11 of the tallest animals on Earth

Formally known as Giraffa camelopardalis, the average giraffe stands 14 to 19 feet (4.3 to 5.8 meters) tall, according to National Geographic. Most of a giraffe's height comes from its famously long neck, which can extend almost 7 feet. They can weigh between 1,750 and 2,800 pounds (794 to 1,270 kilograms), depending on their sex.

Giraffes in the wild have been known to live up to 40 years.

Elephants primarily dwell in the savannas of sub-Saharan Africa. They can live up to 70 years.

Though elephants are native to 37 African countries, the African Wildlife Foundation estimates that there are only about 415,000 elephants left on Earth. About 8% of the world's population of elephants is poached annually, and they are slow to reproduce — elephant pregnancies last 22 months.

Ostriches are large flightless birds that are native to more than 25 countries in Africa, including Zambia and Kenya, and the westernmost part of Asia (in Turkey), but they can be found all over the world. They can be raised for their meat, though wild populations exist in Australia.

According to the African Wildlife Foundation, ostriches don't have teeth, but they do have the largest eyeballs of any land animal.

Brown bears can weigh between 500 and 900 pounds (227 to 408 kilograms), though the heaviest bear ever recorded weighed more than 2,500 pounds (1,134 kilograms).

According to National Geographic, moose are the largest of all deer species. But despite their enormous size – many moose weigh about 1,800 pounds (816.5 kilograms) – these creatures are vegetarians. They eat shrubs, pine-cones, moss, and aquatic plants.

A horse's height is generally measured at its "withers," the place where the neck meets the shoulders. When you consider that a horse's head usually stands considerably higher than its shoulders, it's easy to see how even medium-sized horses can dwarf a human.

Most riding horses stand about 5 feet (1.5 meters) at the withers.

Camels are two-toed mammals. They don't store water in their humps as many people believe – those humps are filled with fat, which can be used as an energy source.

Whereas Dromedary camels have one hump, Bactrian camels have two humps and can grow to about 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall at the shoulders, according to the San Diego Zoo.

Camels can drink up to 40 gallons (151 liters) of water in one sitting, according to The Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad.

Bison are massive creatures that can weigh up to 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms).

Though they were perilously endangered in the late 1800s – there were just a few hundred left in the US at that time – they are now more than 10,000 bison roaming in protected areas. In 2016, President Barack Obama signed the National Bison Legacy Act, which officially made the American bison the national mammal of the US.

According to Rhino Conservation Botswana, the white rhino is the second largest land animal after the elephant. It can weigh up to 7,700 pounds (3492.7 kilograms).

White rhinos communicate by puffing and panting, and are known to mark their territories with large dung piles.

The African buffalo is sometimes confused with the American bison, but they're very different.

The African buffalo has a long, stocky body that can weigh up to 2,200 pounds (998 kilograms). Because they're frequently hunted, their numbers are decreasing, but not yet to a concerning level.

According to the San Diego Zoo, the ears of the common hippo fold into a recessed area in its head when the hippo is submerged in order to prevent water from getting inside them.

Hippos can also hear sounds underwater when their lower jaws are submerged.