List of heaviest land mammals - wikipedia List of heaviest land mammals The heaviest land mammal has a weight up to 6 short tons ( 5.4 t ), the African Elephant. This enormous mammal measures approximately 24 feet ( 7.3 m ) and eats 500 pounds ( 230 kg ) of vegetation like grasses and leaves a day. Their two elongated teeth - tusks can grow continuously during their lives and reach about 9 feet ( 2.7 m ) in length. The average walking speed of an elephant is 4.5 miles per hour ( 7.2 km / h ), but they can run at recorded speeds up to, and sometimes exceeding, 15 miles per hour ( 24 km / h ). Contents 1 Heaviest land mammals 2 See also 3 References 4 External links Heaviest land mammals This list is of the heaviest land mammals when including their tusks, horns, etc. Rank Name Image Family Taxonomy Classification Mass African elephant Elephantidae African bush elephant, North African elephant, African forest elephant, Loxodonta atlantica, Loxodonta exoptata 10,000 -- 13,000 pounds ( 4,500 -- 5,900 kg ) Asian elephant Elephantidae E. m. maximus, E. m. indicus, E. m. sumatranus, E. m. borneensis 8,000 -- 10,000 pounds ( 3,600 -- 4,500 kg ) White rhinoceros Rhinocerotidae Ceratotherium neumayri, Ceratotherium mauritanicum, Northern white rhinoceros, Southern white rhinoceros 3,000 -- 5,000 pounds ( 1,400 -- 2,300 kg ) Black rhinoceros Rhinocerotidae South - central Black Rhinoceros, Eastern Black Rhinoceros, Western Black Rhinoceros 1,500 -- 4,000 pounds ( 680 -- 1,810 kg ) Hippopotamus Hippopotamidae H. a. amphibius, H. a. kiboko, H. a. capensis, H. a. tschadensis, H. a. constrictus 2,500 -- 3,300 pounds ( 1,100 -- 1,500 kg ) 6 Gaur Bovidae B. g. gaurus, B. g. readei, B. g. hubbacki 1,000 -- 3,000 pounds ( 450 -- 1,360 kg ) 7 Giraffe Giraffidae G. c. camelopardalis, G. c. reticulata, G. c. angolensis, G. c. antiquorum, G. c. tippelskirchi, G. c. rothschildi, G. c. giraffa, G. c. thornicrofti, G. c. peralta 1,544 -- 4,255 pounds ( 700 -- 1,930 kg ) 8 American bison Bovidae 700 -- 2,200 pounds ( 320 -- 1,000 kg ) 9 Water buffalo Bovidae B. bubalis carabanesis, Bubalus bubalis, B. bubalis bubalis, B. bubalis arnee 660 -- 2,200 pounds ( 300 -- 1,000 kg ) 10 Cape buffalo Bovidae Syncerus caffer caffer, S. c. nanus, S. c. brachyceros, S. c. aequinoctialis, S. c. mathewsi 1,100 -- 2,200 pounds ( 500 -- 1,000 kg ) See also Mammal Mammal classification Mammals portal Wikispecies has information related to : Mammalia External identifiers for Mammalia Encyclopedia of Life 1642 ITIS 179913 NCBI 40674 Also found in : Wikispecies, Arctos References Jump up ^ © G. Ellis / GLOBIO. org ; Animals : The Animal Kingdom ; Largest Living Animal on Land Retrieved 2011 Jump up ^ Stanford News Service Stanford News Service Retrieved April 3, 2016 ^ Jump up to : LARRAMENDI, ASIER ( July 10, 2015 ). `` Shoulder height, body mass, and shape of proboscideans '' ( PDF ). ^ Jump up to : Macdonald, David ( September 27, 2001 ). The New Encyclopedia of Mammals. Oxford University : Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198508239. Jump up ^ Meagher, Mary ( 1986 ). `` Bison bison ''. Mammalian Species ( 266 ) : 1 -- 8. doi : 10.2307 / 3504019. External links The Wikibook Dichotomous Key has a page on the topic of : Mammalia Find more aboutMammalat Wikipedia 's sister projects