Humans are among the tallest animals on earth, but “spoiler alert’’ on average, we aren’t tall enough to rank among some of the tallest in the world. However, this article will focus on the top 20 tallest animals in the world. Whales are by definition not included on this list because this article is based on the average height at the hips of the tallest animals and not the biggest.
I believe a good number of us have not seen some of the tallest animals in the world at least with our own eyes, a good number of the information we have about these animals come from books, documentaries, movies, TV shows, one-on-one description and in some rare occasions, a visit to the zoo.
In this article, we would be ranking the tallest animals from 1-20. There may be a disparity between some animals as to which is taller depending on specie, gender, and inhabitant. But from all our findings, all the animals named in this article would naturally be included among the first twenty tallest animals alive in any article. So do not expect to see dinosaurs and elephant birds on this article as one of the tallest animals in the world, as we would focus on those still existing and not animals that have gone extinct.
20 Tallest Animals In The World Alive
Giraffe
1. Giraffe (6 meters 20 feet tall):
Amazingly, the giraffe is the tallest living mammal in the world when measured from the ground up. Male giraffes may reach heights of up to 6 meters or nearly 20 feet, whereas female giraffes can reach heights of up to 5.2 meters, or 17 feet, making them the tallest terrestrial animals, male or female. The giraffe’s native habitat spans a large portion of sub-Saharan Africa.
African Elephant
2. African Elephant (4 meters 13 feet tall):
The (male) African elephant comes in second with a height of up to 4 meters, or almost 13 feet. The Indian elephant, which is much shorter should not be confused with the African elephant, which is much taller. It goes without saying that the African elephant has Africa as its native habitat, particularly the southern portion of the continent.
Siberian Tiger
3. SIBERIAN TIGER (3.7 meters 12 feet tall):
It may surprise you that a tiger is in third place, but it’s true: When it comes to strength, give it to this animal, many would argue less why it is tagged one of the strongest animals on earth. This makes the Siberian tiger the tallest cat overall as well as the tallest tiger. A male Siberian tiger can stand on two feet and reach a height of up to 3.7 meters, or about 12 feet. Siberian tigers are sadly at risk of being extinct in the next several decades because there aren’t many of them remaining now. Siberia Tigers specifically, the southernmost tip of Siberia and Russia—is where they naturally reside.
Liger
4. LIGER (3.6 meters 11.8 feet tall):
A liger is produced if a male lion copulates with a female tiger and has cubs with her. This hybrid cub is practically capable of reaching Siberian tiger heights. Male ligers may grow up to 3.6 meters (11.8 feet) tall. Ligers can only be seen in safari parks or zoos throughout the world because there are no known cases of them being in the wild.
Polar Bear
5. POLAR BEAR (3.5 meters 11.5 feet tall):
The tallest bear of them all is the polar bear, which is among the tallest living terrestrial mammals in general. Adult male polar bears may grow to a maximum height of 3.5 meters, or 11.5 feet. Polar bears are obligate Arctic Circle residents, which includes Greenland, portions of Canada, and Russia.
Asian Elephant
6. ASIAN ELEPHANT(3.4 meters 11.3 feet tall)
Despite being smaller than their African relatives, Asian elephants may nevertheless rise as tall as about three and a half meters, or over 11 feet. The Indian elephant is reputed to be the tallest of the three Asian elephant subspecies.
Bengal Tiger
7. BENGAL TIGER (3.2 meters 10.5 feet tall)
The Bengal Tiger is a little smaller than the Siberian Tiger yet still stands taller than most other Tiger subspecies. The head and body length of a Bengal tiger may reach 3.1 meters or 10.5 feet.
Moose
8. MOOSE (3.1 meters 10.2 feet tall)
If you begin to check the ten tallest land creatures on the globe the moose would be included, if you count their antlers (and why wouldn’t you?). They are no 8 on our list of the tallest animals in the world. Moose may reach heights of more than 3 meters (10.2 ft) when standing.
Grizzly Bear
9. GRIZZLY BEAR (2.9 meters 9.5 feet tall)
The Grizzly Bear is among the world’s tallest mammals despite being smaller than its polar relative. The height of the North American bear is approximately 3 meters (about 9 and a half feet).
Ostrich
10. OSTRICH (2.8 meters 9.2 feet tall)
Possibly the most unexpected animal on our list of the ten tallest species but for some who may have seen an ostrich before, it may not be so surprising. However, although it may not appear so at first, ostriches may really grow rather tall due to their extraordinarily long necks. To be precise, up to 2.8 meters (9.2 feet) tall.
Dromedary Camel
11. Dromedary Camel (2.4 meters 7feet 4 tall)
The Arabian Camel sometimes referred to as the Dromedary Camel, seems to be the tallest of the camel species. These camels, unlike their two-humped ancestors, have only one hump. Males of the breed may stand between 7 feet and 6 feet 9 inches tall when examined to the shoulders. If you consider the extra height from the hump, they may be much taller.
Dromedary Camels weigh between 660 and 1,320 pounds. Dromedary Camels are quasi-animals that are endangered in the wild but are regularly maintained under the care of a herdsman or used for transportation or other reasons by humans.
Brown Grizzly Bear
12. Brown Grizzly Bear
You’ve probably heard people claim that they wouldn’t want to meet a bear face to face. Brown Bear stands around 5 feet tall at the shoulders when walking on four legs for good cause. They are, however, significantly taller while standing and may reach a height of 8 to 9 feet! These massive creatures typically weigh around 500 to 900 pounds. The biggest bear ever weighed more than 2,500 pounds!
