Our world is full of creatures, big and small, tall, and long. Today we look at some of the biggest animal species on our planet.
If you think you’ve seen some animals in your life, you ain’t seen nothing yet! From Giant Bulls to jellyfish that rival the biggest whales, you’ll see some of the biggest animal species in the world. So, hang on to your hats while we countdown 15 shockingly large creatures that actually exist.
1. The Southern elephant seal
Number 15 on our list is the Southern Elephant Seal. Southern elephant seals live in sub Antarctica and breed on land but spend their winters in the frigid Antarctic waters near the Antarctic pack ice. Southern elephants are the largest of all seals.
Males can be over 20 feet long and weigh up to 8,800 pounds. But these massive beasts aren’t called elephant seals because of their size. They take their name from their trunk-like inflatable snouts.
When breeding season arrives, male elephant seals define and defend territories. They collect a harem of 40 to 50 females, which are much smaller than their enormous mates. I always dreamed of having such a harem. Males battle each other for mating dominance.
Some encounters end with roaring and aggressive posturing, but many others turn into violent and bloody battles. The Southern elephant seal is the largest carnivore living today. Even Polar bears don’t mess around with healthy Elephant Seals.
2.Giant Oarfish
Number 14 on our list is the Giant Oarfish. The Giant Oarfish resembles a Sea Monster and because of their size, they have been confused to be “sea serpents” frequently. The giant oarfish is the world’s longest bony fish. They can reach a length of 110 feet.
The biggest oarfish ever recorded weighed 600 pounds. While that may seem heavy, it is not very much for a fish that may reach lengths longer than a school bus. Whenever these deep-sea fish wash up on shore, they make headlines because they are just gigantic.
They are silver with dark markings and swim in an undulating manner. We name them after their long, oar-shaped fins. We know very little about these creatures. Their diet comprises krill, other small crustaceans, fish, and squid. The adults are solitary.
The first few elements of the dorsal fin are long and wispy, resembling a crown, and give rise to yet another common name for this species, the King of Herrings. Oarfish have enormous eyes that they use to see in the low light conditions of the deep parts of the open ocean, their preferred habitat.
They rarely come to the ocean surface, perhaps only when dying or disoriented, and occasionally wash up on beaches around their home range. Oarfish are likely the source of sea serpent myths that are part of most maritime cultures around the world.
However, oarfish are harmless. They have tiny mouths and no teeth, and they feed by filtering small prey from the water, swimming with their mouths open and capturing their food with changed bones that support their gills
3.Flemish Rabbit
Number 13 on our list is the Flemish Rabbit. The Flemish Giant is also called the “king of Rabbits” because of his large size, longevity, and personality. Flemish bunnies are big rabbits.
Most fully grown Flemish rabbits weigh around 14 pounds, but they have recorded rabbits weighing as much as 21 pounds. The Flemish Giant is a docile breed, and these giant pet rabbits make pleasant companions and loving family pets. When kept indoors, they will hop around the house and sit on their owners’ laps.
They can even be trained to use a litter box. However, these rabbits can grow nervous if they are handled roughly, and they can inflict serious scratch and bites if they feel the need to struggle. So, children should be supervised at all times around them. These are big rabbits, so they need a lot of support if you will pick them up.
The Flemish Giant has short fur. Mostly, the Flemish Giant is a healthy breed that lives around five years but can live up into the teens. The average length of pregnancy is 31 days, and most litters average five to a dozen kits, but some litters are slightly larger.
Large litters usually mean that some kits won’t receive as much milk as other. Kits that fall behind in their growth before they are weaned typically never develop to their full potential. Survival of the fittest!
