For those of you who are squeamish, have a phobia of fishy things or creepy crawlies, you may wish to look away now.
Because below are 11 amazing photographs of some of the very biggest animals in the world. And they are not a pretty bunch.
Ranging from pig-gobbling snakes to bird-eating spiders, from 11-inch centipedes to 6ft-long crabs, this gallery will have you checking under your pillow tonight – these horrors will certainly go bump in the night.
Here’s looking at you, squid! This slimy sea monster is a Colossal Squid and was found in Antarctica three years ago. This species is believed to be the largest in the squid family in terms of mass and its limbs are equipped with sharp hooks – some swiveling, others three-pointed. These squid also have the largest eyes documented in the animal kingdom. They rarely pose a threat to humans as they normally are deep below the waves.
Imagine waking up to find one of these crawling on your duvet. This is a Goliath Beetle and is the largest insect in the world. They are part of the Scarab Beetle family and can be found in the tropical forests in Africa where they feed primarily on tree sap and fruit. The creepy crawlies, also known as Goliathus, can grow to 110 millimetres.
Check out this spidy, man. This is the Goliath Bird-Eater, a spider that can have a leg span of 12 inches and can be found in rain forests. As you can guess from the name, these eight-legged spiders find birds a tasty treat. But don’t worry, they’re not deadly for humans. They do, however, like gobbling on small snakes, reptiles, beetles and frogs. And the females, once they have mated, kill the males. Charming!.
Here is a 11-inch, or 26-centimetre centipede and it feasts on baby rats and iguanas in its native South America. Despite the name, centipedes can have a varying number of legs from under 20 to over 300. Worldwide there are estimated to be 8,000 species of centipede, of which 3,000 have been described – and they have been found as far afield as the Arctic Circle.
While the centipedes are impressively long, the Coconut Crab, which is the largest arthropod in the world. And, in case you were wondering, an arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton (external skeleton), a segmented body, and jointed appendages. They can grow to a massive six-feet long and have been know to weigh 30lbs.
These slimy Giant Sea Stars can grow up to 24 inches in diameter and can be found off the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to Baja, California. They are attacked by Sea Otters, who will bite off their limbs for a snack. Amazingly the limbs will grow back. It makes its home on rocky shores near the low tide mark and eats mollusks.
The king of the waves is the Whale Shark. They can grow to 40-feet long – the largest ever recorded was 41.50ft. They are not at all harmful to humans, though, and will happily play with scuba divers – just watch out for its clumsy tail. They are filter feeder fish and gobble up plankton. They are still heavy, mind, and can weigh up to 36 tonnes.
From the largest sea fish to the biggest freshwater fish, here’s the Arapaima. They are mostly found in South America, can grow up to 9ft and weigh up to 440lbs. They are easy to fish, however, as they come to the surface to breathe. As a result, some countries, such as Brazil, have banned fishing for the them, so they don’t become extinct.
The Greek name for these is Hydrochaeris, which translates into English as ‘water hog’. We know them as Carybara – and they are the largest rodents in the world. Adults can grow to 130cm in length and weigh 140lbs, though the heaviest ever recorded was some 232lbs.
Bad news for Capybaras – these snakes love eating them and are especially a menace in shallow waters. This is a Reticulated Python and, at about 30ft long, are the largest snakes in the world. They also like eating pigs, deer, birds, small crocs and turtles.
But this is one thing that the Reticulated Python would struggle to gulp down. These Galapagos Tortoise are the largest in the world and are found on the islands of the same name, just off the coast from Ecuador. They can live to be up to 100-years old and can weigh 882lbs.
Video: World’s Biggest Spider Gobbles Down an Unsuspecting Lizard
Monster mutant animals: From pig-gobbling snakes to bird-eating spiders.
Source: dailymail
