The animal kingdom is a world of wonder, mystery, and startling discoveries. The way animals behave is fascinating to us humans, and we’re always finding out more about how our non-human friends live their lives. There are entire science disciplines dedicated to the discoveries made about animals, and they continue to amaze animal lovers everywhere with each new riveting fact.
With this investigative approach in mind, today we’ll be discussing the animal kingdom in a rather…unique way. If you’re into animal facts and finding out new things, this one’s for you. That’s right folks, today we’re listing the top 6 animals with the biggest testicles! Before you shy away, you might actually find this interesting, so don’t give up on me yet!
Top 6 Animals with the Biggest Testicles
So, which animals do you think should make this list? Any ideas? While you’re probably expecting the guys in this post to be the grandest males in the animal kingdom —and some of them are — you won’t be expecting some of these contenders, I promise you! Want to see if you know which animals have the biggest balls? Keep reading to test your knowledge on animal anatomy!
1: Right Whale
Coming in at the top of this list is the animal with the largest testicles on the planet — literally! While the Right Whale isn’t the biggest in terms of total size, his testes are larger than those of any other Whale species. Even the Blue Whale, the largest living being on earth, pales in comparison to the mighty cojones that the Right Whale is packing — his testicles are 10 times bigger than the Blue Whale’s!
So, how big are they, really? The testicles of the Right Whale can weigh over 1,100 pounds and are a whopping 2.5 feet in diameter — they actually hold the Guiness Book of World Records title for biggest testes on earth! While it’s true that in relation to his size these are not all that big, the Right Whale still wins the competition based on sheer mass alone. In the animal kingdom, large testicles are often a big part of winning over potential mates. It’s no wonder these guys are so popular with the ladies!
2: Elephant
We all know that Elephants are the largest of land’s animals, but did you know that they also have giant testicles? They actually have the biggest testicles of all the land mammals, and rightly so! It wouldn’t be very fair for an animal weighing up to 15,000 pounds to come in anything other than first when it comes to the battle of the testes, but it seems that mother nature was aware of that when creating the male Elephant’s anatomy.
Male Elephants carry around a lot of weight as it is, with their testicles adding to that by up to 10 pounds. Although they don’t reach true “bull” status until around 35 years of age, these guys reach sexual maturity between 10 and 14 years old and can live up to the age of 80 in captivity. It would only make sense for an animal to have the testes to match such a giant body and long lifespan, right?
3: Golden/Syrian Hamster
Funnily enough, some of the animals on this list aren’t as big as you might expect. While the Right Whale and the Elephant have some of the largest testes on earth, there are other species that give them a run for their money. In terms of testicle size compared to overall body size, the Golden Hamster (also known as the Syrian Hamster) is one of those — in the rodent world he is the winner of this contest! While he’s a little guy compared to most other animals, his cojones tell a very different tale.
Compared to the Right Whale’s giant testes that only make up 1-2% of his total body size, the Golden Hamster has him beat. This cute little fluff ball is packing testicles that make up a whopping 3% of his body size, winning him the top spot on the list of rodent testicles. Fun fact: these little guys aren’t always golden, despite their name. They can actually be a variety of colors, including black, red, white, or any combination of these!
4: Northern Giant Mouse Lemur
Another animal that has a winning spot on our list is the Northern Giant Mouse Lemur. These adorable little guys were only discovered in 2005, and dwell on the island of Madagascar. The Northern Giant Mouse Lemur is different from many of its Lemur relatives in a few ways, starting with the fact that multiple males are known to share nests. They’re also busy little things and will reproduce year-round, which is uncommon among many species — and a possible explanation for those giant cojones of theirs!
In comparison to their overall size, Northern Giant Mouse Lemurs have the largest testes of any primate (and mammal) species. They’re actually about 8 times larger than those of their other Lemur relatives, measuring about 15 cubic centimeters. For an animal that only grows to 11 ounces in total body weight, that’s a real accomplishment! Scientists believe this large testicle size is related to their “promiscuous” behavior, meaning they mate with multiple parners. Mother nature had to make sure they were well stocked, and that she did!
5: Tuberous Bush Cricket
Next on our list is an animal that you definitely didn’t expect. This animal has actually been found to have the biggest testicles in comparison to his bodyweight found anywhere on earth, despite the fact that he’s one of the tiniest! At half the size of a human finger you’d think his testes wouldn’t earn him a spot in this contest — and you wouldn’t be wrong for thinking that. But think again! The tiny Tuberous Bush Cricket has cojones so big that he’s won the record for largest testes in the world related to overall body size.
This guy’s testicles are a whopping 14% of his total body mass, making him the top contender in the animal kingdom. Scientists believe that this is due to the female Tuberous Bush Cricket’s promiscuous mating habits — they’re known to mate with as many as 23 males in their short 2-month adult life. In order to breed as much as possible, the males had to find a way to measure up, and it looks like they did! I guess we should start saying “breeding like crickets” instead of rabbits now?
6: Chimpanzee
Although we evolved from Chimps and our two species share much of the same DNA, it seems as though we didn’t inherit everything. A Chimpanzee is quite a bit smaller than an adult human, but not in all areas. Pretty much everyone knows by now how freakishly strong our primate relatives are compared to us, but that’s not all: male Chimps also seriously outweigh men in the testicle size department! It’s true: Chimpanzee testicles weigh in between 150 and 170 grams, which is about triple that of a human male.
This is the male Chimp’s way of adapting to the promiscuous mating behavior of female Chimps — the guys have to keep up somehow, right? Interestingly, it’s been found that male primates with ornamentation (brightly colored male parts) have smaller testes than those who don’t, making them appealing to the ladies for different reasons. Also, species that are known to mate for life — like the Gorilla — tend to have smaller testicles than their more promiscuous relatives. I guess having bigger balls isn’t the only important thing after all!
7: Rams
Without being too dirty.. wow look at the big balls on those RAMS!
For adult rams the scrotal circumference can be a massive 28 cm.
Apparently in Iceland Ram testicles are even a delicacy. Poor farmers, did not want to waste anything so Ram testicles were actually food to eat.
Imagine that, your home for dinner and your partner serves you up some massive ram testicles. Make sure you add plenty of salt.
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