What is the biggest animal ever to exist on Earth? | HowStuffWorks What is the biggest animal ever to exist on Earth? Sebastien Burel/ Dreamstime.com By considerable measure, the largest known animal on Earth is the blue whale . Mature blue whales can measure anywhere from 75 feet (23 m) to 100 feet (30.5 m) from head to tail, and can weigh as much as 150 tons (136 metric tons). That's as long as an 8- to 10-story building and as heavy as about 112 adult male giraffes! These days, most adult blue whales are only 75 to 80 feet long; whalers hunted down most of the super giants. Female blue whales generally weigh more than the males. The largest blue whale to date is a female that weighed 389,760 pounds (176,792 kg). A blue whale's head is so wide that an entire professional football team -- about 50 people -- could stand on its tongue. Its heart is as big as a small car , and its arteries are wide enough that you could climb through them.

Even baby blue whales dwarf most animals. At birth, a blue whale calf is about 25 feet (7.6 m) long and weighs more than an elephant. And they do grow up fast: During the first 7 months of its life, a blue whale drinks approximately 100 gallons (379 liters) of its mother's milk per day, putting on as much as 200 pounds (91 kg) every 24 hours. An adult blue whale can eat more than 4 tons (3.6 metric tons) of krill, a tiny shrimp-like creature, every day. A Whale of a World Marine Mammal Quiz This puts blue whales well above any known land mammal in terms of size. Most people believe that the largest animals to ever exist on Earth were the dinosaurs . However, one of the largest land dinosaurs, the sauropod Argentinosaurus, weighed only about 180,000 pounds (81,647 kg). That's little more than half the size of an adult blue whale. It makes a lot of sense that the world's largest animal would be a sea creature.

Land animals have to support their own weight, whereas sea creatures get some help from the water. It is believed that at one time there were more than 200,000 blue whales. There are only about 10,000 blue whales now -- they've been on the endangered list since the mid-1960s -- and the population is not expected to recover. ­ Mamenchisaurus and other sauropods are some of the largest dinosaurs known. Photo by Junko Kimura/Getty Images In 1841, in the early days of paleontology, the notoriously cantankerous anatomist Richard Owen, the man who would later coin the term “dinosaur,” stood before his colleagues at the Geological Society of London to announce the discovery of an enormous extinct reptile.

The monster was represented by only a smattering of fossilized bone, but Owen nevertheless ascertained that the animal’s tail bones “equaled in dimensions a middle caudal vertebra of a full-sized whale.” Owen’s name for the creature—Cetiosaurus, the “whale lizard”—played up the creature’s gargantuan size, and scientific showman that he sometimes was, Owen left the assembled scientists with the idea “that the surpassing bulk and strength of the Cetiosaurus were probably assigned to it with carnivorous habits, that it might keep in check the Crocodilians and Plesiosauri” that swam the same Jurassic seas. Advertisement Owen was almost totally wrong in his initial description, but I can’t blame him. The more-complete skeletons that would show Cetiosaurus to be a one of the long-necked, herbivorous, heavy-bodied sauropods hadn’t yet been found. At least the name is still on the mark. An adult Cetiosaurus was as long as a mature male sperm whale, around 52 feet. Other sauropods grew even larger than that.

Supersaurus, Argentinosaurus, and Diplodocus were the largest creatures to ever walk the Earth, stretching more than 100 feet from their pencil-like teeth to their sinuous tails. But that “walked the Earth” clause is important. While no terrestrial creatures ever approached these sizes, the largest whales can make sauropods look rather skinny. When it comes down to it, who can rightfully lay claim to the title of the largest animals of all time: dinosaurs or whales? Prehistory fan that I am , I’d love to see sauropods to go home with the title. With 45 feet of neck alone, a 110-foot-long Supersaurus would seem to be a clear winner, and there are rumors of dinosaur specimens that push the size limit even further. But the sad truth is that two factors might keep sauropods from winning out over the whales. Fossilization was not very kind to the biggest dinosaurs. All of the heavyweight contenders are known from partial skeletons. Argentinosaurus—often cited as the largest known sauropod—is known from little more than a few vertebrae, ribs, and leg bones.

Likewise, the biggest Diplodocus is a collection of vertebrae and hip bones, and Supersaurus fares only a little better with the most complete specimen consisting of vertebrae, some limb bones, and parts of the hips. And don’t even get me started on Amphicoelias—a sauropod represented by a single piece of vertebra that disappeared over a century ago but that may have belonged to a dinosaur 190 feet long. Nothing more of Amphicoelias has ever been found. Advertisement All of those sauropod sizes are extrapolations based on smaller species known from more complete fossils. But even if Diplodocus and company really were as long as estimated, they would have been light for their size. A series of air sacs extending from the lungs infiltrated the bones of these dinosaurs, helping to keep them light without sacrificing strength. While an estimated weight of 45 tons for Supersaurus sounds like a lot—especially when translated into about seven African elephants, a traditional unit of measurement for dinosaur size—that’s trim for such an enormous animal. That gives whales the advantage. Supersaurus weighed about as much as seven African elephants, a traditional unit of measurement for dinosaur size.

The blue whale is the largest animal alive on Earth today, although the exact maximum size is something of a moving target in the literature. This prodigious species is thought to be capable of reaching 110 feet in length, and the largest scientifically verified individuals on record are 89 to 98 feet long. (If you’re wondering why we don’t have more exact lengths for this living species, consider the difficulties in measuring a blue whale. A tape measure isn’t going to be much help.) That’s getting awfully close to the estimated lengths of the biggest dinosaurs. Weight makes all the difference. Living exclusively at sea for more than 40 million years has freed whales from the evolutionary engineering constraints that land creatures—including dinosaurs—suffered. Thanks to water’s buoyancy, whales can be far heavier without collapsing on themselves. A 100-foot-long blue whale can weigh 150 tons or more, three times heavier than a dinosaur of the same size. Advertisement Much as it pains me to do it, I have to hand the title of “Largest Animal of All Time” to Team Cetacea.

