introducing the super heavyweight class
of the animal kingdom welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top 10 colossal
animals alive today including all living
creatures in the sea
for this list we’re looking at the most
immense and of course largest animals
this world has to offer this isn’t a
simple list of the ten biggest creatures
around but rather the most staggeringly
oversized animals from a wide variety of
species and environments across the
globe we are not considering any
creatures that are extinct because let’s
be honest animals of eons past work kind
of in a class of their own and a lot of
them are big it takes a firm grip to
restrain an anaconda
but these snakes are tough enough to
constrict crocodiles today number 10
Japanese spider crab animation may give
us plenty of cute little crabs in recent
years but until tim burton takes over
his Pixar’s creative director the
Japanese spider crab is unlikely to get
a starring role why well it’s kind of
the stuff of nightmares
[Music]
while the Japanese fighter craft may
have a body that’s slightly smaller than
the American lobster the staggering
length of their legs which can span up
to 18 feet went outstretched and an arm
span of 12 feet from quad a cloth firmly
established them as the largest living
arthropod
thankfully they typically dwell at
depths of between 490 and 980 so the
likelihood of encountering one of these
captivating yet intimidating creatures
is still slim number 9 polar bear bear
when it comes to colossal meat-eating
land animals it’s really a battle of the
Bears between the Kodiak bear of
southwest Alaska and the Arctic polar
bear both species can reach up to about
5.2 inch shoulder height and weigh in at
a maximum of somewhere between 2200 and
2,400 pounds that’s substantially larger
than any other bear species found around
the world Agee sees him as her mother
and father together really and companion
polar bears are carnivorous primarily
eating seals dish whereas the omnivorous
Kodiak bear typically eats fish and a
variety of plant life dietary
considerations coupled with the polar
bears distinctive light coat ultra
extreme habitat and impressive hunting
skills give it a slight edge over its
Alaskan competitor the most powerful
land predator is on the prowl hybrids
between the two bears are possible
though pretty cool huh
no break Giant Pacific octopus these
octopus actually have the ability to
learn by observation giant squids might
be all the rage these days but what
about octopuses the Giant Pacific
octopus is considered to be the biggest
octopus species around the largest
living specimen weighed in at 156 pounds
but according to the Guinness Book of
World Records the largest ever recorded
weighed nearly double at 300 pounds with
a total arm span of 32 feet it can be
found all across the Pacific Ocean
spending time cruising at about 25 miles
per hour did pastimes include catching
smaller prey in a parachute like web
found between its arms and paralyzing
its prey with the help of toxins
contained in its salivary glands on
special occasions it’s been known to eat
small sharks or even wounded seagulls
that’s right it has a taste for land
blood she is a formidable predator but
at the moment hunting isn’t on her mind
number seven saltwater crocodile this
here this big mound is the actual nest
and from her behavior I would say almost
certainly there are eggs inside that
sure Komodo dragons might be
intimidating but of all the reptiles
currently walking the earth the
saltwater crocodile is hands-down the
biggest they are commonly found across
Australia and Southeast Asia and their
massive male specimens have been
recorded weighing in excess of 2200
pounds and measuring over 20 feet in
length while these particular crocodiles
were of extraordinary size saltwater
crocodiles are the only living croc
species to regularly reach 16 feet in
length they’ll be on the coast they’ll
be on Islands they’ll be at at sea
they’ll go in tidal rivers swamps if
they can get into your bathtub they’ll
get into it they aren’t considered to be
an apex predator truly at the top of the
food chain in their environment it’s a
position they maintain by eating
anything that dare set foot claw wing or
fin in their domain humans included
okay number six southern elephant seal
it’s pretty obvious polar bears might be
the largest terrestrial carnivores but
southern elephant seals found at the
opposite pole Antarctica are the largest
carnivores in the world period they
typically waste six to seven times more
than a male polar bear mature males
often weigh upwards of seven thousand
pounds but the largest recorded specimen
came in at a whopping eleven thousand
pounds measuring 22 feet while male
elephant seals use that weight to their
benefit while battling other males for a
mate their size can also prove
intimidating for females and deadly to
pups males are typically five to six
times larger than the females and their
enthusiasm to procreate will often crush
and kill pups so the time has come to
start a fight
number five colossal squid oh it’s just