Brown Bears are sometimes known as Grizzly Bears, especially in North America. They are also present in parts of Eurasia. This species is currently not vulnerable and has a protection rating of least concern.
Gaur
13. Gaur (2.2 meters 7 feet 2 tall)
These are big wild cows from southern Asia, popularly called the Indian bison. This is the biggest species of wild cow and even the largest animal in the Bovidae family.
They outnumber all other Bovidae family members, including buffalo, antelope, and musk ox.
The guar may reach a shoulder height of 1.65-2.2m (5’4′′-7’2′′). Females are shorter in height than their male counterparts. They are extremely powerful and agile, capable of leaping over massive obstacles, and are considered very dangerous in the animal kingdom, with few predators capable of taking them down. Few creatures are capable of endangering gaurs as adults. The sole predators of these gigantic monsters are saltwater crocodiles and tigers. Leopards and dog packs may prey on calves or sick gaurs.
Shire Horse
14. Shire Horse (6.7 feet tall)
The shire horse is known for its size and strength, and it is the tallest horse in the world. The tallest horse specie is the shire horse, which measures between 1.7 and 1.9 meters tall (76 inches). Some shires may grow to be as tall as 2.1 meters (82.7 inches), and stallions towering higher than mares. The breed measures between 1,800 and 2,400 pounds on average.
These horses, which have big hooves and leg feathering and resemble Clydesdales, are enormous. Despite their massive size, shire horses are usually calm, peaceful, and eager to please. They are suitable for horse enthusiasts of all levels of expertise, as long as they are at ease with such a massive animal.
Bison
15. Bison (1.8 meters tall)
Bison are enormous animals that may weigh as much as 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms). Though they were threatened with extinction in the late 1800s, with only a few hundred remaining in the US, there are currently over 10,000 bison wandering in protected areas. President of the United State, Barack Obama signed the National Bison Legacy Act in 2016, formally designating the American bison as the country’s national animal.
16. Buffalo (3.3 to 6.7 feet)
The African buffalo is a tough animal. It has a shoulder height of 1.0 to 1.7 m (3.3 to 6.7 feet) and a head-and-body length of 1.7 to 3.4 m. (5.6 to 11.2 ft). The tail can be 70 to 110 cm (28 to 43 in) in length. It has a long but stocky body (the body length can surpass that of the wild water buffalo, which is taller and heavier) and short but powerfully built legs, resulting in a relatively small standing height when compared to other big bovids. Males are typically bigger than females and reach the highest weight range of 425 to 870 kg (937 to 1,918 lb).
Rhinoceros
17. Rhinoceros (3.1 to 6.5 feet)
The Rhinoceros, often known as the Rhino, may grow to be around 6.5 feet tall. Rhinoceros horns are illegally exchanged for the value of gold. Rhinoceros horns are very common in Vietnam and East Asia.
Humans hunt and kill rhinoceros for their horns, causing a number of rhinoceros to become endangered. Some even assume that if they ground up rhinoceros horns, it would be able to heal them.
Deer
18. Deer (85-150cm)
Deer are herbivorous animals. They are very selective plant feeders with minimal fibre but high protein content, digestibility, and toxicity. The deer’s preference for a high-quality diet stems from the extremely high need for antler growth for minerals, energy, and protein.
Deer may be found in a wide range of biomes, from arctic to tropical jungle. While deer are commonly associated with woods, many are ecotone animals that survive in environments transitioning between trees and thickets (for shelter) and grassland and savanna. Around the world, the majority of big deer species live in climatic mixed deciduous forests, mountain mixed coniferous forests, tropical seasonal/dry forests, and savanna ecosystems.
To some extent, clearing open spaces inside forests may assist wildlife populations by uncovering the understory and encouraging the sorts of grasses, herbs, and weeds that deer prefer to consume to thrive.
A gorilla sitting down
19. Gorilla (5.7 to 6 feet tall)
The gorilla is the biggest of all primates. Western coastal adult male gorillas (Gorilla ) have a body length of around 1.7 m (66.9 in.) and weigh about 169.5 kg (374 lbs.). Adult females have a body length of 1.5 m (59.1 in.) and weigh 71.5 kg (158 lbs.).
Mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) can weigh up to 220 kg (484 lbs.) in adult males and 97.7 kg in females (215 lbs.). Because of their timid character, Cross River gorillas (Gorilla gorilla diehli) have proven difficult to study. However, a mature male gorilla is predicted to weigh around 180 kg (396 lbs.).
Eastern grassland gorillas (Gorilla Berenger graueri) are somewhat bigger than Western lowland gorillas, with adult males weighing up to 220 kg (484 lb).
Cow
20. Cow (1.6-1.8 meters)
Cows come in a variety of sizes and weights. Nevertheless, it is always fascinating to see how tall a cow will grow or what its typical height is.
A dairy cow may reach a height of 62.0′′-69.0′′ (1.6-1.8 meters) on average. This height, however, varies according to the breed. As a result, assigning a uniform height to each bovine breed would be incorrect. Having said this, the tallest cow on the planet is reported to be Daniel, a Holstein, who is 1.93 meters tall. Also, it is important to keep in mind that their male counterpart (bull) grows taller and are considered more aggressive than their female counterpart.
In conclusion, the world’s tallest mammals are some of the most beautiful creatures on earth, varying from gentle beauties to towering carnivores. These magnificent creatures may be found in a variety of settings across the world, each with its unique set of characteristics that allow them to reach unprecedented heights.
Note, playing with these creatures is never a good idea unless you are well trained on how to handle them, big or little. You have no clue how they will react, and you run the risk of getting seriously wounded or killed. It’s always in your best interest to keep your distance when you see these creatures around your home or in the wild.
