Gigantic Animals That Shouldn’t Even Exist

Published

4 years ago

July 17, 2020

Money + Investing Staff

The Earth is home to thousands of creatures big and small, but there are some out there that are more massive than you’d ever expect. They may not be gigantic like dinosaurs and mammoths, however, there are some naturally oversized species you’ll hardly believe are real.

We may not see these humongous creatures in our own backyards, but the colossal versions of pretty much every species are out there, and if you saw them, you’d probably freak out. Get ready, because you truly aren’t prepared to see these huge animals that shouldn’t even exist!

Lolong, the World’s Largest Crocodile

Lolong was found in the deepest jungles of the Philippines. Worried for their safety, local villagers insisted that the enormous croc be captured and relocated. Instead of killing it, the 20-foot beast was transported to an animal rehabilitation center where it lived out the remainder of its life.

Giant Chinese Salamander

These massive water-dwelling creatures are ancient (this one is the oldest known living one at 200 years old!), and can weigh up to 60 pounds. This one, however, is closer to 100. Bizarrely enough, some people describe the bark of these salamanders as like a crying baby.

Half-Ton Wild Boars

When a father took his 11-year-old son hunting, he couldn’t have been more in awe of his first kill. When weighed, the wild hog had a mass of over 1,000 pounds, while it measured 9’4″ from snout to tail! Talk about eating high on the hog!

Mekong Giant “Grizzly Bear” Catfish

These Thai fishermen spent over an hour trying to reel in this behemoth fish, and boy was it a rewarding struggle — the fish ended up being the largest recorded freshwater fish at nine feet in length and weighing 646 pounds! The reason it’s called the grizzly bear catfish is because it really is the size of an actual grizzly bear.

African Giant Snail

These snails are so destructive to crops and farmlands that many countries, including the U.S., are trying to exterminate them before they can cause devastating damage. The snails can live up to 10 years, which is what makes them so ideal for illegal pet trading — the very thing that has caused them to spread from their original African home.

Flying Fox

If you think bats are frightening, try running into one of these guys out in the forest! They have a wingspan of five feet, and while they aren’t actually aggressive they still carry a potentially lethal disease. Don’t worry, though, you only stand a chance of bumping into one if you’re visiting the Philippines.

Giant African Bull Frog

Thankfully you won’t see these juggernaut amphibians too often, as they mostly remain underground and only surface to feed after a heavy rain or to mate. They’ll swell like a balloon, though, if they feel threatened, and the males are known to give a pretty painful bite.

Giant George the Great Dane

When this Arizona family adopted a great dane as a puppy, they knew they were getting their hands full, but they had no clue just how full their hands would be! Once George grew to a staggering 3’7″ in height and 7’3″ in length, they quickly decided that Giant George was a more suitable name for him!

Giant Australian Slug

You know what they say about Australia and its various wildlife. At around seven inches in length, this slug is around the size of the average person’s head! Thankfully it isn’t poisonous or anything like that, but it sure will freak you out if you were to ever see it in person.

Giant Coconut Crab

These are no alien creatures from another dimension, these are actual three foot crabs! They’re strong enough to rip apart coconuts (hence their name) and won’t hesitate to devour dead animals….or even each other! If you see one of these while visiting islands in the Pacific and Indian oceans, just do yourself a favor and run.

Giant Rats

There isn’t a mouse trap large enough for this thing! If you’ve seen The Princess Bride, then you’ll know exactly what this reminds you of! Surprisingly, this rat actually wasn’t found in NYC, but in London. Locals would see the 25-pound rodent wandering about right next to a playground. Fortunately, the 25-pound rodent wasn’t known to be aggressive.

Hercules the English Mastiff

Some dogs really do take on the characteristics of their owners. This picture proves that very point. But we do have to ask: at what point do you start saying that the owner looks like his dog? We think that whoever is bigger is the one who wins out! In this case it’s definitely the dog.