the baby
it’s the already dead baby also known as
the Antarctic squid or giant crank squid
the colossal squid is the largest
invertebrate in the world while the
giant squid may technically be longer
from tip to tip than the colossal squid
as the result of longer tentacles the
colossal squid beats out its giant
counterparts in terms of mass and as
well as the girth of its body its eyes
are the largest of any in the animal
kingdom with an estimated diameter of 12
to 16 inches only a few whole specimens
of this elusive deep-sea creature have
ever been found
if they can haul this half-ton beast on
board and bring it home thus an aspiring
screw will make maritime history it is
also rare among squids since it has
rotating hooks to grab its prey
number four great white shark is there
any sea beasts so feared by humans this
oceanic hunter requires the little
introduction given its prevalence in
popular culture in the case of great
whites the females are typically larger
than the males
confirmed female specimens have been
seen to grow up to four thousand three
hundred pounds and twenty feet in length
but on average are closer to 15 to 16
feet in length the peak of evolution the
absolute fighting machine it is
considered to be one of the largest
lamniform sharks with only the plankton
eating basking and whale sharks beating
it out in terms of size when all species
of shark are compared it’s not the
bloodthirsty maneater that Joss what
have you believed but it is still
responsible for more attacks on humans
than any of its peers and has even been
known to attack boats
[Music]
number three giraffe around the age of
three or four young male giraffes start
to strut their stuff you might not think
of them as colossal but giraffes are
friggin tall in fact they’re the tallest
animals on land standing at roughly 16
to 20 feet tall six to eight feet of
height can be attributed to their
absurdly elongated necks meaning that on
average the neck accounts for just under
a half of their total height a drafts
neck is more than just for show though
it enables them to reach the leaves of
trees in their natural habitat for male
giraffes the long necks also proves
useful during mating season to fight
other males in a ritual called necking
keep in mind giraffes are violent only
when necessary
despite their slender build giraffes are
deceptively heavy males weighing around
2600 pounds on average this is
play-fighting but later progresses to
full-scale dominance matches number two
African bush elephant if the clan of the
elephants believes the elephant is one
of the brothers that is what makes an
elephant very special to us the average
male giraffe likely towers over even the
largest elephant but elephants bring
more than enough weight to the watering
hole to make up for their shorter
stature the average male bush elephant
is only between 10 to 13 feet tall but
also weighs between 10 to 13,000 pounds
making it the largest terrestrial animal
it’ll be a few minutes before Wendy goes
to sleep but bulls have been known to
outgrow that average by a wide margin
the largest recorded bull in history
roughly doubled it weighing an estimated
23 to 26 thousand pounds at the time of
its death in 1956
although Africa is home to another
species of elephant the forest elephant
they’re much smaller than the bush
elephants rarely exceeding 8 feet in
height and typically weigh in closer to
6,000 pounds yeah I need a large African
elephant and I need it today but I’m
afraid this just isn’t what I’m looking
for what do you mean it’s an elephant
isn’t it well it is and it isn’t if you
understand what I mean
before we unveil our top pick here a few
honorable mentions
[Music]
when he recaptures them he can build up
a clear picture of how this incredibly
rare animal is faring in the world
despite the fact that the head is so
small it can swell to take in very
decent-sized prey number one blue whale
this is incredible I’ve heard words that
we have on our helicopter blade whale
even the largest Bush elephant in
history weighs less than 1/10 of an
adult blue whale the sperm whale of Moby
Dick fave takes the title of the largest
brain on earth but at 35 to 60 feet in
length it pales in comparison to length
of the blue whale which typically
measures between 69 and 90 feet in
length I’ve dropped right into the
middle of a group of socializing sperm
whales specimens have been found that
exceed 100 feet with one particular
female measuring at 109 feet that is
longer than a regulation-size basketball
court in terms of weight
the record is 191 short tons even when
you take dinosaurs into account the blue
whale is the largest creature this
planet has ever seen and still swims
among us today it’s not just the future
of the whale that today lies in our
hands it’s a survival of the natural
world in all parts of the Living Planet
do you agree with our list can you think
of any other noteworthy colossal animals
inside there is a very very small but
perfect miniature crocodile for more
stranger than fiction top 10s published
every day be sure to subscribe to
watchmojo.com
