Can You Identify the Longest Animals in the World?

By: Ian Fortey
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
Can You Identify the Longest Animals in the World?
Image: EXTREME-PHOTOGRAPHER/E+/Getty Images

About This Quiz

It's likely just short of impossible to know exactly how many different forms of life exist on Earth—we keep finding new things every year, even after all this time. So we have to rely on scientists with knowledge of such things to make educated guesses and the best guess right now is that there are probably about 8.7 million different kinds of life on Earth. 8.7 million! Imagine that. Now, a lot of those are going to be plants and other microscopic life forms: things that you wouldn't give a second thought to, really. But not all of them. All of your favorite animals fit in there somewhere, too. The things you find amazing, or terrifying, or adorable. And when they're all together, you'd be able to organize them in all kinds of ways. Including by length. There are some really long creatures out there.

Some animals just have a knack for growing really, really long. Things like island gigantism, in which a creature can grow huge due to being isolated, as well as deep-sea gigantism, in which a creature can grow to massive lengths in the depth of the oceans, are just two factors that can alter an animal's size. Whatever the reason, it happens. So how many of these long animals can you recognize? Take the quiz and see!

Reticulated Python
Shutterstock
This is the longest of all the snake species in the world. What is it?
King Cobra
Green Anaconda
Reticulated Python
Boa Constrictor
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

the reticulated python, while not as heavy as a green anaconda, does grow to be a longer snake overall. The longest reticulated python currently in captivity is in Kansas City and measures an impressive 25 feet in length. Her name's Medusa!

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blue whale
Shutterstock
Tell us the name of this creature. A newborn of this species is larger than the biggest reticulated python.
Blue whale
Sperm Whale
Northern Right Whale
Sei Whale
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Blue whales are not just big whales, they're the biggest whales. And not just the biggest whales, they're the biggest animals ever. A full-grown blue whale can hit lengths of nearly 100 feet and the longest on record was 110 feet.

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Lion's_Mane_Jelly_(15735561026)
Tony Hisgett
What do you call this scary animal that you don't want to run across on a swim?
Vampire Squid
Nautilus
Lion's Mane Jellyfish
Manta Ray
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You may not have heard of a lion's mane jellyfish before, but they're an extremely impressive animal and possibly the longest thing in the world in a technical sense. While a blue whale has a longer body, the tentacles of the jellyfish can grow to an alleged 196 feet, though such measurements are often estimated.

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13 Green Anaconda GettyImages-128144022
James Gerholdt / Stockbyte / Getty Images
Do you recognize this long and powerful creature from South America?
Emerald Boa
Western Python
King Cobra
Green Anaconda
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The green anaconda is the largest snake in the world. The reticulated python may be longer overall, but the anaconda is heavier and its length is nothing to sneeze at. Some have reached measurements of over 26 feet in length.

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Bootlace Worm
ZoologicalServices via Youtube
Can you identify this creepy, long sea dweller?
Bootlace Worm
Bobbit Worm
Western Eel
Rankin's Tube Worm
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You may have never seen a bootlace worm in real life and that's just as well. A species of ribbon worm, the bootlace worm lives in the sea and extrudes mucous when threatened. In 1864 one was found that was said to be 180 feet long. Generally, they grow from 16 to 30 feet or so. Either way, at 5 mm thick, that's one long worm.

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Giant Ocean Manta Ray
kampee patisena/Moment/Getty Images
What is this creature that looks incredibly wide but also has some length as well?
Sting Ray
Giant Ocean Manta Ray
Nautilus
Sunfish
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The giant ocean manta ray is a pretty big beast thanks to that long, whip-like tail that drags behind it. It may not be the longest of all creatures in the world, but with a length of nearly 23 feet, it's pretty impressive nonetheless.

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Amethystine Python
©fitopardo.com/Moment Open/Getty Images
You won't find a larger snake than this in Australia. Name it!
Milk Snake
Coral Snake
Black Mamba
Amethystine Python
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The amethystine python, sometimes called the Australian scrub python, is Australia's longest snake. Typical lengths are about 16 feet but some have been said to top 27 feet. It gets its name not from its scales by its eyes which are said to have a milky purple sheen like amethyst.

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Beluga Sturgeon
Wiki Commons by Максим Яковлєв
This fish shares its name with a whale. What is it?
Pickerel
Beluga Sturgeon
Rock Bass
Sei Salmon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Beluga sturgeon are not actually related to beluga whales in any way. Both names come from the Russian word for "white" which describes the underside of the sturgeon. The largest sturgeon on record was 23 feet 7 inches in length. That's a heck of a fish.

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Japanese Spider Crab
Ken Usami / Photodisc / Getty Images
What do you call this creature that looks like it scuttled out of a nightmare?
Colossal Prawn
Rock Lobster
Japanese Spider Crab
Horseshoe Crab
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Japanese spider crabs don't have the biggest bodies in the world, but they don't need them with those massive legs. In fact, they have the greatest leg span of any creature with an exoskeleton that can reach 18 feet from claw to claw.

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Honey Fungus
Wiki Commons by Stu's Images
This organism doesn't exactly qualify as an animal but it may be the biggest living thing ever. Name it!
Honey Fungus
Sea Sponge
Aspergillus
Death Cap
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The honey fungus is a species of parasitic mushroom. There is a specimen of honey fungus in Malheur National Forest in Oregon that is positively massive, covering 3.4 square miles. It's thought to be about 2,400 years old, too.

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Chan's Megastick Phobaeticus chani
Wiki Commons by P.E. Bragg
If you don't like bugs you probably won't want to get close to this thing. What is it called?
Giant Weta
Katydid
Chan's Megastick
Horned Beetle
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Chan's megastick is one of the longest insects in the world with at least one specimen at the Natural History Museum in London measured 22.3 inches in length. To give that a little perspective, your forearm from elbow to fingertip is probably only about 18 inches or so.

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African Rock Python
Shutterstock
What do you call this creature that is considered one of the six longest snakes on Earth?
African Rock Python
Pit Viper
Brown Taipan
Black Mamba
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The African rock python is the largest snake in all of Africa and can exceed lengths of 20 feet. Thanks to its size it's capable of taking down prey of equally impressive sizes like crocodiles.

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Great white shark
by wildestanimal / Moment Open / Getty Images
What's the name of this feared ocean predator?
Thresher Shark
Killer Whale
Great White Shark
Goblin Shark
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

No animal in the sea has a reputation like the great white shark, often considered the most dangerous predator in the world even though a lot of that is Hollywood hype thanks to a string of horror movies. A full-grown great white can grow to nearly 23 feet in length.

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Gharial
ideeone/E+/Getty Images
Tell us the name of this very rare reptile that is nearly extinct in the wild.
Nile Crocodile
Gharial
Nile Monitor
Caiman
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Gharials are closely related to crocodiles and alligators and are native to India. Unfortunately, the number of gharial left alive in the world is incredibly low, estimated to be under 300 animals in total. Males of the species can grow to nearly 20 feet.

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Giant Siphonophore
EVNautilus via Youtube
You can find this unusual creature as far below the sea as 3,000 feet. What is it?
Vampire Squid
Portuguese Man-o-war
Colossal Squid
Giant Siphonophore
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Giant siphonophores are very bizarre organisms by human standards. It's not a single organism but a group of smaller organisms each with a different function that come together to form a whole. And they're quite big when they do, coming in at around 160 feet in length.

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Giant Gippsland Earthworm
tosgem via Youtube
You'll want to avoid this thing if you're squeamish. Name it!
Giant Gippsland Earthworm
Giant Land Leech
Baker's Eel
Blind Snake
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The giant Gippsland earthworm is a massive earthworm found in Australia that typically grows to be over 3 feet long and in some cases will hit over 9 feet in length, which is kind of terrifying for a worm. Word is when they're moving underground it makes an audible sort of sucking sound.

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Snake Sea Cucumber
Wiki Commons by Philippe Bourjon
Do you know the name of this 15-tentacled creature?
Giant Sea Slug
Bobbit Worm
Snake Sea Cucumber
Silt Eel
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The snake sea cucumber is one of the longest sea cucumbers you'll find in the ocean. They grow to around 10 feet in length and sport 15 tentacles that can extend from the cucumber's mouth and allow it to grasp and pull in food.

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GIANT OARFISH
Animal Wire via Youtube
What do you call this fish, which is considered the largest bony fish alive?
Alligator Gar
Lamprey
Sawtooth Fish
Oarfish
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Oarfish can grow to lengths of 36 feet, making them look very much like long sea snakes. In fact, it's rumored that stories about ancient sea serpents may have been inspired by oarfish which are rarely seen so their appearance would likely be very startling to early sailors.

