Animal Therapy // November
We all know that big animals exist, but how large can animals actually get? Do not underestimate the power of nature!
Studies have shown that interacting with animals can increase people's level of the hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin helps us feel happy and trusting. Oxytocin has some powerful effects for us in the body's ability to be in a state of readiness to heal, and also to grow new cells, so it predisposes us to an environment in our own bodies where we can be healthier.
Happy Animal Therapy Wednesday! Here's a dose of animal therapy pictures to break the week with a little peak!
Capybara
Perhaps you are surprised to see this animal on the list, but as the largest rodent the Capybara definitely deserves a spot on the list of the biggest animals. Standing, the capybara can grow 106 to 134 cm (42 to 53 in) in length.
Brown Bear
With a magnificent weight of 907 kg (1 ton) and a length that can reach up to 3 m (10 ft) when they are standing, the Brown Bear rightfully earns the spot as one of the largest animals!
Red Kangaroo
The Red Kangaroo is the largest living marsupial! According to National Geographic, from head to rump the Red Kangaroo can reach up to 1.6 m (5.3 ft) and its tail can be as long as 1.1 m (3.6 ft).
Saltwater Crocodile
The largest reptile, the Saltwater Crocodile, can have an average length of 5.2 m (17 ft), however, their maximum reach can spike up to 6.3 m (21 ft). Not only the length of the Saltwater Crocodile is magnificent but also their its weight: it can reach up to 1900 kg (21 ton).
Giraffe
The tallest animal on earth with a height of 5.8 m (19 ft), the Giraffe is truly an impressive animal. Their necks alone are 1.8 m (6 ft)! Native to the grasslands of East Africa, the Giraffe relies on vegetation and trees, which they can easily reach with their long tongues. Even more impressive, baby giraffes are born after a long 15 months and are 2 m (6.5 ft) long!
African Elephant
Measured from the trunk to the tail, the African Elephant can grow up to 10.6 m (35 ft). Perhaps even more impressive than its height, the African Elephant can weigh an impressive amount of 6,350 kg (7 tons)!
Ostrich
The Ostrich is the largest living bird with a height of 2.7 m (9 ft) and a weight that can reach up to 156 kg (344 lbs)! Some interesting facts about the Ostrich is that they do not have teeth and with eyes as huge as 5 cm (1.9 in) they have the largest eyes of all land mammals. Even more astonishing, an Ostrich can survive days without water as they can internally extract the water from their largely vegetation based diet!
Chinese Giant Salamander
The Chinese Giant Salamander not only looks like it walked right out of the Dinosaur age, in a way it really did. The Giant Salamander changed very little from its ancestors, which is why it is also called a “living fossil”!
Whale Shark
King of the underwater world, the Whale Shark is the largest fish alive with a length of 12 m (40 ft)! Surprisingly, despite its gigantic size, the Whale Shark only feeds on plankton.
Blue Whale
All the other animals, even those mentioned in this list, are in comparison to the Blue Whale tiny. As the largest animal in the world, the Blue Whale can reach a length of 30 m (98 ft) and a weight of—be prepared—179622.6kg! Their hearts can weigh as much as a car and their tongues as much as an elephant! Yet, just like the whale shark, the Blue Whale survives by eating plankton.