Sometimes itโs hard to truly comprehend the size of something by only hearing about it or seeing a picture. That is until you put it into perspective by using something else that we believe to be large to measure and compare size. Comparisons help us begin to understand the enormity of the world around us and its inhabitants.
For us humans, we are pretty big in comparison to many things that surround us. However, compared to the world and some of the creatures that live amongst us, we become rather tiny.
Check out these 55 size comparisons that will leave you utterly speechless at how truly large and mighty some creatures, places, and things, whatever they may be, around the world, actually are.
1. Humpback Whale Shakes Divers Hand
Creatures of the sea are some of the most intriguing beings that exist on Earth with us. Many of us are just curious enough to take the plunge and come face to face with those creatures we donโt get to see day to day. Just look as this diver goes to shake the hand of a humpback whale who is almost 60 feet long and can weigh up to 80,000 pounds!
2. Size of Alaska
Sometimes we forget how large some places on Earth actually are. Take Alaska for example. It can fit more than 1o of the states in the US within it!
3. Fishing in St Lazarus
Thankfully in St. Lazarus Banks of Mozambique the water is really clear! Just look at what could be potentially be swimming next to you. However, if you are a fisherman you are in for a great time with some BIG catches.
Fishing in St Lazarus Banks in Mozambique โ https://t.co/gH6B5U9FGC #fishing #fishingyacht #mozambique pic.twitter.com/iD3K4nvXln
โ OIS (@OISAfrica) April 11, 2016
4. Lighthouse vs. Enormous Waves
Mother Nature is a force to be reckoned with and when it comes to natural disasters, there is not much we can do but take cover. Just watch as these enormous waves absolutely consume a lighthouse. Taking place in 2016 off the coast of Taiwan, Typhoon Megi was one of the strongest typhoons ever recorded.
5. Bromo Volcano in Indonesia
Some photos from peopleโs travels can leave us in awe of their beauty. Take this photo someone posted after they visited an active volcano Bromo in Indonesia, for example. If you didnโt already locate the human, follow the white smoke to the bottom and the tiny black dot is a human being!
6. The Oceanic
The RMS Oceanic was built to hold 1,710 passengers. When the Oceanic launched in 1899 more than 50,000 people watched! It stretched over 704 feet and weighed about 17,272 gross tonnes.
7. General Sherman
Trees vary in all different shapes and sizes. This tree is a sequoia tree that lives in the Sequoia National Park in Calfornia and was named: General Sherman. It is 275 feet tall and has a 25-foot diameter! People come from around the world just to gaze upon and appreciate the worldโs tallest trees.
8. What It Would Look Like To Board The Hindenburg
Just take a look at the size of the Hindenburg on display at the 1936 Olympics. This photo documents just how drastic the size is as humans walk around it. Would definitely take a lot of manpower to operate this boat!
9. Halibut Fishing
Fishermen around the world go to Alaska just to fish for halibut due to their size and taste of meat. In fact, the halibuts in Alaska can range from 10 to 410 lbs! By the size of the halibut in this photo, this man is eating well tonight.
10. Eagle Holds A Snack
Eagles are a mighty bird predator in the wild. Not only do they have size on their side but they are extremely agile. With big feet and sharp talons, it allows them to go for any prey they desire. Here we have a Brazilian Harpy Eagle holding its latest snack: a monkey. Not many stand a chance against these apex predators.
11. Rafflesia Arnoldii Flower
Even flowers can reach sizes bigger than our common house pets. Take this flower for example called the Rafflesia Arnoldii which is the largest flower bloom on Earth. This mighty flower can grow to over 3 feet in diameter weighing up to 15 pounds! However, the smell does not match the beauty and releases a fragrance that smells similar to rotting flesh.
12. Climbing Hyperion
Redwood trees can stand nearly as tall as the mountains. To scale them even looks similar to climbing a mountain! This specific Redwood is called Hyperion and it stands at 380 feet tall.
13. A Comet in Los Angeles
Itโs said that on November 2, 2021, that a massive comet will be moving through space very close to the sun. As far as the size of the comet goes the Rosetta mission sent a spacecraft to land and compile data about it. This picture shows the results comparing its size to LA.
14. Polar Bear Paw
Since many of us rarely ever come across a polar bear in real life it can be easy to not be able to imagine their size. This picture shows just how large they are in comparison to a human hand. Some of their claws almost half the size of the hand!
15. Saturn Replacing The Moon
Sometimes itโs hard to imagine the large size of other planets as we rarely get to see them. Mostly we just see their appearance from the view of a telescope, satellite, or distanced picture. Here we get an opportunity to see their comparison if Saturn were to replace the moon for a day!
16. Traffic Light
When we are driving traffic lights can look small in comparison as we drive by them. Although we usually only see them from far away or as we drive by them. Rarely do we see them on the ground until nowโฆjust take a look at how large they actually are standing next to a human!
