In fact, the Blue Whale is the largest animal that ever existed, but they live in the sea and are not included in this list
Most of the land mammals on this list are extinct, but some are still alive today
Extinct land mammals have extant descendants that are quite large, but they do not come close to their ancestors
Habitat: South America
Time period lived in: Early Pliocene to late Pleistocene (5 million to 8,000 years ago)
Scientific name: Different species but the most popular is Megatherium americanum
Source: Wikimedia Commons via Ballista
Unlike their modern counterparts, which weigh only about 5 kilograms (11 pounds), Megatherium weighed between 3 and 4 metric tons (6,61387 and 8,81849 pounds)
When Megatherium stood on its hind legs, it was 35 meters (12 feet) long
There were several different species of Megatherium, but the only species we know more 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 on them, which were most likely made by human tools and weapons
Time Period Lived: 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 known as the “Giant Siberian Unicorn” because of its prominent horn
Elasmotherium sibiricum was almost as large as a woolly mammoth and is estimated to have weighed up to 45 metric tons (99208 pounds)
Also like the woolly mammoth, Elasmotherium sibiricum was covered in long hair
For many years, scientists believed that Elasmotherium sibiricum died out between 100,000 and 200,000 years ago, but a skull discovered in 2016 was dated to only 29,000 years ago
This means that Elasmotherium sibiricum was alive at the same time as Neanderthals and early modern humans
Elasmotherium sibiricum was one of the 250 species of rhinoceros alive at the time
Source: Wikimedia Commons via Vpad236
Asian elephants are the closest living relatives of the Woolly Mammoth, but they are not as large
However, Asian Elephants are still some of the largest extant mammals in the world and can weigh between 225 and 55 metric tons (4,9604 to 12,1254 pounds)
On average, Asian Elephants stand 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, to transport people and goods, and even to wage war
Unlike African elephants, Asian elephants tend to have smaller tusks, which are called tusks
Only a few Asian male 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 in: present
Time period lived in: present
Source: Wikimedia Commons via Gorgo
The African Bush Elephant is currently the largest living land mammal in the world and is the larger of the two African Elephant species
African Bush Elephants weigh between 4 and 7 metric tons (88185 to 154324 pounds)
Male African bush elephants can reach up to 35 meters (115 feet) in height while females can be up to 3 meters (98 feet)
African Bush Elephants live in sub-Saharan Africa, mainly in Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Angola
Along with their large bodies, African Bush Elephants have massive tusks that are 25 meters (82 feet) in length and weigh between 50 to 100 pounds (227 to 4536 kilograms)
Woolly mammoth
Habitat: Northern Asia, many parts of Europe and northern North America
Source: Wikimedia Commons via Flying Puffin
The famous Woolly mammoth was the smallest of all known mammoths, but it was still a massive animal
Woolly mammoths weighed up to 6 metric tons (13,2277 pounds) and were 4 meters (13 feet) tall
In the past, woolly mammoths were numerous and roamed the Earth from northern Asia to the northern parts of North America
Although woolly mammoths lived a long time ago, they became extinct only about 4,000 years ago
In recent years, the scientific community has discovered that they may be able to revive the Woolly Mammoth from extinction
Mammoth hair can reach a length of 1 meter (3 feet)
Steppe mammoth
Time period lived in: Pleistocene (600,000 – 370,000 years ago)
Time period lived in: Pleistocene (600,000 – 370,000 years ago)
Source: Wikimedia Commons via Altes
The Steppe mammoth was the largest of the known mammoth species and weighed between 9 and 143 metric tons (19,8416 to 31,526 pounds)
The Steppe mammoth is the ancestor of the more famous woolly mammoth and lived in the cold parts of ancient Eurasia
Not only was the Steppe Mammoth very heavy, it was also tall and stood between 4 and 45 meters (131 to 148 feet) tall
In 2015, scientists discovered a nearly complete skeleton of a Steppe Mammoth in Russia
The steppe mammoth is estimated to be over 100,000 years old and was a male that died at around 45 years of age
Steppe Mammoth tusks were 25 meters (82 feet) long, and a pair discovered in 2015 weighed a total of 150 kilograms (33069 pounds)
Habitat: Plains of Eurasia
Time period lived in: 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 believed to be the largest land mammal that ever lived
Living on the plains of Eurasia between 20 and 35 million years ago, Indricotherium is estimated to have weighed between 15 and 20 metric tons (33,000 to 44,000 lbs)
In addition to being quite heavy, Indricotherium was also tall, standing about 40 feet (122 meters) long
Unlike modern rhinoceroses, Indricotherium had a relatively long neck and slender legs
When Indricotherium fossils were first discovered, paleontologists believed it was much larger, up to 60,000 pounds (272 metric tons)
However, scientists mostly agree that Indricotherium could not have weighed more than 44,000 pounds (20 metric tons)