Huge animals always attracted human attention, scared and interested at the same time. First of all, with the phrase "giant animals", images of various inhabitants of the Jurassic period come to mind: archeopteryx, dinosaurs and other long-extinct representatives of the fauna. But even today, the deep sea, rivers, savannahs and forests are inhabited by huge animals, beautiful and dangerous.
Inhabitants of the African continent
Africa due to the hot climate, diverse natural landscapes and vast territories is the habitat of many animals. Gigantic animals such as hippos, giraffes, elephants and gorillas live and breed here.
In southern Sahara, mainly near trees, the tallest mammal lives - a giraffe. Some males are more than six meters tall. These artiodactyls feed mainly on vegetation; long necks help to get foliage from the very tops of trees. The characteristic spotted color of each species is individual, the muzzle is decorated with neat horns, although cubs are born without them.
Huge African elephants, living almost throughout the continent, weigh about seven and a half thousand kilograms. These are the largest representatives of the herbivorous mammals of the planet.
The largest white rhinos live in places teeming with the grass they eat. A huge horn on the animal’s face, sometimes reaching more than 150 centimeters, makes the rhino look particularly ferocious. Large males weigh between two and three and a half tons. They live mainly in the south of the mainland.
Big fish
The largest fish among the bones is considered to be oceanic solar fish. Outwardly resembling a solar disk, such a fish reaches a huge size in diameter - more than three meters. Individual representatives of the species weigh more than two tons. It lives in ocean waters near Japan, New Zealand, Australia.
The whale shark, the largest of the sharks, is a huge cartilage fish. Some representatives of the species grow up to 20 meters. It is distinguished by a flattened muzzle, a spotted color from above, a white color of the belly. Whale sharks prefer to eat plankton, do not pose a threat to humans, swim in warm waters, do not differ in high speed of movement.
Huge inhabitants of the ocean depths
The most gigantic animals are blue whales, who have a body weight of about 180 tons, reaching a length of more than thirty meters. Meeting with such a whale can be unsafe even for some ships. It differs in that it is not inclined to live in groups. But the pairs that form the blue whales are usually strong, they live together for a long time.
These mammals feed on plankton, live up to ninety years. The blue whale is protected, as it belongs to endangered animals. For a long time it was an object of hunting because of the whalebone, which was widely used for sewing fashionable toilets.
Giants that used to live on Earth
Long before the appearance of man, when the climate was milder, and numerous tropical forests covered the Earth, giant animals lived in them. Extinct and not surviving dinosaurs once ruled the planet. Archeopteryxes soared in the sky, the remains of which were imprinted in rocks and in this form reached modern scientists. The ocean was inhabited by the prototypes of modern dolphins - toothed ichthyosaurs.
Many species of dinosaurs, ancient dinosaurs of huge growth, inhabited the continents. Among them are herbivorous brontosaurs weighing more than fifteen tons, with long necks and tails. According to various sources, their length exceeded twenty meters. They lived in North America in the Jurassic period.
The tyrannosaurus is a two-legged lizard with a powerful toothy mouth, which was one of the most dangerous predators of that era. The height was more than twelve meters, the massive tail was a powerful tool of the ancient reptile, with the help of which the tyrannosaurus hit its prey.
Due to climatic and a number of other changes, all these animals became extinct. The era of dinosaurs was replaced by the era of mammals. Mammoths, mastodons, smilodons, and woolly rhinoceroses significantly exceeded the size of their descendants.
Reptiles of abnormal growth
Giant animals are found among reptiles. So the largest reptile is a marine crocodile (combed). Aggressive predator, reaching six meters in length, lives off the coast of India, Australia. Immediately rushes to the attack, seeing a potential victim. It weighs almost a ton, has good maneuverability, so the victims of a crocodile have little chance of salvation.
Large reptiles also include the green anaconda or water boa up to nine meters long. Anacondas eat pigs, deer, turtles. Wrapping their powerful body around prey, they choke animals, then swallow them whole. After a hearty lunch, the reptile may not eat for up to a month. The huge snake emits an unpleasant odor, has a greenish color, lives in the waters of South America. Can produce about forty calves at a time. All his life he spends in water, during a drought he falls into suspended animation, buried in silt. He does not like to hunt for a man, despite the fact that such an anaconda is presented in the cinema. Reptile, smelling people, tries to avoid meeting with them.
Large inhabitants of Antarctica
The southern elephant seal is considered the largest pinniped predator living off the coast of Antarctica, as well as on adjacent islands. Large males reach a length of six meters with a body weight of up to five to six tons. They prefer to eat squid and small krill, spend most of their life in water, migrating and traveling. He lives on land only during the summer months, this period is associated with the creation of couples, the production of offspring. Despite the fact that hunting is prohibited, the population of elephant seals is falling, they often become prey for killer whales, sea lions.
Large representatives of rodents
Giant mole rat - an animal from the order of rodents that lives in the moist clay regions of the Ciscaucasia. The rodent has neither eyes nor ears, its growth reaches about 35 centimeters, the weight reaches a kilogram. He has prominent teeth, a long body, a terrible muzzle. Behind the unattractive appearance of the mole rat lies a peace-loving animal, spending most of its life underground. Even the fleas that live in his coat are blind. This rodent often falls prey to predatory animals and birds. Due to the underground lifestyle, he is often confused with a mole, although they are not similar in appearance.
