Photos That Show Us The True Size Of Animals – Some Of Them Are Way Bigger Than We Expected

joannashepherd | May 23, 2025 10:00 pm

Have you ever been courtside at a basketball game and suddenly noticed just how much taller the players are in real life compared to what you expected from watching on TV?

Similarly, even though we learn a lot about wild animals, grasping their true size can be challenging. Check out these striking comparisons that reveal just how enormous some of these creatures truly are.

I Wouldn't Want To Tango With That Big Boy

man with small snapping turtle and Much larger snapping turtle
Photo Credit: Reddit / AntiSocialBlogger
Photo Credit: Reddit / AntiSocialBlogger

The turtle perched on top is the more typical snapping turtle species found in many ponds and lakes, while the one below shows a fully grown alligator snapping turtle.

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Imagine The Light It Would Fly Into

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moth has each wing the size of a human hand
Photo Credit: Reddit / CarnivalLaw
Photo Credit: Reddit / CarnivalLaw
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You're likely used to spotting tiny moths fluttering around your porch light at night. This is the Atlas Moth, boasting an impressive average wingspan of nine inches.

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Chicken Egg Vs. Emu Eggs

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chicken egg surrounded by four large emu eggs
Photo Credit: Reddit / shzsky
Photo Credit: Reddit / shzsky
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Emus are towering, flightless birds native to Australia, reaching heights of up to two meters. As the second-largest bird species on the planet, it's no shock that their eggs are impressively large.

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This Is An Adult Leatherback Turtle

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leatherback turtle is about the size of three fully grown adults
Photo Credit: Reddit / WulfsigeX
Photo Credit: Reddit / WulfsigeX
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Leatherback turtles hold the title as the largest living turtles in the world and are unique in that they lack a hard shell. Female leatherbacks surface and come ashore just once a year, making their way to southern Caribbean beaches to lay their eggs.

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Raise Your Hand If You Didn't Think Snails Were This Big

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giant african snail is size of large rabbit
Photo Credit: Reddit / sverdrupian
Photo Credit: Reddit / sverdrupian
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The woman is holding an African Land Snail, a sizable land snail species native to East Africa and considered one of the most invasive species globally.

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This Bison Weighs 3000 Pounds

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person tagging bison, whose head is almost the size of the person
Photo Credit: Reddit / hootersbutwithcats
Photo Credit: Reddit / hootersbutwithcats
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The person in this image is tagging and drawing blood from the bison for testing. While this particular bison is domesticated, it's important to remember that you should never approach one (or a herd) in the wild, as they will definitely come out on top in any confrontation.

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A Grizzly Bear's Paw

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woman holding up bear paw that is twice the size of her head
Photo Credit: Reddit / rabtj
Photo Credit: Reddit / rabtj
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Rest assured, the bear in this photo was sedated. A grizzly bear's swipe is so powerful that it can take down a fully grown elk with a single, swift strike.

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I Didn't Know A Salamander Could Be This Large

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GettyImages-165460951
Photo Credit: Michael Stuparyk/Toronto Star via Getty Images
Photo Credit: Michael Stuparyk/Toronto Star via Getty Images
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This is a giant Chinese salamander, the largest amphibian in the world, and it's critically endangered. Interestingly, these creatures produce crying sounds that resemble those of small children.

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A Maine Coon Vs. A Siamese Cat

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maine coon cat is over twice the size of a regular siamese cat
Photo Credit: Reddit / AJSTOOBE
Photo Credit: Reddit / AJSTOOBE
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Maine Coons hold the title of the largest domesticated cat breed worldwide. Native to North America, specifically New England, they became well-known as farm cats because of their excellent mouse-hunting abilities.

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A Human Next To A Blue Whale Skull

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human is only a quarter of the size of a blue whale skull
Photo Credit: Reddit / Bjcistok
Photo Credit: Reddit / Bjcistok
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The blue whale is thought to be the largest animal to ever live on Earth, yet it survives by feeding on some of the tiniest marine creatures, like shrimp and krill—and we're incredibly grateful for that.

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No Wonder They Can Run So Fast

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pair of inflated horse lungs look huge next to people
Photo Credit: Reddit / GallowBoob
Photo Credit: Reddit / GallowBoob
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This is a pair of inflated horse lungs that have been removed from a dying horse. For further comparison, the average lung capacity for a human is four liters; for horses, it's 55 liters.

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Imagine Swimming Next To This Big Guy

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giant fish with mouth open, teeth bared
Photo Credit: Reddit / PrestonGarvey1
Photo Credit: Reddit / PrestonGarvey1
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This is the Goliath Tigerfish, a large species of predatory fish that lives in the Congo Basin River, a river that runs from central Democratic Republic of Congo to the Atlantic Ocean.

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This Horse Could Knock Me Cold With A Half-Hearted Kick

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clydesdale horses are twice the height of woman
Photo Credit: Reddit / kaywhyesay
Photo Credit: Reddit / kaywhyesay
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Pictured here are three Clydesdale horses, a Scottish breed of horse that was originally used for farming, heavy hauling for logging, and driving carriages. These giant horses are gentle creatures and have very calm dispositions.

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Imagine Seeing One Of These In Your House

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huge spider photographed next to person
Photo Credit: Reddit
Photo Credit: Reddit
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Despite its terrifying size, this spider is one of the least dangerous ones in Australia, and its bite is more of a nuisance to humans than anything. This spider is part of a family called huntsman spiders, which contains the largest spider species in the world.

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Wombats Seem Too Cuddly To Be This Big

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wombat is half the size of a human
Photo Credit: Reddit / Yikes_Brigade
Photo Credit: Reddit / Yikes_Brigade
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This is Patrick, a wombat who lived in a wildlife sanctuary in Australia. While he was a bit bigger than the average wombat, he was still an absolute sweetheart. An additional wombat fun fact is that they poop cubes!

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Siberian Husky Vs. Wolf

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wolf is significantly larger than siberian husky
Photo Credit: Reddit / MDL_Reddit
Photo Credit: Reddit / MDL_Reddit
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Wolves tend to avoid interacting with humans by living in remote areas, so it's hard to conceptualize how large they really are in comparison to the dogs we're more accustomed to. The answer is that they're much bigger than you'd expect.

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...And Sometimes It's Nice To Think About How Small You Are

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iphone on child is the size of its whole torso
Photo Credit: Reddit / z4cd
Photo Credit: Reddit / z4cd
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This new father was absolutely shocked and amazed by how his newborn baby was so tiny that it was almost the same size as his phone. It's humbling to think that we all started this small.

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