From the world’s largest carnivore to the gargantuan version of a guinea pig, today
we look at biggest animals of their kind:
12.
Coconut Crabs
This crustacean is a species of hermit crab; it is also referred to as the palm thief or
robber crab.
Coconut crabs are the most sizable land-dwelling arthropods on Earth.
They can be found on islands in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and in Indonesia.
They grow up to 16 inches long and weigh up to 9 pounds; their leg span can reach more
than 3 feet, and males are usually bigger than females.
After they’re past their larvae stage, they are unable to swim.
However, they do have a significant sense of smell, which they use to find food.
The scent of bananas, decaying meat, and coconuts, of course, notably gain their attention.
Humans are the coconut crab’s only real predator, and Pacific Islanders and Southeast
Asians hunt them.
Since this crab is considered a delicacy, they are often over-hunted in places where
humans live.
11.
Capybara
This funny-looking creature is the world’s largest rodent.
It is closely related to the guinea pig, which is unsurprising considering it looks like
a monstrous version of the popular childhood pet.
Adults can grow up to 4.4 feet long, 2 feet tall, and weigh up to 146 pounds.
Females are usually heavier than their male counterparts.
The heaviest one discovered so far weighed 201 pounds.
Capybaras are semi-aquatic, meaning they spend a lot of their time in the water.
These creatures inhabit nearly every country in South America, and they usually live in
highly forested places that are close to bodies of water.
They are herbivores and mostly feed on grasses, aquatic plants, tree bark, and fruit.
They will sometimes eat their own waste as well to help them process the cellulose they
get from grass; it also helps them extract more protein and vitamins.
10.
Komodo Dragon
Also known as the Komodo monitor, this species of lizard is the biggest in the world.
Although most people believe crocodiles or alligators would be considered the largest
lizards, this assumption is false; these beasts are classified as crocodilians, which are
sizable, predatory, semi-aquatic reptiles.
Lizards are within the order Squamata.
The Komodo dragon is found in the islands of Indonesia.
The male lizards usually reach an average length of 8.5 feet and weigh up to 201 pounds;
females are smaller.
However, the most significant Komodo dragon ever found was 10.3 feet long and weighed
366 pounds, which took its undigested food into account.
Most people tend to believe the old theory that they use septic bacteria in their saliva
to take down prey, but this is false.
In fact, the bacteria levels in their mouths are lower than those of various other carnivores.
However, they do have venom glands that assist with hunting; it lowers the prey’s blood
pressure, causes bleeding, stops blood-clotting, and makes them go into shock.
That being said, Komodo dragons generally inflict wounds that easily take down smaller
animals, like pigs and deer.
Bacteria does play a part with larger animals, like water buffalo.
After being bitten, the buffalo try to escape by running into stagnant water holes.
Once their wounds are subjected to the water’s abundant bacteria, they endure severe infections.
9.
Lion’s Mane Jellyfish
This otherworldly-looking creature is also referred to as the hair jelly or giant jellyfish.
It lives in the cold waters of the northern Atlantic, northern Pacific, and Arctic Oceans.
The lion’s mane jellyfish is the world’s largest known type of jellyfish.
The most significant specimen ever discovered washed up on the Massachusetts Bay shore in
1870; its bell was 7 feet and 6 inches across, and its tentacles were 121.4 feet long, which
is longer than a blue whale.
The larger jellyfish within this species can be bright red to deep purple, and the smaller
ones are usually light, neutral colors, like tan, or have no hue.
The lion’s mane got its name due to the mass amount of tentacles it possesses; it
has a total of about 1,200 of these extremities.
Although these animals are giant, their stings aren’t as severe as other, smaller jellyfish.
During most occurrences, their stings are not fatal, and people will generally experience
pain for a short time along with redness.
8.
Flying Fox Bat
The giant golden-crowned flying fox bat is one of the most sizable bats in the world.
It is seldom seen and is classified as a megabat, along with other flying foxes.
This species can only be found in forests within the Philippines.
Its wingspan reaches up to 5.6 feet, and it can weigh as much as 2.6 pounds.
It acquired its name due to the circular area of golden fur on top of its head.
The golden-crowned flying fox isn’t aggressive and mostly feeds on leaves, figs, and other
fruits.
However, handling the animal can prove dangerous because it is known to carry various diseases.
These bats are currently endangered due to poaching and deforestation.
7.
Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing
The Queen Alexandra’s birdwing is the most substantial butterfly on Earth.
It is only found in the Oro Province forests of Papua New Guinea.
The giant bug was discovered in 1906 by Albert Stewart Meek, and it was named after Alexandra
of Denmark in 1907 by Walter Rothschild.
The females of this species are usually more sizable than their male counterparts; their
wingspan can be more than 9.8 inches, and the length of their bodies can be up to around
3.1 inches.
