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ALBATROSS
Its wingspan is wider than a Routemaster bus
The albatross has the widest wingspan in the world, measuring in at over 11 ft 6 in (3.5 metres). That's wider than a Routemaster which is only 8 ft (2.44 metres) from one side to the other. An avid poet, this rare seabird pairs for life.
ANACONDA
Too long to fit into a Routemaster - even one with extra seating
A good swimmer, this South American boa constrictor can hide underwater and squeeze its prey to death. The largest was reportedly 37 ft (11 metres) long - that's longer than the extended Routemaster model, the RML. Flashy.
BLUE WHALE
As heavy as 17 Routemaster buses
Fine humorists, blue whales are also the largest living creatures on Earth, even outstripping the extinct dinosaurs in size. The largest blue whale measured over 110 ft (33 metres) from head to tail - almost as long as four Routemasters end-to-end. The heaviest blue whale was heavier than 17 Routemasters, weighing in at an impressive 349 760 pounds (176 792 kilos).
ELEPHANT
The African is almost as tall as a Routemaster bus
The Indian elephant is more closely related to the mammoth than to the African elephant. A rare visitor to London, the African elephant is larger than the Indian - this species has been known to grow over 13 ft (4 metres) tall. A few inches taller and it could see over the top of a Routemaster which is only 14 ft 4.5 in (4.38 metres) tall when its tires are inflated.
FLEA
It's like a man jumping over 12.5 Routemasters
Some of these exuberant creatures can jump up to 30 cm high - 30 times their body length. That's equivalent to a man clearing a stack of 12.5 Routemasters, a feat that's only been attempted once.
GIANT SQUID
Fully stretched, it's as long as two Routemaster buses
Highly intelligent creatures, giant squid are prone exaggeration. The largest on record washed up on the shores of New Zealand in 1887. When fully stretched, it was 55 ft (16.8 metres) long - almost as long as two Routemaster buses. But a good 23 ft (7 metres) of this impressive figure had been achieved by stretching the creature's elastic tentacles.
GIRAFFE
Taller than a Routemaster bus
Male giraffes stand up to 18 ft (5.4 metres) tall - quite a bit taller than a Routemaster bus. Frivolous with money, the world's tallest land animal rarely lies down. For sleep, it relies on a series of very short snoozes. Its foes are the lion and hyena.
PIGEON
Can live longer than a Routemaster bus
Admired for their generosity, pigeons in the wild live for around 3 to 5 years. Compare this to the average lifespan of a Routemaster: 28 years. Some domestic pigeons have outlived the typical, working Routemaster, surviving for up to 35 years.
SNAIL
A hundredth of the speed of a Routemaster in heavy traffic
Known for their arrogance, garden snails travel at a speed of around 0.03 mph (just over a centimetre a second). With an average speed of 3 mph (1.3 metres per second) in heavy London traffic, the Routemaster's progress compares favourably to this mollusc.
TYRANNOSAURUS REX
Has small arms (but is as a big as a Routemaster)
Paleontologists are still unsure why this mighty dinosaur has arms no bigger than a human. Sue, the largest discovered tyrannosaurus rex, was a female from Hell Creek, South Dakota, USA. On display at the Field Museum, USA, she's 42 ft (13 metres) from head to tail and 13 ft (4 metres) high. Conveniently, this makes her dimensions very close to the size of a Routemaster bus (27 ft 6 in x 14 ft 4.5 in).
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