But if we look beyond the superlative, the close call between dinosaurs and whales highlights an underlying pattern in what giants can achieve. Disregarding tonnage, the largest sauropods and whales both reached lengths of about 100 feet. Rather than being evolutionary coincidence, this might mark an evolutionary upper bound that animals may not be able to circumvent without drastic alterations to their biology. In a 2012 study , paleontologist Mathew Wedel pointed out that, much like the blue whale, sauropods such as Supersaurus likely had sensory nerves that stretched all the way from their brainstems to the tips of their tails. Such long neurons would have meant relatively long transit times for impulses traveling between brain and tail. A particularly efficient conduction speed along neurons is about 300 feet per second, which means long animals would have pretty slow reaction times. The upper limit on size could be a sign, Wedel writes, “of animals approaching the real physical and chemical limits on living systems.” Whales might have run into such limits. Even if life at sea could support the weight of super-whales, the constraints of biology—from nerve connections to simply acquiring enough food —might make them impossible.

After five million generations and a 5,000-fold increase in size, whales may be about as big as it’s possible to be. I can only hope that someone uncovers an astoundingly huge sauropod that makes us revise what we thought we knew and puts the dinosaurs back in the running for the title. BIGGEST Animal EVER Recorded in the Ocean Depths? - YouTube BIGGEST Animal EVER Recorded in the Ocean Depths? Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Aug 5, 2014 The Bloop Sound: Caused by the biggest animal or creature ever? An enormous underwater creature, many times larger than the blue whale, caused a sound so loud it was heard by scientists 3000 miles apart. Was it a blue whale, a kraken, megalodon, colossal squid or maybe even Cthulhu awakening from his slumber?

In 1997, an array of hydrophones, special underwater microphones used by scientists to study happenings under the ocean, detected an extremely loud and low frequency sound that was able to be heard more than 3000 miles away from its source. It was calculated to have occurred a ways west off the coast of the South American tip. The sound, due to what it sounds like when sped up 16 times was dubbed "The Bloop" and sounds like this. Ill play the real sound for you, which is much creepier, at the end of this video. Due to the frequency signature of the sound, marine biologists believe the sound was not man made from something like a bomb or due to any sort of underwater volcanic or seismic activity. It seemed to moreso match that of some sort of underwater mammal - like the blue whale. The problem is the loudest sound detected by a blue whale could only reach a little under 1000 miles...thus whatever it is that caused this sound had to be several orders of magnitude larger than the largest known living organism. Take this size comparison chart. A school bus is about this size. A blue whale is about this size.

Whatever produced this sound, assuming it was animal in nature had to be about this size....which is HUUUUGE. Just what made this sound? Was it really a giant underwater sea creature that we have yet to discover...or perhaps something even more mysterious and foreign? Could there of ever even been anything that lived before that made this sound? Let’s ask Adam over at Epic Wildlife. Could it have been a megalodon? Or a colossal squid? Unlikely – as they are both much smaller than a blue whale. And yet, no prehistoric animal ever discovered has been bigger than a blue whale. It’s scarey to think how much of our ocean depths are still completely unexplored. The problem with a blue whale being the culprit is that the loudest sound ever recorded by a blue whale could only just reach the range of 1000 miles. Thus, whatever it is that caused this sound had to be several orders of magnitude larger than the largest known organism, the blue whale. Take this size comparison chart. A school bus is about this size. A blue whale is about this size.

Whatever produced this sound, assuming it was animal in nature, had to eb about this size, probably a little less than the size of the Eiffel tower. Just what made this sound? Was it really a giant underwater creature that we have yet to discover or perhaps something even more mysterious and foreign? It is said we know much less about what lurks in the depths of our ocean than we do about outer space. Here is an excerpt of what the actual Bloop sound sounded like without being sped up. Ill warn you...it might spook you a bit. Use of the "The Leviathan" picture permitted by Jeff Chang. Check out the rest of his work at . Actor The Largest Animals That Ever Lived on Earth The Largest Animals That Ever Lived on Earth Updated on April 14, 2013 Some of the largest prehistoric animals.... I recently read about a large rodent fossil that was discovered in 2008 and it sparked my interest in large prehistoric animals. I was eager to learn more about some of the largest critters to ever roam the earth, and I was not disappointed. I did some research and decided to create a lens!

Here you will find some information about the largest snake fossil ever found, an enormous frog, a gigantic kangaroo, and more. I have also provided links for more information on each beast and to some great sites on prehistoric animals and dinosaurs. Clickable table of contents: The Biggest Snake That Ever Lived Giant Boid Snake (Titanoboa cerrejonensis) If you like snakes, you will love this one....if not, prepare to be creeped out! The fossil of the largest snake to ever live was discovered in a mine located in Columbia. The fossils indicate that this snake was 42 feet (13 meters) long and weighed 2500 pounds (1250 kg)!!! That is roughly the length of a school bus and the weight of a VW Beetle. The photo at right shows a fossilized vertebra compared to the green anaconda. This prehistoric reptile is believed to have been a massive anaconda-like beast that slithered through tropical rainforests 60 million years ago and fed on primitive crocodiles. It would have suffocated its prey with a vice strong enough to crush an old car! Click here for even more information about this awesome snake!