17. Abraj Al-Bait In Mecca
Take a look at this woman sitting on top of the Abraj Al-Bait in Mecca which is the worldโs largest clock! This clock stands at a mighty 1971 feet tall. Although we donโt think this photo is real it definitely puts the size into perspective.
18. Grand Canyon
If youโve never been to the Grand Canyon you know that it is bigโฆgiven the word grand being in the name. But pictures with something to compare the actual size to really seal the magnificence and mightiness of it. Just take a look at those two humans on the left-hand side of the photo who at first glance look like two little black specks.
19. Pyramids of Giza
From pictures online the pyramids of Giza can seem pretty small. However, in-person you can really see why it took over 10,000 workers and over 20 years to build! For scale, take a look at this picture as a human sits right below one of the many hundred blocks.
20. Gorilla Hand
Gorillas have a lot of similarities to us, humans. Just take a look at these two hands side by side. There are only a few differences to note but one of the major ones is size.
21. Leatherback Sea Turtle
According to Active Wild, sea turtles have been around for almost 220 million years ago. One species of a turtle is actually pretty giant and actually qualifies as one of the largest reptiles on Earth! That giant turtle is the leatherback sea turtle which can range from 4-8 feet in length and can weigh around 500 to 2,000 pounds!
22. Massive Egg
This is not a massive squid egg at all but it is a massive egg. In fact, it is actually an egg sac that is bloated and contains thousands of individual eggs. A pretty crazy thing to stumble upon while diving!
23. Andean Condor
Despite the original caption this bird is actually the cousin of the California condor and is called the Andean condor. This bird of prey is one of the largest raptors in the world! Just look at the size of it while it lands on this personโs arm!
24. Large Sign
In order to see signs from far away and read them at quick speeds they have to make them big. Look at how tiny a human is working on it in comparison! Must take a lot of hands to make this enormous sign then transport it to its final destination.
25. Parade Balloon
If youโve ever seen a parade on the TV you always see how many people it takes to hold down the big balloons. However, you donโt really understand the grand size of the balloon. That is until we see pictures such as this as an enormous Garflied passes by humans on a balcony.
26. Whale Fin vs. Human Skeleton
Weโve seen multiple times just how powerful the creatures of the sea actually are. Just look at this size comparison of a whale flipper next to a full skeleton of a human. The fin is nearly 80 feet long and weighs over 100 tons, sheesh!
27. Japanese Spider Crab
Crabs apparently come in all types of sizes! These crabs begin their lives as microscopic entities and their lifespan can go as long as a century. It is said they also enjoy eating corpses, yikes!
28. Giant Crocodile
During the Miocene epoch living in South America would definitely be pretty interesting considering the creatures that were crawling around back then. 23 million years ago, one of those โinterestingโ creatures crawling around was the worldโs biggest crocodile called Purussaurus. If the picture doesnโt provide you with enough size comparison just think about how their teeth were around two inches long.
29. Megalodon Jaw
2.6 million years ago encountering a megalodon would be absolutely terrifying. Just look at the size of its jaw compared to the jaw of a Great White shark. Thankfully for us, megalodons are now extinct.
30. Argentinosaurus Foot
When seeing the size of bones, jaws, etc of extinct creatures itโs almost a relief that they are extinct. Just 90,000 years ago the Argentinosauras lived and it weighed about 150,000 pounds. One wrong step from this foot and a human being would be smushed!
31. Salt Cave Iran
The worldโs largest salt cave extends nearly 4 miles long. This salt cave lives on the island of Iran in the Persian Gulf. The salt caves of Gamsar are incredible in appearance, as well as, incredible in height too in comparison to us.
32. Full Size Snapping Turtle
Despite what many of us have seen snapping turtles can grow into pretty decent sized creatures. Just look at these two snapping turtles stacked on top of one another. Almost as scary as an alligator!
33. Sky Bridge, Norway
In Norway thereโs a gigantic suspension bridge that resides amongst the clouds. The Hardanger bridge extends 4300 feet and is the longest bridge in Norway. This bridge has two lanes for cars, a lane for pedestrians, and two bicycle lanes as well.
34. Tornados vs. Windmills
Tornados are one of the rather scarier sides of mother nature that have immense power. Just like many other things in life tornados come in all sizes and vary in intensity. Take a look at the size of this tornado compared to the wind turbines in the bottom right. That is a monster twister if weโve ever seen one.
35. Colossal Statue of Ramesses II
Thereโs a reason they use the words colossal and grand to describe this statute. It was built for Pharoah Ramesses II so people were still able to pray to him as a god after death. The statue resides safely at the Grand Egyptian Museum is dated to be around 3,200 years old weighing nearly 20 tons!
36. Gray Whale
Here we have another photo that documents just how large some sea creatures are. Here we have another photo of what a human looks like in comparison to a gray whaleโฆwhich is significantly smaller. In fact, gray whales can reach lengths that stretch up 49 feet and can weigh up to 41 tonnes.