you
of the animal kingdom welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top 10 colossal
animals alive today including all living
creatures in the sea
for this list we’re looking at the most
immense and of course largest animals
this world has to offer this isn’t a
simple list of the ten biggest creatures
around but rather the most staggeringly
oversized animals from a wide variety of
species and environments across the
globe we are not considering any
creatures that are extinct because let’s
be honest animals of eons past work kind
of in a class of their own and a lot of
them are big it takes a firm grip to
restrain an anaconda
but these snakes are tough enough to
constrict crocodiles today number 10
Japanese spider crab animation may give
us plenty of cute little crabs in recent
years but until tim burton takes over
his Pixar’s creative director the
Japanese spider crab is unlikely to get
a starring role why well it’s kind of
the stuff of nightmares
[Music]
while the Japanese fighter craft may
have a body that’s slightly smaller than
the American lobster the staggering
length of their legs which can span up
to 18 feet went outstretched and an arm
span of 12 feet from quad a cloth firmly
established them as the largest living
arthropod
thankfully they typically dwell at
depths of between 490 and 980 so the
likelihood of encountering one of these
captivating yet intimidating creatures
is still slim number 9 polar bear bear
when it comes to colossal meat-eating
land animals it’s really a battle of the
Bears between the Kodiak bear of
southwest Alaska and the Arctic polar
bear both species can reach up to about
5.2 inch shoulder height and weigh in at
a maximum of somewhere between 2200 and
2,400 pounds that’s substantially larger
than any other bear species found around
the world Agee sees him as her mother
and father together really and companion
polar bears are carnivorous primarily
eating seals dish whereas the omnivorous
Kodiak bear typically eats fish and a
variety of plant life dietary
considerations coupled with the polar
bears distinctive light coat ultra
extreme habitat and impressive hunting
skills give it a slight edge over its
Alaskan competitor the most powerful
land predator is on the prowl hybrids
between the two bears are possible
though pretty cool huh
no break Giant Pacific octopus these
octopus actually have the ability to
learn by observation giant squids might
be all the rage these days but what
about octopuses the Giant Pacific
octopus is considered to be the biggest
octopus species around the largest
living specimen weighed in at 156 pounds
but according to the Guinness Book of
World Records the largest ever recorded
weighed nearly double at 300 pounds with
a total arm span of 32 feet it can be
found all across the Pacific Ocean
spending time cruising at about 25 miles
per hour did pastimes include catching
smaller prey in a parachute like web
found between its arms and paralyzing
its prey with the help of toxins
contained in its salivary glands on
special occasions it’s been known to eat
small sharks or even wounded seagulls
that’s right it has a taste for land
blood she is a formidable predator but
at the moment hunting isn’t on her mind
number seven saltwater crocodile this
here this big mound is the actual nest
and from her behavior I would say almost
certainly there are eggs inside that
sure Komodo dragons might be
intimidating but of all the reptiles
currently walking the earth the
saltwater crocodile is hands-down the
biggest they are commonly found across
Australia and Southeast Asia and their
massive male specimens have been
recorded weighing in excess of 2200
pounds and measuring over 20 feet in
length while these particular crocodiles
were of extraordinary size saltwater
crocodiles are the only living croc
species to regularly reach 16 feet in
length they’ll be on the coast they’ll
be on Islands they’ll be at at sea
they’ll go in tidal rivers swamps if
they can get into your bathtub they’ll
get into it they aren’t considered to be
an apex predator truly at the top of the
food chain in their environment it’s a
position they maintain by eating
anything that dare set foot claw wing or
fin in their domain humans included
okay number six southern elephant seal
it’s pretty obvious polar bears might be
the largest terrestrial carnivores but
southern elephant seals found at the
opposite pole Antarctica are the largest
carnivores in the world period they
typically waste six to seven times more
than a male polar bear mature males
often weigh upwards of seven thousand
pounds but the largest recorded specimen
came in at a whopping eleven thousand
pounds measuring 22 feet while male
elephant seals use that weight to their
benefit while battling other males for a
mate their size can also prove
intimidating for females and deadly to
pups males are typically five to six
times larger than the females and their
enthusiasm to procreate will often crush
and kill pups so the time has come to
start a fight
number five colossal squid oh it’s just
the baby
it’s the already dead baby also known as