The Boid Snake - Artists rendering compared to human The Boid Snake - Artists rendering compared to human Giant Prehistoric Ground Marsupial Protemnon anak This gigantic kangaroo-like marsupial "hippo" lived on the island Tasmania. This beast weighed 1,000 pounds (500 kg)! That's half a ton! Good thing these giants were herbivores. New data suggests they went extinct around 41,000 years ago. The largest species of kangaroo alive today, the red kangaroo, can weigh up to 200 pounds. This animal would be dwarfed by the prehistoric giant! The largest mammal that ever lived..... Is the beautiful Blue Whale! The largest rodent on earth is the Capybara The largest marsupial on earth is the Red Kangaroo Biggest Rodent That Ever Lived Josephoartigasia monesi Here it is, the largest rodent fossil to ever be discovered! This enormous rat weighed ONE TON, that's 2000 pounds (1000 kg)!! The skull of this prehistoric critter was found in Uruguay and measures 21 inches (53 centimeters) long.

That would make this prehistoric beast about the size of a bull. The photo at right shows the skull size compared to a modern-day rat. Size of the prehistoric rodent compared to man and the capybara! Size of the prehistoric rodent compared to man and the capybara! Living Prehistoric Animals Giant Prehistoric Shark Megalodon These huge prehistoric sharks first appeared in the earth's waters about 16 million years ago. This beast may have grown to lengths over 50 feet (16 meters) and could have weighed up to 30 times MORE than the great white shark! That's 126,000 pounds (63,000 kg)!!! The photo at right shows a single Megalodon tooth. The bite of this gigantic shark was strong enough to crush a car and was much stronger than the bite of Tyrannosaurus rex! You can see the massiveness of Megalodon when compared to a GW shark and a human! Enormous Monster Whale I just read an article about a monstrous whale that was discovered back in 2010. The fossils were discovered by Klaas Post in Peru's Ice desert.

This was not only a large whale, it was also believed to have shared the ancient oceans with none other than the Megalodon shark! Although they may have co-existed, scientists don't think these two monsters would have attacked each other, but perhaps one might attack the young of another. The bones of this large whale have been dated to 12 or 13 million years ago and in honor of Herman Melville's Moby Dick it has been named Leviathan melvillei. It is estimated that this whale would have been between 13 and 18 meters (43 to 59 feet) long. Its skull is three meters (9.8 feet) long. Its teeth are the largest predatory teeth every found at 36 cm (14 inches) long and 12 cm (5 inches) wide. Quite an interesting find! A summary of the largest organisms alive today, and some information about the largest organisms to ever live.

Illustration by Luci Betti-Nash The Largest Frog That Ever Lived The bad-tempered Beelzebufo or "devil frog" This enormous prehistoric frog once hopped about Madagascar around 70-million-years-ago and is believed to be the largest frog that ever lived. Called the Beelzebufo or "devil frog." These gigantic herps were the size of a beach ball, roughly 16 inches (41 cm) high and weighing about 10 pounds (4.5 kg)!! Wonder what sounds it made? :) It is believed that the devil frog probably had a very bad attitude --- given its closest living relatives, which are known to grab onto anything that moves, even humans! The beelzebufo had a strong jaw and protective shield which may have enabled it to feast upon baby dinosaurs. This video is really well-done and shows a wide variety of bizarre prehistoric life! The Largest Arthropod That Ever Lived - Jaekelopterus rhenaniae Imagine a giant crayfish-like creepy-crawler that was much longer than you!! This enormous arthropod lived 390-million-years-ago and was roughly the size of a large crocodile.

Scientists estimate that it was about 8.2 feet (2.5 m) long, based on the 18-inch (46 cm) fossil claw that was found in Germany. This sea scorpion likely inhabited coastal swamp waters where it was probably the top predator around --- slicing up fish and even its own kind, as arthropods are known to do. More information about this giant sea scorpion! Why were prehistoric critters so big?! Well, not all prehistoric animals were big. We just have a tendency to pay more attention to the massive animals. It's thought that a larger size made animals less likely to be eaten by predators. At a cost though. A larger body needs more food to sustain it, hence, large prehistoric animals were more susceptible to extinction. Huge Prehistoric Desert-Dwelling Penguins Icadyptes salasi Thirty-five million years ago, penguins the size of humans could be found wandering a desert in Peru. This penguin did not need ice to survive! These birds reached heights of 5-feet (1.5 m). The photo at right shows this giant as compared with another prehistoric penguin, and with Peru's only living penguin, the Peruvian penguin.

Prehistoric giant penguin skull (top) as compared to Peruvian penguin skull (bottom). 3-Foot Giant Shrimp A fossil discovery in Morocco revealed that this gigantic early crustacean lived almost 30 million years longer than previously thought. The specimens found are the largest yet discovered of its kind and suggest that these shrimp-like beasts dominated pre-dinosaur seas. These shrimp-like creatures were the early off-shoot of modern crustaceans called anomalocaridids. Just how large were these beasts? The recent fossils reveal that they could grow to lengths of 3.3 feet (1 meter)!!! Just one would have made enough shrimp scampi to feed an army for a month. Click here to read the full National Geographic article! What is your favorite prehistoric animal on this page? All right, time to pick your favorite! Boid Snake See results without voting What about the birds? The largest bird in the fossil record may be the extinct elephant bird of Madagascar, which is related to the ostrich. They were 3 m (10 ft)+ high and weighed an estimated 500 kg (1,120 lb)!

