15 Giant Animals You Didn't Know Existed

size does matter anyone who tells you differently is just plain incorrect especially when it comes to the animal kingdom you just never know where a giant predator could be hiding floating beneath the water surface ready to strike staring at you as you sip a cool drink on the shore you might not see the giant python dangling from the tree above you as you stroll the jungle path searching for an internet service signal point is pay attention they're out there from america to zimbabwe there are giant animals on every continent from armadillos to anacondas you name it they exist and did i mention they're huge here are 15 giant animals you didn't know existed i'm gonna show you this is the earth warm in the cloud forest [Music] number 15 giant 30-foot indonesian wild snake sometimes you find the most unexpected things in the wake of environmental devastation like during seasonal forest fires in indonesia residents who were there to help extinguish the fire found a 30-foot long dead python possibly about the thickness of an adult human sty pythons of this size can easily swallow cattle like goats and cows and even human beings if you live near indonesia the species is native to the swamps and jungles of southeast asia another huge wild snake was caught in jakarta villagers claimed to have captured a python that was almost 49 feet long and weighing nearly 990 pounds a local official said if confirmed it would be the largest snake ever kept in captivity of course hundreds of people flocked to see the snake at a zoo in a small village on the country's main island of java a local government official announced the reticulated python measured 48 feet 8 inches and weighed in at 983 pounds but according to the guinness book of world records the longest ever captured snake is 32 feet the heaviest a burmese python kept in gurney illinois weighing 402 pounds the book said on its website so the indonesian snake had all those other pythons beat and according to local newspapers the snake which was caught last year but only recently put on public display eats three or four dogs a month dead or alive these snakes are a sight to behold before we move on if you don't smash the like button subscribe and click the notification bell today it the clown will appear under your bed tonight number 14 praya dubia praya dubia or the giant safonafor is an invertebrate which lives in the deep sea at 2 300 feet to 3 300 feet below sea level so the chances of this slippery sea creature wrapping itself around your ankle as you swim is very slim however it's been found off the coast around the world from iceland to the north atlantic to chile in the south pacific praia dubia is a member of the order safona foray within the class hydrozoa with a body length of up to 160 feet it's the second longest sea organism after the bootlace worm more on that later its length also rivals the blue whale the sea's largest mammal although prior dubia is as thin as a broomstick the giant sephana 4 is not a single multicellular organism but a colony of tiny biological components called zuids each having evolved with a specific function zooids cannot survive on their own relying on symbiosis a close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms in order for a complete prio dubious specimen to survive giant sphinophores like all suphonophores are a collection of highly specialized working parts some parts catch prey others digest food some parts reproduce and others direct the action by swimming and did you know these massive invertebrates can glow with the bioluminescence it creates its own light when it bumps against something its stems glow with a bright blue light number 13. leatherback sea turtles leatherbacks are the largest turtles on earth growing up to seven feet long and exceeding 2 000 pounds but are the only turtle species in the world that do not have a hard shell and scales they're named for their tough skin that resembles rubbery leather and these big beauties have been around a very very very long time these reptilian relics are the only remaining representatives of a family of turtles that traces its evolutionary roots back more than 100 million years and have existed in their current form since the time of the dinosaurs unlike many other reptile species leatherback turtles are able to maintain warm body temperatures in cold water due to some unique adaptations that allow them to generate and retain body heat these turtles also have a specialized blood vessel structure that allows them to maintain a body temperature that's higher than the surrounding water this provides them with a major advantage in the extremely cold waters and probably why they've been around for so long once prevalent in every ocean except the arctic and antarctic the leatherback population is rapidly declining in many parts of the world unfortunately the u.s federal government has listed the leatherback as an endangered worldwide species primary threats to the turtle include incidental take in commercial fisheries and marine pollution as well as the harvest of eggs but you can still find leatherback sea turtles as far north as canada and the northern pacific ocean they tend to nest in the tropics however within the united states the leatherback is known to nest in southeast florida puerto rico and the u.s virgin islands and don't worry they pose no threat to humans the leatherback sea turtle feeds primarily on jellyfish fun fact leatherback turtles are expert divers capable of diving down nearly four thousand feet deep number twelve the bootlace worm scuba divers have been accustomed to legendary tales of monster sea worms but see for yourself as example discovered recently of western australia seems to have changed the game for such sightings with an estimated length of almost 150 feet a worm bigger than any animal yeah it's true they really do exist the gelatinous bootlace worm a string of free-swimming hydrozones each with the ability to clone itself was discovered during the month-long expedition it may also be the longest animal on the planet uncertainty remains because these stretchy worms are difficult to