Largest body part
Encyclopedia
Body plan
A body plan is the blueprint for the way the body of an organism is laid out. An organism's symmetry, its number of body segments and number of limbs are all aspects of its body plan...
within an existing species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. The largest animals on the planet are not the only ones to have large body parts, with some smaller animals actually having one particularly enlarged area of the body. The largest organ
Organ (anatomy)
In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in structural unit to serve a common function. Usually there is a main tissue and sporadic tissues . The main tissue is the one that is unique for the specific organ. For example, main tissue in the heart is the myocardium, while sporadic are...
of a mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
is its skin
Skin
-Dermis:The dermis is the layer of skin beneath the epidermis that consists of connective tissue and cushions the body from stress and strain. The dermis is tightly connected to the epidermis by a basement membrane. It also harbors many Mechanoreceptors that provide the sense of touch and heat...
.
Living animals
Blue whale
As the largest animal alive, the Blue WhaleBlue Whale
The blue whale is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales . At in length and or more in weight, it is the largest known animal to have ever existed....
has the largest instance of several body parts.
- Its tongueTongueThe tongue is a muscular hydrostat on the floors of the mouths of most vertebrates which manipulates food for mastication. It is the primary organ of taste , as much of the upper surface of the tongue is covered in papillae and taste buds. It is sensitive and kept moist by saliva, and is richly...
weighs around 2.7 tonnes (3 short tons) - Its mouth is large enough to hold up to 90 tonnes (100 short tons) of food and water.
- Its heartHeartThe heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
typically weighs 600 kg (1,320 lb) and can reach 900 kg in exceptional cases - Its aortaAortaThe aorta is the largest artery in the body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and extending down to the abdomen, where it branches off into two smaller arteries...
is about 23 cm (9 in) in diameter.
Other animals
- The Atlantic Giant Squid has the largest recorded eyeCephalopod eyeCephalopods, as active marine predators, possess sensory organs specialized for use in aquatic conditions. They have a camera-type eye, which consists of a lens projecting an image onto a retina. Unlike the vertebrate camera eye, the cephalopods' form as invaginations of the body surface , and...
s of any animal with an approximate diameter of 50 centimetres (20 inches), although those of the Colossal SquidColossal SquidThe colossal squid , sometimes called the Antarctic or giant cranch squid, is believed to be the largest squid species in terms of mass. It is the only known member of the genus Mesonychoteuthis...
are thought to reach an even greater size. - The giraffeGiraffeThe giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
has the longest neckNeckThe neck is the part of the body, on many terrestrial or secondarily aquatic vertebrates, that distinguishes the head from the torso or trunk. The adjective signifying "of the neck" is cervical .-Boner anatomy: The cervical spine:The cervical portion of the human spine comprises seven boney...
as well as the longest tailTailThe tail is the section at the rear end of an animal's body; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, reptiles, and birds...
of any land mammal. - The Wandering AlbatrossWandering AlbatrossThe Wandering Albatross, Snowy Albatross or White-winged Albatross, Diomedea exulans, is a large seabird from the family Diomedeidae, which has a circumpolar range in the Southern Ocean. It was the first species of albatross to be described, and was long considered the same species as the Tristan...
has the largest wingspan at 3.63 metres (11 feet 11 inches). - The longest horns ever recorded belonged to a Wild Asian Water buffaloWild Asian Water BuffaloThe wild water buffalo also called Asian buffalo and Asiatic buffalo is a large bovine native to Southeast Asia...
and measured 4.24 metres (13 feet 11 inches) from tip to tip. The Greater KuduGreater KuduThe Greater Kudu is a woodland antelope found throughout eastern and southern Africa. Despite occupying such widespread territory, they are sparsely populated in most areas, due to a declining habitat, deforestation and hunting....
has the longest horns on average. - The largest and heaviest brainBrainThe brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
belongs to the Sperm WhaleSperm WhaleThe sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, is a marine mammal species, order Cetacea, a toothed whale having the largest brain of any animal. The name comes from the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in the animal's head. The sperm whale is the only living member of genus Physeter...
