Examine individual changes

'[[Image:BlueWhaleSkeleton.jpg|thumb|A model of a skeleton of a [[blue whale]], the largest animal on earth]] The '''largest body part''' is either the largest given body part across all living and extinct organisms or the largest example of a [[body plan|body part]] within an existing [[species]]. The [[largest organism|largest animals]] on the planet are not the only ones to have large body parts, with some smaller animals actually having one particularly enlarged area of the body. ==Living animals== ===Blue whale=== [[File:Blue Whale Penis.jpg|thumb|Blue Whale penis]] As the [[largest organism|largest animal]] alive, the [[blue whale]] has the largest instance of several body parts. * Its [[tongue]] weighs around {{convert|2.7|t|ST kg}}.<ref name="SM">{{Cite book|title=The Scientific Monthly|publisher=American Association for the Advancement of Science|year=1915|page=21}}</ref> * Its [[mouth]] is large enough to hold up to {{convert|90|t|ST kg}} of food and water.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://whale.wheelock.edu/bwcontaminants/welcome.html|title=Contaminant analysis of organochlorines in blubber biopsies from Blue Whales in the St Lawrence|publisher=Trent University|author=Jason de Koning and Geoff Wild|year=1997|access-date=29 June 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070704145244/http://whale.wheelock.edu/bwcontaminants/welcome.html|archive-date=2007-07-04|url-status=dead}}</ref> * Its [[heart]] typically weighs {{convert|600|kg|lb ST|abbr=on}}<ref name="SM" /> and can reach {{convert|900|kg|lb ST|abbr=on}} in exceptional cases<ref>"[http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/animal-bytes/animalia/eumetazoa/coelomates/deuterostomes/chordata/craniata/mammalia/cetacea/blue-whale.htm Animal Bytes - Blue Whale] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131102052036/http://seaworld.org/animal-info/animal-bytes/animalia/eumetazoa/coelomates/deuterostomes/chordata/craniata/mammalia/cetacea/blue-whale.htm |date=2013-11-02 }}". [[SeaWorld]]. Retrieved 27 January 2013.</ref> * Its [[aorta]] is about {{convert|23|cm|in}} in diameter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www2.ucsc.edu/seymourcenter/PDF/2.%20Ms.%20B%20measurements.pdf |title=Ms. Blue's Measurements |author=Caspar, Dave |date=April 2001 |access-date=2006-09-01 |publisher=Seymour Center, University of California, Santa Cruz. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060918140222/http://www2.ucsc.edu/seymourcenter/PDF/2.%20Ms.%20B%20measurements.pdf |archive-date=2006-09-18 |url-status=dead }}</ref> * [[Blue whale penis|The blue whale's penis]] typically measures 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) to 3 metres (9.8 ft) and a diameter of 30 centimetres (12 in) to 36 centimetres (14 in).<!-- {{convert|8-10|ft}}. --><ref name = "bioweb">{{cite web|url=http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2012/olson_rile/reproduction.htm|title=Reproduction|publisher=[[University of Wisconsin]]|access-date=3 October 2012}}</ref> ===Other animals=== [[Image:Giraffe standing.jpg|thumb|Giraffes are instantly recognisable for their long necks.]] * The [[giant squid|giant]] and [[colossal squid]]s have the largest recorded [[cephalopod eye|eyes]] of any living animal, with a maximum diameter of at least {{convert|27|cm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Nilsson2012>{{cite journal | last1 = Nilsson | first1 = D.-E. | last2 = Warrant | first2 = E.J. | last3 = Johnsen | first3 = S. | last4 = Hanlon | first4 = R. | last5 = Shashar | first5 = N. | year = 2012 | title = A unique advantage for giant eyes in giant squid | journal = Current Biology | volume = 22 | issue = 8| pages = 683–688 | doi = 10.1016/j.cub.2012.02.031 | pmid=22425154| doi-access = free }}</ref> Only the extinct [[ichthyosaur]]s are known to have had larger eyes.<ref name=Nilsson2012 /> * The [[giraffe]] has the longest [[neck]] of any land mammal.<ref>"[http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-giraffe.html Mammals: Giraffe]". [[San Diego Zoo]]. Retrieved 27 January 2013.</ref> * The [[north Pacific right whale]] has the largest [[testes]] of any mammal.<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O5lnDwAAQBAJ&q=%22North+Pacific+right+whales%22|date=21 January 2019|publisher=Elsevier Science|isbn=978-0-12-813252-4}}</ref> * The [[walrus]] has the largest [[baculum]] of any mammal.<ref name="PerrinWursig2009">{{cite book|author1=William F. Perrin|author2=Bernd Wursig|author3=J.G.M. 'Hans' [[Hans Thewissen|Thewissen]]|title=Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2rkHQpToi9sC&q=%22largest+baculum%22|date=26 February 2009|publisher=Academic Press|isbn=978-0-08-091993-5}}</ref> * The [[wandering albatross]] has the largest wingspan at {{convert|3.63|m|ftin|abbr=off}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content_pages/record.asp?recordid=50284 |title=Largest Wingspan Of Any Living Bird |publisher=Guinness World Records |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050409085552/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content_pages/record.asp?recordid=50284 |archive-date=9 April 2005}}</ref> * The longest horns ever recorded belonged to a [[wild water buffalo]] and measured {{convert|4.24|m|ftin|abbr=off}} from tip to tip.