accurately measure but they've been found at lengths of over 98 feet and are believed to even grow as long as 197 feet longer than the biggest whales despite their length they're less than an inch around the smallest ribbon worm species is less than a centimeter long and resembles a piece of thread more closely than what we think of as a worm but they can be dangerous when this super long worm is irritated it releases large amounts of thick mucus that's poisonous and can paralyze and kill crustaceans and other small sea creatures but it's not so dangerous for mammals today similar neurotoxins that have been extracted from the snakes spiders and cone shells are used in pharmaceuticals pharmalogical tools and biotechnology and as agricultural insecticides and it's totally possible that the toxins from the bootlace worm can also be used in similar ways exciting number 11. giant isopod there are 20 known species in the genus bathynomus the giant isopod is the biggest yeah they're kind of weird looking but they're also kind of adorable here are a few things we know about these internet beloved creatures they're not bugs they're crustaceans and are closely related to marine crustaceans like shrimp and crabs giant isopods live between 550 to 7020 feet deep and potentially deeper and prefer a mud or clay floor which they burrow into for shelter primarily in the pacific ocean off japan and in the south china sea and they get big really big typically giant isopods are between seven and a half and 14.2 inches in length but they can get much bigger one specimen pulled up in 2010 was two and a half feet long scientists aren't quite sure why these isopods get so enormous but believe that their huge size might be an adaptation that helps them survive in the extreme pressure of the deep ocean and of course they're carnivorous though they're generally believed to be scavengers feasting on dead animals that fall from above some evidence suggests that they might also eat slow-moving live animals like sponges giant isopods also attack troll catches creatures caught in nets to be dragged onto fishing boats giant isopods are found in most oceans of the world their habitat ranges in depth from the dimly lit sub-literal zone at 550 feet and pitch darkness of the bathyla pagic zone at seven thousand twenty feet they prefer mud or clay ocean bottom areas where they prefer to live solitary lives and we're okay with that number 10. chan's mega stick for batikuchani is one of the longest insects in the world having its record beaten in 2016 by fibroganistria chinensis named the chan's mega stick a record-breaking stick bug was discovered in the borneo rainforest by a stick insect enthusiast and has been handed to the natural history museum in london measures 22.3 inches almost two feet this measurement is however with the front legs fully extended the body alone still measures 14.1 inches named after amateur malaysian naturalist detuk chan chu lun very little is known about its biology in the stick insect world it's the queen of the jungle stretching to an extraordinary 22 inches the newly discovered bug is the longest insect in the world dr george pecciloni curator of stick insects cockroaches and grasshoppers at the museum said we've known about both the previous record holders for over 100 years so it's extraordinary and even bigger species has only just been discovered almost nothing is known about the biology and lifestyle of this bizarre insect it's a vegetarian they most likely live high in the forest canopies of the rainforest making it very difficult to find in this relatively unexplored area of rainforest ecosystems and good luck trying to find one giant or not megastic insects are mainly nocturnal creatures spending much of their day motionless hidden under plants helping them avoid many predators number nine giant gippsland earthworm most of the world's most deadly creatures live in australia and some of the biggest too the continent's long isolation has given rise to an incredibly unique diversity of life that yeah includes some extremely lethal critters some not so lethal perhaps its most remarkable creature is a gentle extremely delicate colossus few have had the privilege of ever seeing the giant gibsland earthworm which can grow to some six feet long we've all seen big worms especially in the yard maybe relaxing on the concrete after a rainstorm the gippsland earthworm is super-sized these elusive monsters have been known to science only since the late 1800s when workers unearthed a specimen while surveying a rail line mistaking it for a snake with great care they took it to a professor at the university of melbourne who i hope informed them that snakes generally have teeth and scales duh oddly these wonderful worms live in a really small area of australia which makes it an extremely vulnerable species isolated to just 150 square miles at the southeast tip of the country its habitat once dense forest has been almost entirely converted to farmland where tiling and toxins have pushed them to the brink of extinction but while these worms only surface during heavy rains to avoid drowning in soggy soil you can actually hear them underfoot the giant earthworm burrows the relatively firm soil up to five feet deep using its muscular head to chew through the substrate while ingesting fungi bacteria algae and other microbes they don't have teeth but they do have a gizzard where small rocks that the worm has eaten help grind up food still wouldn't you think it was a snake no worm should be this big number 8. the giant oarfish the giant oarfish a type of herring which has been known to reach up to a ridiculous 110 feet long and weigh 600 pounds is considered a deep sea fish because of its long thin shape the oarfish is sometimes known as the ribbon fish so let's take a look at the mega long fish the king of herrings in all its glory oarfish are typically found at depths of about 650 feet but can lurk as deep as about 3000 feet according to the florida museum of natural history and mainly in the deep seas of the eastern atlantic ocean and mediterranean sea even though it's a deep water species it's not too uncommon to