The question of which animal is the strongest is deceptively simple, as the answer depends entirely on the method used for measurement. Strength must be evaluated through two distinct lenses: the sheer total weight an animal can move (absolute strength), and the load an animal can manage relative to its own body mass (relative strength). These two approaches yield dramatically different champions, one a massive land mammal and the other a tiny insect.
Understanding Absolute vs. Relative Strength
Absolute strength refers to the maximum total force an animal can exert or the greatest weight it can lift, push, or pull, without considering the animal’s size. This measurement focuses on raw, unadjusted power, often resulting in the largest creatures holding the records. The total mass of an animal’s muscle tissue determines its potential for absolute strength.
Relative strength, conversely, is a ratio calculated by comparing the weight an animal can move to its own body weight. This metric, often called the strength-to-mass ratio, reveals the efficiency of an animal’s musculature. A helpful analogy is imagining a human lifting a car (absolute power) versus an ant carrying a crumb many times its size (superior relative strength).
The Strongest Animals by Absolute Measure
The title for greatest raw power belongs to the largest animals on the planet, as absolute strength is proportional to overall size and muscle volume. The African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana) is widely considered the strongest land animal, capable of lifting objects weighing around 6,000 kilograms (13,230 pounds), which is roughly the equivalent of its own body weight.
Even the African elephant’s trunk, a muscular hydrostat, can lift weights exceeding 200 to 350 kilograms (441 to 770 pounds). For comparison, a large primate like the gorilla can lift approximately 815 kilograms (1,800 pounds), significantly less than the elephant’s raw force. In the marine environment, the Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) generates the greatest force through movement, using its massive tail fluke to propel its 200-ton body.
The Strongest Animals by Relative Measure
The calculation of strength relative to body size crowns an entirely different set of champions, primarily among the insect world. The Dung Beetle (specifically Onthophagus taurus) holds the record for the highest strength-to-mass ratio yet measured in the animal kingdom. This small insect can pull a weight that is up to 1,141 times its own body mass.
To put this incredible ratio into perspective, a human with this level of relative strength could theoretically pull six double-decker buses or about 80 tonnes. Another contender in the arthropod group is the Rhinoceros Beetle, which is capable of lifting objects up to 850 times its own body weight.
Biological Factors Governing Animal Strength
The radical difference between absolute and relative strength champions is governed by a principle known as the Square-Cube Law. This law states that as an animal’s size increases, its volume (and therefore its weight or mass) grows at a much faster rate than the cross-sectional area of its muscles and bones. If an animal’s linear dimensions double, its mass increases eightfold (cubed), but the cross-section of its muscle—the tissue responsible for generating force—only increases fourfold (squared).
This scaling constraint means that large animals, like elephants, must dedicate a significantly higher proportion of their muscle strength simply to supporting their own body weight. Conversely, small animals, such as beetles, benefit from this geometric relationship because their weight increases slowly relative to their muscle cross-section, allowing them to use a greater percentage of their power to move external loads. Furthermore, the chitinous exoskeletons of insects provide a rigid and efficient attachment point, maximizing the mechanical advantage of their small muscle fibers.