, weighing around 9 kilograms. - The Arctic Lion's mane jellyfishLion's mane jellyfishThe lion's mane jellyfish is the largest known species of jellyfish. Its range is confined to cold, boreal waters of the Arctic, northern Atlantic, and northern Pacific Oceans, seldom found farther south than 42°N latitude. Similar jellyfish, which may be the same species, are known to inhabit...
may be the longest animal; the biggest had a bell (body), with a diameter of 2.28 meters (7 feet 6 inches) and the tentacles reached 36.5 meters (120 feet). It was found washed up on the shore of Massachusetts Bay in 1870. - Bootlace worms can reach great lengths. A specimen was measured at 55 m (180 feet) but this may be unreliable as the body is somewhat elastic.
In proportion to body size
- The Tube-lipped Nectar BatTube-lipped Nectar BatThe Tube-lipped Nectar Bat is a bat from Ecuador which was first described in 2005. The species name fistulata is derived from the Latin word 'fistula', meaning 'tube'. It refers to the bat's lower lip which extends 3.3-4.8mm beyond the upper lip and is rolled into a funnel shape. The exact...
has the longest tongue of any mammal in relation to its body size. Its 86 mm (3.4 in) tongue is 1.5 times longer than its body mm, and must be kept inside its rib cage. - The barnacleBarnacleA barnacle is a type of arthropod belonging to infraclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea, and is hence related to crabs and lobsters. Barnacles are exclusively marine, and tend to live in shallow and tidal waters, typically in erosive settings. They are sessile suspension feeders, and have...
is the creature with the largest penisPenisThe penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
as a proportion of its overall body size. - Among vertebrates, the Argentine Blue-billArgentine Blue-billThe Lake Duck is a small South American stiff-tailed duck. It is also called the or Argentine Blue-bill, Argentine Lake Duck, or Argentine Ruddy Duck....
duck has the longest penis in relation to its body size. - The vampire squidVampire SquidThe vampire squid is a small, deep-sea cephalopod found throughout the temperate and tropical oceans of the world. Unique retractile sensory filaments justify the Vampire Squid's placement in its own order: Vampyromorphida , which shares similarities with both squid and octopuses...
has the largest eyes of any animal relative to its size. - ShrewShrewA shrew or shrew mouse is a small molelike mammal classified in the order Soricomorpha. True shrews are also not to be confused with West Indies shrews, treeshrews, otter shrews, or elephant shrews, which belong to different families or orders.Although its external appearance is generally that of...
s have the largest brain-to-body mass ratio of any animal, with brains that are 10% of body weight. Humans however have the largest encephalization quotientEncephalization quotientEncephalization Quotient , or encephalization level is a measure of relative brain size defined as the ratio between actual brain mass and predicted brain mass for an animal of a given size, which is hypothesized to be a rough estimate of the intelligence of the animal.This is a more refined...
of any animal.
Humans
- The longest bone in the human body is the femurFemurThe femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...
. - The largest arteryArteryArteries are blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart. This blood is normally oxygenated, exceptions made for the pulmonary and umbilical arteries....
is the aortaAortaThe aorta is the largest artery in the body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and extending down to the abdomen, where it branches off into two smaller arteries...
and the largest veinVeinIn the circulatory system, veins are blood vessels that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated blood to the heart...
is the inferior vena cavaInferior vena cavaThe inferior vena cava , also known as the posterior vena cava, is the large vein that carries de-oxygenated blood from the lower half of the body into the right atrium of the heart....
. - The largest internal organ is the liverLiverThe liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
. It is also the heaviest organ, with an average of 1.6 kilograms (3.5 pounds). - The largest external organ, which is also the largest organ in general, is the skinSkin-Dermis:The dermis is the layer of skin beneath the epidermis that consists of connective tissue and cushions the body from stress and strain. The dermis is tightly connected to the epidermis by a basement membrane. It also harbors many Mechanoreceptors that provide the sense of touch and heat...
. - The longest muscle is the sartorius muscleSartorius muscleThe Sartorius muscle – the longest muscle in the human body – is a long thin muscle that runs down the length of the thigh. Its upper portion forms the lateral border of the femoral triangle.-Origin and insertion:...
in the thighThighIn humans the thigh is the area between the pelvis and the knee. Anatomically, it is part of the lower limb.The single bone in the thigh is called the femur...
