Top 10 most powerful and surviving animals on the planet

A healthy human can lift 1.5 times his body weight. However, this is nothing compared to the strongest animals in the natural world.

The strongest animals in the world

10. Harpy Eagle: Can lift 18kg (twice their body weight)

A female eagle (Harpia harpyja) carries its prey - apparently a skinned Coati (Nasua nasua) - back to its nest.

The female Harpy Eagle is the strongest bird in the world. The female is usually stronger than the male and can lift up to 18kg, almost twice her own weight. This is very useful when choosing prey and means that a wide variety of animals will be on their menu.

Harpy eagles are apex predators, they are also one of the species at the top of the food chain.

9. Leopard: Can lift 125kg (about twice their body weight)

A leopard (Panthera pardus) takes shelter in a tree in Sabi Sands Nature Reserve, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

An average male leopard weighs around 30 to 70kg, and the largest ones are capable of lifting 125kg using their powerful jaws, legs and claws.

Leopards need this strength to pull larger prey up trees after they have hunted to keep them safe from other predators - as they are not as strong as species such as tigers and lions.

8. Polar Bear: Can lift 450kg (about 0.7 times their body weight)

Close-up image of a polar bear (Ursus maritimus) biting a camera lens, taken near the Arctic Circle, Hudson Bay, Canada.

Adult male polar bears can weigh between 300 and 700kg, while females are usually smaller at 150 to 350kg. They have very powerful jaws for hunting, although they are not good at catching seals – their preferred prey.

Polar bears are not afraid of humans, which makes them very dangerous. However, as we will see, they are not the strongest bears on our list.

7. Lions: Can lift 450kg (about twice their body weight)

A juvenile lion (Panthera leo) takes down a wildebeest (Connochaetes) and drags it along the Sand River bed in the Serengeti.

Perhaps in many cultures and in the imagination of many people, the lion is synonymous with strength and hunting ability.

In terms of size, adult male lions can weigh between 150 and 250 kg, while female lions are slightly smaller, weighing between 120 and 180 kg. Their powerful jaws and leg muscles enable them to pull animals larger than themselves over short distances.

6. Grizzly bear: Can lift 500kg (0.8 times body weight)

Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) hunts for pink salmon in Katmai National Park, Alaska, USA.

Thanks to their combination of leg and body strength, grizzly bears are impressive hunting machines. But the strongest bear on our list is more than just muscle. They are highly intelligent, with the animals able to map territories up to 800km wide and form social hierarchies among themselves.

A fully grown individual can lift 227kg on one leg and has the strength of five healthy adult men. With all this, it should come as no surprise that the grizzly bear has no natural predators.

5. Tiger: Can lift 550kg (twice their body weight)

A Bengal tigress (Panthera tigris tigris) kills a Sambar deer (Rusa unicolor) in Ranthambhore, India.

Tigers are the most powerful big cats on our list. Faster and stronger than lions, tigers are capable of taking down prey twice their size. They are also extremely muscular and can run at speeds of up to 65 km/h for short periods of time.

Their impressive strength does not stop there and just one slap from a tiger can kill an adult human instantly.

4. Musk ox: Can lift 900kg (about 1.5 times their body weight)

A musk ox (Ovibos moschatus) with a large shaggy coat to keep warm. Photo taken at Ammalortup Nunaa Plateau, Kangerlussuaq, Qeqqata City, Greenland.

Musk oxen are the only mammals in the genus Ovibos in the family Bovidae that have lived in the Arctic since the Ice Age nearly 200,000 years ago. They are known for their thick fur and the strong scent emitted by males. Their scent is used to attract females during mating season. Their muscular strength can help them pull huge loads over long distances.

An adult musk ox can weigh between 400 and 900 pounds and likes to headbutt predators when fighting. Their powerful head and neck muscles can deliver a powerful blow and those horns can do some serious damage too.

3. White Rhino: Can lift 800kg to 1,100kg

A male and female white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) confront each other after the male threatened a calf.

Because rhinos are herbivores, many people might think they are gentle animals. But that would be a very dangerous mistake.

Adult male rhinos can weigh between 1,800 and 2,500kg and females between 1,800 and 2,000kg, which is heavier than a typical family car. It is difficult to measure the strength of a white rhino, but it is estimated that one can pull between 800 and 1,100kg.

2. Gorilla: Can lift 815kg (about 4 times their body weight)

An adult male western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) in a dense forest in the Central African Republic.

Gorillas have incredibly strong arms. They use their legs and arms to walk, climb, and swing from trees every day, which keeps those huge muscles toned.

Males are larger than females and can weigh up to 200kg when fully grown. However, they don't need all that strength to hunt – they live on a diet of plants and fruit. However, it's probably best not to challenge this animal to an arm-wrestling or boxing match.

1. African elephant: Can lift 6,000kg

A bush elephant (Loxodonta africana africana) in a deserted area near Purros and the border of Skeleton Coast National Park, Namibia.

The strongest animal in the world is the African bush elephant, which can lift 6,000kg - its own body weight when lying down. Its trunk can even lift more than 200kg thanks to its more than 40,000 muscles - an adult human has just over 600 muscles in its entire body.

The average weight of an adult bull is just over 6,000kg, making it the largest land animal in the world.