Top 20 Giant Creatures on Earth

Okay, so most horses arent small, but draft horses are huge. The biggest breed of horse is the Belgian draft horse, often growing to more than 16 hands and up to 3,000 pounds. Even the newborns are large, often weighing around 125 pounds. They were initially from Europe, but since the 1940s, they have been primarily bred in the U.S. Today, the Belgian draft horse is the most popular draft horse in the U.S. There are more of these horses in the country than all other heavy breeds put together. The tallest horse in recorded history was Big Jake, who measured over 20 hands, and the heaviest was Brooklyn Supreme, who weighed 3,200 pounds. Both were, of course, Belgian draft horses.

There are about 7,000 species of earthworm on the planet. The largest earthworm species is found in South Africa. African giant earthworms average 4 and a half feet long, but they can stretch up to 22 feet. Weighing 3.3 pounds, these slimy creatures are a lot bigger than the little earthworms youve probably seen on the sidewalk after it rains. On the subject of massive worms, the bootlace worm is one of the longest animals, measuring up to 180 feet! Thankfully, they usually only grow 5 to 10 millimeters thick.

Hummingbirds are the smallest known living birds. The tiniest species of these, called the bee hummingbird, weighs less than a tenth of an ounce when fully grown. Even the largest hummingbird, the northern giant, is pretty small. Still weighing less than one ounce, the wingspan is usually around 8 and a half inches and the length is a bit over 9 inches. To put that in perspective, the northern giant hummingbird can grow to be almost five times larger than the bee hummingbird. The northern giant grows to about the length of a common cardinal, but it weighs significantly less.

Most people are grossed out even by little cockroaches. American cockroaches, for example, rarely grow longer than 2 inches, and theyre seen as invasive pests worldwide. No one wants to find a cockroach of any size anywhere in their house. But if you are in South America, watch out for the 4-inch-long Megaloblatta longipennis. This cockroach, which is the worlds biggest, has a wingspan of 8 inches. If thats not big enough for you, the largest documented specimen had an 8.6-inch wingspan! Its safe to say these huge insects can creep out even the bravest bug lover.

Were all thankful that common earwigs dont actually enter human ears to lay eggs in the body. There was a species of earwig, however, that was too large to fit in a humans ear. The Saint Helena giant earwig could grow to over 3 inches, which is roughly 6 times the size of a common earwig! These massive insects lived from the Eocene epoch, between 56 and 34 million years ago, until the 1960s. They were first discovered in 1798 and last seen alive in 1967, though they were only declared extinct in 2014.

These gigantic rodents are named for the pouches in their cheeks that enable them to carry food like a hamster. Theyre originally from Sub-Saharan Africa, but after being kept as pets and then released in the wild, theyre now an invasive species in Florida. Gambian pouched rats can grow to 3 feet long and weigh over 3 pounds. The largest ones reach 9 pounds! They can also hold several kilograms of nuts in their pouches. The Flores giant rat shouldnt be ignored either. More than half their length is taken up by their tail alone, which can grow to nearly 28 inches.

Most stingrays grow to about 3 feet wide, but there is a species that can grow to over 7 feet wide. The giant freshwater stingray is primarily found in rivers in South and Southeast Asia. These grayish brown animals are usually over 6 feet in width and over 16 feet in length. In 2022, a giant freshwater stingray weighing 661 pounds was found in Cambodia. It measured more than 7 feet wide, and it is the largest freshwater fish ever documented. These Asian giant freshwater stingrays shouldnt be confused with the South American giant freshwater stingray, also called the short-tailed river stingray.

Most skinks only measure about 4 and a half inches long. The Solomon Islands skink, however, can reach 32 inches long. Half that length is just the tail. Even the babies are huge, especially in comparison to the mothers. Solomon Islands skinks give live birth, and newborns often measure 11 to 12 inches. Dr. Kevin Wright of the Philadelphia Zoo compared those sizes to a human giving birth to a six-year-old child. Outside of captivity, these huge lizards are found only in the Solomon Islands archipelago in the southwest Pacific Ocean. The species is at risk of becoming endangered due to habitat destruction, being captured for the pet trade, and the fact that they only have one baby at a time.

These humongous arachnids are the largest spider by leg span, which can be up to one foot. By comparison, their bodies are comically small, measuring only about 2 inches long. Before the discovery of the giant huntsman spider in caves in Laos, the golden huntsman spider of Australia held the record for body-length at 1.6 inches. There are cases of giant huntsman spiders biting humans, but lucky for us, their venom is not fatal. But if youre a cockroach, silverfish, or cricket, they will run and ambush you, quickly making a meal for themselves.

The worlds largest species of centipede often measures longer than a foot. The Amazonian giant centipede can be found living under leaf litter and rocks in northern regions of South America. They have up to 27 segments, and they are carnivorous. Theyre known to eat frogs, snakes, birds, and bats. But they've also been responsible for at least one human death. A child in Venezuela was bitten by an Amazonian giant centipede that was hiding in an open soda can in 2014 and unfortunately passed away soon after. Suddenly, those common, long-legged house centipedes arent so scary.