see an oarfish sometimes we can get lucky these long silver creatures have been known to wash ashore after storms they also have a habit of floating near the surface of the water when they're sick or dying which could explain a lot could the giant oarfish floating at the surface be mistaken for something else it's believed that the oar fish may be responsible for many of the legendary sightings of sea monsters and sea serpents by ancient mariners and beachgoers a lot nest monster comes to mind however the origin of the oarfish name is unknown yet your fish is thriving and not considered to be an endangered species maybe just maybe scotland's loch ness monster will wash up on the shore after a storm then and only then we will know if it's in fact a giant oarfish number seven the cassowary in the spring of 2019 a 75 year old man was attacked by at least one of the exotic birds that he raises on his property in florida and the south of the united states his injuries were so severe that he later died in the hospital yeah these birds really messed him up the exotic birds in question weren't parrots or canaries however they were called a cassowary so what exactly is this kind of bird like their cousins the emus these large flightless birds with grizzly feathers are rattites big birds with distinctive breastplates they're native to the tropical forests of southeast asia in australia though size varies across three different species cassowaries can stand over six feet tall and weigh as much as 132 pounds the equivalent to six mute swans which are the heftiest birds native to the uk but should you farm these big birds along with animals such as alligators and wild cats cassowaries are listed as class 2 wildlife in florida and you can owe that to the risk that they pose also known as they're dangerous this means an owner must satisfy a number of tests and acquire a special permit from the local authorities to legally keep them as they cannot fly away from a fight cassowaries have adapted to use their crest and claw to protect themselves and stand their ground in a fight they'll stand as tall as possible ruffle their feathers and hiss and lower their heads to show off their crest before attacking not only do they make use of the cask but their middle claw acts like a dagger standing at four inches in length and can cause serious damage but still the real reason people love them is they kind of look like giant prehistoric turkeys but they're in fact descendants of dinosaurs they're descending from dinosaur supports the classification of the cassowary as the most dangerous bird on earth number six giant armadillo the amazing giant armadillo is one of the largest species of armadillos growing over 3 feet long and weighing up to 65 pounds so big and very cute the species is widely distributed over southeastern venezuela the guianas northeastern brazil paraguay and northern parts of argentina giant armadillos live in a variety of habitats performing however areas with a large population of termites they can occasionally be seen in arid and semi-arid woodlands savannas tropical and sub-tropical rainforests as well as brazilian floodplains due to its cryptic behavior and low population densities this animal is very rarely seen however this animal is easily recognizable due to its powerful enlarged central claw and the carapace covered with tough bony scales pentagonal scales over the legs and the tail of the animal as well the carapace of the giant armadillo is black or gray on the dorsal part and lighter on the ventral part of its body these two parts being separated by a strip the body underneath the carapace is naked wrinkly and pinkish in color the giant armadillo has a conical head and blunt muzzle a mouth with 80 to 100 teeth which is more than any other terrestrial mammal they also possess extremely long front claws including a sickle-shaped third claw which are proportionately the largest of any living mammal so big and kind of scary but a run-in is unlikely the giant armadillo is threatened with extinction and is currently classified as vulnerable in brazil the species is classified as critically endangered number five lion's mane jellyfish the majestic lion's mane jellyfish cannot be missed in the open ocean it's huge just don't touch with stinging tentacles up to 120 feet long even rivaling inside the blue whale it's the largest animal in the world and most lion's mane jellyfish can be found in the arctic and north pacific ocean from alaska to washington where the waters are cool its lion's mane of long hair-like tentacles hanging from the underside of its bell-shaped body is the inspiration behind the name of course this unusual creature's mouth is situated on the bell's underside surrounded by tentacles that are divided into eight clusters of up to 150 tentacles each these tentacles are equipped with deadly poison and with a powerful sting the lion's mane jellyfish feasts on small fish tiny crustaceans and even other jellyfish to satisfy its appetite and they never stop swimming lion's mane jellyfish are continual swimmers and can cover huge distances but most prefer to swim solo however large swarms of jellyfish occasionally happen when storms and tides are active and they can glow the lion's mane jellyfish also possesses bioluminescent abilities meaning it's able to produce its own light and glow in the dark underwater but don't be fooled by this jellyfish magic in 2010 new england beachgoers somewhere between 50 and 100 swimmers were stung off the coast of rye new hampshire and when a 40-pound lion's mane corpse was found at the scene the authorities felt they'd found the perpetrator but could a solitary giant jellyfish really inflict so much mayhem number four blackiston's fish owl the blackest ins fish owl is the world's largest style ranging from the eastern woodlands of hokkaido japan to the primord territory in the south of russia's far east blackiston's fish owl named after the english naturalist thomas blackiston can weigh up to a hefty 10 pounds and it can have a wingspan of up to six feet wide its main diet consists of fish such as pike catfish trout and salmon but it will also eat some