#giant mammals

[thedepartmentofdiscoveries]

Valentine's Day is about the heart—which means it's the perfect time to remind you that 440-lb whale hearts like this one exist.

Normally when a whale dies, it becomes a rotting feast for birds and sharks. But luckily for mammalogy technicians at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, a blue whale that washed up in Newfoundland in 2014 was in good enough condition that they were able to preserve its gigantic ticker. “Its sheer size alone accelerates decomposition, so it’s remarkable we got to salvage a heart,” says Jacqueline Miller, who led the first-of-its-kind preservation effort.

📸: Royal Ontario Museum

- Wired Facebook page.

[deadstonemasonssociety]

But while more than half of the nearly 60 known brontothere species tipped the scale at over a metric ton, the first footfalls of these “thunder beasts” weren’t thunderous at all. When the earliest brontotheres appeared in the lush forests of ancient North America and Asia in the early Eocene Epoch, roughly 56 million years ago, they were about the size of a border collie — hardly the stuff of thundering herds.

Within about 16 million years, these modest mammals had grown into a family of giants.

[vintagewildlife]

Giant armadillo By: Unknown photographer From: Wildlife Fact-File 1990s

[antiqueanimals]

Great Ant-Eater by Cuthbert Edmund Swan. From Wild Beasts of the World, Vol. Two. Written by Frank Finn, published in 1909.

Internet Archive

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Giant Squid (Architeuthis dux)

Habitat & Distribution

Distributed throughout the world's oceans, typically at temperate latitudes

Often found at depths of 300–1,000 metres (980–3,280 ft)

Physical Description

Weight: 275 kg (606 lb) for females and 150 kg (330 lb) for males

Length: 5 m (16 ft) including tentacles

Like other cephalopods, the giant squid has eight arms, as well as two feeding tentacles ringed with suckers; the mantle, or body, is elongated and torpedo-shaped

Adults are generally red, though older individuals can become white due to scarring from encounters with predators

Behaviour

Giant squid will feed opportunistically; primary prey include fish and other cephalopods

Its most notable predator is the sperm whale, which is an expert at hunting them

Giant squid are solitary hunters, and rarely encounter each other outside of mating

Key Advantages

The suckers of giant squid are lined with small, sharp teeth; the two feeding tentacles can extend up to 10 m (33 ft)

When threatened, the giant squid may eject a cloud of ink to confuse predators

See where they stand in the May Mammal Madness Tournament here!

[aticketplz]

横顔の影が素敵ですね〜

@日本平動物園

Nice shadow

@Nihondaira Zoo

[mammalianmammals]

Black Giant Squirrel or Malayan Giant Squirrel (Ratufa bicolor), family Sciuridae, Thailand

photograph by Nick Volpe

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Wildlife Photographer Documents Magical Moment When He Locks Eyes With an Animal

Indian giant squirrel

Photographer: Shaaz Jung

[cypherdecypher]

Animal of the Day!

Western Giant Eland (Taurotragus derbianus derbianus)

(Photo by Philippe Boissel)

Conservation Status- Critically Endangered

Habitat- Senegal

Size (Weight/Length)- 1,000 kg; 3.5 m

Diet- Grasses; Fruits

Cool Facts- Being the largest species of antelope in both weight and length, the western giant eland is a force to be reckoned with. These giants are non-territorial with small herds being a combination of males and females. During the mating season, mature males separate from their main herd to create a herd of their own. Surprisingly, western giant eland are mostly nocturnal and spend their nights grazing on a variety of grasses. Due to their size and their surprising maximum speed of 70 kilometers per hour few predators outside of large lion prides and saltwater crocodiles have the chance of bringing down an adult giant eland. Sadly, the western giant eland is threatened by illegal poaching for their meat and horns and habitat destruction due to agriculture. Today, conservationists rush to save these beauties through off site breeding and national parks.

Rating- 12/10 (120 centimeter horns backed by 1,000 kilograms of pure muscle.)

[critter-creature-or-beast]

Originally featured 10/12/23

[adastra121]

The human-faced fish mentioned in that Lowtown postcard got me wondering — maybe we are the eldritch horrors to Ocudeus. I don't know what Ocudeus looks like but it'll likely be something vaguely octopus-like and you can't tell me that humans wouldn't eat Ocudeus if given the chance.

[keydekyie]

Rain Shadow

check out my books!

[vintagewildlife]

Giant anteater By: Unknown photographer From: WWF Threatened Animals Stickers 1986

[antiqueanimals]

"The Long-Tailed Squirrel (Sciurus macrourus)"

Indian Zoology; Second Edition. Translated from the Latin of Johann Reinhold Forster by John Aikin, M. D. Illustrated by Peter Mazell. 1790.

Internet Archive

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Round One: Epic Animals

Giant Squid vs Tarzan Chameleon

Arena: Open ocean

Remember, it's not a popularity contest- it's a fight to the death!