37. Paradise Cove
In Vietnam at the Phong Nha-Kแบป Bร ng National Park is a beautiful cave that stretches more than 331 square miles. It is regarded as one of the largest and most fascinating caves in the world. Looks like something straight out of a movie!
38. Royal Palms in Rio de Janeiro
Usually the palm trees that many of us have seen most of us could probably climb to the top. But in Rio de Janeiro live some pretty magnificent and mighty palms. Look at this picture of this human standing in the entryway to Rioโs botanical gardens amongst 134 very large palms.
39. Wild Boar Skull
Animals in the wild can grow into some pretty terrifying sizes. Take this wild boar skull size comparison for example. 780 lb wild boar skull side by side next to a wolf skull. Not many would mess with this boar unless a pack decides to take its chances.
40. Real Size of Michelangelo
The real size of the famous Michelangelo is hard to comprehend through pictures and sheer description. But in reality, it stands at 17 feet tall and weighs more than 5 tons! No wonder it took 3 years to sculpt.
41. Largest Aircraft In The World
Take a look at the worldโs largest plane standing next to a regular aircraft. The Antonov Mira AN-225 Mryia was built in the 1980s and weighs nearly 640 tonnes. But itโs not made to carry any people just cargo which with all that added weight they need six turbofan engines just to take off.
42. Tyrannosaurus Tooth
Itโs fossils like these that make us more and more thankful that we didnโt exist with dinosaursโฆalthough it wouldโve been pretty cool from a safe distance. Here we have a tyrannosaurus tooth compared to an arm. Not many stand a chance against a mighty Tyrannosaurus.
43. 9 Pound Crab
Weโve seen slide after slide that thereโs way more to sea creatures than meets the eye. Creatures we are familiar with that are usually smaller in size turns out they have cousins that are larger than life. Just look at this 3 foot 9-pound crab absolutely take over this trash can! The King Kong of crabs.
44. HMS Prince of Wales
Here we have a different type of whale you could say called the HMS Prince of Wales which also resides in the sea and is of a larger size. This is the 8th royal navy ship to go by the name HMS Prince of Wales. To put its size into perspective this ship has the capability to hold up to 65 aircrafts.
45. Largest Crystal Cave
For those who love crystals check out the size of these! In Naica, Chihuahua Mexico is where you can find the largest crystal cave. We imagine people would pay a pretty penny to have these in their homes.
46. Batillus Supertanker
With a name like a supertanker we already know that the size will be big. In the 1970s, France constructed the largest ships for their time calling them: the Batillus supertankers! Only four were built, however, they no longer exist.
47. Boulders in Joshua Tree
Thereโs much more to Joshua Tree National Park than just the trees. Amongst the trees live some pretty big rock formations! Just check out this tiny human adventuring around on the rocks in this photo.
48. Bison Getting A Blood Test
It can be hard to get a bison to sit still. One major reason is because of their size and weight. Special equipment must be used in order to get a Bison to be still during tagging and blood tests.
49. Yellowstone Wolves
In the wild we rarely see interactions between animals since they are mostly out at night or hiding. Check out this picture of coyotes standing in comparison to a wolf. Wolves are the largest members of the dog family and coyotes are about the size of large to medium-sized dogs.
50. Eagle Talon
Eagles are known for their strength, appearance, and long life which is why the USA chose the American bald eagle as their national bird. Their size and strength make them one of the most powerful birds of prey which in the bird world makes them an apex predator. Just check out how long and sharp their talons are compared to a human hand!
51. Bomb Crater From WWI
On the first day of the Battle of the Somme in 1916 the British planted explosives below the German front lines. With 19 detonations the explosion left behind a huge crater. In the history of non-nuclear explosions, this joint explosion remains one of the largest.
52. Blue Whale Hearts
Not only are blue whales big in size but their organs are just as large too. Just listen to these statistics about the blue whaleโs heart: itโs 6 feet tall, weighs over 400 pounds, and pumps around 58 gallons of blood per beat. Which the blue whaleโs heart only needs to beat 4-8 times per minute.
53. Giant Snail
For many of us, weโve only encountered snails that are rather small compared to us. However, in Africa, these nocturnal snails are bigger than our hands! They are called Giant African Land snails.
54. Hawaii
When we climb mountains once we get all the way to the top we are able to see just how tiny the world below us is. Even take a moment to realize how small we are. Just look at this picture of a gorgeous mountain in Hawaii with a tiny human embracing the vast landscape once at the top.
55. Saltwater Crocodile
Many of us are generally afraid of the creatures that live within our oceans, lakes, and even rivers. One fear that many of us share that lives within our waters is crocodiles. One reason is because of their size and sharp teeth! Take this saltwater crocodile for example that according to NatGeo they can weigh over 1,000 pounds and live up to 70 years!
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