Largest organisms one of the largest and oldest clonal colonies on Earth. Among animals, the largest species are all marine mammals, specifically whales. The blue whale is believed to be the largest animal to have ever lived. The largest land animal classification is also dominated by mammals, with the African bush elephant being the most massive of these. The largest single-stem tree by wood volume and mass is the giant sequoia ("Sequoiadendron giganteum"), native to Sierra Nevada and California; it typically grows to a height of and in diameter. Multiple-stem trees such as banyan can be enormous. Thimmamma Marrimanu in India spreads
Largest prehistoric animals measured long. An extinct megatoothed shark, "C. megalodon" is by far the biggest shark known. This giant shark reached a total length of more than . "C. megalodon" may have approached a maximum of in total length and in mass. The largest-known symmoriid was "Stethacanthus" at long. The largest-known eugenedont is a yet unnamed species of "Helicoprion" discovered in Idaho. The specimens suggest an animal that possibly exceeded in length. Another fairly large eugenedont is Parahelicoprion. The specimens suggest an animal that grew to the same size (), but was much less slender and overall less heavy. The largest-known hydontiformid