• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Animals / What Is the Smallest Animal on Earth?

What Is the Smallest Animal on Earth?

July 11, 2020 by Karen Hill

Think of the tiniest animal you’ve ever seen. The chances are that animal is millions of times bigger than the paramecium, the smallest earthly creature we can truly call an animal.

The paramecium is a one-celled organism found in pond and lake water or in damp earth. Like all one-celled animals, the paramecium is called a protozoan, or “first animal,” because these creatures probably appeared on earth before any other members of the animal kingdom.

A paramecium looks like a slipper-shaped piece of transparent matter. It has no legs or fins, but it does have tiny hairs growing out of its sides. These hairs wave to move it through the water.

To examine a paramecium, you’ll need a microscope, for these creatures are so small that it would take more than a hundred of them in a line to equal just one inch!

Related Facts

  • Why Is the Paramecium an Animal?
  • Where do Germs, Bacteria, and Viruses come from and How do they make us sick?
  • The Best 20 Inventions Ever Invented
  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed Our Lives Forever
  • How Does Hot Water Freeze Faster Than Cold Water?
  • How Does a Radiometer (Light-Mill) Work and Who Invented It?

Filed Under: Animals

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Do Animals Live Everywhere on Earth?
Next Post: Why Is the Paramecium an Animal? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy