Have you ever pondered the sheer size of underwater creatures?
Have you imagined a shopping center so massive that it would take weeks to glance in every
store?
Well, prepare to have your questions answered, and dreams come to life in “11 Biggest Things
On Earth”:
11.
Blue Whales -
Moby-Dick, is that you?
Sorry, wrong whale.
The classic tale of Moby-Dick told the story of a white whale; and although he was a fearsome
foe, he doesn’t compare to the monstrous blue version of this aquatic mammal.
Luckily for us, these creatures are peaceful; they spend their days eating millions of krill.
So, unless you get stuck underneath one, you don’t need to worry about these humongous
beasts doing anything to harm you.
In fact, people have more of a chance of hurting them than they do us.
This is surprising because they are the largest animals ever to exist that we know about…
as in the entire history of the world.
You thought some dinosaurs might have been bigger?
Well, think again; this giant has got them beat.
The blue whale can grow up to ninety-eight feet long and weigh over one-hundred-ninety
tons.
Woah, that’s heavier than an airplane!
Guess we won’t be flying with these finned friends anytime soon.
10.
Elephants -
These guys aren’t anywhere near as large as blue whales; however, they are the most
sizable animals on land, specifically, the African bush elephant.
These majestic creatures roam the savannas of Sub-Saharan Africa.
They live in places like Tanzania, Kenya, and Namibia.
However, these elephants can sometimes be spotted in forests, mountainous areas, and
beaches.
Although they might attack if they feel threatened or are provoked, they are mostly nonviolent.
African bush elephants feed on various plant life, consuming around five-hundred pounds
of greenery on a daily basis.
So, these creatures are only monstrous concerning their size.
They can grow up to thirteen feet tall at their shoulders and weigh over eleven tons.
However, these elephants take forever to stop growing; the females are fully-grown at around
age twenty-five, and the males don’t stop developing until about forty-years-old.
Unfortunately for the African bush elephant, their only predators are humans.
Since their ivory is valuable on the black-market, the species is now endangered.
9.
Dubai Mall-
Are you a shopaholic?
If you said “yes,” then hold onto your seat!
You’re going to be awe-struck by the sheer size of this indoor shopping center.
The Dubai Mall is located downtown in this grand, highly populated city and is the biggest
one in the world regarding the overall area it encompasses.
This gigantic building is over thirteen million square feet, which makes it larger than fifty
football fields.
Not only is it monstrous in size, but it also has numerous unusual features that differentiate
it from other considerably large malls.
The Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo is contained within this structure; it has over three hundred
types of aquatic species.
Another feature of this mall is its VR Park, which has well over a hundred games and is
dedicated to everybody’s favorite blue hedgehog, Sonic.
The Dubai Mall even has a special Rainforest Cafe restaurant that exhibits unique features,
like light shows and shifting tropical ruins.
Plus, this extensive center is home to over twelve hundred stores!
Although, it’d take weeks to go through all of them.
8.
Great Barrier Reef -
The organic monstrosity is located near the coast of Australia in the Coral Sea.
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest of its kind and can even be seen from space!
Almost three thousand singular reefs makeup this gargantuan mass.
It also includes nine hundred islands and spans over one-hundred-thirty thousand square
miles.
The various types of coral throughout the reef house numerous types of species, some
of which are endangered.
Some of the aquatic creatures that live in the Great Barrier Reef are porpoises, clownfish,
turtles, sharks, and sea snakes; but, there are over fifteen hundred types of fish that
find refuge here.
Plus, over two hundred bird species live around the islands.
Unfortunately, this natural wonder has faced severe decline since 1985; over half of its
coral has been lost.
The continual deterioration of the Great Barrier Reef is due to climate change; as water temperatures
rise, coral bleaching occurs.
Pollution is also a significant factor in its recession, a lot of which is caused by
farming.
7.
Rafflesia Arnoldii -
This beastly plant is a member of the parasitic genus called Rafflesia and is often referred
to as the “corpse lily.”
It produces the largest flowers in the world.
The Rafflesia Arnoldii gets its not-so-flattering nickname because of its stomach-turning scent,
which is reminiscent of rotting flesh.
So, you wouldn’t want to bring your honey a bouquet of these flowers on Valentine’s
Day.
Plus, due to its size, there’s no way this behemoth would fit in your average vase; it
can grow up to almost three and a half feet in diameter and weigh as much as twenty-four
pounds!
Even the plants’ buds can be up to seventeen inches across.
These blossoms are also extremely rare to come across because they are only found in
Sumatran rainforests; plus, they can take months to form and only stay in bloom for
a couple of days.
The Rafflesia Arnoldii is also one of Indonesia’s national flowers, probably because of its
scarcity.
Unfortunately, the plant is becoming even more sparse due to human interference and
the dwindling of the forests they call home.
6.
Giant Sequoias -
Also known by their scientific name, Sequoiadendron Giganteum (suh-koi-uh-den-drun ji-gan-tee-um),
this tree species is the largest in the world; when considering its volume, the Giant Sequoia
is the most massive living thing in general.
This colossal tree is sometimes called a Giant Redwood, Sierran Redwood, Wellingtonia…
and some use the caveman-esque term “Big Tree.”
These behemoths grow up to three-hundred-ten feet tall and up to twenty-six feet wide.
Not only are these trees some of the most substantial things around, but they are also
some of the oldest; the oldest giant sequoia that we know of is three thousand five hundred
years old!
This is due in part to the tree’s bark, which can be up to three feet thick on its
lower trunk and provides essential protection from forest fires.
In fact, these goliaths of the plant world depend on fires to open their cones and disperse
seeds.
Because of its extreme height, this evergreen species evolved to find new ways of absorbing
water.
Its roots are unable to bring the fundamental substance to its upper branches; so, it uses
its air roots, which are outside the ground, to absorb the water around it during foggy
days.
The only place the giant sequoia is known to grow naturally is in the Sierra Nevada
Mountains; but unfortunately, the trees no longer reproduce as often as they once did
due to environmental changes.
5.
Amphicoelias - (Amphi-co-alias)
This extinct species was a member of the sauropod dinosaur genus, meaning they had long necks,
extended tails, and stood on four trunk-like, thick legs.
They are also known for their incredible size!
The amphicoelias’ remains are noted to be the most colossal ever discovered; however,
only one bone of the skeleton was found, and measurements were based solely on this finding.
Unfortunately, the dino’s remains have been lost, and scientists can only draw conclusions
based on studies done in the late 1800s.
But, if the findings from over one hundred years ago are correct, then this creature
was enormous!
It could grow up to one hundred ninety feet long and weigh up to one hundred thirty-four
tons!
Although this monstrous beast would be quite terrifying to come upon in the wild, there
are a couple of things to keep in mind; one, this dinosaur has been extinct for centuries,
and two, it was a herbivore, meaning it preferred leafy greens over a rare steak.
So, unless Jurassic Park comes to life, then we’ve got nothing to worry about.
4.
Jackfruit -
Many of us have heard of this fruit, but aren’t really sure what it is or where it comes from.
It is often used in vegan cooking in place of proteins like pork, but can also be eaten
as-is and is often used in South Asian recipes since it occurs naturally in Southwest India.
Although the jackfruit’s spiky exterior gives it a less-than-appetizing appearance,
its flesh is sweet and delicate in flavor.
This odd-looking delight is also the biggest fruit in the world that grows on trees.
It can weigh up to one hundred twenty pounds and grow up to thirty-five inches long and
twenty inches wide!
3.
Henry Doorly Zoo -
This gigantic park and conservation area is located in Omaha, Nebraska.
Its goal is to help understand various animal species better, educate others about these
creatures, maintain people’s interest, and keep them coming back to visit and learn.
Although this zoo isn’t the largest when only considering its physical size, its extensive
variety of animals combined with its acreage make it one of the biggest things on Earth.
The Henry Doorly Zoo spans over one hundred thirty acres and houses upwards of seventeen
thousand animals!
Plus, this park includes an aquarium as well.
Some of its exhibits include Asian Highlands, Kingdoms of the Night (the world’s most
tremendous nocturnal exhibition), and the Lied Jungle (the biggest indoor rainforest
in America).
Because of its numerous exciting and unique habitats, the Henry Doorly Zoo attracts about
two million visitors every year!
2.
Son Doong Cave - (Sawn-Dong)
This natural wonder is located in Vietnam and has attracted visitors from all over the
world since it was deemed safe for tourism in 2013.
However, only around eight hundred permits are available per season to explore the cave.
Since 2017, only a single company has the authorization to enter the cave for purely
tourist intentions, whereas other people are granted permission to explore this tremendous
cavern for professional reasons.
The Son Doong Cave passage is over three miles long, six hundred sixty feet tall, and almost
five hundred feet wide, making it the largest one on Earth!
The entire length of the cavern is about thirty thousand feet long; so, there’d be no way
to explore this monstrosity in one day!
Even the cave’s stalagmites are some of the most colossal ever discovered, reaching
heights of nearly two hundred thirty feet!
But this cave not only has stalagmites, but it also contains trees and various plant life
due to sinkholes in its roof that allow sunlight to flow inside.
If you want to explore the Son Doong Cave, it’s best to book your tour in advance because
just like permits are limited, so is the time in which the cavern is open for exploration.
From February to August people can go inside; however, after this time has passed, rainwater
floods the cave making it too treacherous to traverse.
1.
Short-Faced Bear -
This giant used to roam North America and was mostly found in the area that is now California.
It lived during the Ice Age…
I wonder if it ever crossed paths with Sid or Diego.
Eh, probably not.
This species inhabited the continent from 1.8 million years ago up to just around eleven
thousand years ago.
Short-faced bears encompassed two varieties; one was called Arctodus simus, and the other
was called Arctodus pristinus.
The larger of the two was the former, and it is noted to be one of the most tremendous
carnivorous mammals to have ever walked the Earth.
One of these monsters could weigh up to twenty-one hundred pounds and grow up to twelve feet
tall when standing on its back legs.
Luckily for us, we won’t run into one of these fearsome predators in the woods anytime
soon.
Although the bears that exist today are still terrifying, this beast could look a grown
man in his eyes while standing on all four legs.
Plus, studies show that an adult short-faced bear needed to eat approximately thirty-five
pounds of meat per day…
yikes!
This creature was one to be reckoned with at the time, and scientists deemed it “running
bear” because its long legs would’ve allowed for speedy pursuits of its prey.
Luckily for the antelopes and horses of the time, the short-faced bear’s size presented
issues when it came to turning during the chase.
One could say, in the famous words of Derek Zoolander, this bear was not an “ambi-turner.”
Which item’s size shocked you the most and why?