These Giant Animals Actually Exist!?
Wouldn’t a giant, Labrador-sized kitten be adorable? What about a dinosaur-sized alligator? – not so much! It’s not that rare to find large species of animals living on islands away from civilization. However sometimes animals that grow to epic sizes live right in our own neck of the woods – and sometimes they are our pets! Check out these huge animals. You won’t believe the mass on these guys.
This Behemoth Bull is All Muscle
This gigantic bull doesn’t need steroids to be able to lift. He weighs 3,682 pounds! In one year, this big boy gained 300 pounds! His owner, Arthur Duckett says the big bull doesn’t eat anymore than a regular cow. This bovine is just destined for big things!
Check out this Colossal Catfish
This catfish would feed a whole village, if it weren’t facing extinction. These huge Mekong catfish are increasingly rare, and this one of the largest freshwater fish ever caught, weighing in at 646 pounds.
And there are more giants in the Mekong River, so stay tuned! (And maybe stay out of it!)
Hogzilla
This eleven-year-old boy shot and killed this BEAST of a wild boar in Georgia. It weighed in at 1,051 pounds and 12 feet long! Some people did not believe the picture was real, but National Geographic stated that they believed it was. It is not unheard of for wild pigs to get up to 800 pounds. I’m not one for killing animals, but what would you do if this thing was charging at you? Yikes!
Et Tu, Brute?
This is Brutus. He is a very famous saltwater crocodile, not only because of his size, but also because of his appetite. Brutus, who is 18-feet-long, ate a Bull Shark – and that’s no bull. Just look at this dinosaur!
Humongous Horse
This is Moose. Moose is a draft horse and Percheron Stallion World Champion. He is 19 hands tall – which means roughly 6 and ½ feet at his shoulders. Now that’s a super stallion!
A Beetle Bigger than The Beatles?
Well, it may not be more popular than the rock group The Beatles, but he might be bigger than every other beetle. This immense insect is called a Hercules Beetle – it’s pretty obvious why. They are a very large species, but this one is the biggest one found so far. Its jaws can snap through a pencil.
Legs for Days
If you like seafood, then check out this super-sized Japanese Spider Crab. With a leg span of up to 18 FEET and a weight up to 42 POUNDS, this is one crab we wouldn’t want to run into. However, we might eat it!
Another Gargantuan Bovine
Meet Chilli. Thank goodness he is chill, because if he was an angry you’d have 2,750 pounds of cow charging at you. His owner Jenny said he started normal sized, but just continued to get bigger and bigger.
A Sunfish that Puts that Catfish to Shame
The Ocean Sunfish can get upwards of 2,200 pounds. However, this humongous monster tipped the (durable!) scales at a whopping 5,100 pounds! The Ocean Sunfish can also have a fin length of up to 14 feet. Now, that’s a whole lot of fish!
This Burly Burro is too Cute
The average donkey is roughly 8 hands tall (a “hand” being 4”). This donkey however is the tallest one in the world, standing at 15.3 hands high! Like with the owners of the huge cows, this donkey’s owner Linda says that he doesn’t eat anymore than a regular-sized donkey.
AHHH! Sea Monster!
Actually, this guy isn’t a monster at all – but he sure could’ve fooled us! This is an oarfish. They are not a threat to humans – they mainly eat krill and fish. However, their massive size is very intimidating! The largest one ever caught was 110 feet long and weighed 600 pounds!
Tibetan MASS-tiff
The Tibetan Mastiff may not be the biggest animal in the world, but it is one of the biggest dogs. It is definitely the dog with the biggest price tag. One of these gorgeous giants will set you back around 1.5 million dollars. Yes, MILLION.
There is another pup coming up on the list that grew up to be unexpectedly big!
Another Giant from the Mekong River
Well, here’s another reason to stay out of the Mekong River. This is a Giant Freshwater Stingray, which can grow up to 6.2 feet across. They usually feed on fish and aren’t aggressive; however their huge stinger can easily pierce human bone.