other aquatic prey amphibians and even small mammals species from japan eat a greater variety of mammalian prey and this is a more important part of its diet in winter they fish well too this owl doesn't shy away from catching some rather large fish even if it means it has to struggle to remove catch weighing more than twice its own weight from the water one report describes this owl placing a foot on a tree root to steady itself while hauling its mill out to the riverbank since fish presumably can't hear the owls approaching the blackiston's fisheye does not have silencing fringes on its flight feathers as is typical of other owls so its attack is silent and deadly but unfortunately the species is endangered with only fifteen hundred to thirty seven hundred fish oils remaining in the wild the blackeston's fish aisle is in danger due to widespread habitat destruction development along riverbanks conversion of farmland and logging are cited as factors responsible for habitat loss and of course stupid humans fish house are sometimes killed by fur trappers and shot by hunters number 3 goliath frog so big they named it goliath the goliath frog is the largest frog in the world it grows up to 12 and a half inches long and can weigh up to 7.2 pounds that's about as big as some house cats ribbit it doesn't start out so big though the goliath frog tadpole is the same size as the tadpole of an average fog but just keeps growing and growing and growing the adult looks a lot like other frogs as well just a whole lot bigger these fantastic frogs live in small ranges in rainforests at the equator of western africa near swift moving rivers and waterfalls these great amphibians need to be near water much like the average frog goliath frogs come out in night and sit on river rocks to look for food and a dog goliath frog eats the same types of food that other frogs do insects crustaceans fish and other amphibians but one researcher found a bat in the stomach of a goliath frog and that was kind of crazy how does that even happen goliath frogs have been around for about 250 million years they're one of the only few amphibians still alive that lived on the earth before the dinosaurs but just try to find one goliath frogs occupy a relatively small range that stretches from southwestern cameroon into equatorial guinea and they're quite skittish making them difficult to observe due to factors like hunting large-scale trapping for the pet trade and habitat loss the amphibians are also endangered darn humans number two saltwater crocodile in 2018 australian parks and wildlife rangers captured a monster of a crocodile the beast was 15 feet and five inches long and weighed a whopping thirteen hundred pounds but another famous saltwater crocodile low long from the philippines was twenty feet 3 inches long and holds the guinness world record for the largest crocodile ever captured congrats lolong you win it other than lo long there are records of a saltwater crocodile skin from papua new guinea which was over 20 feet in length and of course there are also wild stories of even bigger animals in the wild but none quite as ferocious as the saltwater crocodile saltwater crocs or salties as australians affectionately refer to them as have an enormous range populating the blackish and freshwater regions of eastern india southeast asia and northern australia highly adaptable they're excellent swimmers and have often been spotted far out at sea classic opportunistic predators they lurk patiently beneath the surface near the water's edge waiting for potential prey to stop for a sip of water and crunch they'll feed on anything they can get their jaws on including water buffalo monkeys wild boar and even sharks and humans without warning they explode from the water with a thrash of their powerful tails grasp their victim and drag it back in holding it under until the animal drowns nice knowing ya number one the green anaconda this is the moment a giant 33 foot long anaconda was found by terrified builders on a construction site in brazil the huge reptile which weighs in at a whopping 880 pounds was discovered by the workers after they carried out a controlled explosion in the cave of altamira in the northern state of para a member of the boa family south america's green anaconda is pound for pound the largest snake in the world its cousin the reticulated python can reach slightly greater lengths but the enormous girth of the anaconda makes it almost twice as heavy green anacondas can grow to more than 35 feet weighing more than 800 pounds and measure more than 12 inches in diameter that's one foot wide folks they reach their monumental size on a diet of wild pigs deer birds turtles capybara caimans and even jaguars anacondas are non-venomous constrictors coiling their muscular bodies around captured prey and squeezing until the animal exfixiates jaws attached by stretchy ligaments allow them to swallow their prey whole no matter the size and they can go weeks or months without food after a big meal if you want to find a green anaconda and trust me you don't they live in swamps marshes and slow-moving streams mainly in the tropical rainforest of the amazon and orinoco basins they're a little slower on land but stealthy and sleek in the water their eyes and nasal openings are on the top of their heads allowing them to lay in weight for prey while remaining nearly completely submerged so yeah forget about swimming that was 15 giant animals you didn't know existed thanks for watching and we'll see you next time you

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Keywords: giant, animals, giant animals, giant animals you, giant animals you didnt know existed, giant snake, snakes, snake, biggest, largest, biggest animals, biggest snake, in the world, largest animals, wild animals, wildlife, top 15, countdown, caught on tape, caught on camera, creatures, big animals, sea creatures, sea animals, monsters, praya dubia, leatherback sea turtle, bootlace worm, giant isopod, giant oarfish, creature, animal, biggest creatures, largest creatures, big, large, 2020

Id: ulTtGoPNy78

Length: 24min 32sec (1472 seconds)

Published: Wed Sep 09 2020