The largest bird ever capable of flight was Argentavis magnificens with a wingspan of up to 8.3 m (28 ft), a length of over 3 m (10 ft), and a body weight of 80 kg (175 lb). That's one big bird! Great Dinosaur Sites! Enter the age of dinosaurs in the most exciting online paleontology site. There are lots of dinosaur facts, pics, information, extinction theories, and plently of knowledge given directly for popular species such as the Velociraptor, triceratops, and What prehistoric creatures do you like best? Which group of prehistoric giants do you like better? Dinosaurs Dinosaurs will always be the best. anonymous 3 years ago I am just freaked out by all these giant animals. leesholden 4 years ago from Derbyshire, UK There's only one choice in my head :) KandDMarketing 4 years ago Can't say I really have a favorite, but I guess I would have to say T-rex, if I was forced to ... Deadicated LM 4 years ago I especially like the Duckbill Dinosaur, they're Native New Yorkers.

Shadrosky 4 years ago Welcome to Jurassic Park! ernieplotter 5 years ago I like them so much! I was one of the kids shocked when Jurassic Park came out! SirAwesome 5 years ago Once fascinating creatures! TheHealthGuy LM 5 years ago from U.S.A. Dinosaurs are pretty interesting creatures. It is quite difficult for me to imagine living during their age. That would have been a real challenge just to survive and not become dinner! But ... I know very little about them. BryanLSC 5 years ago I've loved the dinosaurs since I was a kid. If not for the meteor, we wouldn't even be here today! gogolf162 5 years ago I love dinosaurs. Hard to believe such giant animals use to exist. anonymous 5 years ago The dinosaurs are creepy enough for me! AdriennePetersen 5 years ago I picked dinosaurs but really enjoy reading about all prehistoric animals. anonymous 5 years ago Very nice lens. We have bears here that swim in our pool. I too am an animal lover. Many of my lenses feature videos our bears swimming in the jacuzzi or raccoon babies.

You did a terrific job building this one and I am so glad you got the purple star. My lens about my brother who is an albino got a purple star too. Welcome to the club! VladimirCat 5 years ago from Australia I say Dinosaurs because I know they're all dead! myfirstmillion 5 years ago Great Lens! Very well orchestrated and informative, look forward to veiwing more of your lens. dewaji lm 5 years ago great job!!! Learned a lot from this lens, !!! Scarlettohairy 5 years ago from Desert Southwest, U.S.A. Dinosaurs, I reckon. They all are pretty creepy being so LARGE! Charmgal 5 years ago Love the picture of the large Frog! Michey LM 5 years ago They are so different, hard to decide, but I say Dinosaurs... maybe because I was growing up with the stories about them... so I am sentimental... I quite liked the shark, so I'm going for 'other prehistoric animals'. NaturalVamp 4 years ago I enjoyed the giant shrimp. It looks like a handbag I once had dahling. flycatcherrr 4 years ago There is such a variety!

-rami- 4 years ago Thanks for thes Information really cool creatures waldenthreenet 5 years ago My favorite is the little mammal, rat like ancestor of all mammals including one called Homo Sapien. Oops , that's me ! How ? peppervel 5 years ago any prehistoric creatures under the sea. so mysterious and dark. I love the video on living prehistoric animals. mrsphillips200 5 years ago There are many weirder mammals than anything else. LadyFlashman 5 years ago from United Kingdom I love the giant penguin... NoYouAreNot 5 years ago I'd say mammals are generally my kind of animals - yet, I do feel uncomfortable at the thought of such gigantic creatures crawling, hopping and flying around me. lynnrdavis 5 years ago I like the sharks! This lens is simply fascinating. avorodisa lm 5 years ago I like giant frogs. It's finny to imagine a frog that weighs 4.5 kilos. ajgodinho 5 years ago from Ontario, Canada LOL, I picked the giant snake - pretty amazing and scary at the same time!

hysongdesigns 5 years ago great lens; I've always enjoyed learning obscure scientific stuff. Yeah, I was weird in HS and still am ;-P Nany Palacio 5 years ago Great lens, I picked other prehistoric animals because we do not know to much about them and it is very interesting... GrowlinRock 5 years ago it's the sea scorpions that really scare me - great lens! anonymous 5 years ago Great lens. Love reading about these extinct animals. Fascinating stuff. Congratulations on Lens of the Day. WindyWintersHubs 5 years ago from Vancouver Island, BC Dinosaurs are amazing but there are so many different types of animals that roamed the earth that are quite fascinating. TransientTimes 5 years ago I like the others because you don't hear of them very often. Everyone knows what a dinosaur is. I learned something from this lens, great job!!! Steve Dizmon 5 years ago from Nashville, TN So much of dinosaur lore has been made public and popular that we all know something of them. Some of the prehistoric mammals and bird are also fascinating. Pat Broker 5 years ago from Templeton, CA Great lens!

The platybelodon is one I've never heard of..freaky. sending Purple Star! This lens was awarded with a purple star for quality content on 15 June 2011. THANK YOU to my readers and special thanks to skiesgreen for the nomination and Robin for the award! (: This lens was selected as Squidoo Lens Of The Day on 17 June 2011 So...what do you think? - Do you like large animals? Is bigger better? Do these prehistoric animals fascinate you? Did I miss your favorite? Leave your comments here!! More by this Author We have all seen birds...they are everywhere, in our backyards, gardens, and hedgerows. You can even find birds in cities. They bring life and color to our world, as well as beautiful songs and sounds! But what, by the... 11 G iant silk moths are large moths placed in the Saturniidae family. Sometimes called giant silk worm moths, these beauties are the largest moths in temperate North America and are truly spectacular. Silk moths often... 121 Learn about the 10 birds with the largest wingspans.