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content_pages/record.asp?recordid=51205 |title=Longest Horns |publisher=Guinness World Records |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051123012556/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content_pages/record.asp?recordid=51205 |archive-date=23 November 2005}}</ref> * The largest and heaviest [[brain]] belongs to the [[sperm whale]], weighing around 9 kilograms.<ref>"[http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=190 Physeter catodon, Sperm Whale]". MarineBio. Retrieved 27 January 2013.</ref> * The Arctic [[lion's mane jellyfish]] may be the longest animal; the biggest had a bell (body) with a diameter of {{convert|2.28|m|ftin|abbr=off|sp=us}} and the tentacles reached {{convert|120|ft|m|1|abbr=on|disp=flip}}. It was found washed up on the shore of Massachusetts Bay in 1870.<ref>[http://www.extremescience.com/GiantJellyfish.htm "Giant Jellyfish: Arctic Lion's Mane"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100205061702/http://extremescience.com/GiantJellyfish.htm |date=2010-02-05 }}. Extreme Science. Retrieved 27 January 2013.</ref> * [[Bootlace worm]]s can reach great lengths. A specimen was measured at {{convert|55|m|ft|abbr=on}} but this may be unreliable as the body is somewhat elastic.<ref>[[Mark Carwardine|Carwardine, M.]] (1995). ''The Guinness Book of Animal Records''. Guinness Publishing. p. 232.</ref> ===In proportion to body size=== * The [[Xanthopan morganii|Morgan's sphinx hawk moth]] has the longest [[proboscis]] in relation to its body size. Its 25–30&nbsp;cm proboscis is over 3 times longer than its body. It is also known as Darwin's moth because Charles Darwin predicted its existence some 40 years before it was discovered from expeuriments he did on an orchid with a "foot long" nectary.<ref>{{cite web |last=Beccaloni |first=George |url=http://wallacefund.info/darwin-and-wallaces-predictions-come-true-0 |title=Darwin and Wallace's Predictions Come True |publisher=The Alfred Russel Wallace Website |date=23 April 2010 |access-date=27 January 2013}}</ref> * The [[tube-lipped nectar bat]] has the longest tongue of any mammal in relation to its body size. Its {{convert|85|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} tongue is 1.5 times longer than its body, and must be kept inside its rib cage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.news.yahoo.com/06122006/80-132/animal-stows-its-tongue-its-rib-cage.html |title=The animal that stows its tongue in its rib cage |publisher=Yahoo! News |date=6 December 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061213093802/http://uk.news.yahoo.com/06122006/80-132/animal-stows-its-tongue-its-rib-cage.html |archive-date=13 December 2006}}</ref> * The [[barnacle]] is the creature with the largest [[penis]]HEHE it says PENIS'''PENIS''' as a proportion of its body size.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/crust/barnbiol.html |title=Biology of Barnacles |publisher=Museum Victoria |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060719092039/http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/crust/barnbiol.html |archive-date=19 July 2006}}</ref> * Among vertebrates, the [[Argentine blue-bill]] duck has the longest penis in relation to its body size.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mayell |first=Hillary |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/10/1023_corkscrewduck.html |title=Evolutionary Oddities: Duck Sex Organ, Lizard Tongue |work=National Geographic News |date=23 October 2001 |access-date=27 January 2013}}</ref> * The [[vampire squid]] has the largest eyes of any animal relative to its size.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ellis |first=Richard |year=1998 |title=Deep Atlantic: Life, Death, and Exploration in the Abyss |publisher=Lyon Press |isbn=978-1-558-21663-1}} Quoted by: {{cite web |last=Wood |first=James B. |url=http://www.thecephalopodpage.org/vsfh.php |title=Introducing Vampyroteuthis infernalis, the vampire squid from Hell |publisher=The Cephalopod Page |access-date=27 January 2013}}</ref> * The [[Kiwi (bird)|kiwi]] lays the largest egg of any bird relative to its size{{snd}} up to a quarter of the mass of the female. * [[Shrew]]s have the largest [[brain-to-body mass ratio]] of any animal, with brains that are 10% of body weight. Humans however have the largest [[encephalization quotient]] of any animal.