Top 10: Nature’s Biggest And Baddest

Original source : http://totallytop10.com
Posted : May 2010
Author : wmmattler

Kraken – The Colossal Squid, exaggerated?

Nature provides a wonderful array of flora and fauna and here at TT10, being the nature loving treehuggers that we are, decided to post a tribute to animal life by making this list of nature’s kick-ass killers and thrillers.

Biggest Cat

The world’s biggest feline predator is the Tiger. Tigers can weigh as much as 700 lbs (though one was on record as weighing over 1,000). They are the strongest of cats and highly endangered.

The largest Big Cat in captivity is a Liger (lion/tiger mix) named Hercules. Herc is 12 feet long and weighs close to 900 lbs.

Fastest Creature

The Peregrine Falcon…. bet you thought I was gonna say Cheetah huh? Nope Chester practically stands still compared to this speedster. Peregrines can reach a speed of over 240 miles per hour in a dive.

Most Ferocious

I was going to go with my ex-wife, but the piranha beat her out… marginally. Piranha exist in S. America and there are several species with some being more or less scavengers. Other species- such as the red belly here are out and out aggressive.

Largest Land Carnivore

That would be the Polar Bear. Don’t get all happy thinking this guy is going to give you a Coke and a smile or anything. Polar bears are known to be cautious when confronted by humans, but don’t press the issue - once riled they can do some damage. They are not, however territorial so if you run into one (riiiight) you might have a shot at getting away.

Biggest Snake

Living up to the hype, the biggest snake in the world is the Anaconda. One capture specimen weighted in at 500 lbs- that’s a lot of snake! They are not the longest snakes however.

The Python Reticulatus- or Reticulated Python can reach lengths of 33 feet.

Biggest Fish

The biggest people eating fish is the Great White. These are the quintessential predator. Armed to the teeth (literally) with an amazing array of sensory input organs from heightened sense of smell to electrical field sensitivity they are master trackers in their element. In addition to the teeth and senses, their tuna like tail and streamlined bodies make them incredibly fast and agile.

The BIGGEST FISH IN THE OCEAN STILL SWIMMING (Ohhh I hate you guys..lol) is the freakin’ Whale Shark (fishusveri boringus or Rhincodon typus). They eat krill, plankton and fish (booooring) and range pretty much all over the place as they inhabit all tropic and warm-temperate seas. One interesting fact about the whale shark is that is apparently has the largest internet following of any shark.

Most Venomous Creature

Believe it or not, it’s not some clawed predator or a highly venomous snake… it’s the Sea Wasp… or Jelly-fishus stingalotus. The venom from a single creature can kill up to 60 adults. While people do survive encounters and stings from these otherwise innocent looking creatures, it’s the sheer volume of poison that makes them so deadly.

Largest Invertebrate

The Colossal Squid tops our list of invertebrate lengthiness. Not much is known about this giant squid due to the extreme depths they live in. In 2005 fishermen pulled in a live male Colossal Squid that weighted over 1,000 lbs and was just over 32 feet long. The scary part is that the male is generally the smaller of the sexes in all other squid species.

Biggest Creature Ever

Blue whales are the biggest creature ever to have lived on earth. The largest on record was a female weighing 376,990 pounds and measuring over 90 feet long. The longest blue whale measured in at just over 110ft. What do they eat? Krill. Yes, krill.

Deadliest Creature on Earth

The cop out answer would have to be Man. We kill everything because we’re a bad-assed species. In a recent debate with a former friend (things got out of control) he maintained that without tools man would be helpless against any creature. I submit to you dear readers that man’s brain (and what he can build with it) is his greatest asset. Taking away our ability to make a rocket launcher before a fight is like asking a bear to remove it’s claws. Nope, man is the toughest animal on Earth.. and who’s the toughest MAN on Earth? Chuck Norris.

~Blog Admin~