Super-sized animals may be something you usually see in movies, but guess what? They actually
exist in real life too! Fasten our seatbelts because we’re going on a helluva ride through
volcanic craters and muddy rivers to discover the 10 Biggest Animals You Won’t Believe Exist!
What’s up, fact-natics! This is Discovery Amuse,
serving up your daily dose of the most outrageous, outlandish, and out-of-this-world fun facts!
We may not have King Kong on our list, but our number one pick
will have you running for dear life! Let’s get this show on the road!
#10: Megabat If there’s one animal that could
give you the creeps, it would probably be bats. At least that’s true in my case. In pop culture,
these dark flying mammals are a staple of horror movies. Heck, they are even suspected
to have caused the global COVID pandemic! So, imagine seeing a megabat with wings that can
spread as wide as an average person’s arm span! Meet the Giant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox;
considered as one of the largest bat species in the world! This megabat, which is endemic
to the Philippines, has an average weight that can go as heavy as 3 pounds! And its
wingspan can reach up to 5 feet 6 inches wide! These flying foxes sleep during the day and
forage for fig and leaves during the night. Even though it's not allowed to hunt and trade them,
illegal poaching is still rampant, making the Giant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox an endangered
species. Scientists are also investigating these flying foxes because they may have something to do
with the spread of new infectious diseases. I wonder what Bruce Wayne has to say about that.
Keep watching because our number one animal can sting you to death!
#9: Snail on Steroids If you’re into gardening—or you recently
got into it—something you wouldn’t want slithering around your landscapes are snails. They are some
of the most destructive pests and can SLOWLY but surely demolish your plants. But this particular
species is a bit extra in more ways than one. Mostly found in East Africa, the African Snail
is the largest land snail in the world and can grow up to 20 centimeters in
length and 7 centimeters in height. That’s practically the size of an average puppy!
They may be slow, but they’re capable of spreading diseases not just on plants, but on humans too!
That’s why they made it to the top 100 list of most invasive species in the world!
Yikes, somebody call Spongebob! Gary’s got a destructive cousin!
#8: Mammoth Rabbit Now this is one gigantic
animal I wouldn’t mind roaming around my house. If dogs aren’t your thing, then these enormous
furballs might be more up your alley. The Flemish Giant Rabbits are considered
the gentle giants of the bunny world. They can grow past 4 feet and can weigh more than 13
pounds! Some of them have even been recorded weighing as much as 21 pounds! These domestic
rabbits are known to be docile and patient and are hugely popular in the breeding industry.
Originally bred for its meat and fur, Giant Flemish Rabbits were exported to the US from
England and Belgium in the early 1890s to breed larger rabbits and
hares during the so-called “rabbit boom”. I bet they could eat a crateful of carrots!
#7: King-sized Rodent
A team working on a BBC wildlife documentary never thought that they would make a groundbreaking
discovery when they ventured out into the jungles of Papua New Guinea in 2009.
They were exploring the volcanic crater of the extinct Mount Bosavi when they came across
a giant rat with thick silvery gray woolly fur. Turns out, they discovered a new rodent
species that is now named the Bosavi Woolly Rat. Not much is known about these rodents yet, but
there has been evidence that it can grow up to 32 inches in length and can weigh more than 3 pounds.
Giant rodents, anyone? It’s a hard pass for me. #6: Whopper Worms
Nope, you’re not looking at snakes. These are actually earthworms! Better believe it!
Specifically, these are called Giant Gippsland Earthworms, one of a thousand native earthworm
species in Australia. These crazy-huge crawlers can grow three times longer than
the average earthworm. They’re so big that some people have confused them for an adult snake!
The giant earthworms can reach almost 10 feet long and 3 inches in diameter. However,
they can still grow longer since they can expand and contract their bodies.
This threatened species of worms is only found in moist burrow systems around the Southern and
Western sides of Gippsland in Victoria, Australia. And thankfully, I’m a thousand miles away
from the land down under. #5: Colossal Salamander
These gigantic amphibians might be our closest connection to the Jurassic period. Part of an
ancient group of salamanders, the Chinese Giant Salamander is actually considered a living fossil.
