Hanekom Family in Wellington New Zealand
The biggest tree in the world , by volume, is the General Sherman tree. This tree is a Giant Sequoia tree (Sequoiadendron giganteum) located in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park.
The tree has an estimated bole volume of 1,487 cubic metres (52,513 cu ft), and an estimated age of 2,300–2,700 years.
(#89 of 100)
The Esmeralda is one of the largest tall ships to sail the world’s oceans.
She is a Spanish manufactured steel-hulled four-masted barquentine (manufactured and delivered as a schooner) taken into service in 1953.
She is used as a training ship of the Chilean Navy and act as a type of floating embassy for Chile.
In spite of her impressive size and a claim during her service to be in podium position for both longest and tallest ocean going sailing ship, she has been surpassed several times by even larger tall ships.
The largest square rigged ocean going tall ship is currently the 5 masted clipper ship the Royal Clipper, with 5202 square metres of sail, launched as recently as the year 2000.
(#66 of 100)
The Elephant has the longest gestation period of any mammal (roughly 22 months). This is longer than larger mammals like whales including the largest of all; the Blue Whale.
Interestingly, the Indian Elephant, which is smaller than the African Elephant has a longer gestation period (mean of 645 and 640 days respectively).
(#61 of 100)
The tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) or spiney back in Maori, is a lizard like reptile endemic to New Zealand.
The tuatara is ectothermic like all reptiles, yet they are active at very low temperatures. They maintain normal activity at temperatures as low as 7°C.
Tuatara have the slowest metabolism of all reptiles.
(#41 of 100)
if you consider size; is Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna).
During courtship, the male of the species perform a diving dance and reaches speeds of up to 385 body lengths per second.
When they pull up at the end of these dives, they are subject to forces up to 10 g (10 times the earth’s gravitational pull).
(#32 of 100)
The Cape Buffalo, (Syncerus caffer) now has the distinction of killing more hunters than any other member of the big five (the five animals most dangerous to hunt on African safari).
No doubt economics (hunting package price) and relative numbers contribute significantly to this position.
The other members of the big five family:
(#29 of 100)
The Ostrich (Struthio camelus) has the largest eye of any land animal, with a diameter of almost 50 mm (in a relatively small head).
It can also carry a rider weighing up to 150 pound (68kg).
This photo was taken at the Safari Ostrich Show Farm, outside Oudtshoorn, South Africa.
(#7 of 100)
The Secretarybird (Afrikaans: Sekretarisvoël) has the longest legs of any raptor. It use these long legs to kill pray, including snakes. It’s got a cool “serpent hunter” sounding scientific name Sagittarius serpentarius.
(#3 of 100)