Tom Foster
Credit: Wikipedia
From the smallest to the biggest animals in the world, size is one of the most noticeable scales used for any creature. Size is very real, and nowhere is that more evident than in the animal kingdom. From the biggest among the smallest to the literal biggest animals in the whole world, there are impressive specimens to see on every level.
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Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing
Keeping in mind that great size exists at every level, starting small makes a lot more sense. This butterfly has a wingspan of eleven to twelve inches. That’s like holding a feather-light puppy in your hands. An interesting fact is that it’s illegal to use this marvel for commercial use.
Credit: Wikipedia
Goliath Frog
Anytime a word that’s associated with size is placed in front of something the reasonable assumption is simple. It’s big. The Goliath Frog lives up to its name. It weighs roughly 3 kilos or more and is close to a foot in length. On top of that, it can jump three meters with each leap.
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Capybara
Imagine a rodent that’s four feet in length, and try not to shudder. Thankfully, capybaras tend to live in South America near riverbanks, marshes, and estuaries. They’re also happy enough to keep a low profile, meaning they tend to stay away from civilization.
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Komodo Dragon
Calling this giant lizard a prehistoric relic feels right. These scaly specimens can grow up to ten feet in length and weigh over three hundred pounds. Tack onto that their sharp claws, sense of smell, and dangerous bite, and it’s easy to be thankful that they live on a series of islands.
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Red Kangaroo
At the top of the marsupial list, the Red Kangaroo usually stands over five feet tall with a tail that’s only slightly shorter. They’re vicious fighters when the need arises, and their leaps can take them 8 to 9 meters in one bound, and nearly six feet in height.
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Ostrich
As the largest bird in the world, the ostrich can reach 9 feet in height and weigh well over three hundred pounds. They’re also the fastest on the ground since they can run up to 43 mph. Another interesting fact is that they also have the largest eyes of any land-based creature.
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Eastern Gorilla
Mammals come in all sizes, but the biggest primate by far is the Eastern Gorilla. Featured in popular culture, this massive creature stands over six feet and weighs over four hundred pounds. While they’re not an apex predator, it’s wise to avoid riling these magnificent animals up.
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Giant Clam
This is another creature that’s featured in popular culture quite often. This bivalve is very real, is roughly five feet in length, and weighs close to five hundred pounds when fully developed. Thankfully, the old myth that one can stuck in this giant clam is just that, a myth.
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Japanese Spider Crab
A lot of people think of crabs as the snap-happy creatures that are no bigger than a child’s forearm at best, right? These hard-shelled arthropods are the exception to that way of thinking. Their legs alone can reach a length of twelve feet and even longer. Thankfully, they don’t migrate to depths shallower than 160 feet, usually.
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Saltwater Crocodile
Crocodiles are vicious-looking without knowing that much about them. Learning that males reach 23 feet in length and weigh more than a ton when they’re mature is terrifying. If that wasn’t enough, their bite force registers at a mindblowing 3,700 psi.
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Reticulated Python
Snakes creep a lot of people out, and the bigger they go, the scarier they are. The reticulated python can reach 25 to 26 feet in length. The weight of these snakes is massive, and learning that they can consume creatures larger than their head doesn’t help the fright factor.
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Whale Shark
Amazingly, and thankfully, some of the biggest animals in the world are also some of the most docile. The whale shark can top out at 39 to 40 feet in length and weigh well over 18 tons. For all its size though, they’re also one of the most gentle giants in existence.
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African Elephant
There aren’t a lot of creatures in the world that can look dominant just because they’re big. The African Elephant stands tall at 13 feet high and knows how to move their six to seven-ton bulk when it’s necessary. After all, this is an animal that can create watering holes with their footprints.
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Giant Squid
The link between the legend of the Kraken and the giant squid is an easy jump to make. These impressive specimens don’t always come to the surface, but it’s easy to think that ancient sailors had no idea what this multi-tentacled thing was and told many a story. The body of this creature is easily five to six feet in length, while its tentacles add another fifty to sixty feet. That alone is legendary.
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Blue Whale
This creature is the king of the world when it comes to size. Unfortunately, this also means that they stood as one of the biggest prizes for many years. Their hearts weigh roughly the same as a dairy cow, and their brains are massive. Overall, they grow to 98 feet in length and weigh well over 200 tons. In terms of size, the Blue Whale is at the top of the size chart.
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