Giant Animals That Actually Exist

Having a massive cat roam around the house wouldn’t be so bad, if anything, it might be an entertaining experiment… but a dinosaur-sized crocodile roaming around? That might be a problem – a big one. Nevertheless, witnessing giant animals nowadays isn’t entirely rare, especially as restricted jungles and the depths of the great seas are still being discovered.

Kong, Jaws, and Anaconda are only a few films that have twisted our imaginations and given us an idea of what it would be like if larger-than-life animals did exist. Still, this strikes fear down our spines. We tend to forget that we are only tiny specs in a massive worldwide food chain. Thankfully, the giant animals we’ve discovered for this list are a bit more realistic, some even being cuddly. Some of these giant animals are household pets and others are a bit more wild, but rest assured, they are giant!

Born and raised in Otsego, Michigan, Zeus the Great Dane stood at an incredible 7.5 feet high on his hind legs and weighed 155 pounds. He was named the “World’s Tallest Dog” in 2012 and 2013 by Guinness Book of World Records. Sadly, this huge dog passed away at the young age of six from natural causes.

According to former owner, Arthur Duckett, Field Marshall weighs an incredible 1.6 tons. Or in a more comparable light, more than a mini cooper. Weighing at 3,682, Behemoth was able to gain 300 pounds in only a year. His current owner mentioned “He’s a huge beast, about twice the size of a normal fully-grown cow of his breed. If Field Marshall was human he would be eight foot tall and have 30 stone of muscle.”

Although we’ve largely seen gigantic snakes in movies, construction workers in a Malaysian jungle came across a real 26-foot-long, 550 pound snake near their worksite. Experts dubbed this find as one of the largest snakes ever seen.

Weighing at 646 pounds, this catfish is believed to be the largest freshwater fish ever found. Thai fishermen attempted to sell this 8’9” beast to environmental groups for breeding purposes, but the fish passed before any exchange could take place. It was eventually butchered and sold to villagers.

They are known by many names: Beasts of the Ocean, Remnant of the Past, and Apex Predators. Reportedly, the largest great white shark ever found was 21 feet in length and weighed over 7,000 pounds. That’s simply terrifying.

Bandit was named “The World’s Fattest Raccoon” by The Guinness Book of World Records. Adopted by a dog and raised like one of her puppies, the raccoon with a thyroid problem, was eventually adopted by a Pennsylvanian woman. Upon his death, Bandit weighed nearly 75 pounds.

One of the largest salt crocodiles in the world would be Brutus. At over 18 feet long, Brutus is a tourist attraction in Australia. Interestingly, he only has three limbs as it’s been noted that a shark ate one of his front legs.

If you want to feel small, try swimming alongside the Nomura’s Jellyfish in waters between China and Japan. With a width of 6.6 feet, this jellyfish is considered the largest in the sea. Records say that the largest Nomura weighed a whopping 440 pounds.

Although horses are known to be tall, this Percheron Stallion World Champion makes its peers look silly. Moose is a draft horse, and at his shoulders, he measures up at a gigantic 6.5 feet and weighs over 2,000 pounds.

Male grizzlies (also known as the North American Brown Bear) can weigh more than 800 pounds and stand up to 10 feet on their hind legs. However, the largest to ever been recorded weighed over 1,500 pounds. Interestingly, newborn grizzlies weigh a mere 1.1 lbs when they’re born.

Although the common beetle is known to be quite small, this specific breed begs to differ. The Hercules beetle is the largest species of its kind ever found. Based on its structure, its jaws can snap through a pencil and can reports mention that it can carry up to 850 times its body mass.