What is the largest mammal to ever walk the Earth?

Since the extinction of the dinosaurs, mammals have flourished. Without their squamate counterparts, their numbers exploded, diversified, and grew in numbers—but how big?

We know that the blue whale is the largest mammal that has ever lived, and it is also the largest animal that has ever lived, measuring approximately 30 meters (98 feet) in length and weighing up to 200 tons. But what about mammals that He walked the earth?

Currently, it is considered the African elephant The largest living land mammal (And also animals) in the world. These extant giants reach up to 7 meters (23 ft) in length and 3.7 meters (12 ft) high, typically weigh 4 to 7 tons, and have the heaviest brain and nose of any mammal. Not bad – but they're no contenders for the largest land mammal ever.

This crown goes extinct now Paraceratherium – A huge hornless rhinoceros with a long neck resembling a giraffe. Found mostly in Asia, in China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Pakistan during the early and late Oligocene Epoch (34 to 23 million years ago), these giants dwarf the largest rhino we have today – the southern white rhino, which can reach 4.2 meter. (13.8 ft) long, 1.85 m (6 ft) high, and weighs 3.6 tons.

ParaceratheriumMeanwhile, its overall length is believed to be 7.4 meters (24 ft) and its shoulder height is 4.8 meters (15.7 ft), making it Most large mammals To walk on earth ever. The prehistoric giant is also believed to have weighed about 17 tons — nearly five times the weight of its extant counterpart — based on estimates from a partially reconstructed skeleton at the American Museum of Natural History.

In 2021, a new species of extinct giant rhinoceros will appear. Paraceratherium linuxiansIt was discovered in Tibet. Dating back to 26.5 million years ago, the fossils included a completely preserved skull, as well as a lower jaw and vertebrae from another individual. “The length of the skull was more than a meter (3 feet),” said Ding Tao, lead author of the study that presented the findings. CNN on time. “It was very rare to preserve a skull of this size.”

but, ParaceratheriumIts reign as the largest land mammal is not undisputed. Since the fossils unearthed are incomplete, it's not possible to know for sure how big these ancient rhinos grew – and they face some stiff competition from other extinct giants.

For example, some say an elephant with straight tusks Paleoloxodonewhich lived about 700,000 to 50,000 years ago, was much older than that. Paraceratherium, weighing up to 22 tons. This was based on just a portion of the femur, however, it was ignored by others. Other estimates use more complete limb bones than in the place of young elephants PaleoloxodoneIts weight is a more modest 13-15 tons.

The Burson's mastodon, which inhabited parts of Eurasia 5 to 2.5 million years ago, is thought to have weighed between 15 to 16 tons, so it would also have rivaled our massive rhinoceros.

Regardless of the debate, none of these heavy objects come close to the largest animal to ever walk the Earth.

They are not mammals, however Mayor of Patagotitan It was undoubtedly gigantic, measuring 37 meters (121 feet) long and weighing as much as 10 African elephants. Proverbs Paraceratherium Never could.