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Giant Pacific octopus
Jeff Rotman / Stockbyte / Getty Images
Tell us the name of this creature which is the largest of its kind in the world.
Nautilus
Giant Octopus
Colossal Jellyfish
Sea Anemone
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The giant octopus may not have the size of a giant squid but it's still an impressive beast you probably wouldn't want to run afoul of in the sea. At 11 feet in length and over 150 lbs, this could be a bit of a nightmare in its natural habitat.

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White_Rhino
Chris Eason
What is the name of this animal, one of the oldest mammal species on the face of the Earth?
White Rhino
Tapir
Giant Sloth
Capybara
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Of the two rhino species in the world, the white rhino is the largest with males reaching lengths of nearly 15 feet. The northern white rhinoceros is nearly extinct in the world right now—the last known male died in 2018, though there are still a number of southern white rhinos still alive.

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Giant Squid
Wildestanimal/Moment/Getty Images
Females of this near-legendary species are over 40 feet long. Name it!
Cephalopod
Blue-Ringed Octopus
Giant Squid
Sea Skate
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The giant squid was long considered a creature of legend and it wasn't until 2004 when images of a real one were finally captured. In 2012 a live squid was filmed for the first time.

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Basking Shark
Corbis/VCG/ Corbis/Getty Images
Even though this is a shark, humans don't have much to fear from it. Do you know what it's called?
Basking Shark
Thresher Shark
Goblin Shark
Sand Shark
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Basking sharks are filter feeders, meaning they feed on plankton that they suck into their mouths. They can grow to a remarkable size, around 25 feet with some reported as high as 40 feet. Though they're generally passive creatures they are still widely hunted for their fins.

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Sperm whale
James R.D. Scott / Moment / Getty Images
If you know what Moby Dick was, you know what this is.
Blue Whale
Sei Whale
Northern Right Whale
Sperm Whale
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sperm whales are one of the larges species of whale in the ocean, reaching lengths of over 65 feet. The whales get their rather awkward name from the oil that the whales used to be hunted for, which was once thought to be sperm.

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Tomistoma
Wiki Commons by TimVickers
Another name for this animal is the false gharial. What is it?
River Monitor
Caiman
Tomistoma
Tegu
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Tomistoma is a member of the same family animals like the crocodile and the alligator. Males can reach lengths of 16 feet or so. As you might expect, you don't want to mess with these creatures either. In 2008, the remains of a fisherman were found inside a female of the species.

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Largetooth Sawfish
Wiki Commons by Simon Fraser University - University Communications
This unusual looking creature can be found in waters all around the world. What is it?
Largetooth Sawfish
Hammerhead Shark
Marlin
Greenland Shark
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The largetooth sawfish, reaching lengths of around 25 feet, isn't exactly as menacing as it might look. That saw on its face isn't a weapon so much as it's a tool that the fish can use to dig up the soil at the bottom of the sea to hunt for prey.

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Komodo Dragon
Aprison Photography/Moment/Getty Images
It's not exactly a living dinosaur but it's close. What do you call this animal?
Caiman
Nile Monitor
Komodo Dragon
Tegu
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Komodo dragon is the largest living species of lizard in the world and can get to about 10 feet in length. For a while there was some debate about whether or not Komodo dragons had a venomous bite or just a mouthful of bacteria, though it's generally accepted now that they do, in fact, have venom.

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Whale shark
Colors and shapes of underwater world/Moment/Getty Images
Tell us the name of this creature which is the largest vertebrate in the world that isn't a mammal.
Whale Shark
Narwhal
Sei Whale
Harbor Porpoise
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The largest whale shark ever caught was over 40 feet long. Even the mouth of the whale shark is a dramatic thing. It can reach nearly 5 feet wide and contains up to 350 rows of very small teeth.

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Giant African Millipede
Gabrielle Therin-Weise/Photographer's Choice RF/Getty Images
Anyone who doesn't like creepy crawlies is sure to hate this thing. What is it called?
Forest Worm
Miller's Centipede
Giant African Millipede
Giant Cicada
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Giant African millipedes are not huge, relative to something like a python or a great white shark but compared to most other things that creep on the ground, it's an unsettling size. How big is unsettling for a millipede? About 15 inches.

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Southern elephant seal
Kelly Cheng/Moment/Getty Images
Not only is this animal long, but it can also weigh over 8,000 lbs. Do you know what it's called?
Southern Elephant Seal
Narwhal
Walrus
Manatee
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Southern elephant seals are some very big animals with bull males reaching lengths of nearly 20 feet in some cases. There is also a northern elephant seal species but they are typically smaller overall, perhaps 3 feet shorter in length at their longest.

