Most people know what turtles are. Little shell backed reptiles that often live in lakes, streams and dank vegetation. When asked what do turtles eat and drink these same people are far less knowledgeable. Turtles are kind of an exotic pet. They are not as widely understood as dogs, cats and other more common house pets.
WWF Travel takes you to see some of the biggest. Largest land mammal: African elephant A keystone African species, elephants make a big impact on the habitats they occupy. See them in Namibia. Largest primate: Gorilla The largest wild adult male recorded weighed 510 pounds and stood 5 feet 11 inches. See them in Uganda. Largest big cat: Tiger Not only are tigers the biggest of all felines,they are also the most threatened. See them in India. Largest land carnivore: Polar bear Monitoring polar bears allows researchers to evaluate the overall health of Arctic species. See them in Canada. Largest cetacean: Blue whale The biggest animal ever to live on Earth, this giant can grow to more than 100 feet.
Most people believe that the largest animals to ever exist on Earth were the dinosaurs. However, one of the largest land dinosaurs, the sauropod Argentinosaurus, weighed only about 180,000 pounds (81,647 kg). That's little more than half the size of an adult blue whale. It makes a lot of sense that the world's largest animal would be a sea creature. Land animals have to support their own weight, whereas sea creatures get some help from the water. It is believed that at one time there were more than 200,000 blue whales.