The Largest Animals In the Entire World (You Have To See Them To Believe Them!)

The blue whale

If you’re looking for the largest animal on the planet based on sheer mass, then you need to go scope out a blue whale. These guys are almost too big to comprehend: the average blue whale is 30 meters long and weighs a whopping 200 tons. That makes it the largest animal of the modern world, and it might be one of the largest animals in history. After all, some scientists think these whales might have been larger than most of the dinosaurs that once ruled the planet!

Unfortunately, blue whales are now as vulnerable as the dinosaurs once were. Rather than asteroids, though, these mammals need to worry about human activity (including hunting, climate change, and even pollution) thinning out their numbers. Depending on who you ask, there may be as few as 10,000 of these magnificent creatures in the wild. Fortunately, preservation efforts are underway to bring these massive mammals back from the brink of destruction.

Giant African Elephant

By most metrics, the blue whale is the largest animal on the planet. It has a greater size and greater weight than just about anything on the planet. However, once you get outside the water, there are other animals who grab the spotlight. Case in point: the Giant African Elephant is the heaviest land animal. The average pachyderm can grow to up to 3 meters long and four meters tall. They can also weigh up to six tons, making these elephants heavier than the heaviest vehicles.

If you visit Africa, seeing one of these elephants is easier than you might think. For one thing, these creatures’ large size makes them almost impossible to watch. For another thing, these animals tend to travel in herds of up to 100 elephants. As you might imagine, dozens of giant elephants traveling together make for an unforgettable sight. Don’t worry, though: these gentle giants are herbivores, so they won’t be trying to snack on you anytime soon!

Giraffes

We’ve covered how Giant African Elephants are the largest land animals, thanks to both their size and their weight. Those creatures are relatively tall, clocking in at up to four meters tall. But would you believe there’s another mammal out there so tall that it has no trouble looking down on elephants? We’re talking about a creature you may have spotted at the local zoo: the humble elephant!

Giraffes have an average height of 4.7 meters. Remember, elephants top out at only 4 meters tall, and some giraffes are taller than average. That makes these majestic animals some of the most impressive on the planet! Also, unlike blue whales and other more exotic creatures, you can likely find giraffes at a nearby zoo, making them one of the most accessible of exotic animals.

Saltwater crocodile

So far, we’ve been focusing entirely on mammals. But the world is full of different kinds of animals, including reptiles. Ever wonder who the largest reptile on the planet is? Simple: the saltwater crocodile is one of the largest and most dangerous animals wandering the Earth. Measuring up to six meters long, these crocodiles are as imposing as they are dangerous.

The danger factor comes from the fact that these crocs are so aggressive. They won’t hesitate to attack other animals and even humans. That makes them a little too dangerous to get close to. That means if you want to scope one of these dangerous critters out, you need to do so from a distance!

Ostrich

Let’s face it: you probably don’t think about the ostrich when you imagine large land animals. And it’s true that these birds aren’t nearly as large or intimidating as an elephant or a blue whale. But ostriches do have one dubious honor: they are the heaviest birds on the planet!

This comes from the fact that ostriches may be 2-3 meters tall with a wingspan of only 2 meters. These birds pack a lot of power and personality into a relatively small bundle of mass. In this way, they’re not just the heaviest bird: they’re also the weirdest!