Nature's record breaker

We all love an amazing record breaker - whether it's the fastest shark, the hairiest mammal or the loudest animal. Have you ever heard that a hummingbird’s beak is longer than its body? Or a koala that sleeps 22 hours a day? This article collects some of our favorite record-breaking species, and meet some of the most impressive record-breaking members of the animal kingdom.

1. What is the smallest cat in the world?

The rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus) and the black-footed cat (Felis nigripes) are vying for the top spot as the world's smallest cat. Each cat is the smallest species on its continent—the rusty-spotted cat in Asia and the black-footed cat in Africa. Both species are thought to be primarily nocturnal, feeding primarily on vertebrates such as small mammals and birds.

2. What is the largest snake in the world?

The honor goes to the reticulated python, a non-venomous snake species found in South and Southeast Asia. The longest ever recorded was found in 1912 at 10 meters in length, and the longest in captivity was a female in the United States measuring 7.67 meters in length. The longest snake in the world, the reticulated python feeds on a variety of mammals and birds. Unfortunately, there have been instances of humans being caught and eaten.

3. What is the strongest bird in the world?

You'd be forgiven for thinking that this honor would go to some powerful member of the eagle family or the world's largest living bird, the ostrich. But incredibly, the title of strongest bird goes to the ryebird.

4. Where is the first botanical garden in the world?

The Botanical Garden of Pisa was established in 1544 by the University of Pisa and was the first botanical garden in the world. However, it was enlarged and moved in 1563. The oldest well-preserved is the Orto botanico di Padova, founded a year later in the town of Padua in the Venetian Republic (now part of Italy).

5. What is the largest frog in the world?

The world's largest frog species is aptly named - Giant Frog, also known as the Giant Slider Frog and the Giant Bullfrog. Native to Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon, it can reach a length of 32 centimeters and a weight of 3.25 kilograms. Despite its large size, it is not ahead of other frog species. Instead, its tadpoles are the same size as regular frog tadpoles.

6. What is the oldest known wild bird?

It is generally believed that this is a rather striking species of Laysan albatrosses known as "Wisdom" that lives on the Midway Atoll in the North Pacific. She was first marked in 1956 and is believed to be 70 years old as of 2021 (she may be older). Albatrosses lay only one egg per successful mating season; it is thought that an intelligent creature will give birth to as many as 36 babies in a lifetime.

7. Which bat flies the farthest?

The honor was awarded to a female Nathusius'pipistrelle, who recently flew a whopping 2,018 kilometers from London to the Russian village of Morgino, setting a new British record. This is one of the longest known bat migrations in the world and the furthest known migration from Britain across Europe. The bat weighed only 8 grams and despite all her efforts, she was still bitten by the cat.

8. Which animal sleeps the most?

Koala. This Australian marsupial is known for its balanced diet of eucalyptus leaves. Since plants are low in nutrients and high in toxins and fibrous substances, they require a lot of energy to digest. As a result, koalas spend most of their day (18-22 hours) in Nodding Land. Eat, sleep, repeat. Sloths are also notoriously sleepy, often sleeping up to 20 hours a day - and like koalas, they feed on leaves (although their diet is more varied than koalas), which produces very few calories.

9. Which animal has the hairiest hair?

The hero among hairy animals is the sea otter, whose fur contains 100-160,000 hairs per square centimeter, according to a 2010 study (an adult sea otter may have more than 1 billion roots). Sea otters lack insulating blubber, so their dense, waterproof fur is an important asset in the cold waters of the North Pacific.

10. Which mammal has the most names?

That's the cougar, said to have more than 40 English names. You may have heard of mountain lions, cougars, and panthers. Less well known are its nicknames: "Cat Tit," "Painter," and "Mountain Screamer." These titles likely reflect the puma's widespread distribution - it can be found from northern Canada to southern Chile.

11. Which bird has the largest beak?

Relative to its size, it is a toco toucan, with its ornate beak taking up a third of its body surface area. However, when it comes to having the longest beak relative to body size, that honor belongs to the sword-billed hummingbird. The bird's beak can reach about 12 centimeters in length, longer than its body, allowing it to obtain nectar from the longest and thinnest flowers that other hummingbirds' beaks cannot reach.

12. What is the fastest shark?

That's the shortfin mako shark, which can reach speeds of more than 70 kilometers per hour. Known as the peregrine falcon of the sea, it likes to swim quickly because of its torpedo-shaped body and powerful tail that propels it through the water. Its skin is also covered in scales called denticles, which reduce drag. Adults have no known predators, which is okay since they will outswim them anyway.

13. What is the largest owl in the world?

This title belongs to the Blakiston fish owl. The weight of an adult male is about 3.5 kg, and the slightly larger female can reach 4.6 kg. Even more impressive, however, is the owl's wingspan, which can reach up to 200 centimeters. It is found in China, Japan, and Northeast Asia, and as its name suggests, it preys on fish in rivers. At the other end of the scale is the elf owl, about the size of a can of beans.

14. What is the largest terrestrial mustelid?

This title belongs to the strong and solitary wolverine, which lives in the northern United States, Canada and Europe and can grow to more than a meter in length. Wolverines are omnivores and scavengers, feeding on a variety of foods including bird eggs, berries, and rodents. They are even known for hunting deer! Catchy nicknames include Skunk Bear and Glutton. The wolverine's scientific name, Gulo gulo, is an example of a synonym, in which the genus and species names are the same.

15. What is the loudest animal in the world?

The cry of a blue whale can reach 180 decibels, which is as loud as a jet plane. It is the world record holder. Blue whales sing and communicate through low-frequency moans and roars that travel farther than any other call in the animal kingdom - across thousands of kilometers of ocean.

16. What is the largest freshwater fish in the world?

Until recently, the record was held by the Mekong giant catfish, but in June this year, a Cambodian fisherman took the title when he caught a female giant freshwater stingray . She is 3.98m long (including tail), 2.2m wide and weighs 300kg. Named "Boramy," which means "full moon" in the local Khmer language, she was tagged and released into the river.

17. What is the fastest snake in the world?

This title belongs to the black mamba, a snake that lives in the dry jungles of East Africa and is known for its neurotoxic venom. The black mamba is a predominantly terrestrial species that can grow to around 4m in length and has been recorded walking at speeds of up to 15km/h on open ground.

18. What is the smallest snake in the world?

That honor for the world's smallest snake belongs to thread snakes, a group of earthworm-like reptiles that prey on the larvae of ants and termites. The smallest of these may be the Barbados wire snake ( Tetracheilostoma carlae ), which is no more than 10 centimeters long and as thin as spaghetti. Smaller snakes tend to be shorter and fatter than larger snakes, but thread snakes buck the trend, possibly because of their burrowing lifestyle.

animal tags：