Giant Flying Foxes??
Not exactly. They’re called Flying Foxes, but they’re actually a type of huge bat! They’re called foxes because their faces look like fox faces. The wingspan of these gigantic creatures is usually 5 feet across. Can you imagine a bat that big swooping down in front of you? I can, and it is terrifying! (But they’re pretty cute from a distance!)
From Runt of the Litter to this Monumental Lapdog
This Great Dane named George was officially declared the world’s tallest living dog by Guinness World Records. However, his owner Christie Nasser said that he was the smallest puppy of the litter. As an adult he was 3 ½ feet at the shoulder, 7 feet long, and 245 pounds – a whole hundred pounds more than the average Great Dane. That’s a whole lot of kibble!
We Found a Rival for Hogzilla!
This pig is from China, and he is even bigger than Hogzilla. Normally pigs can get up to 300 pounds (which is still a whole lot of bacon!); but this pig weighed 1,984 pounds! That is almost one ton of pig.
A Beast of a Bunny
I don’t think this bunny is going to fit into an Easter basket. This is a Flemish Giant Rabbit, and as you can see, they grow them big in Belgium! They can weigh up to 22 pounds, and get up to over 4 feet long. Look at this not-so-little guy cuddled up to his Collie friend!
Holy Crab!
This is a Coconut Crab – a type of Hermit Crab that obviously gets nightmarishly huge. They weigh close to ten pounds and can be just over 3 feet in length. I think I would move if I saw this huge critter on my trashcan!
Voluminous Vulture
The Cinereous Vulture is the largest bird of prey in the world. You better hope you aren’t the prey either, because these birds can weigh over 30 pounds and have a wingspan of up to 10 feet. RUN!
Gigantic Jellyfish
This is the largest jellyfish species in the world. Aptly called the Lion’s Mane Jellyfish, these guy’s have normal sized bodies, but their long tentacles can be up to 121 FEET long!
Ample Ant
This Amazonian Ant is not the kind you want showing up at your picnic. A female Amazonian Ant can reach up to 1.6 inches long. And while these aren’t known for being aggressive, they do sting, and they are very venomous. So don’t get your kid an ant farm full of these.
Massive Maine Coon
A Maine Coon is a whole lot of cat with a whole lot of charm. These beautiful felines can weigh up to 18 pounds. The longest one in the world is a Maine Coon named Stewie. Stewie measures 48.5 inches long. Good thing they are nice kitties!
A Whale of a Snail
This African Land Snail is the largest gastropod on land… but certainly not the fastest! The largest African Land Snail was 15.5 inches long, and weighed 2 pounds. These things might seem harmless, but they are seen as a huge agricultural threat to the US. These invasive snails are headed our way!
Another Ridiculously Big Rabbit
What’s up, doc? These giant rabbits eat 700 apples a year. That should keep the docs away forever! Darius the rabbit (pictured above) used to hold the title at 4 feet 4 inches long. But poor Darius was recently surpassed in length by another giant rabbit named Jeff the Bunny. Jeff is currently 4 feet 5 inches long!
A Tale of a Whale
The biggest creature to have EVER lived (and is still kickin’) is the Blue Whale. These beautiful beasts can reach a length of up to 98 feet, and they can weigh up to 190 TONS. I’d like to see the kid from Free Willy try to free this guy!
A Colossal Capybara
Meet Gary! Gary the Capybara is the world’s largest pet rodent. At first a giant pet rodent sounds like a nightmare, but look at that face! I would love to chill with Gary. His owners, the Typaldos, say that he also loves to swim and can do tricks. Sounds like Gary knows how to party.
Tortoise Royalty
The next big fella on the list is Colin Kapernick… just kidding! It is his pet tortoise, Sammy. Sammy weighs in at 115 pounds, and is the 3rd largest tortoise species in the world. I wonder if Sammy can beat Colin in a race?
