What is the heaviest land animal?

The heaviest land animal is the African elephant, more precisely the African bush elephant or African savanna elephant, Loxodonta africana. It is the largest living terrestrial animal by both mass and overall size.

Adult male bush elephants are much larger than females. Fully grown bulls commonly weigh about 5.2–6.9 tonnes and stand roughly 3.04–3.36 metres at the shoulder. The largest reliably measured individuals can be considerably bigger; one exceptional bull was estimated at about 10.4 tonnes and nearly 4 metres tall at the shoulder.

The name “African elephant” can refer broadly to Africa’s living elephant species, including the smaller African forest elephant. In a strict species-level comparison, the bush elephant is the record-holder. It lives across sub-Saharan Africa in savannas, woodlands, and other habitats, where its large ears help release heat.

Gaur, hippopotamuses, and white rhinoceroses are all enormous land mammals, but none normally matches the bush elephant’s mass. The blue whale is heavier than any land animal, but it is aquatic; that distinction is why this question’s answer is specifically an elephant.