Are you crazy about prehistoric life? 148 comments JoyfulPamela2 5 years ago from Pennsylvania, USA These animals look very cool! Meloramus 5 years ago Excellent lens! Thanks for making this page. azuremaiden 5 years ago Being larger I bet they provided much more food or something else killed them off. If they were hunted it must have been quite dangerous and difficult. Humans are social animals though and have always worked together in groups. CathyLou LM 5 years ago Great info! That giant bug (crayfish) is scary! mattseefood lm 5 years ago WOW! Really really interesting. First time I ever saw creatures that big :) mattseefood lm 5 years ago WOW! Really really interesting. First time I ever saw creatures that big :) RhondaAlbom 5 years ago from New Zealand Really fascinating information. A bit creepy, but really interesting. Well done. Blessed by a Squidoo Angel. dahlia369 5 years ago An excellent lens! Nicely done & great resource. ***Angel blessed*** and featured on "My Life with Angel Wings" lens ...

:) ChrisDay LM 5 years ago Nice lens - great read - thanks squid-janices7 5 years ago What a cool lens....learned all kinds of stuff. A 42 foot long snake - I can't even imagine. ClinicallySigni 5 years ago The boid snake was pretty amazing. That thing was gigantic! Thanks for taking time to put together such a great lens! Jerrad28 5 years ago Very interesting! anonymous 5 years ago I'm getting crazier by the moment! Jenna, this is another masterpiece of yours.....any thoughts of adding a quiz..... MargoPArrowsmith 5 years ago A 1 1/4 ton snake? No thanks anonymous 5 years ago It is so amazing to think that once upon a time our planet was inhabited by these gigantic creatures. norma-holt 5 years ago Not so fascinated with prehistoric animals as much as with prehistoric man. Great lens *-*Blessed** and featured on Angel Blessings for Dogs on Squidoo - Other Animals ClinicallySigni 5 years ago I came across this awesome lens a couple of months ago and squidliked it and left a comment then.

I was so glad to see it made LotD! I just had to stop by again and say congrats on a well deserved Lens of the Day award. Awesome job! Nancy Hardin 5 years ago from Las Vegas, NV Congratulations on LOTD...beautiful job! I enjoyed this lens tremendously. dragonsix 5 years ago What I don't get is why everything grew so big? Plants included. It must have been a time of abundance, albeit a harsh and deadly environment. Retro Loco 5 years ago from USA I'm scared!! I know I'm going to dream about that huge, ugly snake tonight! Congrats on LOTD. A lot of work and research went into this lens -- it looks awesome, and it taught me a lot of things about prehistoric animals. Goldenpig999 5 years ago Loved the snake and the giant crayfish was very interesting also. Thanks for a good read. Airinka 5 years ago Interesting lens! Reading it was hard to believe :). Congratulations on Lotd... JennySui 5 years ago Very interesting lens! I enjoyed reading it..Congrats on LOTD! s1fizik 5 years ago Very ko blog and a great read !

Ty Philippians468 5 years ago thank you for sharing this delightful lens! enjoyed myself! cheers anonymous 5 years ago Awesome lens, i enjoyed reading it! Loved the Boid snake and the Megalodon. Congratulations on LotD! saadous 5 years ago Nice one! Interesting! Oosquid 5 years ago So much interesting stuff here. Desert Penguins, oh boy! A great lens, thank you for creating it. BrahmM 5 years ago Great lens! The megalodon is one large, scary beast! miaponzo 5 years ago I AM!!! A friend of mine and I ran a dinosaur educational program to teach people about dinosaurs and other scientific things :) SheilaVine LM 5 years ago Fabulous Lens anonymous 5 years ago I wonder why they are growing smaller and smaller, while humans are getting bigger and bigger. Something to do with evolution i guess. Great lens by the way! elenareviews 5 years ago Congrats for the Lens of The Day. rapidways 5 years ago Nice one, that's really cool. Its Historical bro i like it Diana Wenzel 5 years ago from Colorado Way cool. Congrats on LOTD!

I'm thinking it's pretty good to be living right now rather than in the times of the Giant Boid snake. I would have been afraid to leave my cave! yammi 5 years ago A great deal of time went into this lens good work dogface lm 5 years ago Huh, they really are large. Nice lens. marckq 5 years ago Great information for all ages, thanks for sharing! 67Shelbygal 5 years ago Wow, what a great Lens. I can't believe the size of that snake and that shark. Very cool. Great information. Congrats on LOTD! candy47 5 years ago Thanks for this hugely fantastic lens! sousababy 5 years ago Really fascinating and a well-deserved LotD and purple star for such a well-presented, educational lens. I had no idea about the snake, nor the shrimp. I'm glad garden snakes don't grow that big - ha. delia-delia 5 years ago Congratulations on a Great LOTD!

I believe in creationism but also believe life was different in plant and animal form, much larger with a water canopy to make this thrive...I personally believe that was for a purpose of creating composed of carbon and hydrogen atoms to make up our oil for our use in various ways...I know odd! ;-) anonymous 5 years ago Come back here again to say.. Congratulations on you purple star and LOTD.. So wonderful work of you. I do fall in love with all you've presented here ;) Have a wonderful time .. always.. dear, lady Jenna ;) anonymous 5 years ago Congratulations on Purple star and LOTD. Heather426 5 years ago from Wexford, Ireland wow, great LOTD! Congrats! running4theroses 5 years ago Congrats on the purple star and LotD- I don't know, though, I think imagining a megalodon could keep me awake at night. I'm not afraid of anything else, but I won't even go out in the ocean, I hate sharks so much. Michey LM 5 years ago Congrats for purple star and for LOTD, you really have a great resource lens.

