000 kg (6,600 lb), but the average size often recorded is 4.5 m (15 ft.). It is an ocean-going fish that spends the most of its life distant from shore, following currents and traveling to places where upwellings of nutrient-rich water improve the availability of zooplankton.
- Size: 21 – 30 feet
- Weight: 4000 – 6600 pounds
- Average Life-Span: upto 45 years
Filter feeding accounts for approximately 27% of their diet, and they will migrate to shorelines in search of a variety of zooplankton, including copepods, mysids, shrimp, euphausiids, decapod larvae, and, on occasion, varying kinds of fish. Because of its vast size and escape velocity (24 km/h), the oceanic manta ray has few natural predators that are capable of killing it. Only huge sharks and dolphins, including the tiger shark, great hammerhead shark, bull-shark, false killer whale, and killer whale, can feast on the ray.
4. Sperm Whale
The sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest toothed whale and predator. The sperm whale is a pelagic mammal with a global range that migrates periodically for food and breeding. Sperm whales’ heads are filled with a waxy material termed “spermaceti” (sperm oil), which gives the whale its name. Mature males average 16 meters (52 feet) in length, with the head accounting for up to one-third of the animal’s length. It dives to 2,250 meters (7,380 feet), making it the third deepest diving mammal, after only the southern elephant seal and Cuvier’s beaked whale.
- Size: 40 – 52 feet
- Weight: upto 41,000 k/g
- Average Life-Span: 65 – 70 years
Sperm whales often dive between 300 and 800 meters (980 and 2,620 feet), and occasionally 1 to 2 kilometers (3,300 to 6,600 feet), in search of food. These dives can endure for more than an hour. They eat a variety of animals, including enormous squid, colossal squid, octopuses, and fish like demersal rays and smaller sharks, although their primary diet consists of medium-sized squid. Orcas (killer whales) are the most common natural predators of sperm whales. Orcas hunt in groups of females with young, usually attempting to extract and kill a calf.
3. Whale Shark
The whale shark (Rhincodon typus), is a carpet shark that is slow moving and filter feeding. Whale sharks have a big mouth, two small eyes at the front corners, and a broad, flattened skull. Whale sharks have frontal rather than lateral mouths, in contrast to the mouth of many other shark species. Their skin is dark grey, with a white belly accented with a distinctive pattern of pale grey or white dots and stripes. The largest recorded specimen measured 18.8 m (61.7 feet). The whale shark can be found in all tropical and warm temperate oceans.
- Size: 55 – 61.7 feet
- Weight: upto 41000 pounds
- Average Life-Span: above 100 years
The whale shark migrates and has two subpopulations: Atlantic and Indo-Pacific. It eats copepods, krill, fish eggs, Christmas Island red crab larvae, and small nektonic organisms like squid or fish. It also consumes clouds of eggs during mass spawning of fish and corals. Despite its size, whale sharks pose little threat to people. Whale sharks have also been recorded to dwell at depths greater than 50 meters (160 feet) for three days or longer. Based on examinations of their vertebral growth bands and the development rates of free-swimming sharks, whale shark lifespans are estimated to range between 80 and 130 years.
2. Fin Whale
The fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), commonly referred to as the finback whale, is a baleen whale species and the second largest in length, behind the blue whale. With their huge dorsal fins located in the upper fourth of their body and a slender rostrum, its body is quite slim. It possesses 350–400 baleen plates, as well as an extended ridge on its back. The fin whale, like all rorquals, has grooves running from the belly to the tip of the lower jaw. The largest specimen apparently reached 26 meters (85 feet) in length and weighed between 77 and 81 tons.
- Size: 70 – 85 feet
- Weight: 77 – 81 tons
- Average Life-Span: upto 90 years
It can be found in all of the world’s main oceans, as well as arctic and tropical waters. The largest population density is found in temperate and colder waters. The fin whale has only one known predator: the killer whale. The fin whale is a filter feeder, eating small schooling fish, squid, and crustaceans like copepods and krill. When feeding, fin whales blow five to seven times in rapid succession, yet when migrating or resting, they blow once per minute or two.
The fin whale is one of the quickest cetaceans and may achieve speeds between 37 km/h (23 mph) and 41 km/h (25 mph), with bursts up to 46 km/h (29 mph) being reported, earning the fin whale the common name “the greyhound of the sea.”
1. Blue Whale
Blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) are both marine mammals and baleen whales. It is the world’s largest living mammal, at a maximum confirmed length of 29.9 meters (98 feet) and weighing up to 199 tons. The blue whale is a slender-bodied mammal that has a big U-shaped head, thin, extended flippers, a short 33 centimeters (13 in) sickle-like dorsal fin near the tail, along with a huge tail stock at the base of the wide and thin flukes. The blue whale is mostly solitary, however it can be encountered in pairs. When food is highly available, blue whales can be seen in groups of more than 50 individuals.
- Size: 85 – 98 feet
- Weight: upto 199 tons
- Average Life-Span: 80 – 90 years
They go through extensive migrations, traveling to their summer feeding areas near the poles before returning to their winter mating habitats in more tropical seas. Blue whales move at speeds ranging from 5 to 30 kilometers per hour (3.1-18.6 mph). The blue whale diets almost consists of krill. Blue whales catch krill using lunge feeding; they swim towards them at great speeds, opening their large mouth. They can swallow upto 220 metric tons (220 long tons; 240 short tons) of water at once. Blue whales have only one known natural predator: the orca. The maximum dive depth observed from tagged blue whales was 315 meters (1,033 feet).
Conclusion
Most of these measurements are based on researches done by some individuals and it does not imply the accuracy of weight on every individual animals of the species. There are other different factors that can impact of the length and weight such as diet, water, or safety. Some individual can grow bigger than others. Who knows researchers out there may find out some new exciting information in near future.
Also Don’t Forget to Check the list of
Top 10 Fastest Land Animals in the World
Top 10 Richest Countries in the World
Top 10 Poorest Countries in the World
Top 10 Happiest Countries in the World
Top 10 Fastest Flying Birds in the World
Video Reference
References
- https://www.americanoceans.org/facts/biggest-sea-creatures/
- https://www.madeinsea.co/blogs/news/top-10-biggest-sea-creature
- https://www.watchmojo.com/articles/top-10-largest-sea-creatures-on-earth-today/great-white-shark
- https://www.freetheocean.com/journal/10-of-the-largest-living-ocean-creatures/
- https://largest.org/animals/sea-creatures/