Burrrrrrly Bears
Polar bears are super cute with their little, round ears, and their fluffy white fur. Not only are they cute, they are HUGE! Males can weigh over 1,500 pounds. They are one of the two largest land carnivores; and while they’re not as aggressive as people say, they’re still carnivores… so don’t get too close!
And Number 2
This big boy shares the “Largest Land Carnivore” title with its neighbor the Polar Bear. It’s the Kodiak Bear! They weigh roughly the same as Polar Bears, but Kodiak Bears are brown and have a diet that changes seasonally.
Gargantuan Goldfish
Anne Cooper bought baby Bob when he was merely an inch long. Now the big guy is a whole foot long! He is currently on his 5th tank because he keeps outgrowing them. Cooper says he also gets angry when he is hungry, and sometimes his “outbursts” scare her pet cats! Calm down, Bob!
A Sizeable Salamander
The Chinese Giant Salamander is the largest amphibian on land. The largest one ever recorded weighed 110 pounds and was 5.9 feet long. Luckily, they don’t eat people! They just look like they might.
Massive Mythical Creature
This is a Colossal Giant Squid. Long thought to be a myth, Japanese researchers were able to capture a photo of the giant squid and prove once and for all that the Giant Squid is real! The largest Giant Squid recorded to date was 43 FEET long female that weighed 606 pounds! The females are twice the size of the males.
Enormous Anaconda
The Green Anaconda holds the record for both the largest snake and the largest reptile. They can reach up to 30 feet in length and up to 550 pounds! They eat large animals like deer, caimans, and sometimes a jaguar or two. I don’t think I’d mess with one of these guys.
Fat Frog
This man seems completely unfazed by the mass of the frog he is holding, but we think it’s might impressive! Aptly named the Goliath Frog, they can weigh over 7 pounds and are the largest frog on the planet!
Another Goliath
The Goliath Frog is kind of cute, but this Goliath Spider is kind of terrifying. It is also called the “bird eating spider” for obvious reasons. Despite how scary it looks, the bite of the Goliath Spider is only about as venomous as a wasp sting. I still think I’ll stay back!
Enough with the Spiders Already!
Another terrifyingly large spider is the Giant Huntsman Spider, native to Laos. This huge spider can grow up to ONE FOOT in length and dwells in caves. So there’s another reason to give up your dream of Laotian cave diving!
Giant Gentleman
Meet the Whale Shark! While it does not beat the Blue Whale as the largest creature on earth, it is the world’s largest fish. The largest recorded Whale Shark weighed 47,000 pounds and 41 ½ feet in length. But don’t fret! This big guy is actually very friendly and sometimes lets divers go for a ride.
Leviathan Leather Turtle
The Leatherback Sea Turtle is the largest turtle that still roams today. Little is known about these giants, but they lack the hard shells other turtles have, and they are huge! They are roughly 6-7 feet long and can weigh up to 1,500 pounds.
I Like Big Bugs and I cannot Lie
This Goliath Beetle can grow up to 9.8 inches and weigh up to 3.5 ounces (which is one really giant bug!). They feast on tree sap in the wild, but people who keep them as pets (!??) often feed them cat and dog food as well. Go fetch, boy!
A Few Tons of Fun
The title for largest land animal goes to… the African Elephant! This animal is the Blue Whale of the land. They weigh right at SIX TONS – or the same as 3 Honda Accords. Speaking of cars, I wouldn’t park mine near one of these guys!
Giraffes: The Other Gentle Giants
The blue ribbon for the tallest land animal goes to the giraffe! They really stick their neck out to earn that title. A giraffe is the height of a single story home. Their long necks are perfect for their diet – which consists mostly of the roofs of single-story homes… and leaves.
Friendly Frankie
This big boy was the world’s biggest dog in 2016. He stands at 7 feet tall! But look at those manners. No feet on the couch! Good boy!
BigA$$ Butterfly
This enormous butterfly is the biggest butterfly in the world. This species, called Queen Alexandra, has an 11-inch wingspan. The males got the cool shiny color, but the ladies have the size. Queen Alexandra must’ve been thicc.
