All creatures great and small amaze us. But these record-breaking animals of the recently released Guinness Book of World Records 2012 Edition (available at bookstores nationwide and on Amazon.com) are truly astounding.
See how your pet measures up to the dog with the longest tongue or the world's shortest cat. You never know — he might earn a spot in the 2013 edition!
Record-Breaking Pets
Guinness World Records
Lucy, The World's Shortest Working Dog
Guinness announced last week that 6-inch, 2.5-pound Lucy is the world's shortest working dog. Beside being incredibly cute and tiny, this Yorkshire Terrier is also a therapy dog.
Photo courtesy of Paul O’Rourke
Giant George, the World's Tallest Dog
Lots of pups have their own dog beds, but 43-inch-tall Giant George has his own queen-size bed. The Great Dane appeared on Oprah, has his own website and Facebook page, and has a memoir coming out this spring. This dog is living large!
Ryan Schude/Guinness World Records 2012 Edition
Harbor, the Dog With the World's Longest Ears
We'll spare you the puns from a certain nursery song about long-eared dogs and instead just give you the facts: Harbor, a Black and Tan Coonhound, earned a spot in the 2012 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records because his left and right ears measure 12.25 inches and 13.5 inches respectively.
Ryan Schude/Guinness World Records
Fizz Girl, the World's Shortest Cat
At only 6 inches tall, Fizz Girl earned the title World's Shortest Cat in the Guinness Book of World Records 2012 Edition. The tiny kitty is a Munchkin, a breed known for its stubby legs, but according to her owner, Fizz Girl's size doesn't stop her from climbing to the highest places in the house.
Shinsuke Kamioka/Guinness World Records
The Most Dogs Skipping on the Same Rope
It's hard enough to skip rope with two legs — imagine doing it with four! Uchida Geinousha's Super Wan Wan Circus of Japan achieved a world record when it featured an act of 13 dogs jumping rope at the same time.
Bluey, the Oldest Dog of All Time
Australian Shepherd dogs have an average life expectancy of 12 to 15 years, but Bluey lived twice that long, giving owner Les Hall 29 years and 5 months of companionship, stretching from 1910 to 1939. That makes Bluey the world's oldest living dog of all time.
Michael Hughes/Guinness World Records
Puggly, the Dog With the Longest Tongue
With a tongue measuring 4.5 inches, Puggly, a Pekingese, probably has no trouble slurping water. He's held the drool-worthy record since May 8, 2009, when he was 9 years old.
Ron Willbie, Animal Photography
Largest Dog Litter
If this dog were a human, she'd have a reality TV show called Tia Plus Twenty-Four. On November 29, 2004, Tia, a Neapolitan Mastiff, gave birth to a record-breaking 24 puppies. (This is not a picture of the prolific mama.)
Courtesy of Robin Hendrickson
Stewie, the World's Longest Cat With the Longest Tail
Mymains Stewart "Stewie" Gilligan has two coveted Guinness World Records. His body is 48.5 inches long, and his tail is 16.34 inches long. Something tells us he doesn't fit very well in a cat carrier.
Courtesy of Robin Hendrickson
Savannah Islands Trouble, the World's Tallest Cat
At 19 inches tall, Savannah Islands Trouble likely gets into all kinds of, well, trouble. The lanky feline earned the Guinness World Record when she was measured at the Silver Cats Cat Show in Reno, Nevada, on October 30, 2011.
Tetsu Yamazaki, Animal Photography
Big Splash, the World's Most Expensive Dog
How much would you spend for a dog? A Chinese multimillionaire paid 10 million Chinese yuan (that's $1,513,417!) for Big Splash, an 11-month-old red Tibetan Mastiff. Big Splash doesn't eat run-of-the-mill kibble, according to Guinness; this pampered pup dines on chicken and beef. (This is not a picture of the spendy dog.)
Mary Bloom
The World's Oldest Dog Breed
Lots of breeds claim to be thousands of years old, but harking back to 329 B.C, the Saluki is indeed the most ancient of domesticated dogs.
