Animals That Could Be the Largest of Their Respective Species

From big pets to large wild animals, it’s always fascinating to see just how large different animal species can get. Perhaps you have a giant, fluffy critter of your own at home. Or perhaps you’re curious to learn more about the sheer size of other large species in comparison to human beings.

It would appear that the werewolf isn’t a myth, but a reality. Sure, this guy isn’t running around on two legs and attacking anyone, but it’s hard to believe that this isn’t the creature of legend. Between his size, wolf-like features, and gray and brown fur, he could be out of a horror movie.

A lot of people think about the iconic Clydesdale as the world’s largest horse, but the Belgian Draft is comparable at 17 hands apiece. For its part, the Belgian Draft also the record holder for the tallest and largest individual horses in the world.

A cow’s spots are generally used to confuse the horseflies from landing on them, but as a standard form of camouflage from predators, they’re not the best. They really don’t help you hide, however, when you’re not only one with spots but by far the largest of your peers in the area.

When Goldilocks goes into the Three Bear’s home, she runs into issues with everything of Papa Bear’s. His food is too hot, and his bed is too hard. She can’t make any use out of any of these things, but at least there is an explanation for why Papa Bear needed everything to be so extreme. He’s extremely large.

Elephant seals are some of the chubbiest ocean animals. All that fat is intended to keep them warm while they swim through freezing water. In Japan’s Enoshima Aquarium, visitors used to routinely fall under the spell of Minazo, the elephant seal.

Anyone who has spent any amount of time around a pet cat knows that the only reason they don’t kill everyone in their path is the difference in size between you and them. So, when a cat grows to be absolutely enormous, there has to be a fair bit of trust between you and them.

If you’ve ever seen sunfish as babies, you would be surprised to learn that they can grow to around 2,200 pounds. The photo below illustrates the incredible transformation of this sea creature.

Do toads like to hang out on the couch the same way a dog does, or find a spot of lap the way cats do? Well, this one does at least, and he’s about the size of a dog anyway. This is a full-blown toad, different from a frog in a few key ways, most notably the sturdy center of weight that they bring.

Everyone knows that dogs don’t have a sense of personal space, especially when they want to spend time with their human. So, it doesn’t matter if they’re a big breed or a small breed, dogs will jump up and sit on your lap if you let them.

Also known as the Ardennais Horse, the Ardennes Horse is one of the oldest breeds of workhorses that exists in the world today. Their history dates all the way back to the time of Ancient Rome, and as their name implies, they’re from the Ardennes region of France, Belgium, and Luxemburg.

Finding a reason to move can sometimes be difficult, even if you are looking for one. However, the second you have a dragon climbing into your home it has to be time to move out and leave whatever is inside behind.

Salamanders are creatures typically found in creeks, brooks, and wetlands. They come in bright colors like green and red, and most of them are small enough to fit in a human’s hand. The Chinese salamander this man is carrying is the biggest on the planet.

Native to Australia, the wombat is a marsupial, which puts it in a different category than rodents, but in the same grouping as a kangaroo. Normally, wombats live around 15 years and reach between 50 and 70lbs.

Say hello to this queen leafcutter ant, which was seen outside of her colony and close to a few of the male worker ants. A lot of people don’t understand the tremendous contrast in sizes between the female queen ants and the ordinary male ants.

Manta rays are arguably pretty ocean animals that cruise along the sandy reefs under the water. In the past, people didn’t comprehend the need to safeguard the ocean and save its animals. The huge manta ray in the image was reportedly caught and measured by the captain in the picture. Is it real, though? 

Sometimes you just can’t be separated from your pets. They really are like little babies, aren’t they? So, when you can’t leave them at home, have them put on their human costume and come with you to the store.

It happens. There are times when you just have to stand in awe of a prophecy that has come true. What is that prophecy? Well, that’s up for a bit of debate. Some say that a fat orange cat will struggle to reach the roof, but once it does there will be an immediate need to help him off.

Sheep, as a species, are completely domesticated. This means that they truly rely on humans for everything. Sheering is one of the most important things that they do for sheep. Without being sheered, sheep can overheat and die. Their wool can also get dirty and tends to have maggots live in it if it gets too long.

Ok, so no one is going to be eating one of these snails, but that’s probably just because they think it’s going to burst out of someone’s chest. It’s simply unimaginable to see one of these snails sliding past you because they’re just so out of the ordinary for what people normally expect when they think of a snail.

Tigers are incredibly strong animals. That’s not news. In the same breath, this tiger is ridiculously strong, and when standing on his hind legs, he’s incredibly tall too.

Why is it that only people get to have fun on Halloween? This squirrel can’t give you a great answer why, so she decided to go trick-or-treating herself. She did so by overeating and going through all of this house’s jack o lanterns. After all, it was pumpkin spice season.

Dogs are incredible for the wide variety of colors, personalities, and of course sizes that different dog breeds come in. Bullmastiffs are among the largest of those dog breeds, standing at two and a half feet tall and up to 130lbs.