Enormous Earthworm
This is Australia’s Giant Gippsland Earthworm. His name is probably Jim, and he is giant! These slithery critters can grow up to almost 10 feet long. Thankfully, you have to go searching for them in wet, marshy clay, and won’t see these popping up in your yard.
Ligers are Real?
I don’t think anybody thought ligers were real until they were made famous in the cult comedy, Napoleon Dynamite. There’s a good reason Napoleon was fascinated by ligers – they are MASSIVE! This one is named Hercules, and he weighs 922 pounds! He is cute, but I don’t think ligers would make good house pets.
Another Enormous Earthworm?
Well, scientists think it’s a type of earthworm. This photo was called a hoax originally, but it was proved to be a real species… although scientists can’t agree on which one. This dude was caught by Mickey Grosman, who is much braver than I am.
Giant Creepy Crawler
This bottom-feeding crustacean is gigantic! They are called Giant Isopods, and the are kind of half roly poly and half crab. Either way it’s huge. They can grow up to 2 and ½ feet long – YIKES.
They Don’t Call Them Great for Nothing
These sharks are on average 20-feet long and 5,000 pounds. However the largest one ever recorded by the Guinness World Records was 37 feet long! And I thought Jaws was fake!
New Record Holder
This is Ludo, the world’s biggest house cat. It’s a Maine Coon, like our pal Stewie. When Stewie passed on (RIP), Ludo took over his title. Stewie would’ve been honored!
Release the Beast!
This is a Siamese Carp that weighed in at 222 pounds! Angler Tim Webb spent 90 minutes reeling this guy in. Once they weighed him, they released him back to his natural habitat.
A Very Large Lobster
This is Louie, the 132 year old, 22 pound lobster. He spent two decades in a tank, but his owner, Yamali, wanted to set his ancient friend free. The whole town had an official release ceremony to celebrate! Researchers say that Louie is only HALF the size of the largest lobster ever recorded. Wow.
Another Gargantuan Goldfish
Goldfish in the wild just seem to keep on growing and growing! This one weighs 4 pounds. He’s not fat, he’s curvy!
Crazy-Big Komodo
The prehistoric Komodo Dragon still roams the earth – and while it doesn’t breath fire like the cool ones in Game of Thrones, it’s still the world’s largest lizard. This thing can take down a water buffalo. The largest one recorded weighed 366 pounds and was over 10 feet long.
Impressive Tail
This is Keon, the Irish Wolfhound with the longest tail of all the dogs of the world. This tall pup’s tail is 30.2 inches. Imagine the damage that thing does when this good boy gets excited!
A Tortoise to Reign Them All
The expertly named Goliath holds the world record for being the biggest turtle EVER. (He has since passed, but he lived a long life and his large legend lives on!) Goliath tipped the scales at 919 pounds.
No Bull, World’s Biggest Horns
This picture looks photoshopped, but trust us – it’s not! This is Lurch, and he holds the record for the largest horns in the world. This African Watusi Steer had horns with a circumference of 37.5 inches around!
Does Clothing Count?
This huge dude was the biggest sheep in the world… so we thought! After being sheered he lost an insane 88 POUNDS of weight in wool. I hope he didn’t live in Florida!
Kangaroo on Roids?
This Red Kangaroo should be drafted to the NFL. Look at those muscles! The biggest one ever was 7 feet tall and weighed 201 pounds! Maybe call the NBA too.
Biggest Bandit
This raccoon weighed 75 pounds – making him the world’s largest raccoon. This big boy was raised by a family of puppies before finding his forever home with a lovely human in Pennsylvania.
Another Enormous Equine
This is Big Jake, The world’s biggest horse in 2012 per the Guinness World Records. Big Jake was 6 feet, 9 inches tall, and weighed 2,600 pounds. Big Jake loved pulling wagons, and based on this picture, we bet he was pretty good at it!
We saw all types of gigantic creatures and critters. If you see one in the wild, try to snap a selfie with it! (Kidding – we don’t advise that!)