Some Animals Look Practically Fun-Sized Compared To Others Of Their Kind

By Anthony K

This article was originally published on therocketsscience

If you go back far enough in animal history, it seems like every creature used to be massive. We might picture dinosaurs first, but even mosquitos and birds were bigger in prehistoric times. However, as humans and other predators became more numerous, animals no longer grew into their former colossal proportions. Nowadays, animal giants are usually seen on islands, where the creatures are separated from their mainland colonies. However, most animals on this list eat the same portion proportions as their regular-sized counterparts, which is quite fascinating. Also, several of these curious critters are domesticated pets, and some are just naturally so huge we are in awe every time we see them. Scroll to see some of the largest creatures in the world.

The Giant Mekong Catfish

Northern Thai fisherman grabbed this massive catfish in the Mekong River. The fish weighed over 600 pounds and was the size of a bear. It was the largest freshwater fish ever captured on film. Regrettably, these fish are becoming extinct.

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Photo Credits: Zeb Hogan/news.mongabay.com

“I’m happy that we’ve set a new record,” World Wildlife Fund member Zeb Hogan told the reporters. “But we need to put this finding in context: these gigantic fish are very little known, and several are extremely endangered.” Some, like the Mekong big catfish, are on the verge of extinction.

3,682 Pounds of Muscle

Field Marshall, an English bull, weighed a whopping 3,682 pounds in 2009. This was notable since he had lost 300 pounds in the previous year. “He’s in really excellent health, and there’s no reason why he won’t keep growing,” owner Arthur Duckett, 80, told the journalists.

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Photo Credits: heralweekly.com

“He’s just eight years old, and unless anything unexpected occurs, he’ll continue to grow. He’s not obese, though; he’s all muscle. I could feed him more, but I don’t want him to become monstrous; I want him to be healthy and gain weight on his own time. That’s why I keep him in a field rather than inside.”

The Giant Percheron Stallion Named Moose

Windermere’s North American Maid (also known as Moose) is a Percheron ultimate world champion and a draft horse. Moose won several competitions around the United States and Canada, according to the proprietors of his home, Windermere Farms. And he’s a magnificent colossal beast.

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Photo Credits: Cowboy Magic/Facebook

As you can see above, this horse is quite enormous. Maybe the largest you will ever come across. It is a wonder how such a gigantic creature was able to win races since you might think its weight affects its speed. All in all, this lovely animal is docile and easy to handle.

Enormous Crab

The world honors for the biggest crab go to the Japanese Spider Crab. These creatures survive in the waters of Japan with legs that spread larger than any other arthropod. From claw to claw, they can measure 18 feet. Their body can grow up to 16 inches wide, weighing nearly 42 pounds.

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Photo Credits: Top 10 in The World/YouTube

These crabs have a full armor body for protection from predators such as octopi. Additionally, Japanese Spider Crabs are excellent in the art of camouflage. They utilize sponges, shells, and other sea elements to stay hidden. They are also reportedly delicious.

Chilli the Giant Cow

Chilli the giant cow reaches 6 feet 6 inches tall. “He’s fed precisely the same as the other animals — simply fresh Somerset grass and excellent air,” owner Jenny Wheadon said in an interview with Today. Chilli lives with other rescues at an animal sanctuary in England.

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Photo Credits: deleted user/Reddit

Chilli is 18 inches higher than a standard cow and weighs in at a massive 2,750 pounds. He was left at the refuge with four other cows one morning, although his cohorts were all of normal size. Jenny went on to say, “He simply grew and grew and grew.”

A Jellyfish Larger Than A Human!

Off the coast of England, Lizzy Daly, a scientist, and Dan Abbot, an underwater videographer, were diving when they noticed a massive barrel jellyfish that was bigger than Daly. “Woah!!!!!” she captioned the snapshot she uploaded on social media. The creature was unlike any other they had seen before.

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Photo Credits: Dan Abbot/edition.cnn.com

Daly and Abbot were documenting wildlife interactions for the Marine Conservation Society as part of a fundraising initiative. According to reliable sources, the animals typically have a diameter of 16 inches but can reach 35. It is hard to imagine the chances of coming across a jellyfish that outsizes the average man.

The Friendly Donkey

Romulus was crowned the “Tallest Living Donkey.” He beats the previous record of 15.3 hands long, and so does his brother, Remus. They are far longer than the average donkey, who are usually only eight hands long. But these big boys are not hard to handle for their owner.

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Photo Credits: luckythreeranch.com

The owner asserts that size notwithstanding, maintenance cost was average. Unlike what you might expect, the donkeys do not eat more. She further adds that when given more bale, it proceeds to make his bedding cozier after consuming just enough.

A Red Tibetan Mastiff

Tibetan Mastiffs have become a status symbol in some cultures. In 2011, this breed became the most expensive dog in the world, selling at ten million Chinese yuan. This amount is equivalent to $1.5 million. The Chinese associate this creature with prestige.

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Photo Credits: thewindompeak.com

Rather than spending on jewelry and expensive cars, this dog offers the opportunity to showcase one’s affluence. These dogs can grow to be two-and-a-half feet tall and 150 pounds. And, of course, their mane of fur adds to their size.

Giant Oarfish

Giant oarfish take the lead when it comes to the longest bony fish in the world. These creatures are quite enormous and heavy. Thanks to their size, they always make the headlines whenever they swim to shore. These guys are pretty famous.

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Photo Credits: nbcnews.com

Giant oarfish contain dark markings on their silver body and swim in a rippling manner. Their name stems from their long, oar-like fins. Not much about these creatures is known, but we do know they grow up to be 26 feet.

Giant Freshwater Stingray

Giant Freshwater Stingray is the biggest ray species in the world and one of the largest species of freshwater fish. These majestic creatures can live up to 25 years. They prefer keeping their tails facing away from predators when resting in shallow waters.

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Photo Credits: Zeb Hogan/nbcnews.com

These creatures are not harmful unless provoked or stepped on. Regardless, they are large animals with the potential for danger if handled by people owing to their sharp barb on their tails, which is commonly referred to as the sting.

Giant Pig

Pigs’ bodyweight varies depending on their breed. There isn’t a universal size for these creatures, and some of them are huge. Although they tend to weigh anywhere between 100 to 240 pounds, this gigantic pig from China was ten times the usual weight.

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Photo Credits: gosocial.co

Considering its size against the human standing next to it, one cannot help but wonder how much it eats every day. It might appear scary, but it is just like any other pig: gentle and nice unless in the face of provocation.

World’s Biggest Bunnies

Darius was once seen as the rabbit as the longest hare at 4 feet and 4 inches. But Jeff the bunny (pictured), his son, now beats him at 4 feet 5 inches. Darius’ daughter Enya is predicted to surpass both! The large continental breed of rabbits, intended for meat, makes excellent pets.

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Photo Credits: thesun.co.uk

Darius is so enormous that Annette Edwards, his owner, keeps him in a dog cage. His size necessitates the consumption of almost 700 apples and 2,000 carrots annually, in addition to many pounds of rabbit food. This guy is bigger than many dogs!

World’s Tallest Dog

Giant George held the record for the world’s tallest living dog. The dog measured 3 feet and 7 inches from his paw to shoulder. Its length is seven feet long and weighs 254 pounds. This is almost 100 pounds heavier than the typical Great Dane.

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Photo Credits: Zuma/Newscom

He was the runt of the brood, according to his owners, Dave and Christie Nasser. “Ready and willing to play… this large Great Dane was terrified of water, afraid of dogs a fraction of his size, and most of all, nervous of being alone,” they said on their website.

Bismarck Flying Fox Of New Guinea

The Bismarck flying fox (Pteropus neohibernicus) is a megabat of the Pteropodidae family, often known as the big flying fox or larger flying fox. Old World fruit bats are another name for these megabats, which, as you can see, are the size of a human child.

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Photo credits: beautyofplanet.com

They are one of the few mammalian species with lactating males. And no worries about ever becoming their prey: fruit, nectar, and flowers are the main sources of nutrition for these creatures. They can’t echolocate as one would assume but have excellent eyesight.

Flemish Giant Rabbit

The Flemish Giant is maybe the most breathtaking rabbit on the planet. If one came jumping along, you might take it for a dog at first sight. They typically weigh 15 pounds, and they may grow to be 2.5 feet long.

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Photo Credits: firstforwomen.com

The National Federation of Flemish Giant Rabbit Breeders has officially recognized seven colors in the United States. Black, blue, fawn, light grey, steel grey, sandy, and white, to name a few. Fun fact: Jeff, the giant bunny we saw earlier, belongs to this breed.

Cinereous Vulture

The Cinereous Vulture, also known as the Eurasian Black Vulture, is Europe’s biggest vulture and one of the world’s heaviest and largest raptors, with a wingspan of about three meters. It has had a significant reduction in Europe, but it is blossoming in other areas of the continent, from Portugal to France and Bulgaria.

