The Animal League of Champions. 13 World-Record Holders Who Have Left Their Competition Far Far Behind

… the chameleon. It is covered with mucus and while the animal is hunting it can be twice as long as the rest of the body. The speed at which the tongue is thrown out is also impressive – 20 milliseconds! This is how long it takes to catch the prey. Of course the eyes, moving independently in all directions, are really helpful.

… the common shrew. This tiny mammal is about 3 inches long. It seeks food both at day and at night and is able to eat as many insects as it weighs. If it doesn't eat for 10 hours, it dies.

… wolves. This amazingly family-bound animals mate for life. Their mating period begins in February and at the turn of April and May the cubs are born. They communicate a lot using body language (baring their gums, growling, snarling and licking each other). When a male dies, the female very rarely looks for another partner and remains a wolf-widow for the rest of her life.

… the peregrine falcon. While hunting it dives at about 200 miles per hour and smashes its victim neck. It's quite stocky and its sight is excellent.

… the flea. It can leap up to 25 inches. It is all thanks to its muscles that accumulate a substance enabling the flea to jump even 30 thousand times without a break.

… the greater wax moth. This moth is capable of perceiving sound of 300 kHz frequency, while man can only hear sounds at 20kHz. Scientist believe that the insects might have developed such sense of hearing to communicate safely without being overheard by bats - their natural enemies.

… the bullet ants. These insects live in the rainforest of the Amazon and the pain one feels bitten by a bullet ant is comparable to being shot. Interestingly, the pain will wear off only after the lapse of 24 hours. A scientist once compared this feeling walking on hot coals with feet pierced with nails.

… elephant seals. The males form harems of 50 – 200 females just for them! However, only the strongest ones can do that. The smaller and the weaker ones cannot interfere.

… the cheetah. This is a real sprinter in the world of animals. Within just a few seconds it can accelerate to the speed of 45 miles per hour. The top speed it reaches while hunting is 80 miles per hour.

… the sea wasp. This killer can be found in coastal waters of northern Australia. Its venom can kill an adult person with a few minutes from the first burn. It paralyzes the nervous system and the heart. The total amount of venom in a single sea wasp's body is enough to kill 60 people. The tentacles of an adult sea wasp can be up to 9 feet long.

… the earth-boring dung beetle. This insect is capable of carrying loads 1,000 heavier that its own body. It can be compared to a man weighing 150 pounds carrying an object weighing 80 tones.

… the electric eel. It lives in waters of the Amazon River and attacks its victims with 860V electric strike. This is the power of the recently discovered species – Electrophorus voltai, which we first learned about in 2019. It lives mainly in the southern part of Brazil.

… the Etruscan shrew. It is about 2 inches long (3 inches including the tail) and weighs approximately 2.5 grams. It's natural habitat is northern Africa and southern Europe. It is a nocturnal animal with amazing appetite. Every day it eats the equivalent of about 130% of its own weight.