Top 10 Heaviest Animals in the World

Animals vary quite a lot in their physical traits. Not only by their height, but even more so by their weight. While heavy animals certainly do not belong to the fastest animals on Earth, they do possess other evolutionary advantages due to their size and weight. Heavy and large animals tend to be practically immune to cancer to name one.

The following ranking lists the 10 heaviest animals known around the world. The ranking is based on the maximum weight a respective species is known to have achieved. While the ranking is (unsurprisingly) dominated by a certain inhabitant of the sea, most of the Top 10 heaviest animals actually live on the land as you will see.

Note: For the Top 10 Ranking of Tallest Animals in the world, click here.

The 10 Heaviest Animals in the World

1. Whale

blue whale - heaviest animal in the world

Weight: Up to 190 tonnes / 418,878 pounds

Natural habitat: In all Oceans of planet Earth
Heaviest sub-species: Blue Whale

2. Shark

Weight: Up to 30 tonnes / 66,139 pounds

Natural habitat: In all Oceans of planet Earth
Heaviest sub-species: Whale Shark

3. Elephant

elephants - heaviest land animals in the world

Weight: Up to 12.5 tonnes / 27,558 pounds

Natural habitat: Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia & Southeastern Asia
Heaviest sub-species: African Bush Elephant

4. Hippopotamus

third of the heaviest animals in the world

Weight: Up to 4.5 tonnes / 9,921 pounds

Natural habitat: Sub-Saharan Africa
Heaviest sub-species: East African Hippopotamus

5. Rhinoceros

rhino - fourth of the heaviest animals in the world

Weight: Up to 4.3 tonnes / 9,480 pounds

Natural habitat: Sub-Saharan Africa & South Asia
Heaviest sub-species: White Rhinoceros

6. Elephant Seal

Weight: Up to 4 tonnes / 8,818 pounds

Natural habitat: Antarctica & Western North America
Heaviest sub-species: Southern Elephant Seal

7. Walrus

Weight: Up to 2.1 tonnes / 4,630 pounds

Natural habitat: Arctic Circle (primarily Russia, Greenland & Canada)
Heaviest sub-species: Pacific Walrus

8. Giraffe

Weight: Up to 1.9 tonnes / 4,189 pounds

Natural habitat: Sub-Saharan Africa
Heaviest sub-species: Northern Giraffe

9. Gaur

Weight: Up to 1.5 tonnes / 3,307 pounds

Natural habitat: South Asia & Southeast Asia
Heaviest sub-species: Indian Gaur

10. Bison

Weight: Up to 1.3 tonnes / 2,866 pounds

Natural habitat: Northern America & Europe (primarily Poland & Belarus)
Heaviest sub-species: American Bison

The 10 Heaviest Animals in the World
(at a glance)

Top 10 Heaviest Animals in the World:
1. WHALE Up to ~ 190 tonnes
2. SHARK Up to ~ 30 tonnes
3. ELEPHANT Up to ~ 12.5 tonnes
4. HIPPOPOTAMUS Up to ~ 4.5 tonnes
5. RHINOCEROS Up to ~ 4.3 tonnes
6. ELEPHANT SEAL Up to ~ 4.0 tonnes
7. WALRUS Up to ~ 2.1 tonnes
8. GIRAFFE Up to ~ 1.9 tonnes
9. GAUR Up to ~ 1.5 tonnes
10. BISON Up to ~ 1.3 tonnes