In fact, the blue whale is the largest animal that ever lived, but it lives in the sea and was not included on this list
Most of the land mammals on this list are extinct, but some of them are still alive today
Extinct land mammals have extant descendants that are quite large, but do not come close to their ancestors
Habitat: South America
Time period lived: Early Pliocene to the end of the Pleistocene (5 million to 8,000 years ago)
Scientific name: several species, but the best known is Megatherium americanum
Source: Wikimedia Commons via Ballista
Unlike its modern counterparts, which only weigh about 5 kilograms (11 lb), Megatherium weighed between 3 and 4 metric tons (6,61387 to 8,81849 lb)
When Megatherium stood on its hind legs, it was 35 meters (12 ft) tall
There were several species of Megatherium, but the species we have the most information about is Megatherium americanum, which lived in South America, mainly in what is now Argentina, Uruguay, and Bolivia
Our ancestors may have eaten Megatherium as scientists have discovered fossils with cut marks, which were likely made by human tools and weapons
Lived time period: Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene (26 million to 39,000 years ago)
Scientific name: Elasmotherium sibiricum
Source: Wikimedia Commons via DiBgd
Elasmotherium sibiricum is an extinct species of horned rhinoceros that is known as the “Giant Siberian Unicorn” due to its prominent horn
Elasmotherium sibiricum was nearly as large as a woolly mammoth, estimated to have weighed up to 45 metric tons (9,9208 lb)
Also like the woolly mammoth, Elasmotherium sibiricum was covered in long hair
For many years, scientists believed that Elasmotherium sibiricum was extinct between 100,000 and 200,000 years ago, but a skull discovered in 2016 dates to just 29,000 years ago
This means that Elasmotherium sibiricum was alive during the same time as Neanderthals and early modern humans
Elasmotherium sibiricum was one of 250 rhino species alive at the time
Source: Wikimedia Commons via Vpad236
Asian elephants are the closest living relatives to the woolly mammoth, but they are not nearly as large
However, Asian elephants remain some of the world’s largest extant mammals and can weigh between 225 and 55 metric tons (4,9604 and 12,1254 lb)
On average, Asian elephants are 6 to 12 feet (18 to 38 meters) tall at the shoulder
Asian elephants are fairly easy to tame and have been used by humans for thousands of years
People use Asian elephants to move heavy objects, transport humans and cargo, and even to wage war
Unlike African elephants, Asian elephants tend to have smaller tusks, which are called tusks
Only some male Asian elephants develop large, prominent tusks like their African counterparts
African bush elephant
Habitat: Sub-Saharan Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Angola)
Time Period Lived: Present
Time Period Lived: Present
Source: Wikimedia Commons via Gorgo
The African bush elephant is currently the world’s largest living land mammal and is the larger of the two species of African elephant
African bush elephants weigh between 4 and 7 metric tons (8,8185 and 15,4324 lb)
Male African elephants can reach up to 35 meters (115 feet) in height, while females can reach 3 meters (98 feet)
African bush elephants live in sub-Saharan Africa, mainly in Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Angola
To go along with their large bodies, African Bush Elephants have huge tusks that are 25 meters (82 feet) long and weigh between 50 and 100 pounds (227 to 4536 kilograms)
woolly mammoth
Habitat: northern Asia, many parts of Europe, and northern part of North America
Source: Wikimedia Commons via Flying Puffin
The famous woolly mammoth was the smallest of all known mammoths, but it was still a huge animal
Woolly mammoths weighed up to 6 metric tons (13,2277 lb) and stood 4 meters (13 ft) tall
In the past, woolly mammoths were plentiful and roamed the Earth from northern Asia to northern North America
Although woolly mammoths lived a long time ago, they only went extinct about 4,000 years ago
In recent years, the scientific community has revealed that they may be able to resurrect the woolly mammoth from extinction
Woolly mammoth hair could reach a length of 1 meter (3 feet)
steppe mammoth
Period of time lived: Pleistocene (600,000 – 370,000 years ago)
Period of time lived: Pleistocene (600,000 – 370,000 years ago)
Source: Wikimedia Commons via Altes
The steppe mammoth was the largest known mammoth species, weighing between 9 and 143 metric tons (19,8416 and 31,526 lb)
The steppe mammoth is the predecessor of the more famous woolly mammoth and lived in the cold parts of ancient Eurasia
The steppe mammoth was not only very heavy, it was also tall, standing between 4 and 45 meters (131 to 148 ft) tall
In 2015, scientists discovered a nearly complete steppe mammoth skeleton in Russia
The steppe mammoth is estimated to be over 100,000 years old and was a male that died at approximately 45 years of age
The steppe mammoth’s tusks were 25 meters (82 feet) long, and a pair discovered in 2015 weighed a total of 150 kilograms (33069 pounds)
Habitat: Eurasian plains
Period of time lived: Oligocene (35 – 20 million years ago)
Scientific name: Paraceratherium transouralicum
Source: Wikimedia Commons via ABelov2014
Indricotherium or Paraceratherium is an extinct species of hornless rhinoceros that is believed to be the largest land mammal that ever lived
Living on the Eurasian plains between 20 and 35 million years ago, Indricotherium is estimated to have weighed between 15 and 20 metric tons (33,000 to 44,000 pounds)
In addition to being quite heavy, Indricotherium was also tall, measuring about 40 feet (122 meters) long
Unlike modern rhinos, Indricotherium had a relatively long neck and slender legs
When Indricotherium fossils were first discovered, paleontologists believed it to be much larger, up to 60,000 pounds (272 metric tons)
However, scientists largely agree that Indricotherium could not have weighed more than 44,000 pounds (20 metric tons)