Growing as long as 5.9 feet and tipping the scales at 100 pounds,
these giant salamanders are also considered as one of the largest living amphibians on earth! They
are endemic to Central China and are being farmed and bred in the area. Unfortunately, this species
of salamanders are close to becoming critically endangered, no thanks to people poaching them for
delicacy and traditional medicine, not to mention losing their natural habitat due to pollution.
#4: Goliath Frog I don’t know about you, but
seeing frogs makes my skin crawl. Especially if said frogs can reach the size of a newborn baby!
Aptly called the Goliath Frog, it can grow to at least 13 inches long, minus the legs,
and can weigh up to 7 pounds—making it the world’s largest frog species. Although they
are not dangerous, they are so strong that they can move rocks that weigh more than half of their
body just to build nests for their tadpoles. Found around south west Cameroon and Equatorial
Guinea, Goliath Frogs tend to live near rivers with fast-flowing waters and sandy bottoms.
Like most of the bigger-than-average animals on our list, this species is also dwindling
in number due to deforestation and poaching. Although they’ve been around for more than 200
million years, researchers still continue to study them, to learn more about how many years
do they actually live, and if there‘s in fact more than one species of them.
Would’ve been easier if Kermit had the answers. #3: Titanic Stingray
You might think that the biggest water creatures only exist in oceans and the deep sea.
Well, think again. Hidden beneath the rivers and estuaries of Southeast Asia
are huge Giant Freshwater Stingrays that can cover at least two people with its ultra-wide disc!
These stingrays can measure more than 6 feet wide and can weigh around 1,300 pounds,
so it’s not a surprise that they are known as one of the largest freshwater fishes in the world.
Giant Freshwater Stingrays are commonly found in sandy and muddy areas of large rivers in Thailand,
Indonesia, Cambodia, and Malaysia. Since they’re usually hidden at the bottom of the river,
not much is known about these humongous water creatures. What we know, though,
is that its sting can crush bones and release toxic mucus. However, it’s not usually the
aggressive type—unless it senses danger. Speaking of stings, you wouldn’t want to get
stung by this next massive creature! #2: Monstrous Jellyfish
We all know jellyfish are one of those fascinating sea creatures that are all
nice and cute when you see them in an Ocean Park, but you wouldn't want to meet them when
you’re swimming in the sea… especially if it’s bigger than the average human being!
A Nomura’s Jellyfish is so huge that it can reach more than 6 feet in diameter and can weigh
almost 440 pounds! These sea creatures have even capsized a 10-ton fishing trawler back in 2009!
Apparently, the boat’s three-man crew was trying to haul in dozens of these sea jellies.
The waters between China and Japan have seen increasing blooms of Nomura’s Jellyfish in
the past two decades; mostly because of climate change, coastal modification,
and overfishing. These massive creatures pose a serious threat to Japanese fishers,
so researchers are now trying to find a solution to convert this nuisance into a resource.
Before we go to our number 1 pick, do us a solid and smash the subscribe button,
and hit the notification bell! Don’t forget to choose “all” so you won’t miss out on any of our
latest life-changing, boredom-busting content! And of course, be sure to turn on notifications
in your app’s settings! #1: Horrific Hornets
In case you missed it, there’s been a lot of buzz about sightings of huge hornets
around North America in late 2019 until 2020. Well, they’re no ordinary hornets. They’re
Asian Giant Hornets, and they’re considered as the largest and deadliest hornet on the planet!
Native to the tropical regions of East Asia and Mainland Southeast Asia, these incredible insects
can have wingspans of more than 3 inches. But more than its above-average size is its
potential threat to humans because of its toxic venom. In fact, when these hornets invaded areas
of 3 Chinese states back in 2013, it resulted in 42 casualties as well as 1,600 injured people.
Let’s just hope that these lethal hornets won’t spread their wings
outside the tropical forests where they usually reside or else, we’ll be in big trouble!
And there you have it, our list of the 10 biggest animals you won’t believe exist! Which of these
monstrous creatures was the biggest shocker for you? Tell
us all about it in the comments section below. Take home our exclusive gear by browsing our
merch shelf below, or clicking the link in the video description! And while you’re at it, take
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Craving for more bizarre animals you didn’t know exist?
Then check out our round-up of the 10 Most Unusual Dogs in the World!
‘Til then, stay curious, fact-natics! And see you in the next video!