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 a few of them still live today.
Extinct land mammals have quite large descendants, but they do not come close to their ancestors.
Habitat: South America
Period: Early Pliocene to late Pleistocene (5 million to 8,000 years ago)
Scientific name: The most widely known species is Megatherium americanum
Source: Wikimedia Commons via Ballista
Megatherium weighed between 3 and 4 metric tons (6,613.87 and 8,818.49 pounds), as opposed to its modern counterparts, which weighed only about 5 kilograms (11 pounds).
When standing on its hind legs, Megatherium was 3.5 meters (12 ft) tall.
There were several different species of Megatherium, but the species we know the most about is Megatherium americanum, which lived primarily in South America, primarily in what is now Argentina, Uruguay, and Bolivia.
Our ancestors may have eaten Megatherium after scientists discovered fossils with cut marks made by human tools and weapons.
Period: Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene (2.6 million to 39,000 years ago)
Scientific name: Elasmotherium sibiricum
Source: Wikimedia Commons via DiBgd
Elasmotherium sibiricum is an extinct species of one-horned rhinoceros known as the “Giant Siberian Unicorn” due to its prominent horn.
Elasmotherium sibiricum was almost as large as a Woolly Mammoth and is estimated to have weighed up to 4.5 metric tons (9,920.8 pounds).
Like the woolly mammoth, Elasmotherium sibiricum was covered with 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 lived at the same time as Neanderthals and early modern humans.
Elasmotherium sibiricum was one of the 250 species of rhinoceros living at the time.
Source: Wikimedia Commons via Vpad236
Asian elephants are the woolly mammoth’s closest relatives, but they are not as large.
However, Asian elephants are still one of the largest extant mammals in the world and can weigh between 2.25 and 5.5 metric tons (4,960.4 to 12,125.4 pounds).
On average, Asian elephants stand between 6 and 12 feet (1.8 to 3.8 meters) at the shoulder.
Asian elephants are quite easy to domesticate and have been used by humans for thousands of years.
Humans use Asiatic Elephants to carry heavy objects, transport people and cargo, and even wage war.
Unlike African elephants, Asian elephants have smaller tusks, 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)
Lived in: Currently
Lived in: Currently
Source: Wikimedia Commons via Gorgo
The African Bush Elephant is the largest land mammal currently living in the world and the largest of the two African elephant species.
African Bush Elephants weigh between 4 and 7 metric tons (8,818.5 and 15,432.4 pounds).
Male African Bush Elephants can reach a height of 3.5 meters (11.5 ft) and females up to 3 meters (9.8 ft).
African Bush Elephants live in sub-Saharan Africa, primarily in Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Angola.
To go along with their large bodies, African Bush Elephants have large tusks, measuring up to 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) in length and weighing between 50 and 100 pounds (22.7 and 45.36 kilograms).
Woolly Mammoth
Habitat: Northern Asia, much 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 (13,227.7 pounds) and stood 4 meters (13 ft) tall.
In the past, woolly mammoths were numerous and roamed the Earth from northern North Asia to 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 revealed that they can resurrect the woolly mammoth from extinction.
Woolly Mammoth hair can reach 1 meter (3 feet) in length.
Steppe mammoth
Era: Pleistocene (600,000 – 370,000 years ago)
Era: 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 14.3 metric tons (19,841.6 and 31,526 pounds).
The steppe mammoth is the ancestor of the more famous woolly mammoth and lived in the cold regions of ancient Eurasia.
The steppe mammoth was not only very heavy, but also tall, standing between 4 and 4.5 meters (13.1 and 14.8 ft).
In 2015, scientists discovered an almost complete Steppe Mammoth skeleton in Russia.
The steppe mammoth is estimated to be over 100,000 years old and was a male who died at around 45 years of age.
The tusks of the Steppe Mammoth were 2.5 meters (8.2 ft) long, and a pair discovered in 2015 weighed a total of 150 kilograms (330.69 lb).
Habitat: Plains of Eurasia
Period: 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 to have ever lived.
Indricotherium, which lived on the plains of Eurasia 20 to 35 million years ago, 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 (12.2 meters) long.
Unlike modern rhinoceroses, Indricotherium had a relatively long neck and slender legs.
When Indricotherium fossils were first discovered, paleontologists believed it to have been much larger, up to 60,000 pounds (27.2 metric tons).
However, scientists agree that Indricotherium could not have weighed more than 44,000 pounds (20 metric tons).