Definitions from Wiktionary Media from Commons News from Wikinews Quotations from Wikiquote Texts from Wikisource Textbooks from Wikibooks Learning resources from Wikiversity BBC Wildlife Finder -- video clips from the BBC 's natural history archive GlobalTwitcher.com -- All species in the world with distribution maps and images Paleocene Mammals, a site covering the rise of the mammals, paleocene-mammals.de Evolution of Mammals, a brief introduction to early mammals, enchantedlearning.com Extant classes of phylum Chordata Kingdom Animalia ( unranked ) Bilateria Superphylum Deuterostomia Cephalochordata Leptocardii ( lancelets ) l f o r s Urochordata ( tunicates ) Ascidiacea ( sea squirts ) Appendicularia ( larvaceans ) Thaliacea ( pyrosomes, salps, doliolids ) Craniata ( Vertebrates + Myxini ) ( fish + Tetrapods ) Agnatha ( jawless fish ) Cyclostomata Myxini ( hagfish ) Hyperoartia ( lampreys ) Gnathostomata ( jawed vertebrates ) Chondrichthyes ( cartilaginous fish : sharks, rays, chimaeras ) Osteichthyes ( bony fish ) Actinopterygii ( ray - finned fish ) Sarcopterygii ( lobe - finned fish ) Actinistia ( coelacanths ) 1 h i p i d i s i Dipnoi ( lungfish ) 1 r p o d Amphibia ( amphibians ) m n i o Synapsida Mammalia ( mammals ) Sauropsida ( withal Diapsida ) Lepidosauria Rhynchocephalia ( tuatara ) 2 Squamata ( scaled reptiles ) 2 Archelosauria Testudines ( turtles ) 2 3 Archosauria Crocodilia ( crocodilians ) 2 Aves ( birds ) 1subclasses of Sarcopterygii 2orders of class Reptilia ( reptiles ) 3traditionally placed in Anapsida italic are paraphyletic groups Extant mammal orders by subclass Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Subphylum Vertebrata ( unranked ) Amniota Yinotheria Australosphenida Monotremata ( Platypus and echidnas ) Theria Metatheria ( Marsupial inclusive ) Ameridelphia Paucituberculata ( Shrew opossums ) Didelphimorphia ( Opossums ) Australidelphia Microbiotheria ( Monito del monte ) Notoryctemorphia ( Marsupial moles ) Dasyuromorphia ( Quolls and dunnarts ) Peramelemorphia ( Bilbies and bandicoots ) Diprotodontia ( Kangaroos and relatives ) Eutheria ( Placental inclusive ) Atlantogenata Xenarthra Cingulata ( Armadillos ) Pilosa ( Anteaters and sloths ) Afrotheria Afrosoricida ( Tenrecs and golden moles ) Macroscelidea ( Elephant shrews ) Tubulidentata ( Aardvark ) Hyracoidea ( Hyraxes ) Proboscidea ( Elephants ) Sirenia ( Dugongs and manatees ) Boreoeutheria Laurasiatheria Eulipotyphla ( Hedgehogs, shrews, moles and relatives ) Chiroptera ( Bats ) Pholidota ( Pangolins ) Carnivora ( Dogs, cats and relatives ) Perissodactyla ( Odd - toed ungulates ) Artiodactyla ( Even - toed ungulates and cetaceans ) Euarchontoglires Rodentia ( Rodents ) Lagomorpha ( Rabbits and pikas ) Scandentia ( Treeshrews ) Dermoptera ( Colugos ) Primates Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_heaviest_land_mammals&oldid=802691387 '' Categories : Lists of placental mammals Megafauna Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from September 2017 Articles with unsourced statements from April 2014 Encyclopedia of Life ID not in Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 27 September 2017, at 20 : 45. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what is the heaviest animal in the world on land
Answer: African Elephant