Guinness World Record Day is that special day when humanity’s most incredible and sometimes strange feats are celebrated globally. People have managed to break the rules of normality, but they’re not the only ones: our animal friends have also been great record breakers!
All the animals, that’s it! Virtuous parrots talking eloquently, but also unexpected artistic painters, there is a world of exceptional abilities to discover in the animal kingdom!
Here are some of the most incredible records of animals that got the title of Guinness World Record thanks to their curious activities.
There are so many records belonging to animals.
A record-breaking memory
Animals always surprise us with their abilities. A praiseworthy example is represented by Alex, the gray parrot from Congo, who in over 30 years of life has been able to learn more than 100 different words!
But what makes him truly extraordinary was his apparent ability to understand what he was saying, even managing to recognize different varieties of distinct colors, materials, objects and actions.
His record-breaking skills include:
- the ability to recognize over fifty objects and to correctly assign each one its own name;
- the ability to distinguish objects depending on their size, shape, color and quantity;
- the ability to ask simple questions, like when, looking in the mirror, Alex asked his doctor the color of his feathers, and then he learnt that his plumage was grey.
But animal surprises do not end here! Another incredible parrot, Puck, set an amazing record by saying 1,728 different words. These shrewd birds demonstrate how the kingdom of feathers is populated by intelligent creatures with great learning skills that certainly exceed our expectations.
Record-breakers at animal races
If you believe that snails have always been definitely slow and lazy animals, raise your hand! Maybe it’s time to change your mind!
The world of snails is more adventurous than we can imagine. For more than 25 years in Congham, an agricultural center in Norfolk county (in the East of England), the Snail Racing World Championship has been held every year: the world championship of racing snails. A race of terrestrial gastropods in which they have to complete a route in record time. They start inside a red circle placed in the center of a table and, once the race begins, there is no precise direction to follow: the first snail that goes beyond the external black circle wins the competition!
The world record for the fastest snail is held by a specimen called Archie, who raced at an astonishing speed of 0.03 km/h in 2 minutes and 9 seconds.
Sure, maybe it’s not exactly the speed we expected… but for an animal like the snail it’s an extraordinary result, especially if we consider that he deserved as prize a tasty head of fresh lettuce!
Ready, Steady… Slow!
Felines performing acrobatic feats
A cat has the stunning ability to throw himself from remarkable heights without suffering damage, thanks to his innate ability to land on his “paws”. But even when jumping, the power of these animals reaches record levels thanks to a unique combination of muscles and flexibility that allow him to strongly push his body weight over any obstacle.
Speaking of jumps, these animals definitely know how to be top of the class, specifically in the long jump. On average, a domestic feline is able to jump up to five times his length. In 2018, an American cat named Waffle achieved the record of the longest jump: 213.36 cm, yes you got that right!
They’re not just champions of elegance and style, cats have also proved that when it comes to them there are no limits.
Among the abilities of a cat, their jump is a truly enviable quality.
A skateboarder from the animal kingdom
There are rumors that taking walks wasn’t enough for him and that, therefore, he decided to learn to ride on a skateboard!
Don’t you believe it? Otto, the English Bulldog from Perù, proved that even our faithful four-legged friends can master the wheeled board: he set the record for the longest distance traveled by an animal on a skateboard by passing under a tunnel of human legs without touching anyone. What distance are we talking about? 36 meters!
His talent in knowing how to maintain balance on the skateboard is truly noteworthy, showing once again how dogs can be extraordinary animals.
Balance, speed, coordination and record. What a talent!
When age is just a number
Jonathan is a true living record in the animal world. In 2019 he achieved a place of honor in the Guinness Book of Records, setting the record as the oldest land animal still alive at the ripe old age of 187! This incredible Seychelles tortoise currently inhabits Saint Helena and his story is a fascinating journey in the course of time.
Jonathan has experienced many historical events: he witnessed both world wars, saw the completion of the majestic Eiffel Tower and witnessed all the transformations that have taken place in almost two centuries.
Furthermore, the history of this animal is even more extraordinary than we can imagine: no one was present at his birth, but the first written testimonies date back to his arrival on Saint Helena, probably as a gift for the governor of that time. It is possible that Jonathan was born around 1832. Up to know, therefore, with the last celebrated birthday he blew out 191 candles even if in reality they could be even more. What a record!
Jonathan, almost 200 years old: what a full life!
Ma parlando dei nostri animali pelosetti, il cane più anziano di sempre è stato Bobi, che è venuto a mancare da poco ma che con i suoi 30 anni e 267 giorni di vita è entrato di diritto nel Guinnes dei Primati. Bobi ha vissuto in Portogallo e il suo record mondiale è stato riconosciuto il 1° febbraio di quest’anno.
Art is in the DNA
In the fascinating world of animal records, there is a truly unique character: Pigcasso, the Vietnamese painter pig.
Pigcasso was born on a pig breeding centre in South Africa and his life took an unexpected turn when he was rescued from an animal shelter. Here he discovered his passion for painting, refining his technique and creating unique works of art, often inspired by nature and by South African landscapes, characterized by bright colors and bold brush strokes.
Surprisingly, some of his creations have been sold for considerable prices: the work “Wild and Free” was sold for 25,000 dollars, a figure which earned him his entry into the Guinness World Record. His paintings are exhibited in art exhibitions all over the world and some creations are also collected by Hollywood celebrities.
Pigcasso has become a true celebrity in the animal world, inspiring and raising awareness among people about the topic of meat production farms and enhancing the social importance of art as a form of expression and communication that belongs to all forms of life.
It’s about height!
If Zeus, the wonderful Great Dane called “The Good Giant”, was the tallest dog ever with his 1,046 meters, unfortunately he passed away this year because of cancer, a 13 cm Chihuahua named Pearl is in the Guinness World Record for being the shortest dog in the world: only 9.14 cm tall, Pearl boasts record dimensions: he’s the size of an ice jolly, one-dollar bill and can fit in a pocket!
Maybe even in our homes there is a little record-breaking animal. Perhaps we just need to find out his real talent!
