Back in the early years of my childhood, investigating which animals were the coolest, biggest, or smartest was a fun activity for me. It partly still is. I loved reading books and watching documentaries that would rank animals based on specific traits they had, so that’s what I’ll be getting into for this article. I have always found that there is really surprising stuff to find out when you learn random facts about animals. So, here’s a bunch of top 5 animal rankings! 

Most Deadly (Total Human Deaths per year)

1. Mosquitoes: 725,000 
2. Humans: 400,000 
3. Snakes: 138,000
4. Dogs: 59,000
5. Assassin Bugs: 10,000

Thoughts: It’s interesting to see two insects make the list. How strange is it that something so small could kill so many people? Most would expect something like a hippo, lion or shark top the list, but it seems as though the tinier the thing is the more deadly it is (in some cases).

The source for this ranking was Science Focus.

Fastest (MPH)

1. Peregrine Falcon: 200 mph
2. Cheetah: 70 mph
3. Sailfish: 68 mph
4. Pronghorn Antelope: 60 mph
5. Marlin: 50 mph

Side Fact: If the list was based on speed compared to body mass, a mite named Paratarsotomus macropalpis would top the list. According to One Kind Planet, if they were roughly the same size as a human, they would run at speeds of up to 1,000 miles an hour! 

Most Intelligent (other than humans)+(sort of subjective) 

1. Chimpanzees/Orangutans: They have a unique ability to create tools, partake in rituals, and create social structures. They share 99% of their DNA with humans!
2. Dolphins: Their ability to solve complicated puzzles and maintain a social structure, among other things, gives them high levels of intelligence. They also have the second highest brain-to-body ratio—only second to humans.
3. Elephants: They have an incredible capacity for memory, and they also have high levels of emotional intelligence. Elephants are considered one of the world’s most empathetic animals. 
4. Crows: They use tools and can recognize patterns pretty well. Crows in certain urban areas of the world drop walnuts onto streets before a green light goes off—just so they can let a car do the cracking for them.
5. Cats: They surprisingly have a greater capacity for remembering things than dogs do. They also have 300 neurons in their brain, about 200 more than dogs do.

My source for finding out about all of the different ways these animals are intelligent was Animals Around the Globe.

Biggest Animals

These statistics I got from Safaris Africana might make you feel really small!

1. Biggest animal (ever): Blue Whale

Weight: 190 tons

1. Biggest land animal: African Elephant

Weight: 6,900 kg

1. Biggest land carnivore: Polar Bear

Weight: 700 kg

1. Biggest bug: Giant Weta

Weight: 70 grams (three times the weight of a mouse)

1. Biggest Bird: Ostrich

Height: 2 meters (about 6’6) Weight: 160 kg