These Photos Prove We Have No Idea About The Real Size Of Everyday Things
You know that tiny turtles are tiny and that giant snakes are giant, but just how giant is giant? And just how tiny is tiny? Without a person or something familiar to you for reference, photos of animals can be hard to interpret.
All of the photos on this list compare large and small animals to "normal" objects and people. Now you can really get a sense of the size of these magnificent creatures.
The Mountain
Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, or The Mountain from Game of Thrones, is a professional strongman. Hitting an impressive 6-feet 9-inches and weighing an incredible 440 pounds, this beast of a human shrinks anyone who stands next to him. That includes his wife, Kelsey Henson and the random guy walking behind them in this photo (even if he is a few feet in the background).
Hopefully, Björnsson learned early on how to hug his other half without crushing her!
You'd Need A Big Finger
Fans of The Lord of the Rings will appreciate this one. No, this isn't a ring that some guy presents to his significant other after he royally messes up.
What you see here is one of the prop rings from Lord of the Rings. It's nearly a foot wide and two hands barely can hold it. This goes to show how invested movie producers are when it comes to getting even the tiny details correct.
The Leatherback Turtle
This is a photo of a leatherback turtle lounging on a beach next to an average size human man. These giant reptiles can grow to be upwards to 7-feet and weigh 1,540 pounds. That's a whole lot of turtle!
Swimming with these creatures Is quite the experience. It's a scary experience, but a thrilling one nonetheless. Could you imagine one of these things swimming over your head? These turtles really are gentle giants, though. He seems sweet.
A Blue Whale Next To A Boat
Imagine a peaceful day. You're out fishing with a buddy and drinking a few beers. Then THAT swims up next to, what you thought was a decently sized boat. You're not rocking beer goggles, a Blue Whale three-times the size of the little vessel is right next to you.
A fully grown male can grow up to 29.9-meters long and weigh up to 330,000 pounds. These marine mammals are the largest known species on record. Long story short, everyone stays on the boat!
Are Those Trees Or A Giant's Legs?
If this tree falls in the forest while no one is around, does it make a sound? I would think so! These massive trees grow 379-feet tall and 29-feet in diameter, making for one loud forest-floor "BOOM!"
Redwood trees are some of the oldest tree species on Earth, living up to more than 1,800 years. If I lived that long I'd probably turn into a tree. These beautiful trees can be found mostly along the coast of northern California and Oregon.
Holy Anaconda
So you've heard that anacondas are big snakes, but did you ever realize how big they actually are? This is a giant anaconda being lifted by a truck next to two normal-sized humans. These snakes can grow upwards to 25-feet in length with 550 pounds of muscle. That's large enough to overpower and eat a fully grown crocodile.
These snakes move much faster in the water than they do on land. Still, those people should probably get out of its way.
A Tiny Computer Next To A Grain Of Rice
Yea, this tiny computer is in a picture, and I already feel myself losing it. That's because this microscopic gizmo is scaled next to a grain of rice. To put it more mathematically, a single grain of rice can range from 5 to 7-millimeters long, while the computer measures a whopping 0.33-millimeters on each side.
How does one ever keep track of that gadget? I would bet money that even the most responsible person would misplace it!
Giant Tibetan Mastiffs
Do you think you have room for a dog this big in your house? This is a Tibetan Mastiff, which is an ancient flock guardian dog breed that can be found around China, Tibet, Nepal, and Central Asia. You can get them in America too if you're willing to shell out some serious money.
They have gorgeous, fluffy coats and can reach a height of 33 inches! Generally, they weigh between 100-160 lbs. They are also very protective of their owners.
The Biggest Bat
Bram Stoker called, he'd like his Dracula bat back. Although, if you take the 5-foot wings away, the giant golden-crowned flying fox does resemble a fox more than a bat. They even have the pretty golden-brown fur of a fox, along with a pointed snout and ears.
I guess the scientists who named this species knew what they were doing! Sadly, these flying giants are endangered due to poachers and competition with humans for their main source of food: fruit.
The Tiniest Tortoise
Let's take a break from big animals for a moment so we can check out this super tiny tortoise. He's even smaller than a raspberry! That single berry must look like a feast to him. You can tell that this is a tortoise and not a turtle because he has feet and not flippers. He also has more of a domed shell than most turtles do.
Turtles spend a lot of time in the water while tortoises prefer to spend their time on land.
How Big Traffic Lights Are, Really
Okay, we always drive past these things that hang in the air, but since they're so high up, we have no way of telling how large they are. With this image, now we do.
We had no clue that these things were so massive! The infrastructure that holds them up need to be secure or else the traffic light can come crashing down. If one of these lands on your car, your car is toast.
That's A Big Tree
This giant tree (that is now more of a log than a tree) is located in Ireland. This whole tree fell into the ocean and then drifted to shore, making it one of the largest pieces of driftwood ever formed.
There are trees on a mountain in the background of the photo. Perhaps it fell off the top ages ago and just now made its way back to shore? Wherever this driftwood came from, we're glad it's on this shore now.
