THE 20 LARGEST ANIMALS IN THE HISTORY OF THE EARTH - BIOLOGY - 2025

Did you know that the largest animal in history was 58 meters long and weighs up to 122,400 kilos? That far exceeds the largest animal that still exists; the blue whale.

In this list we make a ranking that includes both land and marine animals, some of which are well known such as the Megalodon or the Tyrannosaurus rex, due to the fame granted by fiction films such as Jurasic Park.

Dinosaurs have been one of the largest land animals in history. Source: Pixabay.com

However, there are others, more unknown, that inhabited the Earth and were great predators due to their enormous size. We are talking about one-ton snakes or flying beings of more than 12 meters.

Ranking of the largest land animals in history

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The Ankylosaurus magniventris is the largest dinosaur in the Ankylosauridae family. It was a species that stood out for its rocky armor and its tail, which had a huge mallet. It lived at the end of the Cretaceous period, that is, 68 million years ago.

Although it is necessary to discover complete skeletons, it is considered the most representative armored dinosaur among the thyrophoric dinosaurs. According to experts it was 9 m long and 1.7 m high. Furthermore, it weighed approximately 6.6 tons.

There is a close relative called Stegosaurus that had the same dimensions, but weighed slightly less, 5.5 tons.

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The Ptychodus was a genus of shark that lived from the Cretaceous to the Paleogene. It was the largest within the hybodonts (Hybodontiformes) family, a group of animals that is distinguished by the conical and compressed shape of their teeth.

Due to their body shape, experts think they were slow swimmers, but used their fins to change direction and stabilize. Curiously, they could live in fresh and salt water environments, inhabiting Europe and North America. According to experts it was 9.8 m long.

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Fasolasuchus was an animal that lived during the Upper Triassic. That is, 235 to 200 million years ago. It is considered the largest specimen within the rauisuquio family, a type of reptile that was characterized by having an upright posture.

This erect posture makes experts think that they were agile and active predators. This means that it was the largest land hunter ever discovered and that it does not belong to the dinosaur family. According to experts, they estimate that its average length was 8 to 10 m.

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Sarcosuchus imperator, commonly called Emperor SuperCroc, is a type of crocodile that lived during the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic Era. That is, approximately 110 million years ago. It lived in South America, but it has also been found in the Sahara desert, in Africa.

The first fossil finds occurred between 1946 and 1959. Later, between 1997 and 2000, remains of their skulls were found. This helped experts estimate that its average length was 12 m and that it weighed 8.8 tons.

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Helicoprion was a cartilaginous fish very similar to the shark, since it had a spiral denture, characteristic for which it is also known as "spiral saw" fish. That is, their old and small teeth were shifted to the center, while the new and large ones were at the ends.

It emerged for the first time in the oceans of Pennsylvania, 280 million years ago, surviving until the Upper Triassic (225 million years). Experts suggest that its size exceeded 12 m in length. The Parahelicoprion is a familiar that had the same dimensions, but was thinner and less heavy.

15- Plesiosauroidea

Plesiosauroids are a family of marine reptiles that lived from the Lower Jurassic to the Upper Cretaceous. Many have called them "snakes within a turtle's shell."

The longest known was called Styxosaurus and measured more than 12 m. However, the Hatzegopteryx, Albertonectes and Thalassomedon, rivaled in size.

However, the largest pterosaur was Quetzalcoatlus. He weighed about 127 kg and was almost 12 m tall. These estimates were made based on his skull, which was 3 m long.

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Deinosuchus was a type of reptile in the crocodilia family. It is among the largest crocodiles of all time, estimated to be between 8 and 15 meters long and its maximum weight was 9 tons.

It lived in the United States and northern Mexico, approximately 80-75 million years ago, during the Cretaceous Period of the Mesozoic Era.

A close relative is the Purussaurus, with dimensions of 11 and 13 m in length. Another similar large crocodile is Rhamphosuchus, which was estimated to be between 8 and 11 m in length.

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The largest known prehistoric snake is the Titanoboa cerrejonensis. It was estimated to be 12m8m long and weighed 1,135kg. Other findings suggest a somewhat larger size, up to 14.3 meters long. It lived in present-day Colombia, South America, during the Paleocene, 60 and 58 million years ago.

Another very large snake is the Gigantophis garstini, whose dimensions ranged from 9.3 to 10.7 m in length.

12- Theropods

Theropods are a type of dinosaurs that were characterized by having hollow bones and three functional fingers on their extremities. They first appeared 230 million years ago and disappeared about 66 million years ago.

They were generally predators, but there are several groups that became herbivores, omnivores, piscivores, and insectivores.

Two of the largest are the Giganotosaurus carolinii with a length of 13.2 m, and the famous Tyrannosaurus rex with a length of 12.3 m. Other notable but smaller giant theropods are Carcharodontosaurus, Acrocanthosaurus, and Mapusaurus.

11- Ornithopods

Ornithopods were a type of dinosaur that lived from the Lower Jurassic to the Upper Cretaceous. That is, approximately 197 and 66 million years ago. It inhabited every continent, including Antarctica.