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Roth|first=Gerhard|author2=Ursula Dicke |title=Evolution of the brain and intelligence|journal=Trends in Cognitive Sciences|date=May 2005|volume=9|issue=5|pages=250–257|doi=10.1016/j.tics.2005.03.005|pmid=15866152|s2cid=14758763}}</ref> ==Humans== [[File:Gray252.png|thumb|right|The [[femur]] is the longest bone in humans]] * The longest bone in the human body is the [[femur]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Dunleavy |first=Mara A. |url=http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1985/7/85.07.06.x.html |title=Anatomy and Physiology of the Human Knee Joint |publisher=Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute |access-date=27 January 2013}}</ref> * The largest [[artery]] is the [[aorta]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bostonscientific.com/templatedata/imports/HTML/CRM/heart/vessel_intro.html |title=Intro to Blood Vessels |publisher=Boston Scientific |access-date=27 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114112821/http://www.bostonscientific.com/templatedata/imports/HTML/CRM/heart/vessel_intro.html |archive-date=2012-11-14 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the largest [[vein]] is the [[inferior vena cava]].<ref>[http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/jul2000/963290200.An.r.html "Re: What is the largest vein?"]. MadSci Network. Retrieved 27 January 2013.</ref> * The largest internal organ (by mass) is the [[liver]], with an average of {{convert|1.6|kg|lb|abbr=off}}.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Norris |first1=Maggie A. |last2=Siegfried |first2=Donna Rae |year=2012 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wpV520lF4uUC&pg=PA106 |title=Anatomy Essentials for Dummies |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |page=106 |isbn=978-1-118-18421-9}}</ref> * The largest external organ, which is also the largest organ in general, is the [[skin]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://science.nationalgeographic.co.uk/science/health-and-human-body/human-body/skin-article/ |title=Skin |publisher=National Geographic |access-date=27 January 2013}}</ref> * The longest muscle is the [[sartorius muscle]] in the [[thigh]].<ref>{{cite journal |authors=Harris, A. John; Duxson, Marilyn J.; Butler, Jane E.; Hodges, Paul W.; Taylor, Janet L.; Gandevia, Simon C. |url=http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=17105039 |title=Muscle fiber and motor unit behavior in the longest human skeletal muscle |journal=The Journal of Neuroscience |year=2005 |volume=25 |issue=37 |pages=8528–8533 |doi=10.1523/jneurosci.0923-05.2005 |pmid=16162934|pmc = 6725658|doi-access=free }}</ref> * The longest single nerve is the [[sciatic nerve]] in the thigh, counting its branches and [[axons]]. ===Individual human records {{anchor|Records}} === * The person with the longest tongue is Nick Stoeberl of [[Salinas, California]], United States, whose tongue measures {{convert|10.1|cm|in|2}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/size/longest-tongue |title=Longest Tongue |publisher=Guinness World Records |access-date=28 April 2017}}</ref> * The woman with the longest legs is [[Svetlana Pankratova]]. At a height of {{convert|200|cm|ft|2|abbr=on}}, her legs measure {{convert|132|cm|in|0}}.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dJCfzyxTEY "Smallest Man Meets Woman with Longest Legs"]. Associated Press. September 16, 2008. Retrieved 27 January 2013.</ref> * The woman with the longest fingernails is [[Lee Redmond]]. The total length of her fingernails is 7.513 meters.<ref>"[http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/extraordinary/longest-fingernails-%28female%29-ever Longest Fingernails - Female]". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 27 January 2013.</ref> * The [[long hair#Maximum hair length|longest head of hair]] belonged to [[Xie Qiuping]] of [[China]] and measured {{convert|5.627|m|ftin|abbr=off}} on 8 May 2004.<ref>"[http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/dedication/longest-hair-%28female%29 Longest hair]". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 27 January 2013.</ref> * The longest [[beard]] ever measured belonged to [[Hans Langseth]] of [[Norway]]; at his death in 1927 it was {{convert|5.33|m|ft}} long.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/3000/longest-beard-male |title=Longest beard – male |publisher=Guinness World Records |access-date=27 January 2013}}</ref><ref>[http://www.hanslangseth.com "Hans Langseth"]. Retrieved 27 January 2013.</ref> * The longest ear hair belongs to Victor Anthony of India, measuring 18.1 centimetres (7.12&nbsp;inches).<ref>"[http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/2000/longest-ear-hair Longest Ear Hair]". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 27 January 2013.</ref> * The largest [[Foot|feet]] belonged to [[Matthew McGrory]]. His left foot measured {{convert|17|in|cm}} and he wore size 29 1/2 shoes.{{citation needed|date=April 2012}} ==Extinct animals== {{Expand section|date=September 2011}} * The animals with the longest necks, up to {{convert|15|m|ft}} in some cases, were [[plesiosaur]]s (such as ''[[Elasmosaurus]]'' and ''[[Mauisaurus]]'') and [[sauropod]] [[dinosaur]]s (such as ''[[Mamenchisaurus]]'', ''[[Sauroposeidon]]'', and ''[[Supersaurus]]''). ==See also== * [[Largest organism]] * [[Largest prehistoric animals|Largest prehistoric organisms]] * [[Giant animal (disambiguation)]] * [[Muscle#The "strongest" human muscle|The "strongest" human muscle]] ==References== {{Reflist|40em}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Largest Body Part}} [[Category:Animal anatomy]] [[Category:Largest things]]'