Most of the largest animals to ever inhabit the earth are extinct, but a few that are still alive today include the elephant, polar bear, and blue whale. If you’ve ever seen an elephant or a giraffe up close, you know those animals can seem massive, but would you believe that some of the animals which have roamed this planet would make even the elephant look minuscule in comparison? Some of these creatures grew to be so extremely large in size, that many people doubt they ever existed at all.
Here are the top 10 biggest animals in history.
1. Blue Whale
The Blue Whale is a marine mammal considered the biggest and heaviest animal ever known to exist, even larger than dinosaurs. They are found across all major oceans except the Arctic Ocean and the Bering Sea. Blue whales were widely found abundantly across the oceans at the end of the 19th century, but whaling drove them nearly to extinction. They feed primarily on small shrimp-like crustaceans called krill. These giant mammals can consume about 3,630 kgs of krill daily.
Blue whales have vocalizations that include the loudest and lowest frequency sounds made by any animal. Their call of 188 decibels is louder than a jet engine. These creatures have absolutely massive hearts. It’s the biggest heart out of any other mammal in the animal kingdom. It weighs about 180 kgs in itself and can be roughly the size of a small car. As the blue whale dives deeper into the depths of the sea, its heart will only beat twice per minute.
Adult blue whales are bluish-gray and are about 30 meters long and can weigh as much as 181,437 kgs, more than twice as much as the largest dinosaur. Despite their heavy bodies, they are good swimmers and can reach a maximum speed of 32.2 km/h when needed. But they usually prefer to move at a slow pace of 8 km/h. They have a long lifespan, with the average being around 80 to 90 years.
2. Argentinosaurus
The Argentinosaurus was also discovered in Argentina, back in the 1980s. Based on the bones that have been found, it was about the same length as the Patagotitan. However, some researchers claim that by their estimates, the Argentinosaurus likely weighed as much as 18,144 kgs more than the Patagotitan, making it one of the largest ever. There is one almost mythical dinosaur that could beat out the Argentinosaurus if more evidence is found.
Fossils of the Bruhathkayosaurus, which were found in India, included a limb, hip, and tail, and estimates of its size were over 35 meters long and a weight of 72,575 kgs. That could qualify it to be the biggest animal to ever live on land. However, the fossils, which were written about in 1987, have since disintegrated. The Argentinosaurus was almost the same size as the width of a football field.
3. Patagotitan mayorum
Patagotitan mayorum is arguably the largest dinosaur ever found. This titanosaur was an herbivorous dinosaur that lived about 100 million years ago, with a very long neck and a very long tail. The Patagotitan’s fossils were first found in Argentina in 2012. This recently discovered dinosaur measured over 36.8 meters long from head to tail, which is about 12 meters longer than the Diplodocus, previously thought to be the longest dinosaur. Patagotitan had an estimated weight of around 68,039 kgs, which is heavier than 10 adult African elephants.
4. Paraceratherium
The largest land mammal was an herbivore related to the modern rhinoceros, only much taller and without a horn. The Paraceratherium was about 4.9 meters high and 7.3 meters long, and its diet was mainly the leaves of tall trees. It is thought to have weighed nearly 20,412 kgs, which means it must have eaten a lot of leaves. Scientists believe it had a prehensile upper lip or a trunk, which it probably used to pull the leaves from tall tree branches. Paraceratherium became extinct when central Asian forests were replaced by grassland habitats.
5. Shastasaurus
Shastasaurus is the largest known marine reptile that ever existed. This carnivore lived in the ocean 200 million years ago and fed primarily on squid. The largest was over 18.3 meters long. Even the Shastasaurus’s ribcage was almost seven feet across. The Shastasaurus was about the size of a modern sperm whale.
6. Spinosaurus
The title of largest land predator that ever walked on Earth goes to the Spinosaurus. This meat-eating dinosaur lived about 90-100 million years ago. It was about 18.3 meters long, 3.7 meters high, weighed at least 11,793 to 19,958 kgs and had a skull roughly 1.8 meters long. The Spinosaurus got its name from the massive spikes that ran down its spine. Its head was shaped much like a crocodile’s, though much, much bigger and it had straight teeth like knives.
7. Chinese Giant Salamander
The largest amphibian currently alive is the Chinese Giant Salamander. These animals are about the same size as the average human lying down, growing just under six feet in length and weighing just over 50 kgs. These salamanders live underwater and breathe through their skin. Chinese Giant Salamanders live in muddy river bottoms and hide in rock crevices.
8. Polar Bear
The Polar Bear is the biggest land predator animal. These massive arctic creatures can grow to be around 3 meters tall. They weigh about one-tenth as much as the largest elephant, or about 590 kg, making them the largest carnivores roaming the Earth. One interesting fact about them is that they aren’t actually white. Polar bears are born toothless and blind, with a layer of short white fur covering their bodies. Their fur is actually clear, and their skin is black.
Polar bears are excellent swimmers and propel themselves through the water with their front paws. These are marine mammals, who spend a considerable part of their time hunting for seals, their favorite prey, in the chilly Arctic waters. They can live up to 15 to 18 years in the wild. Unfortunately, these large carnivores are currently an endangered species, with climate change contributing to the loss of their habitat.
9. African Bush Elephant
One of the biggest animals in the world, the African Bush Elephant is the largest terrestrial animal in the world. They can grow up to a length of 7.3 meters tall while reaching a height of 4 meters, making them one of the biggest animals in the world. They are found in 37 African countries. They inhabit a wide range of habitats from grasslands, subtropical and temperate forests, wetlands, woodlands and agricultural lands.
An elephant society comprises of large herds of females (cows), their daughters and their pre-pubescent male offsprings. Adult males (bulls) live alone or live in small bachelor groups. They are herbivorous and feed primarily on grasses, fruits, creepers, herbs, barks, leaves, and other types of vegetation making up a large part of their diet.
Adult male African elephants are usually larger than females and can weigh up to 10,000 kg. To maintain their colossal size, they need to consume close to 160 kg of food every day. These animals have an average lifespan of 70 years in the wild. Both the males and female animals of this elephant species have tusks and are vulnerable due to habitat destruction and poaching for ivory.
10. Jaekelopterus
An aquatic scorpion that lived about 460 million years ago, the Jaekelopterus was a sea creature that reached a length of around 2.7 meters, making it the largest insect ever known to exist. Its exact weight is unknown, but since it was longer than an adult male human being is tall, we can guess it likely had an average weight of a similar range to humans. The Jaekelopterus is the biggest arthropod ever known, reaching a length of about 2.4 meters.
