18+ Giant Animals That Are The Largest Of Their Kind - You'll Think We're Living In The Ice Age

The earth is no stranger to giant animals, many megafauna (in terrestrial zoology it means very large animals) roamed the earth over 15,000 years ago in the Pleistocene or Ice Age. They ranged from woolly mammoths to woolly rhinoceros to giant deer, but they've long since died out. it heralded the end of the age of giant animals.

Though, you might be forgiven for thinking they were still here, if you take a look at some of the giant animals featured below, maybe they are distant cousins from the same gene pool, or maybe they just like their food.

Whatever the reason they stand out as the largest animals of their kind, the kings and queens of their individual animal species. Ranging from huge bugs to an epic sized bunny, to large donkeys and beyond.

Many of them are exceptions to the rule of their species making their way into the Guinness Book of World Records for their efforts. But some of these giant animals might just be hangovers from epoch's past.

All of them are impressive though.

1. Giant Animals: Blossom the Colossal Cow

This lovable cute cow is six feet four inches and goes by the name of Blosom and she is without doubt one of the largest animals of her kind. Sadly Blossom has now passed away, but she was at one point the world's tallest cow, who stood a massive 6ft 4in tall. She weighed in at an impressive 2,000 to 2,500 pounds, a huge jump on normal normal cows that normally weigh between 1,200 to 1,400 pounds. She had the ability to produce an incredible 8,332 Big Macs.

2. The Giant Weta: King Of The Giant Insects

Forget about banana for size, how about carrot for size? One of the biggest insects in the world the Giant Weta can measure around 8 inches long and a wingspan of 7 inches, it amazingly weighs more than a small bird. The largest species is known as the Little Barrier Island giant weta and is endemic to the New Zealand island. A giant weta found there allegedly weighed 71g.

3. Hulk The Cute Pitbull Will Hug You To Death

As giant animals go, Hulk the pitbull is a up there, he weighs 173.4lbs but is as gentle as they come. Whoever said pitbulls are vicious dogs and don't like hugs never met Hulk. This giant doggy loves them so much he likes to hug his human despite his size. But just look at how huge his face is, he could literally bite your head off. He does however have expensive dining habits and consumes 4lbs of ground beef a day.

4. Darius Is The World's Largest Bunny

Darius the bunny is the world's largest rabbit and measures 4ft 4in tall and weighs 40lbs. Which might not sound like much until you realize that the average size of a regular rabbit is just 8 inches. This cute little guy is huge!

5. Romulus the World's Tallest Donkey

Certified by the Guinness World Records Romulus, who stands 68 inches tall and weighs about 1300 pounds is the world's tallest living donkey and lives with owners Phil and Cara Barker Yellott oin Adrian, Michigan.

6. Giant Animals: George The Giant Great Dane

George has now gone to the Great Dog Kennel in the Sky, but in his time was the World's tallest dog, measuring 44 inches tall and a whopping 7ft 3in when stood up on his hind legs. He was so tall he slept on a queen sized bed at his home.

7. Hercules The Liger Is King Of The Giant Animals

At 922 pounds he is the world’s largest living cat, the hybrid offspring of a male lion and a tigress. He lives at the Myrtle Beach Safari wildlife preserve in South Carolina. And measures 131 inches long, measuring 49 inches tall at the shoulder. Ligers do not exist in the wild, if they did they would all be king of everything.

8. Giant Animals: The African Giant Snail

9. The Coconut Crab Is A Huge Arthropod

The largest land-living arthropod in the world, found on islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, they can weigh up to 9.0 lbs and be around 3ft 3 inches in length from leg to leg. You won't find them on a restaurant menu though, they taste awful. They get their name because they have claws powerful enough to crack coconuts.

10. Meet The Chinese Giant Salamander

The largest salamander and also the largest amphibian in the world, these lizards can grow to up to 5.9 ft in length and are usually found in streams and lakes in China. This giant salamander is almost completely blind and they have remained almost unchanged since they were on the Earth with the dinosaurs.

11. Giant Animals: Lolong The Saltwater Crocodile

Lolong, unfortunately now deceased, was the largest crocodile in captivity, it was originally caught in the Philippines after a three week hunt to find it. The saltwater croc measured 20ft 3 inches long and weighed 2,370lbs. It truly rates as one of the world's giant animals.

12. Meet The Monster Pig (aka Pigzilla)

This giant hog was taken down by an 11 year-old hunter and was originally thought to be wild. But it turned out it was actually raised on a farm. It allegedly weighed 1,051 pounds and was 9 feet 4 inches long from the tip of its snout to the base of its tail.

13. The Ocean Sunfish or Common Mola

These are the heaviest bony fish in the world and are the largest animals of their kind, adults of this species can grow up to a huge 14 feet vertically and 10 feet horizontally, and it can weigh up to a whopping 5,000 pounds. Just imaging trying to get that on your dinner plate.

14. Giant Animals: Nomura’s Jellyfish

These scary looking jellyfish can grow up to 6.6 ft in diameter and weigh up 440 lbs and can be found in the waters between China and Japan. It's pretty easy to see from giant animals like this why Japan is obsessed with giant monster movies and came up with the idea for Godzilla.

15. Giant Animals: The Grey Headed Flying Fox

This is a megabat species that is native to Australia and New Guinea and is the largest bat on the planet with wings like Batman's cape, adults have a wingspan of 3.3 ft and weigh up to 2.2 lbs. Don't worry though, it's not a blood eating vampire bat, it prefers eating fruit.

16. Giant Animals: The Mekong Giant catfish

The Mekong giant catfish are the world's largest freshwater fish it can grow to 9.8 ft and weigh up to 770lbs. These aquatic monsters are found in China's polluted waterways, god knows what they feed on to get make them so huge.

17. Big Jake The Horse Is The Largest Of His Kind

The world's tallest horse is a Belgian Gelding named Big Jake, he measures at just under 6 feet, 9 inches and weighs a whopping 2,600 pounds and is currently the largest living horse in captivity today.

18. Giant Animals: The Hercules Moth

Hercules moth's are endemic to New Guinea and northern Australia their wingspan is 11 inches long. Their wing span is over double the size of the next largest animal in its species and its wings have the largest surface area of any living insect. I'd suggest turning all your lights off at night if you live near this creature.