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Photo Credits: swan001/Reddit

The sight of Europe’s largest vulture flying through the skies has become rare in recent decades. Human disturbance is extremely harmful to Cinereous Vultures, especially during the mating season, and habitat degradation and alterations have substantially influenced numbers in Europe.

World’s Largest Ants

Dinoponera is the world’s largest ant, measuring between 3 and 4 centimeters in length. They can only be found in South America. The montane rainforest, which may be found on the eastern slopes of the Andes in Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia, to savannah and lowland rainforest in Brazil, Guyana, Paraguay, and Argentina, is home to these huge ants.

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Photo Credits: CostaPPPR/CC BY-SA 3.0/wikipedia.org

It’s been discovered the venom of Dinoponera could be helpful in the pharmaceutical industry. The people of northeast Brazil use dry crushed ants to treat earaches, and the stings of live ants are administered for ailments like back pain and rheumatism.

Biggest Land Snail

Giant African land snails (genus Achatina) are enormous terrestrial snails native to eastern Africa that have migrated to several other countries. Although GALS are not generally toxic, they can spread illness when their mucus is utilized in topical treatments or the gastropods are eaten raw.

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Photo Credits: www.quora.com

Gastropods are virtually entirely made up of muscle. Giant African land snails are widely eaten like large escargot in various regions of Africa, Asia, and South America due to their high protein content and ease of cultivation. But again, they must be cooked properly.

The Largest Animal to Ever Live

Blue whales are the biggest mammals that have ever existed on the planet. With lengths of up to 100 feet and weighing up to 200 tons, these majestic sea creatures control the oceans. Their tongues are half the size of a full-grown elephant, and their hearts are the size of a car.

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Photo Credits: James W. Gilpatrick, Jr. and Morgan S. Lynn/NOAA Fisheries

The food of blue whales is almost entirely made up of small shrimp-like crustaceans known as krill, which helps them grow to these incredible sizes. A single adult blue whale takes roughly 4 tons of krill each day at certain periods of the year.

Gary the Capybara

A capybara is the world’s largest rodent, measuring approximately the same size as a dog. Gary, who weighs 112 pounds, lives with Melanie and her husband Richard Loveman in Buda, Texas. Capybaras are usually found in South American woods and wetlands.

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Photo Credits: Barcroft USA/dailymail.co.uk

Capybaras live in the wild with a variety of different creatures. As a result, Gary and his siblings get along pretty smoothly with the Loveman’s pet cat. The major reason for this is that these creatures are usually quite peaceful and laidback.

Largest Land Carnivores

Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are the world’s largest bears and land carnivores. The massive animals, which can grow to 10 feet tall, reside in the Arctic, scouring the ice for seals. When a colony of brown bears went north into the Arctic during a warm time and got isolated, polar bears resulted.

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Photo Credits: outdoorsman/Shutterstock

According to Polar Bears International, polar bears have adapted in various ways for living in the harsh Arctic, including dense hair and a thick coating of fat to warm them up, as well as little bumps beneath their paws to protect them from slipping on the ice.

Kodiak Bear

Kodiaks are the world’s biggest bears. On his hind legs, a huge male may reach a height of over 10 feet. On all four legs, he can reach a height of 5 feet, and they can weigh 1,500 pounds. Females are 20% smaller and 30% lighter than their male counterparts.

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Photo Credits: postfun.com

Kodiak bear populations are robust and prolific. They have a reasonably untouched environment and well-managed fish populations. The number of bears in most locations is steady. However, there are certain areas where bear density is growing. Kodiak bears in captivity can gain weight faster than they do in the wild.

Biggest Amphibian Species

Native to China’s mountain streams and lakes, the Chinese giant salamander is the world’s biggest amphibian. An adult salamander weighs between 55 and 66 pounds and is usually around 3.77 feet long. The largest salamander ever grew to 5.9 feet and 110 pounds.

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Photo Credits: www.quora.com

This stylish and fascinating species lives underwater but has no gills. It takes in oxygen by absorbing it through its skin! The giant salamander is a model species for China’s freshwater river ecosystems, where they feed on insects, frogs, and other small amphibians.

Meet Bob, the Gold Fish

Big Bob is a goldfish the size of a Subway foot-long sandwich. Anne Cooper, Bob’s owner, purchased him from a pet shop when he was barely an inch long. Big Bob outweighs all of the other fish in her tank, and he’s on his fifth since he outgrew the previous four.

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Photo Credits: science-a2z.com

Big Bob, according to Anne Cooper, becomes violent if he isn’t fed on time, and his trouncing around is so aggressive that he can scare her two cats away from his tank. Big Bob is also known to despise the color red.

Amazon Giants

Having a bodyweight of close to 550 pounds and reaching up to 30 feet in length, the green anaconda doubles up as the world’s biggest snake and the largest reptile on earth. Its eyes and nostrils sit on top of its enormous, narrow head, allowing it to breathe while the rest of its body is underwater.

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Photo Credits: Holger Kirk/Shutterstock

In comparison to other boas, the body is particularly stout and muscular. Mammals, fishes, caiman, birds, ducks, and reptiles are among the aquatic and amphibious creatures that anacondas eat. The females have been reported to prey on anaconda males in a few cases of cannibalism.

The African Elephant

African elephants are the world’s biggest land creatures. They are somewhat bigger than their Asian counterparts and may be distinguished by their longer ears, which resemble the shape of the African continent. (The ears of Asian elephants are smaller and rounder.)

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Photo Credits: Michael Potter11/Shutterstock

African Elephants are keystone species, which means they play a crucial role in their ecosystem. Elephants, also known as “ecosystem engineers,” shape their surroundings in a variety of ways. They employ their tusks to dig up dry riverbeds and create watering holes where many animals can drink during the dry season.

The Goliath Beetle

Goliath beetles are among the most massive insects on the planet. Others may be longer, taller, or heavier, but Goliath beetles are the kings of relative mass for their body size. Goliath beetles grow to about 50–60 grams on average.

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Photo Credits: bugman/YouTube

They eat tree sap in the wild and require a high-protein diet. But when kept as pets, their humans have been known to supplement their diet with cat and dog food. This seems to work just as well for the beetles.

The Leatherback Sea Turtle

The leatherback sea turtle is the world’s largest species of turtle and one of the world’s heaviest reptiles. Despite its status, the Leatherback lacks a bone shell as most turtles have. Leatherbacks are 6 to 7 feet long and weigh 550 to 1,540 pounds on average.

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Photo Credits: IrinaK/Shutterstock

Leatherbacks in the Caribbean are the largest on average per area, weighing an average of 847 pounds. Their average lifespan is unknown as of now; however, their food consists primarily of jellyfish. They can be found in all of the world’s seas.

Ocean Sunfish

Ocean fish, aka Mola Mola, is recognized as the world’s biggest and heaviest fish. Their distinct features include a flat body, a big head, and an overall gigantic size. These fish weigh more than two tons, with fins reaching up to eight feet in length.

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Photo Credits: Linette Grzelak/phys.org

Other kinds in this group have weighed almost 5,100 pounds with a fin length of 10.8 feet to 14 feet. Despite their immense size, sea predators such as killer whales, sharks, and sea lions find them tasty and regularly hunt them.

Giraffes

Giraffes are the tallest terrestrial mammals on the planet. Males often reach a height of sixteen feet, which is the same as a single-story house. What’s more astonishing is a giraffe’s huge heart – and we’re not talking about how generous they are.

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Photo Credits: dailyfunny.com

These gentle giants have a heart that is two feet in diameter and blood pressure that is up to three times that of a healthy person. How else would it be able to pump blood up its ridiculously long neck?

World’s Biggest Butterfly

This enormous insect has a wingspan of 11 inches. It’s only found in the tropics of Papua New Guinea, and it was discovered in 1906 by Albert Steward Meek, a wildlife collector and naturalist. Unfortunately, this beautiful species is currently endangered.

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Photo Credits: data.nhm.ac.uk

The female Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing butterflies are the most striking of the species if you’re talking about size. They are much larger than their male counterparts, although the males have the more colorful blue and green wings people associate with the species.

World’s Largest Cat

Hercules earned his name because he weights close to a thousand pounds. The Myrtle Beach Safari wildlife preserve is home to this liger, a hybrid child of a lion and tiger. He’s 131 inches long and 49 inches tall at the shoulders, but he’s not quite as intimidating as he appears.

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Photo Credits: nairaland.com

Even at almost 100 times the typical weight of a house cat, he still appreciates being fed a bottle of milk by his guardians, and he still enjoys playing like a kitten. Ligers are the biggest of the big cats, reaching double the size of purebred tigers and lions.

Siamese Carp

After a 90-minute tussle, this big 222-pound Siamese carp was recovered from a lake in Ban Pong, Thailand. Tim Webb, a 57-year-old fisherman who tamed the beast, used bread and bran rice as bait to catch the scaly monster.

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Photo Credits: BNPS/express.co.uk

Webb put the gorgeous behemoth into his own fishery 25 miles from the lake after taking this photograph with two fellow anglers. Six guys were needed to load the fish into his vehicle, and the fish is now happily living in his new home.

Komodo Dragons

Komodo dragons are the world’s biggest land-dwelling reptiles, growing up to 10 feet long and weighing more than 300 pounds. Long, flat skulls with rounded snouts, scaly skin, bent legs, and massive, muscular tails characterize these huge living dinosaurs.

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Photo Credits: remotelands.com

Komodo dragons have thrived in the tough climate of Indonesia’s Lesser Sunda Islands for literally millions of years. You will usually find them in the woods, but they adventure all over their islands. They are cool creatures but can be aggressive.

Massive Lobster

This massive lobster was eventually set free in the summer of 2017. Louie, the 132-year-old lobster, weighed 22 pounds and was believed to be an incredible 132 years old. This guy lived many years chilling in a restaurant tank with other lobsters.

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Photo Credits: i95rocks.com

Apart from folks with a cup full of butter, who could handle a 22-pound whopper with claws? Louie might be half the weight of the largest ever caught, but he is a giant compared to the average three-pounders we usually find.

World’s Biggest Tortoise

This hatchling was adopted by Seffner’s Life Fellowship Bird Sanctuary in the 1960s, where he grew to a massive 919 pounds. Goliath never stopped growing. This is so impressive because most of his kind stop growing at 30. He’s definitely unique.

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Photo Credits: reptileforums.co.uk

The Galapagos Islands and the Aldabra Atoll are home to huge tortoises like Goliath. Nearly 25,000 of these critters are thought to live in those locations, although they used to be much more common. They are, as you probably guessed, the largest species of tortoise.

Giant Sheep with Bigger Wool

This sheep was once the world’s largest sheep, but he was shed of a bunch of it. Chris, an enormous Australian sheep who had been surviving in the wild for several years, was struggling for his life. His coat had become so woolly that he could scarcely move.

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Photo Credits: www.quora.com

Chris was so large that he towered over the kangaroos that dwelled with him in the fields. He grew to be four to five times the size of a typical merino sheep. The RSPCA confirmed that the hulking beast had shed 88 pounds of wool after being sheered.

Body Builder Kangaroo

A red kangaroo was not something to mess with. They’re not just bigger and worse than the worst gym rats, but they’re also a lot more aggressive. Red kangaroos may grow to be up to 5.9 feet tall in males. The worlds biggest was over seven feet long and weighed 201 pounds.

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Photo Credits: J.A. Dunbar/Shutterstock

Roger the kangaroo grabbed the Internet by storm in 2015. This massive red kanga weighed about 200 pounds and could smash metal with his bare hands. Roger is projected to grow and overpower the largest red kangaroo ever recorded at the age of ten. We still don’t want to get on this guy’s wrong side for the time being.

Mega Horns

This steer is not the largest cow in the world, but his massive horns seem like something out of a science fiction movie. They appear to have been CGI-ed for the big screen, inspired by our wildest dreams, yet they are completely real.

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Photo Credits: Bentwood Ranch/newsweek.com

His horns became his undoing in the end. Cancer near the base of the critter’s horns progressed and he died in 2010. Lurch’s fame will live on in our hearts forever, and he is survived by his adoring owner Janice Wolf of Gassville, Arkansas.

Gigantic Goldfish

Goldfish may appear small, but they can grow to be quite large in the wild. When we no longer want to care for our darling goldfish, many of us feel compelled to throw them into the nearby lake, but this is the worst thing you can do.

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Photo Credits: Murdoch University/abc.net.au

Because it has few natural predators, this invasive species can grow and breed, taking over the whole river or lake. Researchers recently unearthed a four-pound goldfish, a far cry from the super tiny creature you got at the carnival last year.

The World’s Biggest House Cat

Maine Coons are the world’s largest cat species (and one of the oldest American breeds). The legend goes that main coons are the result of a brown tabby mating with a wild raccoon. You can’t deny their immensity, even though it’s impossible.

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Photo Credits: Sergey Ginak/Shutterstock

They can grow to four feet long. These colossal felines would give some dogs a run for their money. Even though they are huge, Maine Coons are just like all other domesticated cat breeds and make wonderful, but very fluffy, pets.

Biggest Earthworm

A photo of a huge earthworm began circulating the internet for close to a decade. People said the worm was artificial since it was so large, but it was not. It was legitimate and gloriously real. Worms really can grow to this size.

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Photo Credits: iheartit.com

Some accounts say the huge worm is Glossoscolex Giganteaus, and some say it’s a legless amphibian. Mickey Grosman spotted the worm after a 5,000-mile journey through South America. He found this weird creature in Sumaco National Park, but couldn’t figure out what it was.