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Wallaces Long Horn Beetle
Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net / Getty Images Plus/Getty Images
Do you like big beetles? This beetle's antennae bring it up to 9 inches in length. Name it!
Hercules Beetle
Rhinoceros Beetle
Wallace's Long-Horn Beetle
Titan Beetle
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Wallace's long-horn beetle may not be the biggest beetle out there in terms of body length though, at 3 inches, it's still big for a bug. Toss in those horns though, and this Aussie beetle gets pretty huge.

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North Pacific Right Whale
Wiki Commons by John Durban
This massive beast is extremely endangered. Do you know what it's called?
Sei Whale
Beluga Whale
Humpback Whale
North Pacific Right Whale
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The massive North Pacific right whale, capable of reaching lengths of 65 feet or so, has faced a number of threats over the years. Hunting and habitat loss have dropped the whale's wild population down to only a couple hundred.

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Saltwater Crocodile
Photo by Bill Birtwhistle/Moment/Getty Images
Do you know the name of this animal that sometimes gets turned into boots?
American Alligator
Saltwater Crocodile
Caiman
Gharial
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Saltwater crocodiles are not the sort of animals you ever want to get too close to. Growing up to 20 feet in length, there are up to 200,000 of these creatures in Australia enjoying their lives as apex predators.

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Barrel Sponge
Ethan Daniels/Stocktrek Images / Stocktrek Images / Getty Images
This life form doesn't move much, but it's still pretty big. What is it?
Sea Anemone
Sea Slug
Giant Barrel Sponge
Giant Coral Bloom
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Giant barrel sponges have a diameter of about 6 feet, which, if you've ever had to buy a kitchen sponge, is pretty big for a sponge. They're also extremely long-lived with some estimated at cracking 2,000 years in age.

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Portuguese man o' war
Jim Simmen / Photographer's Choice RF / Getty Images
You need to be careful if you run across this animal as its sting is remarkably painful. Do you know what it is?
Portuguese Man O' War
Vampire Squid
Lion's Mane Jellyfish
Irukandji Jellyfish
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Portuguese man o' war is a fairly unsavory animal to run across if you're a swimmer, thanks to that painful sting. The tentacles can range from 30 feet to over 90 feet in length.

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Amazonian Giant Centipede
Wiki Commons by Katka Nemčoková
Name this creature that can give an incredibly painful and potentially lethal bite if you're not careful.
Amazonian Giant Centipede
Giant African Millipede
Tomistoma
Bootlace Worm
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Amazonian giant centipede can grow to be a foot long and possesses an incredibly potent venom. Though not often deadly to humans it is remarkably painful and a single bite could leave you hospitalized for upwards of a week or more.

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Colossal Squid
Wiki Commons by Y23
What's the name of this animal that has the largest eyes of any animal in the world?
Colossal Squid
Vampire Squid
Nautilus
Giant Octopus
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The colossal squid may grow to 46 feet in length which seems like a good match for those remarkably large eyes. A live specimen may have eyes that are 16 inches in diameter. Hopefully, that means it can see really well.

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Bobbit Worm
Sirachai Arunrugstichai/Moment/Getty Images
When this animal attacks it can use enough force to literally snap its prey in two. What's it called?
Fluke Worm
Giant Millipede
Bobbit Worm
Snake Sea Cucumber
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Bobbit worm is a bit of a terrifying predator made all the more frightening by the fact it's so good at hiding. In fact, people have actually discovered these things in their own aquariums after they've hidden away in rocks or coral.

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Giant African earthworm
duncantakeru via Youtube
This is much larger than the garden variety that you might normally find in your own yard. What is it?
Giant Siphonophore
African Giant Earthworm
Chan's Megastick
Giant Millipede
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The African giant earthworm definitely lives up to its name growing to over 4 feet normally and in some extreme cases over 20 feet length. The largest on record was 22 feet. Presumably, no one used it as bait for fishing.

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Tapeworm
Shutterstock
What do you call this parasite that can reach the astonishing length of 130 feet?
Colossal Roundworm
Giant Flukeworm
Whale Tapeworm
Bobbit Worm
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Just about any animal can get a tapeworm in their gut but it makes sense in a way that a whale tapeworm will scale to a whale size. This particular worm is only found in whales that live in Arctic waters and its body can have up to 45,000 segments. Each segment is capable of producing eggs as well.

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