The females’ wings are brown with white markings, and they have yellow triangles toward
the rear; their bodies are cream-colored.
The males’ wings are more angular, and they are blue-green and black with bright yellow
bodies.
Female birdwings can lay upwards of 240 eggs throughout their lives.
The eggs are quite large and yellow and have a striking orange material that glues them
to whatever surface they’re laid on.
6.
Goliath Frog
Also called the giant slippery frog or goliath bullfrog, this creature is the largest known
living frog in the world.
They inhabit Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon.
The goliath frog can reach a length of 12.6 inches and can weigh as much as 7.17 pounds.
However, their eggs and tadpoles are only about the size of those of other, smaller
frogs.
This species of frog has no vocal sac, so it is unable to make mating calls; so, the
males will organize rocks along rivers into semicircular arrangements, which serve as
breeding areas.
The females lay hundreds of eggs at a time that attach to plants at the bottom of rivers;
the larva takes almost 100 days to develop.
The adult goliaths eat various critters, including worms, dragonflies, spiders, baby turtles,
crabs, small snakes, and even other frogs.
In the wild, they live up to 15 years, and they can live up to 21 years in captivity.
5.
Green Anaconda
These giants are located east of the Andes Mountains in South America.
Although the reticulated python is the longest snake in the world, the green anaconda is
the second-longest but is much heavier.
It weighs the most out of any other known snake species.
It can reach up to 17.1 feet long and weigh as much as 215 pounds; however, there have
been reports of anacondas that are upwards of 30 feet long and weigh about 500 pounds.
It has black spots on its back covering its olive-green base color, and its face has orange-yellow
stripes on both sides.
Its eyes are located higher up on its head so that the anaconda can see above the water
while it is swimming; they are sometimes called the water boa as they spend a significant
amount of time in the water.
Large anacondas will sometimes eat more sizable prey than that of smaller snakes, including
deer, caimans, capybaras, and jaguars; however, these big meals aren’t common.
4.
Southern Elephant Seal
This terrifying animal is the most sizable member of the Carnivora order.
It is also the biggest marine mammal that isn’t a cetacean, which means a whale, dolphin,
or porpoise.
The males of the southern elephant seal are usually 5 to 6 times the size of their female
counterparts; they can generally grow up to 19 feet long and weigh up to 8,800 pounds.
However, the most significant male ever reported was 22.5 feet long and weighed about 11,000
pounds.
The bulls have to be of great size because they fight each other to control harems in
various areas; a harem is a group of females that is controlled by a single male.
These seals mostly hunt fish and squid, and they have to dive to great depths to do so.
They usually dive between 1,300 and 3,300 feet but have been recorded at a maximum depth
of 6,998 feet.
The southern elephant seal is the world’s deepest-diving creature that breathes air
and isn’t a cetacean.
They only have a few predators, including orcas and leopard seals; but, more often than
not, it is just baby seals and juveniles that are at risk.
3.
Titan Beetle
This neotropical longhorn beetle is the only one within the Titanus genus.
They inhabit various rainforests, including those in Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil.
It is one of the most sizable beetles in the world.
The largest verified specimen ever found was 6.6 inches long.
Although some might say the Hercules beetle is bigger because of its large horn, the Titan’s
body is much more substantial.
Its short, curved mandibles are very sharp, and they’re noted to slice into human skin
and even break pencils in half.
The mature insects do not eat; they spend their time trying to find a mate instead.
The larvae of Titan beetles haven’t yet been discovered, but research suggests that
they could reside inside wood and could take many years to mature completely.
2.
Whale Shark
This filter-feeding shark is the most significantly sized living fish species in the world.
They can grow up to 41.5 feet long and weigh as much as 47,000 pounds.
Their primary source of food is plankton; so, they generally pose no threat to humans.
Their mouths reach up to nearly 5 feet wide, and they have around 350 rows of minuscule
teeth, along with 10 filter pads, which separate their food from water.
Although their massive size would deter most people, some divers and swimmers have held
onto the creatures for a ride through the water.
1.
Chinese Giant Salamander
This species of salamander is the world’s biggest amphibian.
They are completely aquatic and are found in China in various mountain lakes and streams.
It has the nickname “living fossil” because it is a member of the Cryptobranchidae (crypt-bran-kid-eye)
family, which is about 170 million years old.
It is one of the last three living species included in this group.
The giant salamander’s head is very large, and it has little, lidless eyes as well as
wrinkled, dark skin.
It is generally a deep brown color and has a speckled pattern, but it can also exhibit
red or black hues; there have even been recorded sightings of albino salamanders.
They secrete a viscous, white substance that serves to ward off predators.
It can grow up to almost 6 feet long and weigh 130 pounds.
The Chinese giant salamander also makes odd noises, like hissing, whining, and barking;
so, it’s a bizarre creature all around.