Animals of enormous size have always attracted the attention of humans, frightened 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 sea depths, rivers, savannahs and forests are inhabited by huge animals, beautiful and dangerous.
Inhabitants of the African continent
Africa is a habitat for many animals due to its hot climate, diverse natural landscapes and vast territories. Giant animals such as hippos, giraffes, elephants and gorillas live and breed here.
In the south of the Sahara, mainly near trees, lives the tallest mammal - the giraffe. Some males are over six meters tall. Theseartiodactyls are mainly 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 the cubs are born without them.
Huge African elephants, living almost all over the continent, weigh about seven and a half thousand kilograms. These are the largest representatives of herbivorous mammals on the planet.
The largest white rhinoceroses live in areas rich in grass that they eat. A huge horn on the face of the animal, sometimes reaching more than 150 centimeters, makes the rhinoceros look especially ferocious. Large males weigh from two to three and a half tons. They live mainly in the south of the mainland.
Big fish
The largest fish among bony fish is considered to be the oceanic sunfish. 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. Lives in ocean waters near Japan, New Zealand, Australia.
The whale shark, the largest of the sharks, is a huge cartilaginous fish. Some representatives of the species grow up to 20 meters. It is distinguished by a flattened muzzle, spotted color on top, white color of the belly. Whale sharks prefer to eat plankton, do not pose a threat to humans, swim in warm waters, and do not move fast.
Huge inhabitants of the ocean depths
The most gigantic animals are the inhabitants of the ocean depths, blue whales, which have a body weight of about 180 tons, reaching a length of more than thirty meters. Encounter with such a whale may be unsafe even for some ships. It differs in that it is not inclined to live in groups. But the pairs that form blue whales are usually strong, live together for a long time.
These mammals feed on plankton and live up to ninety years. The blue whale is under protection, as it belongs to endangered animals. For a long time it was the object of hunting because of the whalebone, widely used for tailoring fashionable toilets.
Giants who used to live on Earth
Long before the appearance of man, when the climate was milder, and the Earth was covered with numerous tropical forests, giant animals lived in them. Dinosaurs, extinct and not surviving to this day, once ruled the planet. Archeopteryx soared in the sky, the remains of which were imprinted in the rocks and already in this form reached modern scientists. The ocean was inhabited by the prototypes of modern dolphins - toothed ichthyosaurs.
Many kinds 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 during the Jurassic period.
Tyrannosaurus Rex - a bipedal lizard with a powerful toothy mouth, which was one of the most dangerous predators of that era. The growth was more than twelve meters,the massive tail was a powerful tool of the ancient reptile, with which the tyrannosaurus hit its prey.
Due to climatic and other changes, all these animals have become extinct. The era of dinosaurs was replaced by the era of mammals. Mammoths, mastodons, smilodons and woolly rhinoceros were vastly larger than their offspring.
Reptiles of abnormal growth
Giant animals are also found among reptiles. So the largest reptile is the s altwater crocodile (combed). An aggressive predator, reaching six meters in length, lives off the coast of India and Australia. Immediately rushes to the attack, seeing a potential victim. Weighs almost a ton, has good maneuverability, so the victims of the 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 bodies around their prey, they strangle the animals, then swallow them whole. After a hearty meal, the reptile may not eat for up to a month. A huge snake emits an unpleasant odor, has a greenish color, lives in the waters of South America. It can produce about forty cubs at a time. He spends his whole life in the water, during the period of drought he falls into suspended animation, burrowing into the silt. He does not like to hunt a person, despite the fact that such an anaconda is represented in the cinema. The reptile, smelling people, tries to avoid meeting them.
Large inhabitants of Antarctica
Southern elephant sealIt is considered the largest pinniped predator that lives off the coast of Antarctica, as well as on adjacent islands. Large males reach six meters in length with a body weight of up to five to six tons. They prefer to eat squid and small krill, they spend most of their lives in the water, migrating and traveling. It lives on land only during the summer months, this period is associated with the creation of pairs, the production of offspring. Despite the fact that hunting for them 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 humid clay regions of Ciscaucasia. The rodent has neither eyes nor ears, its height reaches about 35 centimeters, and its weight reaches a kilogram. He has protruding teeth, a long body, a terrible muzzle. Behind the unattractive appearance of the mole rat lies a peaceful animal that spends most of its life underground. Even the fleas that live in his fur are blind. This rodent often becomes a victim of predatory animals and birds. Due to its underground lifestyle, it is often confused with a mole, although they do not look alike.
How dangerous is hunting giant animals
In ancient times, animals were hunted by man mainly because he lacked food. Today, many giant animals are destroyed for the sake of tusks, bones, skins, which are widely used to make luxury goods. In pursuit of chic, people kill a huge number of animals, despite the fact that many of them are protected.due to the danger of extinction.
Sometimes hunting is organized as extreme entertainment. Such inhuman activities can lead to the extinction of entire species, and the descendants will be left only with photos of giant animals, which will no longer be seen live.
Despite the fact that the listed animals are large, they also need protection from poachers, other predators, aggressive environment, adverse environmental conditions. And only a person can cope with this task - this must be remembered!
