This page is full of amazing facts about animals with pictures & information for kids … and adults! Find out about some of the biggest, smallest and fastest animals in the world.
Amazing Facts About Animals: Introduction
On this page we’re going to take a look at some of the planet’s most amazing animals!
The animal kingdom is one of five kingdoms of living things (or six in the US, where microscopic species are classified slightly differently).
A ‘Kingdom’ is a category that we use to classify living things, so that we can understand them better. Another example of a kingdom is the Plant kingdom.
Animals can be split into two main groups: vertebrates (animals with backbones) and invertebrates (animals without backbones).
Only 5% of the world’s animals are vertebrates. The other 95% are invertebrates such as insects, crustaceans (animals like crabs and lobsters) and molluscs (animals like snails and octopuses).
Around half of the world’s vertebrates are fishes.
Around 75% of the world’s invertebrates are insects.
On this page we’re going to look at some of the most amazing members of the animal kingdom. Below you’ll find some additional animal lists that you can explore to find more amazing facts.
- You can learn more about the animal kingdom here: Animals: The Ultimate Guide.
- You can find out more about the various animal groups (and discover how to classify a wolf) here: Animal Classification.
- See an awesome list of animals here: Animals A to Z List
World Animal Lists
Click on any of the pictures below to find out amazing facts about animals from all over the world.
Rainforest Animals Facts
Discover amazing facts about rainforest animals: Rainforest Animals.
African Animal Facts
Learn about african animals, including lions, gorillas and African elephants: African Animals Facts.
Australian Animal Facts
Australia is home to some of the world’s most amazing animals. Learn about them here: Australian Animals.
Arctic Animal Facts
Many Arctic animals have special adaptations for living in the cold. Learn about some of these incredible creatures here: Arctic Animals.
Endangered Animal Facts
Sadly, the list of endangered animals gets longer and longer. Learn about some of them here: Endangered Animals.
You can learn more about endangered animals at the IUCN website.
Antarctic Animal Facts
Discover the animals that inhabit the frozen world of Antarctica. You’ll find amazing facts about whales, penguins, seals and birds … plus many other Antarctic species. Click here: Antarctic Animal Facts.
Amazing Facts About Animals With Pictures: Biggest, Smallest, And Fastest!
Scientists estimate that there are around 1,371,253 species of animal in the world today. This number is changing all of the time, with animals going extinct, and new animals being discovered.
Let’s learn more about some of the most amazing animals in the world!
The Biggest Animals In The World
Blue Whale
The blue whale is the biggest animal in the world. In fact, this huge mammal is the largest species ever to have lived on Earth!
You can find out more about blue whales here.
African Bush Elephant
The biggest land mammal is the African bush elephant. It can grow up to 4 metres (13 ft) tall, and can weigh up to 3,200 kg (7,050 lb)!
Read more about African bush elephants here.
Giraffe
The tallest animal in the world is the Giraffe. Their long necks and legs help them to reach the leaves in their favourite acacia trees. Giraffes can grow up to 5.7 m (almost 19 ft) tall.
You can find out more about giraffes here.
Ostrich
The biggest bird is the Ostrich. Ostriches live in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Ostriches grow up to 2.8 m (9.2 ft) tall and can weigh over 156 kg (344 lb). Ostriches also lay the biggest eggs.
Find out more about ostriches here.
Goliath Beetle
Stick Insect
The longest insect is the Phobaeticus chani – a species of Stick Insect. It can grow up to 567 mm (22.3 in) long.
Green Anaconda & Reticulated Python
The heaviest snake in the world is the green anaconda. The world’s longest snake is the reticulated python.
Find out more about Green Anacondas here.
Find out more about the reticulated python here.
Ribbon Worm
The Ribbon Worm is a contender for the title of ‘longest animal in the world’. This stripy brown sea worm grows up to 55 m (180 ft).
Another contender for this title is the lion’s mane jellyfish, specimens of which have been found that were longer than a blue whale.
The Smallest Animals
Kitti’s hog-nosed bat / Bumblebee Bat
The smallest mammal in the world is the Kitti’s Hog-Nosed Bat. This tiny creature, also known as the Bumblebee Bat, lives in Thailand and Burma. It weighs up to 2 g (0.071 oz)
Bee Hummingbird
The world’s smallest bird is the Bee Hummingbird (also known as Helena’s Hummingbird). It weighs between 1.6 and 2 g (0.056 and 0.071 oz) and is between 5 and 6 cm (2.0 and 2.4 in) long.
The Fastest Animals
Cheetah
The fastest land animal is the Cheetah. This African cat can reach speeds of over 120 km/h (74 mph).
Find out more about cheetahs here.
Black Marlin
The fastest animal in the sea is the Black Marlin. This fish, that lives in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, can swim at speeds of up to 129 km/h (80 mph).
Peregrine Falcon
The fastest bird is the Peregrine Falcon. It reaches speeds of up to 389 km/h (242 mph) when diving, making it the world’s fastest animal.
Spine-Tailed Swift
The fastest bird in normal flight is the Spine-Tailed Swift (also called the White-Throated Needletail). It breeds in Central Asia and Russia, and migrates to Southern Asia and Australia. It has been recorded flying at speeds of 111.6 km/h (69.3 mph).
Amazing Facts About Animals Conclusion
We hope that you enjoyed finding out about these amazing animals. We’ll be adding more and more amazing facts to this page, so visit again soon!
Find out some more amazing animal facts on these pages:
