Animal Facts

biggest animals ever existed on earth

By Sanjay Verma

Sep 18, 2023

A fossilized ape tooth dating back two million years serves as proof of the existence of the largest ape to have ever roamed the Earth. Known as Gigantopithecus blacki, this colossal ape, a distant relative of the orangutan, was believed to reach a towering height of nearly three meters.

Scientists in the United States unearthed the fossilized remains of the largest bird to have ever taken flight. Resembling a colossal seagull, this gigantic avian creature has been christened Pelagornis sandersi.

At present, African elephants hold the title for the largest land animals. These magnificent creatures share a lifespan similar to humans, often reaching the impressive age of 70 years.

The Ostrich holds the distinction of being the largest living bird, inhabiting Africa. Remarkably, they possess the largest eyes among all land animals, with each eye measuring a substantial 5 centimeters in width.

Arthropods, a category of creatures that encompasses insects, spiders, and crabs, once included the largest known member, a sea scorpion named Jaekelopterus, which could reach lengths of up to 2.5 meters. Unfortunately, Jaekelopterus became extinct millions of years ago.

The largest arthropod still living today is the Japanese spider crab. However, even the largest among them today pales in comparison to a colossal specimen captured in 1921, boasting an astonishing arm-span of 3.8 meters.

Blue whales claim the title of the largest creatures ever to grace our planet, surpassing even the most massive dinosaurs. These majestic marine giants can attain sizes comparable to that of a jumbo jet.

Paraceratherium, a distant relative of today's rhinoceros, holds the distinction of being the largest land mammal to have ever roamed the Earth. This massive creature primarily fed on the leaves of towering trees.

Sauropods, a group of herbivorous dinosaurs, held the record as the largest creatures to walk the Earth. The Diplodocus, the longest dinosaur ever discovered in complete skeletal form, stretched an impressive 25 meters in length.