What is the smallest animal in the world? Here are the smallest creatures on Earth.
According to the BBC, there are an estimated 8.7 million species of animals in the world. Experts believe some of these species will go extinct before they are able to be studied. It’s believed it could take over 1,000 years to categorize them all.
There are animals that run across the land, swim in the ocean and fly through the sky. With so many animals in the world, there are some that may go unnoticed.
So, what is the smallest animal?
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What is the smallest land animal in the world?
According to the BBC Science Focus, the smallest animal in the world is the Etruscan shrew. The Etruscan shrew, also known as the white-toothed pygmy shrew or Suncus etruscus, is located in North America. Most adults of the species range between 35 to 50 millimeters, or approximately 1.4 to 2 inches, in length and weigh around 1.8 to 3 grams, according to animaldiversity.org.
The Etruscan shrew is currently the smallest living animal, but some extinct species were smaller. The Batodonoides vanhouteni has only been found fossilized but is believed to be smaller than the Etruscan shrew. The exact size and weight of the Batodonoides vanhouteni is unknown but the weight is believed to been between 0.93 to 1.82 grams, according to Britannica.
What is the smallest aquatic animal in the world?
According to the Ocean Conservancy, the smallest sea creatures are zooplankton.
Zooplankton describe a variety of oceanic species including single-celled protozoa, jellyfish and some crustaceans. Zooplankton are typically less than 1 inch and can even be so small you can only see them under a microscope.
One of the smallest zooplankton is the Irukandji jellyfish. The Irukandji jellyfish can be 0.06 cubic inches, according to World Atlas.
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What is the smallest bug in the world?
According to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the smallest insect in the world is the Dicopomorpha echmepterygis or fairyfly.
The fairyfly is a type of wasp and is only 0.005 inches long. Male fireflies are not only wingless but also blind, according to animaldiversity.org.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is the smallest animal in the world? Answers for both land and sea