Big Jake, the World’s Largest Horse

Towering at close to seven feet tall, this Michigan horse is a display of pure size and muscle. At 2,600 pounds, however, his owners describe him as one of the gentlest horses there are. Just don’t get trampled by those massive hooves!

The Giant Weta

No, this isn’t a scene from Attack of the Killer Grasshoppers, this is an actual cricket-like insect that dwells exclusively in New Zealand. In the Maori language, it literally means “god of ugly things.” Appropriate.

Giant Oarfish

The next time someone tells you sea monsters don’t exist, then you can promptly show them this picture! Imagine swimming at the beach and having this thing brush up against your leg. Fortunately, this 18-foot eel was already dead when it washed up on a California beach.

Goliath Bird Eating Tarantula

If you haven’t wanted to set fire to something so far on this list, then this one might give you that desire! Straight out of a horror flick, this gargantuan arachnid can easily extend to the width of a man’s hand, and then some. While their fangs have no problem penetrating human skin, their poison is actually pretty harmless if treated quickly. And yes….it is indeed known for eating small birds!

Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing

This moth is so large that it has a wingspan of almost a foot long! These magnificent creatures live in the rainforests of Papua New Guinea and have their own built-in defense mechanism: the bright colors warn animals not to eat it lest they become violently ill.

Darius the Giant Rabbit

Cute and tiny this rabbit most certainly is not! Darius’s British owners went through about 360 carrots and 15 full cabbages in one month just to feed him. Unfortunately, the gargantuan rabbit died from unknown reasons while being transported on a United Airlines flight.

This is a Bunch of Bull!

While this doesn’t look like one of those bulls that they use in rodeos, could you imagine what you’d do if it charged at you? No little red towel and sword will help you against this gigantic beast. We’d like to see a bullfighter take on this guy and survive… but we have a feeling those guys are cowards when the odds are stacked against them!

World’s Largest Pig

If there’s one thing we love, it’s bacon! So when we look at this gigantic pig, all we can think of is the next 2,341 breakfasts we’ll be having with a guaranteed side of bacon (at least four strips). There might even be a few dinners with pork chops, too.

That’s One Porky Pig!

This is literally one porky pig! We’d cook it up, but there’s no apple on Earth big enough to fit in his mouth the way it should. And you’d probably need the honey from 16 bee hives to coat this sucker….honey-glazed ham!

Sunfish

Also known as a moonfish, this aquatic creature stunned everyone in 1910 when it was hoisted up by fishermen. When weighed, the monstrous fish was a whopping 3,500 pounds! No embellishment was needed for this fish story!

Matching Bandanas

Well, this is quite the duo. Pretty much opposites (except for those spiffy bandanas around their necks). If we were to guess, we think the small guy is the alpha and the big Dalmatian follows his every command. The bark on that little guy must be pretty vicious to make up for his small stature.

Goliath Beetle

How’s this for a pest problem! Larger ones can easily grow to the size of a human hand, though there have been some found that even exceeded that size. Don’t worry if you do happen to come across one, though, as they’re pretty sluggish and will only react by flying away if they feel threatened.

Hercules the Liger

While this looks like some weird tiger, it’s actually a mix of lion and tiger. There are two types: ligers and tigons. Ligers are the enormous ones, while tygons are much smaller. Ligers are born of a male lion cross-bred with a female tiger, while tygons are born of a male tiger cross-bred with a female lion. Both species are infertile, unfortunately.

Danniel the Holstein Cow

Imagine the steak you could get from this bovine! Holstein cows are known for their larger-than-average size, but this steer blows all the rest out of the water at over six feet in height and weighing 2,300 pounds. His California family takes good care of him, even making sure that he eats his 90 to 100 pounds of hay per day!

Giant Stingray

When researchers spotted this enormous stingray off the coast of Thailand, they knew that they absolutely had to get in for a closer look. At seven feet wide and nearly 14 feet to the tail, it was the largest stingray ever recorded, estimated to be around 40 years old based on its sheer size.

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