Animal Record-Holders

Animals live in different places around the world. Some hold records. A record compares one feature in a group. Fastest compares speed, tallest compares height, and heaviest compares body weight. Check the feature and the group.

The cheetah is the fastest land animal. Its top speed lasts only a short burst. It can slow down or tire. The record does not mean it always escapes.

Blue whales live in the ocean. The blue whale is the heaviest living animal. A very large adult can be about three full-size buses long, parked end to end. About means a rough match. Whale and bus lengths vary.

The giraffe is the tallest living animal. Some tall houses with several floors are taller than a giraffe. In a height chart, the tallest bar shows the tallest example.

Rounded example heights in metres. These are examples, not the height of every animal or person.

The bee hummingbird is the smallest bird. This compares birds, not all animals. A small bird in your garden need not hold that record. Height and body weight are different: a giraffe is tallest, but a blue whale is heaviest. By body weight, these three go from greatest to least: blue whale, giraffe, bee hummingbird.

Read these names from greatest body weight to least.

A model can use blocks to stand for toy buses. Count one block for each bus. To join two groups, count both groups together. Two blocks and two more blocks make four blocks. A model's stated length is exact for that model, not for every real whale.

To compare standing heights, measure from the ground to the top of each animal. Use the same unit for both measurements. Measuring only a neck leaves out the rest of the animal. Distance run tells you about movement, not standing height.

When two toys race for the same time, the toy that travels farther is faster over that whole race. In a distance chart, a taller bar shows more distance, not a taller or heavier toy.