Sources

Every number in How high can they jump? and in the book How High Can the Elephant Jump?, with where we found it.

How we measure. We divide how high the animal jumps by how long its body is. That tells us how many of the animal, stacked on top of each other, would fit under the jump. We round to the nearest quarter, as the video says it.

Why "about"? Some animals have a world record. Many have never been measured carefully, so the numbers differ from source to source. For those we say "about", and we explain it below.

1 Elephant

Jump: can't jump
Body: 6.5 m
Answer: can't jump

Their legs are built like pillars to carry the weight, so all four feet never leave the ground at once.

Source: Smithsonian, Live Science

2 Snake

Jump: can't jump
Body: about 2.5 m
Answer: can't jump

No legs, so no jump. Snakes push themselves along the ground instead.

Source: Common knowledge

3 Pig

Jump: 70 cm
Body: 1.4 m
Answer: ½ body length

Record by a pig called Kotetsu (2004).

Source: Animal Fun Facts

4 Moose

Jump: about 2 m
Body: 2.8 m
Answer: about ¾ body length

Never measured carefully, so we say about.

Source: Biology Insights

5 Hippo

Jump: can't jump
Body: 3.5 m
Answer: can't jump

Hippos can't jump, but a 2024 study found that a trotting hippo is in the air for up to 0.3 seconds per step.

Source: Simply Ecologist, Live Science

6 Horse

Jump: 2.47 m
Body: 2.4 m
Answer: 1 body length

Huaso, ridden by Capt. Alberto Larraguibel, Chile, 1949.

Source: Guinness World Records

7 Miniature horse

Jump: 61 cm
Body: about 0.8 m
Answer: about ¾ body length

Record by a miniature horse called Lovebug (2005). The body length is our estimate.

Source: Animal Fun Facts

8 Goat

Jump: about 1.5 m
Body: 1.3 m
Answer: 1 body length

Farm goats jump about 1.5–1.8 m.

Source: A-Z Animals

9 Human

Jump: 2.45 m
Body: 1.93 m
Answer: about 1¼ body lengths

The world record, by Javier Sotomayor in 1993. He is 1.93 m tall.

Source: Wikipedia: Javier Sotomayor

10 Kangaroo

Jump: about 1.8 m
Body: 1.4 m
Answer: about 1¼ body lengths

We use an everyday jump. The record is 2.44 m, by a startled eastern grey kangaroo that cleared a fence.

Source: Guinness World Records

11 Tortoise

Jump: can't jump
Body: 0.18 m
Answer: can't jump

Its heavy shell keeps it on the ground.

Source: Hepper

12 Deer

Jump: 2.4 m
Body: about 1.8 m
Answer: about 1¼ body lengths

A white-tailed deer from standing still. The body length is our estimate.

Source: Field & Stream

13 Dog

Jump: 1.92 m
Body: 0.9 m
Answer: 2 body lengths

Record by a greyhound called Feather (2017).

Source: Guinness World Records

14 Dolphin

Jump: about 4.9 m
Body: 2.7 m
Answer: about 2 body lengths

A wild bottlenose dolphin leaping out of the sea. Some sources say up to 7 m.

Source: Sea Watch Foundation

15 Lion

Jump: about 3.7 m
Body: 2 m
Answer: about 2 body lengths

Never measured carefully, so we say about.

Source: Biology Insights

16 Tiger

Jump: about 4.6 m
Body: 2.2 m
Answer: about 2 body lengths

Never measured carefully, so we say about.

Source: NBC News

17 Jaguar

Jump: about 3 m
Body: about 1.7 m
Answer: about 2 body lengths

Never measured carefully, so we say about.

Source: Bedtime Math

18 Sloth

Jump: can't jump
Body: 0.55 m
Answer: can't jump

Sloths hang in the trees and move very slowly.

Source: Biology Insights

19 Rabbit

Jump: 99.5 cm
Body: 0.4 m
Answer: 2½ body lengths

Record by a rabbit called Tine (1997).

Source: Animal Fun Facts

20 Impala

Jump: 3 m
Body: 1.3 m
Answer: about 2¼ body lengths

Source: Animal Fun Facts

21 Penguin

Jump: about 2 m
Body: about 0.7 m
Answer: about 3 body lengths

An Adélie penguin leaping out of the sea onto the ice. The body length is our estimate.

Source: Penguin Science

22 Red fox

Jump: about 2 m
Body: 0.65 m
Answer: about 3 body lengths

Science Insights gives up to about 1.8 m when a fox scrambles over a fence.

Source: Science Insights

23 Cat

Jump: about 1.6 m
Body: 0.46 m
Answer: about 3½ body lengths

Cats differ a lot. A strong jumper can reach 2.4–2.7 m.

Source: Chewy (vet-reviewed)

24 Caracal

Jump: 3 m
Body: about 0.9 m
Answer: about 3¼ body lengths

It can catch birds in the air. The body length is our estimate.

Source: Wikipedia: Caracal

25 Giraffe

Jump: can't jump
Body: 4 m
Answer: can't jump

Giraffes don't jump, but they are the tallest animals in the world.

Source: Bedtime Math

26 Mouse

Jump: about 30 cm
Body: 8 cm
Answer: about 4 body lengths

A house mouse, from standing still.

Source: A-Z Animals

27 Rat

Jump: about 90 cm
Body: 22 cm
Answer: about 4 body lengths

A brown rat, from standing still.

Source: Biology Insights

28 Salmon

Jump: over 3 m
Body: about 0.75 m
Answer: over 4 body lengths

Leaping up waterfalls on the way home to spawn. The body length is our estimate.

Source: Discover Wildlife

29 Grasshopper

Jump: about 25 cm
Body: about 6 cm
Answer: about 4 body lengths

A desert locust, a kind of grasshopper.

Source: University of St Andrews

30 Cougar

Jump: up to about 5.5 m
Body: 1.25 m
Answer: about 4½ body lengths

Also called puma or mountain lion. Measurements vary.

Source: National Geographic

31 Chicken

Jump: about 1.8 m
Body: 0.4 m
Answer: about 4½ body lengths

Only by flapping its wings. The owls call that cheating!

Source: Raising Happy Chickens

32 Squirrel

Jump: about 1 m
Body: 0.2 m
Answer: about 5 body lengths

A red squirrel. Bigger grey squirrels can reach 1.2–1.5 m.

Source: Science Insights

33 Kangaroo rat

Jump: over 6 body lengths
Body: 0.11 m
Answer: over 6 body lengths

It jumps to escape from snakes.

Source: Mongabay

34 Flea

Jump: 18 cm
Body: 2.5 mm
Answer: about 70 body lengths

Fleas are 1.5–3.3 mm long, so the answer depends on the flea.

Source: Wikipedia: Flea

35 Froghopper

Jump: 70 cm
Body: 6 mm
Answer: over 100 body lengths

The best jumper of all for its size.

Source: Guinness World Records

Found a better source or a mistake? We'd love to hear about it so we can fix the next edition.