Regards gypsyman27 lm 5 years ago Very interesting lens, great content. See you around the galaxy... anonymous 5 years ago Informative lens. Thanks you. anonymous 5 years ago Nice to see this page get awarded, I thought it was a winner before, and I'm very happy for you. ~ Congratulations! EcoGecko LM 5 years ago I always thought it was New Zealand, Kawhia where they found the largest penguin standing at the same height (an estimated 1.5metres) must have found them in two different locations. justholidays 5 years ago kwhiting644 lm 5 years ago Great lens. I like how the content over-rides the ads. anonymous 5 years ago Another great lens. Congrats on the LOTD! jptanabe 5 years ago from Red Hook, NY Congrats on LotD! These enormous prehistoric animals are fascinating - glad I won't have to meet any of them in the flesh, well I guess the big penguin would be OK. BunnyFabulous 5 years ago from Central Florida Never knew about most of these gigantic animals. The huge snake is pretty darn scary to think about. Congrats on LotD!

ChrisDay LM 5 years ago Congratulations for LotD - a very original lens and thoroughly deserving. I had 'liked' it before, quite a while ago, so I can't squidlike it again, sadly.. BarbRad 5 years ago from Templeton, CA This is all new to me. These prehistoric creatures boggle my mind. I don't think I'd want to meet any of them in person. dfishbac 5 years ago Wow! This is fascinating and new to me too. I'd like to have one of those 3 foot long shrimp sauteed in some olive oil and garlic. sujaysen 5 years ago So scary to know about these largest animals. mahimattphoto 5 years ago Awesome lens. So cool the earth is an amazing place. Scarlettohairy 5 years ago from Desert Southwest, U.S.A. No, I'm just crazy. Steve Dizmon 5 years ago from Nashville, TN I would like to see a representative of the ancient predator birds. Some of them were pretty awesome. GrowWear 5 years ago A very interesting read. Yes, pretty much fascinated by the prehistoric. Congratulations for your Lens Of The Day award!

pheonix76 5 years ago from WNY Author Thanks to everyone who visited today!! :) Smiles, Jenna TransientTimes 5 years ago Congrats on lens of the day!!! It was much enjoyed <3 TransientTimes 5 years ago Congrats on lens of the day!!! It was much enjoyed <3 WindyWintersHubs 5 years ago from Vancouver Island, BC Congratulations on LOTD! GoAceNate LM 5 years ago Wow great lens. Lots of neat facts here. Thanks! GabrielaFargasch 5 years ago Wow! That giant lobster really freaked me out! Lol Congratulations on your LOTD! Totally deserved! Bercton1 5 years ago Exciting lens and great history. Congratulations on LOTD! phoenix76 5 years ago from WNY Author @Scarlettohairy: Lol! Muzzie4848 5 years ago Congrats on your LOTD. I love history and reading your interesting facts. I particularly liked the snake vertebra comparison. Really interesting. GonnaFly 5 years ago from Australia These are truly fascinating creatures! Congrats on LOTD.

arpak12 5 years ago Congrats on LotD, this lens definitely deserved it. Downloadsoftwar1 5 years ago VladimirCat 5 years ago from Australia I don't like the giant prehistoric snake at all almirah 5 years ago A great and nice lens. Like the idea of clickable more info under text box. Congrats on LotD! LikinTrikin LM 5 years ago Congratulations to you !!!!! darciefrench lm 5 years ago Awesome, really enjoyed this prehistoric animals lens - had no idea these types of animals existed. Congrats on LOTD, well done! daedrea lm 5 years ago great and interesting lense! Great lens, Very good original content and very well presented. AdriennePetersen 5 years ago Great lens, well thought out! Congrats on LOTD and your purple star, very well deserved! DebMartin 5 years ago Super nice lens. Very informative. And I appreciate all the links. Thanks! ajgodinho 5 years ago from Ontario, Canada Wow, I'm always amazed by nature and the countless creatures that inhabit the earth. This lens lived up to my expectations when I read the title.

I enjoyed reading about all the prehistoric animals here and congrats on the Purple Star and LOTD! :) Annamadagan 5 years ago I see you used eveloution on this lens. :( anonymous 5 years ago How amazing! Yes, I found this fascinating--to think that such creatures once existed is mind boggling. phoenix76 5 years ago from WNY Author @Annamadagan: Yes, I am a scientist and only feel comfortable presenting accepted scientific facts and theories. (: MisterJeremy 5 years ago from Tokyo, Japan Congratulations on LOTD. Well deserved. I'm going to show this lens to my kids later. norma-holt 5 years ago Congratulations on both LOTD and the Purple star. Truly remarkable lens and now featured on Squidoo LOTD Lenses. MelissaInTheSky 5 years ago Wow! What a cool lens! I learned new things. :) Love the pictures! Psycho-Gamer 5 years ago from Earth Crazy no..interested ..hell yeah...like most of us are about our unknown past....lets not forget that sientistic have not discovered everything and some of their saying are based on theories... Rawane 5 years ago Love it!

Great infos! I'm a science teacher myself and kids are very curious and sometimes. They tend to ask me questions about animals and their prehistoric life. I couldn't answer some of their questions but after reading what you wrote, I sure know the answers now :) Thanks! aka sakabato 5 years ago I believe deep in a jungle there a giants animal that we do not discover yet, like some story of giant centipade, maybe in that environment they can grow bigger than we usually see in our daily life. p/s: why do my security words are always gigalust??? lynnrdavis 5 years ago Really great lens! Thanks for sharing. My nephew loves prehistoric studies. He'd get a kick out of this phoenix76 5 years ago from WNY Author @norma-holt: Thank you so very much Norma!! You are a true Squidoo angel. (: Hairdresser007 5 years ago from Burbank, CA congrats on the purple star! MarxBrandon 5 years ago Ramkitten2000 5 years ago from Flagstaff, Arizona If I saw a 42-foot snake, I'd keel over. Talk about creepy!