. - The longest single nerve is the sciatic nerveSciatic nerveThe sciatic nerve is a large nerve fiber in humans and other animals. It begins in the lower back and runs through the buttock and down the lower limb...
in the thigh, counting its branches and axons.
Records
- The longest human tongue ever recorded was that of Stephen Taylor and measures 9.8 centimetres (3.86 in). The longest tongue for a female is that of Annika Irmler at 7 centimetres (2.76 in).
- The woman with the longest legs is Svetlana PankratovaSvetlana PankratovaSvetlana Pankratova has, according to Guinness World Records, the longest legs of any woman in the world.While she is not the world's tallest woman, her legs are long. Because her upper body is of much more typical dimensions, she is tall. She has also very large feet, size 13 / 46 .Pankratova...
. At a height of 200 cm (6.56 ft), her legs measure 132 centimetres (52 in). - The woman with the longest fingernails is Lee RedmondLee RedmondLee Redmond held the record in the Guinness World Records for longest fingernails on both hands. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah...
. The total length of her fingernails is 7.513 meters. - The longest head of hair belonged to Xie QiupingXie QiupingXie Qiuping is a Chinese woman who holds the record for world's longest hair. On 8 May 2004, her hair was measured to be 5.627 meters . She began growing her hair to its current length in 1973 at the age of 13. She is the Guinness World Record holder for 2004.-References:** January 28, 2005 Reuters...
of ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and measured 5.627 metres (18 feet 5.54 inches) on 8 May 2004. - The longest beardBeardA beard is the collection of hair that grows on the chin, cheeks and neck of human beings. Usually, only pubescent or adult males are able to grow beards. However, women with hirsutism may develop a beard...
ever measured belonged to Hans Langseth of NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
; at his death in 1927 it was 5.65 metres (18 feet 6 inches) long. - The longest ear hair belongs to Radhakant Bajpai of Naya Ganj, Uttar PradeshUttar PradeshUttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, measuring 13.2 centimetres (5.19 inches).
Extinct animals
- The animals with the longest necks, up to 15 metres (49.2 ft) in some cases, were plesiosaurPlesiosaurPlesiosauroidea is an extinct clade of carnivorous plesiosaur marine reptiles. Plesiosauroids, are known from the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods...
s (such as ElasmosaurusElasmosaurusElasmosaurus + σαυρος sauros 'lizard') is a genus of plesiosaur with an extremely long neck that lived in the Late Cretaceous period , 80.5 million years ago.-Description:...
and MauisaurusMauisaurusMauisaurus is a genus of plesiosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period around 80 to 69 million years ago in what is now New Zealand. It was the largest plesiosaur, and perhaps the largest marine reptile in New Zealand waters at the time. Mauisaurus haasti is the only known species of the...
) and sauropod dinosaurDinosaurDinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s (such as MamenchisaurusMamenchisaurusMamenchisaurus was a plant-eating four-legged dinosaur, known for its remarkably long neck which made up half its total length. It is known from numerous species which ranged in time from 160 to 145 million years ago, from the Oxfordian to Tithonian ages of the late Jurassic Period of...
, SauroposeidonSauroposeidonSauroposeidon is a genus of sauropod dinosaur known from four neck vertebrae that were found in the southeastern portion of the US state of Oklahoma. The fossils were found in rocks dating to the Early Cretaceous, a period when the sauropods of North America had diminished in both size and...
, and SupersaurusSupersaurusSupersaurus is a genus of diplodocid sauropod dinosaur discovered by Vivian Jones of Delta, Colorado, in the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of Colorado in 1972. The fossil remains came from the Brushy Basin Member of the formation, dating to about 153 million years ago...
).
See also
- Largest organism
- Largest prehistoric organismsLargest prehistoric organismsThe largest prehistoric organisms include both vertebrate and invertebrate species. Many are described below, along with their typical range of size...
- Giant animalGiant animalA giant animal in mythology is gigantic in the narrated myth, either large for their species or in relation to mankind.-Supernatural giant animals:* Genbu* Roc* Cerberus* Onikuma* Baku* Chimera* Nemean Lion* Peuchen* Grendel* Gyūki* Byakko...
- The "strongest" human muscle