An Eagle's Feet
It's a warm summer day and you're taking a stroll through the park, minding your business. You hear the birds chirping, you see the squirrels climbing, then out of nowhere you see the winged creature.
It's an eagle and it looks hungry. The eagle swoops down and scoops up a mouse with its large talons! You don't ever have to wonder again how they're able to pick up small dogs after seeing this. They're probably capable of picking up toddlers as well.
This Is Not An Illusion
Unlike basketball, baseball isn't a sport that puts too much emphasis on height. If you can play, then your chances of making the league are the same as anyone else.
Ask Jose Altuve. He's the little guy in the orange next to Aaron Judge. The second baseman may be small, but he can play the game of baseball. We wouldn't be mad at Judge if he chuckled a little after Altuve walked by him in the diamond.
Horse Lungs
Well, this explains a ton. The lungs that are inside of horses are monumentally large. It almost doesn't make any sense! Now, you don't have wonder how they sprint so fast for so long.
A horse's ability to run long distances at such a fast speed is fascinating, but their massive lungs explain a lot. Imagine if soccer players had lungs this large, they'd be able to play back-to-backs without needing a substitution during the game!
The Biggest Dump Truck
If you're unaware how big a regular school bus is, know that it's longer and wider than about five mini vans combined. Now that yo have a bit of a scale, what exactly is this dump truck dumping?
This is a massive dump truck in front of a school bus, with the largest wheels probably ever. Are they excavating for dinosaur bones? There's no telling what's going on or where they're headed but we know this machine is large.
The Sun To Scale
Okay so this might just look like a clear ball full of little blue balls, but this is actually a very scientific model. The clear ball represents the sun, and the little blue balls inside it represent the earth. This is an illustration of how many earths it would take to make up the volume of the sun.
Everyone you know and everyone you have ever known exists on just one of those blue balls.
That's A Boar, Not A Bear
Pumba in The Lion King doesn't look that big, but when you see this wild boar next to a dumpster, you get a sense of how big these animals actually are. This photo was taken In Hong Kong near an elementary school. That board is definitely bigger than most elementary school kids.
Wild boars are so strong, they can lift 40-50 lb rocks with their snouts. Males average 165-220 lbs in weight with canine teeth as long as 4.7 inches.
Whales Have Big Hearts
Blue whales are the largest animals that have ever existed on planet earth. They are bigger than the biggest dinosaurs ever were. An animal that big has to have a pretty big heart, right? This is a model of a blue whale heart built to scale.
Its arteries are so big that a small child could actually swim through them. A blue whale's heart is the size of a Ford Fiesta! Five fully grown adults could fit comfortably inside it.
Two NBA Players
Manute Bol is a former NBA player who stood 7'7" tall. He was very close to the rim and dunked without jumping. It would of been like a cheat code had he been able to do more things.
Then you have Muggsy Bogues. He stood 5'3" tall and still managed to play in the NBA. Height didn't stop him on his quest to the league. If Bol was under the rim when Bogues drove to the basket, he'd for sure stop him.
One Big Bunny
Who needs a dog or a cat when you have a rabbit this big? This is a picture of a man holding his pet Flemish Giant rabbit. Those paws look to be as big as a medium-sized Border Collie's! This bunny probably doesn't love being held like this, but he's tolerating it for our sake.
At 15-pounds and 4-feet long, they're a perfect size. Raise your hand if you wouldn't mind this big boy hopping into your lap for a movie night!
Where Are His Ropes?!
Excuse me while I go faint. Having to sneeze would be such a predicament on this rock face. I'm not sure if the name, Thank God Ledge, is appropriate or just downright ironic. I'd have named it "Oh, God" because that is the only thing that would be coming out of my mouth. Well, besides the distinct sound of my impending hyperventilation.
I hope all of the adrenaline junkies know what they're doing free-climbing this zero-barrier, 5-12-inch wide ledge.
This Lion's Mane Jellyfish
You're probably used to seeing those little jellyfish that swim around in shallow ocean water. This isn't your average jellyfish. This is a lion's mane jellyfish, which is the largest kind of jellyfish in the world. They can grow to be as long as 120-feet.
Luckily, these jellyfish are non-toxic to humans. Still, you shouldn't get to close to one. This photographer is keeping a safe distance. The jellyfish is even bigger than he is!
Hello, Wombat
The wombat this woman has in her possession is larger than life. It's just about as big as her, and that's for sure. We wonder if it easily intimidates any of the other animals it encounters.
This thing almost looks like it could be a Pokemon. All it needs is some special attacks and a cool name. Coming into contact with one of these would likely send us into shock for a couple of seconds.
This Caterpillar Looks Like A Pokèmon
We're fairly certain this hickory horned devil is really the Pokemon Caterpie. How is it possible for a caterpillar to grow up to 5-inches long? I would hate to see one of those crawling up a tree during the summer. Good news is that I don't live in North America's deep south where this species is considered to be common.
