The surprising weights of some of the biggest animals known to man (2024)

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Pigs can get pretty heavy.

According to National Geographic, pigs can sometimes weigh up to 700 pounds, their weight generally ranges from 300 pounds to 700 pounds. Despite their hefty weight, pigs are typically only 2 feet tall.

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Elephant seals can get up to 8,800 pounds.

With an ideal of 40% body fat, as per Discovery magazine, the elephant seal is one of the most relatively fat animals on the planet.

Southern elephant seals can stay underwater for up to two hours thanks to their blubber deposits, according to National Geographic. They can also weigh up to 4.5 tons and be up to 20 feet tall.

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The African elephant is the largest animal to walk the Earth.

Over 11 feet high, these ancient beings can grow to weigh up to 6 tons, according to the World Wildlife Fund. They're herbivores, just like most of the biggest animals, partially because there are plenty of plant resources for them to chow on.

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Asian elephants are smaller than African elephants, but they're still quite heavy.

Weighing up to a little under 6 tons, these elephants can live for up to 60 years in the wild, according to National Geographic.

The research center at the Smithsonian National Zoo reported that female elephants will typically eat up to 330 pounds of food and 50 gallons of water a day and large males will eat nearly twice that.

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Blue whales can run up to 100 feet long and weigh over 200 tons.

According to National Geographic, A blue whale's tongue alone can weighas much as an elephant and it is only part of this 200-ton creature.According to BBC, the blue whale is the animal with the highest percentage of body fat on land and sea.

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Brown bears are oftentimes considered obese.

Fitting the definition of obese at times, hibernating brown bears pack on the pounds during the summer months so they can stay warm during the winter months. As per National Geographic, these creatures typically weigharound 800 pounds.

Every year, Alaska's Katmai National Park holds its Fattest Bear competition, where fans can vote for which bear gained the most amount of weight that season. 2018's winner was 409 Beadnose.

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Camel humps contain fat, not water.

Contrary to the popular myth, camels' humps are used to store fat, not water. According to Live Science, humps can store up to 80 pounds of fat as an emergency food supply in case the camel can't find sustenance for a long period of time. When fully grown, these creatures typically weigh over 1,300 pounds.

The largest member of the bovine family is the gaur.

Reportedly growing up to weigh about a ton or more, this Southern Asian species of cattle is a large bovine whose population is reportedly declining.

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A hippopotamus can eat about 150 pounds of grass in a single night.

These water-lovers spend most hours of their day submerged and they leave the water at dusk to feast on grass, according to National Geographic. Their weight can be up to 8,000 pounds.

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White rhinoceros are typically only under 6 feet tall, but they can weigh thousands of pounds.

Typically weighing between 1.6 and 4 tons, the white rhino has been classified by some as the largest land mammal after the elephant.

As per National Geographic, as with many large animals, this species hasno natural predators, but when they feel threatened, they're apt to charge directly at whatever's spooked them.