10 Modern Animals That Used To Be Giants

Here are 10 modern animals that used to be giants.

Even though we’re used to animals falling into pretty dependable size ranges, not all of them were always like they are now.
Here are 10 that used to be giants.
Number 10. Platypuses. Their goofy looks often keep them from being taken seriously, but that may not have always been the case. Researchers found evidence that one species may have measured around 3-feet long. The prehistoric version has been dubbed ‘platypus-zilla’.
Number 9. Penguins. The modern day emperor penguin may be considered the biggest there is, but millions of years ago that wouldn’t have been the case. Back then there was a bird called the water king, which stood a towering 5 feet tall.
Number 8. Camels. Once upon a time giant camels roamed the Arctic. They looked very similar to those living in the desert today, except 3-and-a-half million years ago they were about 30 percent larger.
Number 7. Beavers. During the last ice age, the beaver was the king of North American rodents. At that time they were around 8-feet long and weighed in at up to 220 pounds. While something that size could do a whole lot of damage to trees, they didn’t eat them back then. Pond weeds were more to their liking.
Number 6. Kangaroos. Before dying out around 30 thousand years ago after a roughly 12 million year lifespan, some species of Kangaroos didn’t hop from place to place, they walked. Back then they weighed approximately 500 pounds and measured well over six feet tall, so maybe they just couldn’t get off the ground.
Number 5. Armadillos. These days a lot of armadillos get run over by cars, but long ago many were the size of one. Some of their ancient relatives could grow to be as big as a Volkswagen Beetle.
Number 4. Guinea Pigs. They may make cute pets now, but millions of years ago they weren’t so small and cuddly-looking. Sized more like a buffalo, the guinea pigs of the past are the largest rodents known to have ever lived.
Number 3. Turtles. 60 million years in the past was a good time to be a turtle. Then, they were the size of a smart car. Rather than being preyed upon by crocodiles, it’s more likely the shelled giants hunted them.
Number 2. Sloths. For a while their weight went up a couple hundred pounds every million years. At the top end of the growth spurt there existed a 5-ton sloth with foot-long claws. That behemoth creature died out about 11 thousand years ago.
Number 1. Rabbits. Many modern bunnies live in constant fear for their lives, but that wasn’t always the case. Between 3 and 5 million years ago, the bunnies living on an island near Spain, faced few predators and grew to be about 6 times the size they are now.
Which giant animals would you most and least like to run into?