Yes, this sized crab actually exists and is definitely nightmare-inducing. Coconut crabs are the largest crabs and largest terrestrial arthropods on earth. While they would be frightening to stumble upon attached to your garbage bin or inside your bathroom, these creatures are relatively harmless.

Cats come in a wide range of sizes, but it’s safe to say that this cat’s size is a bit shocking. That doesn’t seem to bother the cat though, who is smiling, eyes closed, in its comfy sweater. That’s the good life that we all strive for, which this cat is living.

The wilderness of Australia will not disappoint people who are looking for thrilling adventures. You can expect to see crocodiles if you head up north. These powerful creatures appear prehistoric, and they have all the power and might of their dinosaur buddies.

Apparently, this bear has had no issue finding food to hoard for winter. Swelling to a massive size, you’d be forgiven for thinking this bear played for Chicago’s defensive line in the 1980s. Alas, this is just a regular, everyday bear preparing for winter.

These sea lions appear to have taken over this boat as if it were an iceberg to sunbathe on. They’re truly fantastic in their size, but also their intelligence. Undoubtedly there was chum or some kind of fish on board that intended to go fishing with. It’s those beautiful sea lions’ now.

Animals have horns for a ton of different reasons. There are times when they’re used as a weapon or tool. Sometimes, they’re used to attract a mate. Horns also look incredibly heavy, but oftentimes that’s not the case, as honeycomb and hallow horns are common.

What is it about cats and a feeling of superiority? This cat, with its fur fluffed out to look like it’s wearing a ruff, thinks that it’s the queen of the universe. And, you know what? No one is going to argue with this cat about that either.

This isn’t the fun loving Pumba that we all know and love. This is a goliath of a warthog who is about to break into the trash for food. This is a pig who doesn’t skip leg day at the gym, or arms, chest, and back day for that matter.

Outside the odd Simpsons mobster named “Fat Tony,” it’s hard not to feel bad for anyone who gets known as fat for a nickname. After all, Fat Fred is at least trying to diet. Why do we have to bring up his weight all the time?

Just take a quick look at his paws, and you’ll know whether a puppy is going to be a big or small dog. In the case of this puppy, he might be dealing with his big sister standing over him for now, but that won’t be the case for very long.

You’d be forgiven for thinking this is a photo of a massive hedgehog. After all, between the color of its fur and the shape that it’s holding itself in, it is almost indistinguishable from a hedgehog. However, that is a dog in the snow that has tucked itself into a ball to stay warm.

While bats are really astounding animals, fruit bats may very well be the coolest. Aside from being big, these bats have remarkably human-like bodies, which makes them a little eerie to look at. As their name suggests, they prefer to eat fruit.

Allegedly, Brazilian construction workers came across this anaconda while in the process of building a dam. In February of 2016, the construction team was setting off explosives to make room for the Belo Monte Dam when they uncovered this 33-foot snake, weighing 880 pounds!

When the Easter Bunny comes to the mall, typically children sit on his lap, but there Easter Bunny can also sit on your child’s lap. Ok, sure that’s actually a guy in the suit, but when Peter Rabbit plumps up to this massive size you can’t expect him to be hopping so fast.

Let’s be honest, there can’t be a more perfectly designed land animal in the world than this particular bear. He looks like he could put up elite NFL combine numbers on the bench press. Hopefully, he doesn’t have an NFL caliber vertical leap too because he’d be right out of the enclosure if he were able to.

Now, this image gives us reason to fear the water. This shark looks like he’s straight out of the movie Jaws, and we’re a bit nervous about what will happen next. Great White Sharks are the most aggressive sharks in the world. However, you are 47 times more likely to get stuck by lightning than attacked by a shark.

Battering rams are a tool that have been around for centuries to open up locked doors that someone otherwise doesn’t want opened. It was part of siege warfare at one point and is often a tactic in executing search warrants today.

Florida of course is known for its gator and crocodile population as its marshy, swamp-like regions are the perfect location for these creatures. Here we see an image of a gator around 12 to 15 feet long spotted at the Circle B Bar Reserve in Polk County. This massive gator has been given a variety of different nicknames from “Mr. Humpback” to “Godzilla.”

As a breed, the Pitbull has struggled due to a negative reputation as a violent dog. That isn’t entirely fair, as a properly trained Pitbull is one of the best family pets that you can have. It’s just that they’re so strong and commonly improperly trained that many people shy away from them.

By now, you’ve probably heard that the deadliest animal in Africa is the hippopotamus. Though lions certainly seem scarier, hippos are powerful creatures. They love to float around, and luckily humans aren’t on their menu. However, if they sense an impending threat, they will attack.

We’re sure there are many huge mammals out there, but nothing on earth is larger than the blue whale. These stunning ocean animals can weigh up to 200 tons and be up to 100 feet in length. Wow!

This big bird is the largest flying bird that we know about to have existed in the world, existing some 6 million years ago.

You don’t get to be a hefty dog if you haven’t mastered the art of begging, while living in a home that rewards it. This is a dog who has clearly taken advantage of every opportunity to earn extra treats a bits of table scraps.

While people in Canada are used to seeing big moose, we couldn’t help but wonder what it feels like to encounter one up close. These lovely creatures are the biggest of the deer family and are easily identified by their size and their horns.