Fascinating stuff here. gogolf162 5 years ago Pretty amazing creatures. The ones we live with now are scary enough for me. AsianMarketplace 5 years ago I like reading the articles here. NoYouAreNot 5 years ago What about prehistoric felines? Giant lions, machaerodons, etc. Or proto-elephants. Steve-SEO-UK 5 years ago I am a mug for the History TV channel and watch numerous documentaries on prehistoric life. I saw a program recently which proclaimed that we could see 30ft Pythons realised in the not too distant future. Excellent Lens which I really enjoyed and well worth LOTD. Big thumbs up given. TapIn2U 5 years ago This is amazing! Had to watch the video over and over again. Thanks for this educational lens. Great job! Sundae ;-) LadyFlashman 5 years ago from United Kingdom Awesome lens! The Megaladon is terrifying, oooh and the giant snake - yikes! uruha-fan-girl 5 years ago My younger brother would love looking at these! He always want to know what animals is the biggest, strongest, tallest ha ha.

Good job:) naturegirl7s 5 years ago from Covington, LA Speaking as a retired teacher, you did a great job on this lens. Sprinkled with dust from the Angel of the farmyard on a Back to school field trip. Srena44 5 years ago great lens BryanLSC 5 years ago I don't get it. Why are prehistoric animals, including the dinosaurs, are so much larger than animals today? Our only contenders now are the whales! Why? TheHealthGuy LM 5 years ago from U.S.A. This is a site I'll have to spend some time on later. Fascinating information. I could literally spend hours learning. rob-hemphill 5 years ago from Ireland Fascinating to think how big the prehistoric creatures were. Not surprised you got LOTD with this, it is a beautiful piece of work, well done. SirAwesome 5 years ago Wow! What a great lens! Thanks for sharing! mrsphillips200 5 years ago Great lens. I find that some graphics are perhaps a little outdated, and Anancus is a genus, not a specific animal, but that is the video's problem, not your's.

There may be other issues, but overall an intreguing subject and a fun lens! peppervel 5 years ago Yes, I would read any articles I can chance upon on prehistoric animals. When younger, I used to spend hours in the library. I just love the mystery behind and the possibilities of these creatures roaming on earth millions years ago... amazing! anonymous 5 years ago I just had to take another peek in on this masterpiece! spartakct 5 years ago Pretty great lens -- well-researched and well written. anonymous 4 years ago good information, thanks SteveKaye 4 years ago It's fascinating to know the history of life on our planet. Thank you for publishing this lens. fugeecat lm 4 years ago I can't even imagine what a 2,000 lb rat would be like. Great lens! flycatcherrr 4 years ago Fascinating - the ginormous Desert-Dwelling Penguins are going to haunt my dreams! Shadrosky 4 years ago Seasons Greetings 4 years ago from Ontario, Canada I like to read or watch documentaries about ancient and prehistoric life. CoolFoto 4 years ago Congratulations on purple star!

You did a good job here!! JoshK47 4 years ago Popping back in to sprinkle some Angel dust on this lens! :) mojoCNYartist 4 years ago from CNY Very interesting lens..I enjoyed reading this, which is something I can honestly say compared to most lenses on this site. aesta1 4 years ago from Ontario, Canada Am not but am interested and I learned much from your lens. Deadicated LM 4 years ago Yes but I'm glad that they are no longer with us, that keeps us off the lunch menu. TonyPayne 4 years ago from Southampton, UK The giant anthropod is enough to make me want to run a mile and then some, looks like something out of Doctor Who. I saw some in New Zealand that were inches long and scary enough. In New Zealand there used to be a giant flightless bird called the "Moa", which made an Ostrich look tiny. The last ones died out only about 200 years ago. QuiltFinger 4 years ago from Tennessee Holy cow, or should I say holy Megalodon! I'm definitely favoring the larger herbivores. I had a lot of fun reading this and many OMG moments!

Very well-done and well-researched lens!! Melissa Miotke 4 years ago from Arizona They are very fascinating! Thanks for sharing:) KandDMarketing 4 years ago Nah, not crazy about 'em, but they are interesting! Thanks! myamya 4 years ago Very interesting lens!! boa11kfh 4 years ago Nice animals. I've liked prehistoric animals since I first watched Walking with Dinosaurs. I have all three series on DVD. I liked the giant whale and the giant shark. RestlessKnights 4 years ago There should be more lenses like this on Squidoo! Nice job. EpochCatcher 4 years ago Nice lens. I love prehistoric critters. leesholden 4 years ago from Derbyshire, UK Not any more, but back in the day - they certainly did! Can't wait to have my own kids to help them learn all about the prehistoric critters! anonymous 3 years ago Very interesting lens. Good job! anonymous 3 years ago I feel vey small all of a sudden. suepogson 3 years ago A really detailed and fun lens.

TanoCalvenoa 3 years ago 15 of the Largest Animals in the World «TwistedSifter The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales. At 30 metres (98 ft) in length and 180 metric tons (200 short tons) or more in weight, it is the largest known animal to have ever existed. The Blue Whale’s tongue weighs around 2.7 metric tons (5,952 pounds), about the size of an average Asian Elephant and its heart weighs about 600 kg (1,300 lb) and is the largest known in any animal. Not only is the heart similar size to a mini-cooper car but also comparable in weight. The Blue Whale is thought to feed almost exclusively on small, shrimp-like creatures called Krill. During the summer feeding season the Blue Whale gorges itself, consuming an astounding 3.6 metric tons (7,900 pounds) or more each day.