Some frogs, like bullfrogs, can reach quite the sizeat least compared to other frogs. It is the goliath frog, however, that dwarfs the others in its species. This aptly named frog can weigh over 7 pounds and have a body length of nearly 13 inches. With legs included, that length is doubled. Owing to its size, the goliath frog eats animals that ordinarily eat frogs, essentially rewiring the food chain. Snakes, turtles, other frogs, and even, in one instance, a bat are all documented prey. This amphibious maximus lives in a very tiny region of Central Africa, and their already small population is unfortunately shrinking due to human persecution.

Its the closest weve come to finding a mythical sea monster. Giant squids are known through generations of tall tales and urban legendsfrom destroying ships to stalking Jack Sparrow but whats not legend is its body size. Based on only a handful of specimens, scientists estimate that the giant squid can attain lengths of 43 feet and weigh over 600 pounds. And this isnt even the largest squid species. The colossal squid is near-Kraken in size, as one living specimen weighed 1,100 pounds. Their maximum weight is estimated to be around 1,700 pounds, with a body length approaching 50 feet. Dont you wish these things were imaginary?

Everythings bigger in the ocean, and turtles are no exception. All sea turtles are man-sized or greater, but the leatherback is the size of a carwell, at least a smart car. The leatherback sea turtle can be 9 feet long and weigh 1,400 pounds, but there are multiple reports of specimens weighing 2,000 pounds or more, though these are hard to confirm. These gentle giants swim throughout the globe and feed almost exclusively on jellyfish, acting as a natural population controller. There are theories they can live over 100 years if left alone, but, as humanity unfortunately dictates, the most peaceful animals are usually the most vulnerable.

Even the leatherback might have trouble devouring this guy. Nomuras jellyfish, named after the man who discovered it, can be almost 7 feet in diameter and weigh 440 pounds. Unlike most other species on this list, Nomuras jellyfish are thriving, especially in the waters between Japan and China. Theyre growing so large and so abundant, in fact, that a 10-ton fishing boat was upended from the weight of the jellyfish it had caught in its net. Despite its bulk, it is dwarfed in length by the lions mane jellyfish, whose tentacles can reach 121 feet.

As a kid, you may have flipped rocks in search of various critters, like salamanders. These lizard-like amphibians could fit in the palm of your hand, making them perfect trophies for the adolescent adventurer. Coming upon the Chinese giant salamander would be a different story. Perhaps by flipping cement slabs you could find this creature, which can be 6 feet long and weigh 130 pounds. Rarely seen unless hunted for, they are exclusively aquatic and scour the rocky bottoms of rivers and lakes for food. Collecting has caught up with this living dinosaur, however, and extinction is imminent because of the disruption of its natural environment, its status as a luxury dish, and its use in Chinese medicine.

Rodents are some of the smallest mammals in terms of body size. We dont think of mice, squirrels, hamsters, and shrews as bulky animals, and rightly so. But theres one rodent that breaks this mold, and that is the capybara. As the largest rodent in the world, the capybara can reach lengths of nearly 5 feet and weigh up to 200 pounds. This means that the largest capybara weighs more than the largest wolf. Such gargantuan creatures reside largely in South America, and spend their lives foraging for plants and trying to evade predators like anacondas, jaguars, and humans. Despite their size, capybaras are not much of a threat, though their huge incisors can pack quite a bite.

These arent your garden-variety snails. No, they can grow to almost 8 inches long and 4 inches in diameter. With big bodies come big appetites, and considering how much a regular snail eats, the African variety can eat tenfoldwhich is why they are regarded as pests. In fact, the giant snail is considered one of the worlds most harmful invasive species. Its exportation from Africa led to accidental introduction elsewhere in the world, and also risks the transmission of meningitis to humans due to parasites it may carry. Eradication projects have been attempted in the U.S. and South Pacific Islands, but the snails have proven resilient.

The Continental rabbit is bred for insane sizes, and this genetic tampering has not failed to elicit results. At 4 feet 4 inches long and weighing 55 pounds, these rabbits rival dogs in size. They were first recorded in 1893, descending from the original Flemish giants. Both kinds were brought from Europe to America in the 1800s in the effort to have them increase the size of American breeds by mating. Originally they were used more for their parts, like fur and meat, but nowadays they are coveted as pets. For some, a world of giant bunnies wouldnt be so bad, but for others, that would be a little too close to a Donnie Darko-style fantasy.

The golden-crowned flying fox is a batnot a fox at allbut is named due to its fox-like coloring. The flying fox has a near-6 foot wingspan, which approaches that of an eagle, securing its status as the largest flying mammal in existence. Luckily for humanity, the flying fox belongs to the fruit bat family, so it is entirely content with feeding on plant material. In fact, the flying fox is completely non-aggressive, and can even be said to be cute. However, that doesnt mean we want to be keeping one as a pet anytime soon.

Quite a bit larger than all other ducks, this big one comes in at 60 feet tall and weighs over 15 tons. Scientists are beside themselves in shock the last to bring their research on this issue to the mallard council was called a quack.

But really, the weirdest huge animal is . . .

This spider crab is a deep-sea crustacean that lives off the coast of Japan. It was named appropriately due to its long spidery legs that extend from a rather small body. The body is only 16 inches, but with legs included the Japanese spider crab can approach 12 feet long, making this phobia-exploiting creature the largest arthropod species in terms of length. This king-sized crab is also adept at using camouflage to survive. At least nature was sympathetic and left this terrifying animal amalgam at the bottom of the ocean, meaning its likely that the only time youll see it is in your nightmares.

What massive animals have surprised you with their size? Let us know in the comments!