The Largest Land Animal on Each Continent

There are several giant animals living on Earth today. Most of us know in general some of them like elephants and rhinos.

But what about the largest land animal that exists on each of the seven continents?

We have dug around to find the answer for each of Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, Oceania and Antarctica. The result is the beautiful map you can find below.

Each continent on the map has its own distinct and bright color. For each of those landmasses, you will find the name/photo of the biggest animal.

Let’s find out more about those largest creatures.

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List of Biggest Land Animal by Continent

Here is a summary of the largest animal in each continent including the weight in both metric and imperial units (lbs and kg).

Note: the numbers in the tables are based on male adult data (if available) and averaging when there is a range.

1) African Bush Elephant

The African bush elephant is the largest animal that lives on land. It exists in 23 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. This elephant has grey skin with scanty hairs and large ears. It can grow as large as 13 ft (4 m) in height, with a weight reaching up to 23,000 lbs (10,400 kg).

2) Asian Elephant

The Asian elephant is the second biggest land animal in the world. It currently lives across 13 Asian countries, mostly in India and Nepal. This elephant has smaller ears and is typically dark grey to brown in color. It can reach a weight of 15,400 lbs (7,000 kg) and a height of 11.3 ft (3.4 m).

3) American Bison

The American bison (also called the American buffalo) is native to the United States and Canada. Their typical habitat is open grasslands where they graze on grass and weeds. An American bison has shorter, sharper and more curved horns compared to its European cousin. It can grow to be up to 3,800 lbs (1,700 kg).

4) European Bison

This is the European species of bison which is found in many European countries especially Poland and Belarus. It prefers a forest habitat browsing on leaves and vegetation. The horns of a European bison are longer and point more forward compared to its American counterpart. It can reach a weight of up to 4,200 lbs (1,900 kg).

5) South American Tapir

A tapir is an animal that looks something like a pig with a trunk. South American tapirs can be found near water across Northern and Central South America. It’s brown or gray in color, paler in the face and has a low and erect crest running through the crown/neck. Its weight can reach around 710 lbs (320 kg).

6) Saltwater Crocodile

Saltwater Crocodile is the largest species of crocodile in the world, native to Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. They are typically found in coastal waters and rivers. This crocodile has a large head with ridges stretching from each eye along the center of the snout. It can be as much as 23 ft (7 m) in length and 4,400 lbs (2,000 kg) in weight.

7) Southern Elephant Seal

Elephant seals are very large and oceangoing earless seals, with a trunk-like nose (in males). The Southern species live in sub-Antarctic and Antarctic water that feature extra cold conditions but are rich in small creatures to feed on. Their color ranges from gray to brown. This giant animal can weigh as much as 11,000 lbs (5,000 kg) and measure up to 22.5 ft (6.9 m) in length.

Conclusion

These are the largest land animals in each of the seven continents. In summary, they include two elephants, two bisons, a tapir, a crocodile and an elephant seal.

As mentioned, one of those animals is the African bush elephant which is currently the biggest animal living on land. The Asian elephant is the second largest animal and saltwater crocodile is the biggest crocodile species worldwide.

We hope this article related to animal sizes was fun and informative for you.

Lastly, please note we have created an animal size comparison tool in case you’re interested.

Remember to share this knowledge with others.

References

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_bush_elephant
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_elephant
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_bison
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_bison
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_American_tapir
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saltwater_crocodile
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_elephant_seal