This means it may eat up to 40 million krill a day with a daily calorie requirement of an adult Blue Whale in the region of 1.5 million. [ Source ] The Heaviest Land Animal in the World: The African Bush Elephant The African Bush Elephant is the largest living terrestrial (land) animal, with males reaching 6 to 7.5 metres (19.7 to 24.6 ft) in length, 3.3 metres (10.8 ft) in height at the shoulder, and weighing 6 t (13,000 lb). Females are much smaller, reaching 5.4 to 6.9 metres (17.7 to 22.6 ft) in length, 2.7 metres (8.9 ft) in height at the shoulder, and weighing 3 t (6,600 lb). The adult African bush elephant generally has no natural predators due to its great size, but the calves (especially the newborn) are vulnerable to lion and crocodile attacks, and (rarely) to leopard and hyena attacks.

[ Source ] The Tallest Land Animal in the World: The Giraffe Photograph by Luca Galuzzi – The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is an African even-toed ungulate mammal and the tallest living terrestrial animal in the world. It stands 5–6 m (16–20 ft) tall and has an average weight of 1,600 kg (3,500 lb) for males and 830 kg (1,800 lb) for females. The giraffe has an extremely elongated neck, which can be over 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in length, accounting for nearly half of the animal’s vertical height. The long neck results from a disproportionate lengthening of the cervical vertebrae, not from the addition of more vertebrae. [ Source ] The Largest Carnivora in the World: The Southern Elephant Seal Photograph by DAVID SHACKELFORD The Southern elephant seal is the largest carnivore living today. This seals’ size shows extreme sexual dimorphism, possibly the largest of any mammal, with the males typically five to six times heavier than the females.

While the females average 400 to 900 kilograms (880 to 2,000 lb) and 2.6 to 3 meters (8.5 to 9.8 ft) long, the bulls average 2,200 to 4,000 kilograms (4,900 to 8,800 lb) and 4.5 to 5.8 meters (15 to 19 ft) long. The record-sized bull, shot in Possession Bay, South Georgia on February 28, 1913, measured 6.85 meters (22.5 ft) long and was estimated to weigh 5,000 kilograms (11,000 lb). Southern elephant seals dive repeatedly, each time for more than twenty minutes, to hunt their prey—squid and fish— at depths of 400 to 1,000 meters (1,300 to 3,300 ft). The documented diving records for the seals are nearly two hours for the duration, and more than 1,400 meters (4,600 ft) in depth.

[ Source ] The diverse order Carnivora includes over 280 species of placental mammals. Its members are formally referred to as carnivorans, while the word “carnivore” (often popularly applied to members of this group) can refer to any meat-eating organism. Carnivorans are the most diverse in size of any mammalian order, ranging from the least weasel (Mustela nivalis), at as little as 25 grams (0.88 oz) and 11 centimetres (4.3 in), to the polar bear and southern elephant seal. [ Source ] The Largest Reptile in the World: The Saltwater Crocodile The saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), is the largest of all living reptiles. It is found in suitable habitats from Northern Australia through Southeast Asia to the eastern coast of India. An adult male saltwater crocodile’s weight is 409 to 1,000 kilograms (900–2,200 lb) and length is normally 4.1 to 5.5 metres (13–18 ft).

However, mature males can exceed 6 metres (20 ft) and weigh more than 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb) and this species is the only extant crocodilian to regularly reach or exceed 4.8 metres (16 ft). The saltwater crocodile is an opportunistic apex predator capable of taking nearly any animal that enters its territory, either in the water or on dry land. [ Source ] The Largest Bats in the World: The Giant golden-crowned flying fox Golden Crowned Flying Fox | Photograph by Latorilla Spectacled Flying Fox | Photograph by Mnolf The largest bat species is the Giant golden-crowned flying fox (Acerodon jubatus), an endangered fruit bat from the rainforests of the Philippines that is part of the megabat family. The maximum size is believed to approach 1.5 kg (3.3 lb), 55 cm (22 in) long, and the wingspan may be almost 1.8 m (5.9 ft). The Large Flying Fox (Pteropus vampyrus) is smaller in body mass and length, but it has been known to exceed the Golden-crowned species in wingspan.

Specimens have been verified to 1.83 m (6.0 ft) and possibly up to 2 m (6.6 ft) in wingspan. [ Source ] Photograph by Library of Congress Osteichthyes, also called bony fish, are a taxonomic group of fish that have bony, as opposed to cartilaginous, skeletons. The vast majority of fish are osteichthyes, which is an extremely diverse and abundant group consisting of over 29,000 species. It is the largest class of vertebrates in existence today. The largest living bony fish is the widely distributed ocean sunfish (Mola mola). It resembles a fish head with a tail, and its main body is flattened laterally.

The mature ocean sunfish has an average length of 1.8 m (5.9 ft), a fin-to-fin length of 2.5 m (8.2 ft) and an average weight of 1,000 kg (2,200 lb), although individuals up to 3.3 m (10.8 ft) in length 4.2 m (14 ft) across the fins and weighing up to 2,300 kg (5,100 lb) have been observed. [ Source ] The Heaviest Flying Bird in the World: The Dalmatian Pelican Photograph by Doug Janson The Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus) is a member of the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe to India and China in swamps and shallow lakes. This is the largest of the pelicans, averaging 160–180 cm (63-70 inches) in length, 11–15 kg (24-33 lbs) in weight and just over 3 m (10 ft) in wingspan.

With a mean weight of 11.5 kg (25 lb), it is the world’s heaviest flying bird species on average, although large male bustards and swans can exceed the pelican in maximum weight. [ Source ]

Question: Which is the largest animal ever to have inhabited the Earth?
Answer: Blue Whale