What goes through the average cat’s head? They’re likely thinking about where they’ll get their next meal or find a bit of sunlight to sleep in. Now, what really goes through this cat’s head? Does this cat have the same thoughts, or is it thinking about what’s on TV because that’s actually a human in a cat costume?

Coca-Cola is known for its iconic ads, especially its ads around the holidays that showcase polar bears. As it turns out, with enough snow, time, desire, and capability you too can have your own Coca-Cola polar bear. If you really love the soda, you can even have a massive snow bear in place of your front yard.

Known as one of the largest flying predators on earth, bald eagles are characterized by their white and brown feathered bodies. Their claws are notably huge, and the birds use them to get a handle on the prey they chase from their vantage point in the sky.

Bubble algae is the largest single-celled organism. What that means is that this is an organism only comprised of one cell, as compared to multi-celled organisms like humans. Naturally, this means that single-celled organisms are typically microscopic, like cells. However, the bubble algae is anything but tiny.

There are a ton of giant dog breeds, such as Irish Wolfhounds, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, and Wolfhounds. However, Great Danes are one of the largest. These giant creatures are gentle and lazy. They would rather relax on the sofa instead of taking a walk. Relatable, right?

Whether you refer to them as a mountain lion, cougar, or even a catamount, the last thing that you want is to find yourself near is one of these beautiful creatures. Now, they are gorgeous, and you could see finding one in the wild as a rare treat, but let’s be real they’re extremely large and terrifying.

Lions deserve their “king of the jungle” title. Many animals have tried, but only a few can successfully defend themselves against these huge cats. Their biggest threats are hyenas, but only when they’re in a large enough pack. 

Emus are like ostriches in that they can’t fly. Their wings just couldn’t support their massive bodies. Another side-effect of their enormous size is that they produce enormous eggs. Ostrich eggs are even larger than these green emu ones.

Regular grasshoppers can be seen all over the world. However, in Costa Rica, you can find an exceptionally unique species. The special grasshoppers there can grow more than six inches in length, and they love exploring people’s homes! As you can see from the picture, these beasts can get larger than a human hand.

The Queen Alexandra’s birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) wins first place for largest living butterfly! This beautiful butterflies wingspan is almost 1 foot across. Alexandrae however, is rare. You can find them in the rainforests of Papua New Guinea — and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists these beautiful butterflies as endangered.

Looking like it’s straight out of Bikini Bottom is this larger than life sea species. Reaching lengths of up to 4 feet and weighing in at more than 500 lbs the largest living bivalve mollusk is the giant clam.

The giant shipworm is just a tad longer than is previously discussed counter part, the giant clam, though it weighs much less.

The red kangaroo is the largest living marsupial in the world. It measures up to 5.3 feet from its head to its tush. Its tail can be add up to an additional 3.6 feet. The marsupial weighs about 200 lbs.

The lion’s mane jellyfish can be quite small, just over 0.5 inches in diameter. It can also be astoundingly large. Potentially reaching a diameter of 6.6 feet ! If you can believe it, its tentacles are even longer, some topping 49 feet long!

The eastern gorilla takes the prize as largest primate, with a height of up to 6.2 feet  and a weight of roughly 450 lbs. These gorillas live in the mountainous forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. There are fewer than 5,000 eastern gorillas left in the wild, making them critically endangered.

The giant squid is a species of deep-ocean dwelling squid in the family Architeuthidae. It can grow to a tremendous size, offering an example of deep-sea gigantism.

Hiding in the undergrowth of African tropical forests, the Goliath Beetles take the top spot as the heaviest insect in the world.

The ostrich is the largest living bird, with a height of 9 ft and weight of up to 344 lbs. The ostrich also has the largest eyes of all birds. They don’t have teeth and can survive without water for days as they can make their own water internally and extract the rest from the vegetation they eat.

At a height of 19 ft, the Giraffe is the tallest living animal on Earth.  The neck of a giraffe alone is 6 feet tall. At home in grasslands of East Africa, they feed mostly on vegetation high off the ground.

The largest living land animal is the African Elephant. The African Elephant can weigh up to 7 tons and they typically grow to 35 ft from trunk to tail and have a shoulder height of 13 ft.

The tarantula hawk is arguably the largest wasp in the world. These wasps are a type of spider wasp that specializes in hunting tarantulas. Many species can frequently measure up to 2 inches long, but Pulszkyi’s tarantula hawks (Pepsis pulszky) are easily the biggest of them all. They can grow up to 2.7 inches long, with a wingspan of 4.5 inches in length!

The world’s largest known spider is a male goliath bird-eating spider. It has a record leg-span of 11 in – sufficient to cover a dinner plate. This species is found in the coastal rainforests of Surinam, Guyana and French Guiana, but isolated specimens have also been reported from Venezuela and Brazil.

The atlas moth is a gentle giant – but behind every oversized moth is a very hungry caterpillar. The atlas moth is among the biggest insects on the planet, with a wingspan stretching up to 27 centimetres across – that’s wider than a human handspan!