They don't stay this big forever, and at the end of their caterpillar stage, these big boys transform into regal moths
Coconut Crabs
Also known as the robber crab or palm thief, these crabs, funnily enough, are a species of the terrestrial hermit crab. Ironic considering hermit crabs can fit in the palm of your hand. Coconut crabs, on the other hand, weight up to 9 pounds and can grow to be a little over three feet from leg to leg. That's as big as your math teacher's yardstick!
The good news is that these creatures are sparse in heavily human-populated areas.
Just a Baby Ghost Crab
It's so tiny! I don't want to think about how many of these creatures I've stepped on at the beach. Especially considering they're able to change color to match their environment depending on the time of day.
Ghost crabs are common shore crabs, meaning they like to live and hunt on the sand instead of in the ocean. Although I'm not entirely sure how much food this guy would actually fit into its mouth. Eating probably takes hours!
The Anchor Of A Big Boat
Here's to hoping this gigantic anchor doesn't hit anything on the head on its way down to the seafloor. Not only can anchors weight up to 30 tons, but the links of its chain can weigh up to 500-pounds each. Talk about a broken noggin if you get caught under that weight.
With the different speeds of surface and underwater currents, it's no wonder ships need to have anchors of this magnitude. No need to drift off to sea!
A Baby Hippo
Hippopotamus are large animals! On average, adult males weigh 3,310 lbs and females weigh 2,870 lbs. Even though they're big creatures, they're able to run an impressive 30 mph. However when they're young, hippos can be pretty small!
Take a look at this baby with her mama. When hippos are about to give birth, they retreat to be alone, and return after 10-14 days. Baby hippos are born underwater and weight between 55 and 110 lbs at birth.
Crikey! That's A Big Croc!
Well, we sure hope there aren't people out there trying to hunt for one of these beasts! Whoever is the predator to crocodiles this big scare us even more!
We know that the woman inside that glass tank isn't afraid, or else she wouldn't have done it, but we're scared for her. If anything were to happen it's almost a sure thing that she would become this croc's lunch. Hopefully, you don't ever have to encounter anything like this.
Money Matters
What we have here is the same amount in $100 and $1 bills. The big stack is what you figure the money-makers take with them to the explicit clubs, and the small stack is what you take home after a good night at the casino.
They're both the same amount so it doesn't matter either way. The only difference is you'd have to do a whole lot more counting if you're dealing with the $1 bills opposed to the $100.
The Real Big Bird
Some people despise birds. Others think they aren't real. Well, just be lucky that you weren't alive whenever the largest flying creature to live was around, regardless of how you feel about winged creatures.
This guy is at least four times taller than the man standing next to it. With one gulp, it can swallow that person and maybe even three extra. Imagine if this thing was still out there somewhere. How would we be able to live with it?
David To Scale
Pieces of art from the Renaissance to the Romanticism era were all intriguing. It's not like artwork these days isn't, but artists back then had a different outlook on life and less technology.
One of the greats of all-time, Michelangelo, created this David. We don't know what scale he used, but what if David was really this big? He's towering over the construction worker to the point that she needs assistance trying to do anything with the beast.
A Giant Snail
Grab your salt, ladies and gentlemen, we've found you the ultimate snail. We're so used to seeing tiny snails crawl across the dew-filled grass, if we came across one of these, we wouldn't know what to do!
This lady seems to be fine holding it up with one hand. We wonder if the size of it makes it faster or did it get slower? Hopefully, it became faster so it can get away from anyone in the mood for snail.
A Mega Moose
Thanks to cartoon characters, people generally think that a moose is harmless. We bet you'd reconsider after seeing this image. Look how large this moose is and the antlers on the head.
This is in Canada and the moose is larger than all the cars that are nearby. One false move and you could be moose food or roadkill. We feel sorry for whatever makes this thing mad and doesn't have the power to fight back.
People On A Pyramid
Exactly how the ancient Egyptians managed to build any of the pyramids still remains a mystery. If you were unaware how large they are, take a look at this and be amazed.
You can see the four humans sitting at the bottom, and one of them isn't even the size of one block! What type of science did they have access to back then for them to be able to pull something of this magnitude off?
Usain Bolt
On a world stage with everyone watching, Usain Bolt danced his way to victory in what was the biggest race of his life thus far. Meanwhile, you have others still sprinting, emptying their reserves just to cross the finish.
Look at how far ahead bolt is, not in running form. He just celebrating before he crossed the line. This just shows how fast Bolt was in his prime and how there may never be another like him.
Two Running Backs
Wow, this image is frightening for opposing teams. This is Derrick Henry and Dion Lewis, both play the running back position in the NFL. Generally, backs are around the size of Lewis (left) but a little bit bigger.
Henry, the monster on the right, dwarfs Lewis and pretty much every other back in the NFL. Defensive players have their hands full attempting to tackle this man. It has to be a unit that does it, not just one player.
Africa Is Bigger Than You Thought
Once again, if you thought America was big, think about that again. While it may be large to those who live in the country, Africa makes it look so tiny.
Africa is so large, it can fit four America's in it, easy. Imagine how large one America is and multiply that by four and you have the size of Africa. That means it takes even longer to get from one end of Africa to the other than it takes to travel from America to another country!
