Animals That Could Be the Largest of Their Respective Species

From big pets to large wild animals, it’s always fascinating to see just how large different animal species can get. Perhaps you have a giant, fluffy critter of your own at home. Or perhaps you’re curious to learn more about the sheer size of other large species in comparison to human beings.

It would appear that the werewolf isn’t a myth, but a reality. Sure, this guy isn’t running around on two legs and attacking anyone, but it’s hard to believe that this isn’t the creature of legend. Between his size, wolf-like features, and gray and brown fur, he could be out of a horror movie.

A lot of people think about the iconic Clydesdale as the world’s largest horse, but the Belgian Draft is comparable at 17 hands apiece. For its part, the Belgian Draft also the record holder for the tallest and largest individual horses in the world.

A cow’s spots are generally used to confuse the horseflies from landing on them, but as a standard form of camouflage from predators, they’re not the best. They really don’t help you hide, however, when you’re not only one with spots but by far the largest of your peers in the area.

Elephant seals are some of the chubbiest ocean animals. All that fat is intended to keep them warm while they swim through freezing water. In Japan’s Enoshima Aquarium, visitors used to routinely fall under the spell of Minazo, the elephant seal.

Anyone who has spent any amount of time around a pet cat knows that the only reason they don’t kill everyone in their path is the difference in size between you and them. So, when a cat grows to be absolutely enormous, there has to be a fair bit of trust between you and them.

If you’ve ever seen sunfish as babies, you would be surprised to learn that they can grow to around 2,200 pounds. The photo below illustrates the incredible transformation of this sea creature.

Do toads like to hang out on the couch the same way a dog does, or find a spot of lap the way cats do? Well, this one does at least, and he’s about the size of a dog anyway. This is a full-blown toad, different from a frog in a few key ways, most notably the sturdy center of weight that they bring.

Everyone knows that dogs don’t have a sense of personal space, especially when they want to spend time with their human. So, it doesn’t matter if they’re a big breed or a small breed, dogs will jump up and sit on your lap if you let them.

Finding a reason to move can sometimes be difficult, even if you are looking for one. However, the second you have a dragon climbing into your home it has to be time to move out and leave whatever is inside behind.

Salamanders are creatures typically found in creeks, brooks, and wetlands. They come in bright colors like green and red, and most of them are small enough to fit in a human’s hand. The Chinese salamander this man is carrying is the biggest on the planet.

Native to Australia, the wombat is a marsupial, which puts it in a different category than rodents, but in the same grouping as a kangaroo. Normally, wombats live around 15 years and reach between 50 and 70lbs.

Say hello to this queen leaf-cutter ant, which was seen outside of her colony and close to a few of the male worker ants. A lot of people don’t understand the tremendous contrast in sizes between the female queen ants and the ordinary male ants.

Manta rays are arguably pretty ocean animals that cruise along the sandy reefs under the water. In the past, people didn’t comprehend the need to safeguard the ocean and save its animals. The huge manta ray in the image was reportedly caught and measured by the captain in the picture. Is it real, though? 

Ok, so no one is going to be eating one of these snails, but that’s probably just because they think it’s going to burst out of someone’s chest. It’s simply unimaginable to see one of these snails sliding past you because they’re just so out of the ordinary for what people normally expect when they think of a snail.

Why is it that only people get to have fun on Halloween? This squirrel can’t give you a great answer why, so she decided to go trick-or-treating herself. She did so by overeating and going through all of this house’s jack o lanterns. After all, it was pumpkin spice season.

Dogs are incredible for the wide variety of colors, personalities, and of course sizes that different dog breeds come in. Bullmastiffs are among the largest of those dog breeds, standing at two and a half feet tall and up to 130lbs.

Yes, this sized crab actually exists and is definitely nightmare-inducing. Coconut crabs are the largest crabs and largest terrestrial arthropods on earth. While they would be frightening to stumble upon attached to your garbage bin or inside your bathroom, these creatures are relatively harmless.

Cats come in a wide range of sizes, but it’s safe to say that this cat’s size is a bit shocking. That doesn’t seem to bother the cat though, who is smiling, eyes closed, in its comfy sweater. That’s the good life that we all strive for, which this cat is living.

The wilderness of Australia will not disappoint people who are looking for thrilling adventures. You can expect to see crocodiles if you head up north. These powerful creatures appear prehistoric, and they have all the power and might of their dinosaur buddies.

Animals have horns for a ton of different reasons. There are times when they’re used as a weapon or tool. Sometimes, they’re used to attract a mate. Horns also look incredibly heavy, but oftentimes that’s not the case, as honeycomb and hallow horns are common.

This isn’t the fun loving Pumba that we all know and love. This is a goliath of a warthog who is about to break into the trash for food. This is a pig who doesn’t skip leg day at the gym, or arms, chest, and back day for that matter.

Outside the odd Simpsons mobster named “Fat Tony,” it’s hard not to feel bad for anyone who gets known as fat for a nickname. After all, Fat Fred is at least trying to diet. Why do we have to bring up his weight all the time?

Just take a quick look at his paws, and you’ll know whether a puppy is going to be a big or small dog. In the case of this puppy, he might be dealing with his big sister standing over him for now, but that won’t be the case for very long.

While bats are really astounding animals, fruit bats may very well be the coolest. Aside from being big, these bats have remarkably human-like bodies, which makes them a little eerie to look at. As their name suggests, they prefer to eat fruit.

Allegedly, Brazilian construction workers came across this anaconda while in the process of building a dam. In February of 2016, the construction team was setting off explosives to make room for the Belo Monte Dam when they uncovered this 33-foot snake, weighing 880 pounds!

When the Easter Bunny comes to the mall, typically children sit on his lap. Ok, sure that’s actually a guy in the suit, but when Peter Rabbit plumps up to this massive size you can’t expect him to be hopping so fast.

Let’s be honest, there can’t be a more perfectly designed land animal in the world than this particular bear. He looks like he could put up elite NFL combine numbers on the bench press. Hopefully, he doesn’t have an NFL caliber vertical leap too because he’d be right out of the enclosure if he were able to.

Florida of course is known for its gator and crocodile population as its marshy, swamp-like regions are the perfect location for these creatures. Here we see an image of a gator around 12 to 15 feet long spotted at the Circle B Bar Reserve in Polk County. This massive gator has been given a variety of different nicknames from “Mr. Humpback” to “Godzilla.”

As a breed, the Pitbull has struggled due to a negative reputation as a violent dog. That isn’t entirely fair, as a properly trained Pitbull is one of the best family pets that you can have. It’s just that they’re so strong and commonly improperly trained that many people shy away from them.

By now, you’ve probably heard that the deadliest animal in Africa is the hippopotamus. Though lions certainly seem scarier, hippos are powerful creatures. They love to float around, and luckily humans aren’t on their menu. However, if they sense an impending threat, they will attack.