What is the Largest Biological Cell?
A different point of view! The largest biological cell is often cited as the ostrich egg, which is about 15 cm (6 in) long and weigh about 1.4 kg (3 lb). There are at least several biological cells larger than an ostrich egg, despite the fact that even numerous scientists and laypeople believe the ostrich egg is indeed the largest biological cell. The ostrich may actually be the heaviest cell, but this has not yet been tested. Largeness refers to size, not weight, so the ostrich egg is definitely not the largest biological cell. The first type of cell larger than the ostrich egg are nerve cells in especially long animals, such as the Giant Squid and Colossal Squid, which may have nerve cells as long as 12 m (39 ft). This is about 80 times larger than an ostrich egg. Nerve cells have very long axons (protrusions), enabling the brain to send signals to distant limbs almost instantly. In giraffes, the nerve cells may be several meters long, running the whole length of the animal’s neck, a
The largest biological cell is often cited as the ostrich egg, which is about 15 cm (6 in) long and weigh about 1.4 kg (3 lb). This is a myth. There are at least several biological cells larger than an ostrich egg, despite the fact that even numerous scientists and laypeople believe the ostrich egg is indeed the largest biological cell. The ostrich may actually be the heaviest cell, but this has not yet been tested. Largeness refers to size, not weight, so the ostrich egg is definitely not the largest biological cell. The first type of cell larger than the ostrich egg are nerve cells in especially long animals, such as the Giant Squid and Colossal Squid, which may have nerve cells as long as 12 m (39 ft). This is about 80 times larger than an ostrich egg. Nerve cells have very long axons (protrusions), enabling the brain to send signals to distant limbs almost instantly. In giraffes, the nerve cells may be several meters long, running the whole length of the animal’s neck, and in human