The largest of all was the so-called Shantungosauru s. They were so heavy that they exceeded 25 tons and could be up to 16.5 m long. In fact, only his skull measured 1.63 m. It could advance on the hind legs or on all four, since they all ended in hooves.

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Leedsichthys is the largest ray-finned fish of all time. It belonged to the Pachycormidae family, a group of bony fish that lived in the oceans during the Middle Jurassic period. Its fossils have been discovered in places like England, France, Germany and Chile.

According to experts, its maximum length was approximately 16.5 m. Curiously, it has been mistaken for dinosaur remains due to its large size. However, it has been difficult to interpret its dimensions, since its body is made up mainly of cartilage, a tissue that rarely fossilizes.

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The largest prehistoric sperm whale was Livyatan melvillei, the only specimen that inhabited the shores of the Pacific Ocean, in what is now known as Peru. It is believed to have been an aggressive predator.

The fossils that have been found of his skull have measured 3 meters long. In addition, several teeth were found, the largest 36 cm in length. This suggests that the total length of her body must have been 13.5 to 17.5 meters. It is also believed that they weighed approximately 63 tons.

8- Pliosauroids

Pliosauroids were a type of reptile that lived from the Upper Triassic to the Upper Cretaceous. There is much controversy about which is the largest known. For example, one was found in Norway in 2008 and it was called Predator X which, according to experts, was 15 m long and weighed 50 tons.

In 2002, one had been found in Mexico with the same dimensions, but these paleontologists claimed that it was a young specimen. Another very large one was Pliosaurus macromerus, whose average jaw was 2.8 m long, suggesting that it could have reached a size of 18 m.

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Mosasaurs were aquatic lizards that disappeared in the late Lower Cretaceous. He lived in Western Europe, North America, South America, and Antarctica.

They are currently considered close relatives of snakes. They breathed air and were powerful swimmers. In fact, they were adapted to warm, shallow seas.

The largest specimen is called Mosasaurus hoffmanni, which measured 17.6 m. There is also the Hainosaurus bernardi, which is believed to have measured between 17 and 12.2 m. In turn, the smallest was the Tylosaurus, estimating a length of 10–14 m.

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Spinosaurus is the largest theropod dinosaur known to date. This makes it the largest land predator that ever existed. Some suggest that it may have been semi-aquatic, something akin to the modern crocodile.

It lived in North Africa during the Cretaceous, approximately 112 to 93.5 million years ago. Thanks to the fossils found, experts estimate that it must have measured between 12.6 and 18 m in length and had to weigh around 8 to 23 tons. However, the theory that it was robust is discarded.

5- Megalodon

The Megalodon was a shark that lived during the Cenozoic. That is, 19.8 and 2.6 million years ago, approximately. It is considered one of the largest and most powerful predators in the history of vertebrates. In fact, it was similar to today's white shark.

Their existence probably greatly influenced the way the marine communities of their time were structured. According to the fossil record, experts suggest that it measured more than 16 m in length and that it weighed about 114 tons. That makes it the largest shark that ever lived.

4- Ichthyosaurs

Ichthyosaurs were lizard fish that lived from the Lower Triassic to the Upper Cretaceous, that is, approximately 245-90 million years ago. Among the largest is the Shastasaurus sikanniensis, whose dimensions were 21 m in length.

In April 2018, paleontologists announced the discovery of a new specimen within this species and suggest that it could have reached lengths of 26 to 30 m. This makes it rival the blue whale in size.

Another giant ichthyosaur was also found and that, according to experts, possibly exceeds the aforementioned cetacean.

3- Sauropods

Sauropods are a species of quadruped dinosaurs that lived from the Upper Triassic to the Upper Cretaceous (between 210 and 66 million years ago). They were found on all continents and were herbivores.

Although the animals that continue in our count belong to this species, a mention should be made of Argentinosaurus, Alamosaurus and Puertasaurus: three species with similar characteristics that measured between 30 to 33 meters in length and weighed around 55 and 58 tons..

There is also the Patagotitan, which is estimated to be 37 m long and weighed 76 tons. Others are Supersaurus, Sauroposeidon, and Diplodocus, which rivaled in length, but not weight.

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Barosaurus lentus is another species of sauropod. It lived in North America at the end of the Jurassic period, that is, 150 million years ago.

It was originally thought to reach only 27m, however a massive spine attributed to this species was recently found, suggesting that it had a maximum length of 50m. In turn, this made experts think that his body mass could exceed 110 tons. However, he was less robust than his other relatives.

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Maraapunisaurus fragillimus, also known as a mega-sauropod, was the largest known dinosaur in history. It stood out for having a very long neck and tail, the latter having the shape of a whip.

It has been estimated that it was 58 m long and weighed 122.4 tons. Unfortunately, the fossil remains of this dinosaur have been lost. Recently, it has been said that it could actually measure between 30.3 and 32 m in length, its size having been exaggerated.