the Antarctic squid or giant crank squid
the colossal squid is the largest
invertebrate in the world while the
giant squid may technically be longer
from tip to tip than the colossal squid
as the result of longer tentacles the
colossal squid beats out its giant
counterparts in terms of mass and as
well as the girth of its body its eyes
are the largest of any in the animal
kingdom with an estimated diameter of 12
to 16 inches only a few whole specimens
of this elusive deep-sea creature have
ever been found
if they can haul this half-ton beast on
board and bring it home thus an aspiring
screw will make maritime history it is
also rare among squids since it has
rotating hooks to grab its prey
number four great white shark is there
any sea beasts so feared by humans this
oceanic hunter requires the little
introduction given its prevalence in
popular culture in the case of great
whites the females are typically larger
than the males
confirmed female specimens have been
seen to grow up to four thousand three
hundred pounds and twenty feet in length
but on average are closer to 15 to 16
feet in length the peak of evolution the
absolute fighting machine it is
considered to be one of the largest
lamniform sharks with only the plankton
eating basking and whale sharks beating
it out in terms of size when all species
of shark are compared it’s not the
bloodthirsty maneater that Joss what
have you believed but it is still
responsible for more attacks on humans
than any of its peers and has even been
known to attack boats
[Music]
number three giraffe around the age of
three or four young male giraffes start
to strut their stuff you might not think
of them as colossal but giraffes are
friggin tall in fact they’re the tallest
animals on land standing at roughly 16
to 20 feet tall six to eight feet of
height can be attributed to their
absurdly elongated necks meaning that on
average the neck accounts for just under
a half of their total height a drafts
neck is more than just for show though
it enables them to reach the leaves of
trees in their natural habitat for male
giraffes the long necks also proves
useful during mating season to fight
other males in a ritual called necking
keep in mind giraffes are violent only
when necessary
despite their slender build giraffes are
deceptively heavy males weighing around
2600 pounds on average this is
play-fighting but later progresses to
full-scale dominance matches number two
African bush elephant if the clan of the
elephants believes the elephant is one
of the brothers that is what makes an
elephant very special to us the average
male giraffe likely towers over even the
largest elephant but elephants bring
more than enough weight to the watering
hole to make up for their shorter
stature the average male bush elephant
is only between 10 to 13 feet tall but
also weighs between 10 to 13,000 pounds
making it the largest terrestrial animal
it’ll be a few minutes before Wendy goes
to sleep but bulls have been known to
outgrow that average by a wide margin
the largest recorded bull in history
roughly doubled it weighing an estimated
23 to 26 thousand pounds at the time of
its death in 1956
although Africa is home to another
species of elephant the forest elephant
they’re much smaller than the bush
elephants rarely exceeding 8 feet in
height and typically weigh in closer to
6,000 pounds yeah I need a large African
elephant and I need it today but I’m
afraid this just isn’t what I’m looking
for what do you mean it’s an elephant
isn’t it well it is and it isn’t if you
understand what I mean
before we unveil our top pick here a few
honorable mentions
[Music]
when he recaptures them he can build up
a clear picture of how this incredibly
rare animal is faring in the world
despite the fact that the head is so
small it can swell to take in very
decent-sized prey number one blue whale
this is incredible I’ve heard words that
we have on our helicopter blade whale
even the largest Bush elephant in
history weighs less than 1/10 of an
adult blue whale the sperm whale of Moby
Dick fave takes the title of the largest
brain on earth but at 35 to 60 feet in
length it pales in comparison to length
of the blue whale which typically
measures between 69 and 90 feet in
length I’ve dropped right into the
middle of a group of socializing sperm
whales specimens have been found that
exceed 100 feet with one particular
female measuring at 109 feet that is
longer than a regulation-size basketball
court in terms of weight
the record is 191 short tons even when
you take dinosaurs into account the blue
whale is the largest creature this
planet has ever seen and still swims
among us today it’s not just the future
of the whale that today lies in our
hands it’s a survival of the natural
world in all parts of the Living Planet
do you agree with our list can you think
of any other noteworthy colossal animals
inside there is a very very small but
perfect miniature crocodile for more
stranger than fiction top 10s published
every day be sure to subscribe to
watchmojo.com
you
Please follow and like us: