Special Edition · Natural History
GIANTS
Inside This Issue
The Sky Dragon That Ruled the Ancient Air
Meet Meganeuropsis — a dragonfly so enormous it could look a golden retriever in the eye and had a wingspan wider than your outstretched arms.
Imagine you're hiking through a steamy jungle 300 million years ago. The air is thick with oxygen — far more than today. Suddenly, something the size of a modern hawk swoops overhead. You catch a flash of lacy wings each stretching over a foot long. You've just seen Meganeuropsis permiana — the largest insect that ever lived on our planet.
This colossal creature was a relative of today's dragonflies, but calling it a dragonfly is like calling a school bus a bicycle. Its wingspan reached an incredible 28 inches (71 centimeters) — about as wide as a two-year-old child is tall. Its body alone was nearly 17 inches long. Scientists who have studied its fossils believe it could have weighed as much as a large orange.
Why Were Insects So Gigantic?
Here's the truly mind-blowing part: insects back then were huge because of the AIR itself! During the Carboniferous Period, Earth's atmosphere was packed with about 35% oxygen — compared to just 21% today. That extra oxygen let insects breathe so efficiently that their bodies could grow to enormous sizes. You see, insects don't have lungs. They breathe through tiny tubes called spiracles in their sides. More oxygen in the air meant more fuel for bigger bodies.
The forests of this era were strange and wonderful too — giant tree ferns, club mosses as tall as apartment buildings, and dense swamps that would eventually become the coal deposits we mine today.
Predator of the Prehistoric Skies
Meganeuropsis was no gentle giant. Scientists believe it was a fierce aerial predator, swooping down on other large insects and possibly even small amphibians. Its compound eyes — probably the size of marbles — could spot movement from many feet away, just like modern dragonflies do today. Some researchers think it could fly at speeds up to 40 kilometers per hour (about 25 mph).
- Wingspan: Up to 71 cm (28 inches) — about as wide as a 2-year-old is tall
- Body length: Up to 43 cm (17 inches)
- When: 299–290 million years ago (Late Carboniferous – Early Permian)
- Where: North America and Europe (single continent back then!)
- Diet: Likely other large insects and small amphibians
- Breathing trick: Spiracle breathing — no lungs at all!
- Modern relative: Dragonflies, which still have the best hunting success rate of any predator (95%!)
Why Don't Giant Insects Exist Today?
As the Permian Period arrived, Earth's oxygen levels dropped. Forests dried up, swamps disappeared. Without that super-oxygenated air, giant insects simply couldn't survive. Birds also eventually evolved, and a flying vertebrate with sharp eyes and a quick beak made being a huge, slow insect a very dangerous proposition. Nature downsized everything, and today's largest insects — like the titan beetle of the Amazon, which can reach 17 centimeters — are mere shadows of their ancient ancestors.
- What percentage of oxygen was in the air when Meganeuropsis lived?
- What are the tiny breathing holes in an insect's body called?
- If Meganeuropsis's wingspan was 71 cm, approximately how many feet is that?
- True or False: Meganeuropsis was related to modern butterflies.
- Name one reason giant insects can't exist on Earth today.
- About 35% oxygen (compared to 21% today)
- Spiracles
- About 2.3 feet (roughly "arms-width" for a child)
- False — it was related to modern dragonflies
- Lower oxygen levels AND/OR the evolution of birds as predators
Megalodon: The Ocean's Supreme Monster
Ashark so massive that a school bus could fit inside its open mouth — and it ruled Earth's oceans for 20 million years.
The name alone sounds like a supervillain: Otodus megalodon. In ancient Greek it means "big tooth" — and that is a spectacular understatement. Megalodon's teeth were triangular serrated blades up to 18 centimeters tall (7 inches), each one roughly the size of a human hand. The shark attached to those teeth? Scientists estimate it stretched to around 15–18 meters (50–60 feet) — about three times longer than a great white shark.
For context: if you parked a school bus in front of Megalodon's open mouth, the bus would fit inside. Its jaws produced a bite force estimated at 108,000 to 180,000 newtons — strong enough to crush a car. The largest recorded bite force of any living creature, the saltwater crocodile, is about 16,000 newtons. Megalodon's bite was more than ten times stronger.
20 Million Years of Terror
Megalodon ruled Earth's oceans from about 23 million years ago until roughly 3.6 million years ago. During those 20 million years, it was the unchallenged king of the sea. Its favorite prey? Whales. Ancient whale bones found around the world show massive tooth-shaped gouges that match Megalodon's teeth perfectly. Scientists have also found fossil whale bones that the shark had bitten clean through.
Built Like a Nightmare
We know Megalodon almost entirely from its teeth, because sharks are made of cartilage, not bone, and cartilage rarely fossilizes. But from thousands of recovered teeth found on every continent except Antarctica, paleontologists have reconstructed this titan. Its teeth were arranged in multiple rows — up to five rows, just like modern sharks — and it is estimated the shark may have had around 276 teeth in its mouth at any one time. When one fell out, another moved forward to replace it, just like a living weapon factory.
Why Did Megalodon Disappear?
About 3.6 million years ago, Earth's climate cooled dramatically. The shallow, warm seas where Megalodon bred and hunted shrank. Its main prey — certain warm-water whale species — also declined. Meanwhile, competition from other large predators like the ancestors of modern orcas intensified. Megalodon, despite being the most fearsome predator the ocean had ever seen, simply could not adapt fast enough. The ocean changed, and the monster vanished.
Despite what certain movies suggest, Megalodon is almost certainly extinct. The evidence is overwhelming: we track whales with satellites today, and if a 60-foot shark existed, we would know. Also, Megalodon teeth do not decay for millions of years, but teeth from living Megalodon sharks would show up fresh and white in ocean sediment — and they don't.
- Length: ~15–18 meters (50–60 feet) — three school buses end to end
- Weight: Estimated 50–70 metric tons
- Tooth size: Up to 18 cm (7 inches) — as big as your hand
- Bite force: ~108,000–180,000 Newtons (10x a saltwater croc)
- Lived: 23–3.6 million years ago
- Favorite food: Ancient whales, giant sea turtles, other sharks
- Fossils found on: Every continent except Antarctica
- What does "Megalodon" mean in Greek?
- How long were Megalodon's largest teeth?
- What was Megalodon's favorite prey?
- Why do scientists know Megalodon is extinct today?
- How many rows of teeth could Megalodon have at once?
- "Big tooth" (mega = big, odon = tooth)
- Up to 18 centimeters (7 inches) — roughly the size of a human hand
- Ancient whales
- Modern technology tracks whales globally; fresh white Megalodon teeth would appear in ocean sediment if they were alive — none do
- Up to 5 rows, with approximately 276 teeth total
Patagotitan: The Dinosaur That Shook the Earth
It weighed as much as 12 African elephants and its leg bones were so massive that a full-grown human could stand inside one.
In 2013, a ranch worker in Patagonia, Argentina, stumbled upon something sticking out of the desert ground. He thought it was a piece of petrified wood. It turned out to be the femur — the thigh bone — of the largest dinosaur ever discovered, and it was so big that a grown adult could comfortably stand inside the hollow of the fossil. Scientists named the creature Patagotitan mayorum, and the numbers describing it are almost beyond human comprehension.
Patagotitan was a titanosaur — a member of a group of long-necked plant-eating dinosaurs called sauropods. At its largest, it stretched roughly 37 meters (121 feet) from nose to tail tip — longer than four city buses parked end to end. It weighed approximately 76 metric tons, equivalent to 12 fully grown African elephants stacked together. It is the largest animal for which we have reasonably complete fossil evidence in all of Earth's history.
A Life of Eating — Constantly
To power a body that massive, Patagotitan had to eat essentially all day, every day. Scientists estimate it needed to consume around 500–1,000 kilograms of plant matter daily — that's roughly the weight of a grand piano in food, every single day. Fortunately, the Cretaceous world was lush and green, with abundant fern prairies and conifer forests. Patagotitan used its long neck like a crane, sweeping from side to side to harvest enormous quantities of vegetation without moving its massive body at all.
The Discovery of the Century
When paleontologists excavated the fossil site in Argentina, they found the remains of at least six individuals. This was extraordinary — it meant scientists could piece together a much more complete picture of the animal than usual. When one reconstructed skeleton was taken to New York's American Museum of Natural History for display, the dinosaur was so long it had to poke its head out into the hallway beyond the main exhibit room, because it simply didn't fit inside.
How Did Such a Giant Even Move?
You might wonder how anything that heavy could walk at all. Scientists think Patagotitan had a sophisticated system of air sacs inside its bones, similar to modern birds. This made its skeleton far lighter than solid bone would be. Its legs were like living columns of bone — thick, straight, and strong, built to support weight the way a bridge supports traffic. Despite its size, estimates suggest it walked at perhaps 6–8 kilometers per hour.
- Length: ~37 m (121 ft) — four city buses end to end
- Weight: ~76 metric tons — 12 African elephants
- Height at shoulder: About 6 meters (20 feet)
- Femur (thigh bone): 2.4 meters — taller than most adult humans
- When: ~100 million years ago (Late Cretaceous)
- Diet: Herbivore — ferns, conifers, flowering plants
- Discovered: Patagonia, Argentina, 2013
- What group of dinosaurs did Patagotitan belong to?
- Approximately how much did Patagotitan weigh in metric tons?
- In what country was Patagotitan discovered?
- Why were Patagotitan's bones lighter than solid bone would have been?
- How many individuals were found at the fossil site?
- Titanosaurs / sauropods (long-necked plant-eating dinosaurs)
- About 76 metric tons
- Argentina (in the Patagonia region)
- It had a system of air sacs inside its bones, similar to modern birds, making them lighter
- At least six individuals
General Sherman: The King of All Living Things
Aliving tree so enormous that its trunk alone contains enough wood to build 120 average-sized houses — and it was already ancient when Julius Caesar was born.
Somewhere in California's Sequoia National Park, a tree has been quietly growing for over 2,200 years. It was already a mature tree when ancient Rome was conquering the Mediterranean. It survived the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the Industrial Revolution without anyone caring much at all. Today we call it General Sherman, and by volume of living wood, it is the largest living organism with a single trunk on Earth.
The numbers are staggering. General Sherman stands 84 meters (275 feet) tall — about as tall as a 25-story building. Its base circumference is 31.3 meters (102.6 feet) — you would need about 20 adults with arms outstretched to circle the trunk. The volume of its wood has been calculated at 1,487 cubic meters (52,508 cubic feet), enough wood to build 120 average-sized homes. Its total weight is estimated at around 1,385 metric tons.
Growing Faster With Age
Here is a fact that will twist your brain: General Sherman actually adds more new wood each year now than it did when it was young. Every year, it is estimated to add enough new wood — about 40 cubic feet — to build a medium-sized house. Giant sequoias don't slow down as they age the way most trees do. They keep accelerating. This is partly because the tree is so massive that even a small percentage of growth represents an enormous volume of wood.
Nature's Fireproof Giant
You might worry about forest fires threatening such an irreplaceable treasure. But here's the astonishing thing: giant sequoias are fire-adapted in the most extraordinary way. Their bark can be up to 60 centimeters (2 feet) thick, and it contains almost no flammable resin. Fire actually helps sequoias by clearing competition and opening their cones to release seeds. General Sherman has survived countless fires over its 2,200-year life. The tree has essentially evolved to use fire as a garden tool.
Why So Big?
Giant sequoias grow only in a narrow band of California's Sierra Nevada mountains, between 1,400 and 2,150 meters elevation. There, they receive heavy winter snowpack that melts slowly and feeds them all summer. The climate is perfect — not too hot, not too cold, moist but not waterlogged. In these conditions, with no natural pathogens capable of killing them and bark thick enough to deflect almost any threat, sequoias simply keep growing. They are built to live for thousands of years.
- Height: 84 m (275 ft) — 25-story building
- Base circumference: 31.3 m (102.6 ft)
- Wood volume: 1,487 m³ (52,508 cubic feet) — 120 houses
- Age: Estimated 2,200–2,700 years
- Location: Sequoia National Park, California, USA
- Annual growth: Adds ~1.1 m³ new wood every year
- Bark thickness: Up to 60 cm (2 feet) — almost fireproof
- By what measurement is General Sherman the "world's largest" tree?
- Approximately how old is General Sherman?
- In what US state does General Sherman grow?
- True or False: Giant sequoias slow their growth as they get older.
- Why does fire actually help giant sequoias survive and reproduce?
- Volume of living wood (not height or girth alone)
- Approximately 2,200–2,700 years old
- California (Sequoia National Park)
- False — they actually grow faster (add more wood volume) as they get older
- Fire clears competing vegetation AND opens sequoia cones to release seeds; their thick bark protects them from burning
The Blue Whale: Biggest Animal That Has Ever Existed
Not just the biggest animal alive today — the blue whale is the largest animal that has EVER lived on Earth in all 4 billion years of life's history.
We share the planet with the largest animal that has ever lived. Not just the largest alive today — the largest that has EVER lived in 4 billion years of life on Earth. Bigger than any dinosaur. Bigger than Megalodon. Bigger than anything that came before. The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is Earth's undisputed size champion, and it is alive right now, singing its impossibly low songs in the deep ocean.
A fully grown blue whale can reach 33 meters (110 feet) in length and weigh up to 200 metric tons. To put that in perspective: its heart alone weighs about 180 kilograms (400 pounds) and is roughly the size of a golf cart. Its aorta — the main artery leaving the heart — is wide enough for a human toddler to crawl through. A blue whale's tongue weighs as much as an elephant. Newborn calves, at birth, already weigh 2,700 kilograms and are 7 meters long.
The Loudest Animal on Earth
Blue whales communicate through a series of deep, rumbling calls that can register up to 188 decibels — making them the loudest animals on Earth. Jet engines at takeoff measure about 140 decibels. Blue whale calls travel at frequencies too low for humans to hear without specialized equipment, and they can carry for thousands of kilometers through the ocean. It is believed whales in different ocean basins may actually be "talking" to each other across entire oceans.
A Diet That Makes No Sense
Here is one of nature's great ironies: the largest animal on Earth eats some of the smallest creatures. Blue whales feed almost entirely on krill — tiny shrimp-like crustaceans that are usually only about 2 centimeters long. Each day, a blue whale needs to eat around 3,600 kilograms (8,000 pounds) of krill. It does this by lunging through dense krill swarms with its massive mouth open, taking in enormous gulps of water, then pushing the water out through its baleen plates — comb-like filters that trap the krill inside.
Endangered but Fighting Back
Commercial whaling in the 20th century nearly wiped out blue whales entirely. By 1967, when international protection finally arrived, there may have been as few as 360 blue whales left in the Southern Ocean. Today, thanks to decades of protection, numbers have recovered to an estimated 10,000–25,000 worldwide — still critically endangered, but a genuine conservation success story in progress.
- Length: Up to 33 m (110 ft) — longest animal alive
- Weight: Up to 200 metric tons — heaviest animal ever
- Heart weight: ~180 kg (400 lbs) — size of a golf cart
- Daily food intake: ~3,600 kg (8,000 lbs) of krill
- Loudness: Up to 188 decibels — louder than a jet engine
- Call range: Thousands of kilometers through ocean
- Lifespan: Up to 90 years
- How much does a blue whale's heart weigh?
- What do blue whales eat, and approximately how much per day?
- How do blue whales filter food from seawater?
- Are blue whales the largest animals alive today, or the largest that have EVER lived?
- Approximately how many blue whales exist today?
- About 180 kilograms (400 pounds) — roughly the size of a golf cart
- Krill (tiny shrimp-like crustaceans); about 3,600 kg (8,000 lbs) per day
- Through baleen plates — comb-like filters in their mouths that trap krill
- The largest that have EVER lived in Earth's 4-billion-year history of life
- Estimated 10,000–25,000 worldwide
The Colossal Squid: Monster of the Deep
It has eyes the size of dinner plates, hooks on its arms, and lives in a place so dark and cold that we've only ever seen a handful of them. Meet Earth's heaviest invertebrate.
Not to be confused with the giant squid (a mere smaller cousin), the colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) is the largest invertebrate on Earth by mass. Where giant squids are longer, colossal squids are much heavier — reaching up to 495 kilograms (1,100 pounds) with bodies up to 14 meters (46 feet) long including tentacles.
Its most jaw-dropping feature? Its eyes. Colossal squid possess the largest eyes of any living animal — up to 30–35 centimeters (about 12–14 inches) in diameter. Each eye is roughly the size of a large pizza or a basketball. These enormous eyes evolved to detect the faint bioluminescent glow of prey (and approaching sperm whales) in the pitch darkness of the deep ocean.
Armed and Extraordinarily Dangerous
Unlike giant squids, which have suckers with serrated edges, colossal squids have rotating hooks on their tentacles — sharp swiveling hooks that can dig into prey and are impossible to escape. Its beak, hidden at the center of its arms, is among the largest of any squid and can bite through steel fishing lines.
- Weight: Up to 495 kg (1,100 lbs) — heaviest invertebrate
- Length: Up to 14 m (46 ft) with tentacles
- Eye diameter: 30–35 cm (12–14 in) — size of a basketball
- Habitat: Southern Ocean, depths of 500–2,000 meters
- Arms: 8 arms + 2 tentacles, all with rotating hooks
- Predator: Hunted almost exclusively by sperm whales
- How big can the eyes of a colossal squid get?
- What is on the tentacles of a colossal squid that makes it different from a giant squid?
- What is the main predator of the colossal squid?
- Up to 30–35 centimeters (12–14 inches) — basketball-sized
- Rotating hooks (instead of just serrated suckers)
- Sperm whales
Titanoboa: The 48-Foot Jungle Serpent
After the dinosaurs vanished, the largest predator on Earth was a snake so enormous that a human would look like a snack. Its body was as wide as a grown adult's hips.
When the dinosaurs went extinct 66 million years ago, an ecological vacuum opened. Something had to fill the role of apex predator in the steaming tropical forests. Nature's answer, in the warm rainforests of what is now Colombia, was a snake. Not just any snake — Titanoboa cerrejonensis, the largest snake in Earth's history.
Titanoboa stretched up to 14.6 meters (48 feet) long — picture three minivans lined up end to end. Its body, at its widest point, was about 1 meter (3 feet) in diameter — roughly as wide as an adult human's hips. It weighed approximately 1,135 kilograms (2,500 pounds). For comparison, the anaconda — the world's heaviest living snake — maxes out at around 250 kilograms. Titanoboa outweighed it by more than four times.
A Cold-Blooded Climate Clue
Snakes are cold-blooded, meaning their body size is limited by the temperature of their environment. Scientists used the size of Titanoboa's fossils to actually calculate what Earth's temperature was 60 million years ago: for a snake that big to survive, the average tropical temperature must have been around 30–34°C (86–93°F) — significantly warmer than tropical forests today. Titanoboa became a remarkable thermometer for ancient Earth.
- Length: Up to 14.6 m (48 ft) — three minivans end to end
- Weight: ~1,135 kg (2,500 lbs) — 4.5x heaviest living anaconda
- Body width: ~1 m (3 ft) at widest — as wide as adult human hips
- Diet: Giant crocodilians and large fish — it swallowed them whole
- When: 60–58 million years ago (Paleocene)
- Discovered: Cerrejón coal mine, Colombia, 2009
- How long was Titanoboa?
- In what country was Titanoboa discovered?
- How did scientists use Titanoboa to learn about ancient Earth's temperature?
- Up to 14.6 meters (48 feet)
- Colombia, South America
- Cold-blooded animals' maximum size is limited by environmental temperature; scientists used the known relationship between temperature and snake size to calculate ancient tropical temperatures
Rafflesia: The Flower That Smells Like Death
The world's largest individual flower has no leaves, no stem, and no roots — and it smells so terrible that people can detect it from half a mile away.
In the dense rainforests of Borneo, Sumatra, and the Philippines, something extraordinary and deeply weird is happening underground. A parasitic plant called Rafflesia arnoldii spends most of its life completely invisible — existing as a web of thread-like structures growing inside the roots of another plant like a hidden alien. Then, after months of preparation, it bursts through the surface as a single enormous flower.
The bloom of Rafflesia can reach 1 meter (3.3 feet) in diameter and weigh up to 11 kilograms (24 pounds). Its five fleshy red-and-white petals open to reveal a central chamber that looks like a volcanic crater. There is one more detail: the flower smells exactly like rotting meat. This is not a malfunction — it is a brilliant strategy. The stench attracts carrion flies, which then carry Rafflesia's pollen from flower to flower.
The Plant With No Plant Parts
Rafflesia is one of the most bizarre organisms on Earth. It has evolved no leaves — it cannot photosynthesize. It has no stem. It has no roots. It steals all its nutrients from its host vine. The only time it is even visible is when it flowers. Scientists who studied its genetics discovered that Rafflesia has actually stolen genes from its host plant through a process called horizontal gene transfer — it literally absorbed part of its victim's DNA.
- Flower diameter: Up to 1 m (3.3 ft) — largest in the world
- Flower weight: Up to 11 kg (24 lbs)
- Smell: Rotting flesh — detectable from ~800 meters
- Host: Tetrastigma vines — Rafflesia lives inside them
- Pollinator: Carrion flies attracted by the putrid smell
- Bloom duration: Only 5–7 days before collapsing
- Why does Rafflesia smell like rotting meat?
- What three plant parts does Rafflesia completely lack?
- How large can a Rafflesia flower grow?
- To attract carrion flies, which pollinate it by carrying its pollen between flowers
- Leaves, stems, and roots
- Up to 1 meter (3.3 feet) in diameter
Argentavis: The Condor That Darkened the Sky
With a wingspan wider than a Cessna airplane and the weight of a large adult human, Argentavis magnificens was the largest flying bird in Earth's history.
Six million years ago, something that could blot out the sun soared over the pampas of what is now Argentina. Argentavis magnificens — its name literally means "magnificent Argentine bird" — had a wingspan of approximately 7 meters (23 feet) and weighed around 70 kilograms (154 pounds). For comparison, the wandering albatross, today's largest flying bird, has a wingspan of about 3.5 meters. Argentavis's wingspan was twice that.
At 70 kilograms, Argentavis was about the weight of an adult human being. It belongs to a group called the pelagornithids — a family of giant seabirds with bony projections in their beaks that resembled teeth. Scientists have puzzled over how a creature this massive got airborne. The answer appears to be: it mostly didn't flap. Argentavis was an extreme soaring specialist, riding thermal updrafts the way a hang glider does, covering enormous distances while barely moving its wings at all.
A Living Glider
Analysis of its shoulder joints suggests Argentavis could lock its wings in an extended position, meaning it could soar for hours with almost no muscular effort. It likely launched by running downhill into the wind, the way modern hang gliders take off. Once airborne, it could cover hundreds of kilometers daily, scanning for carrion — the dead animals that made up most of its diet.
- Wingspan: ~7 m (23 ft) — twice a wandering albatross
- Weight: ~70 kg (154 lbs) — about the weight of an adult human
- When: ~6 million years ago (Miocene)
- Diet: Carrion — scavenged dead animals
- Flight style: Thermal soaring — rarely flapped its wings
- Related to: Modern condors and New World vultures
- What was the wingspan of Argentavis?
- What did Argentavis eat?
- How did Argentavis fly without using much energy?
- About 7 meters (23 feet)
- Carrion — the remains of dead animals
- Thermal soaring — riding warm air updrafts with wings locked in an extended position, like a hang glider
The Humongous Fungus: Earth's Largest Living Thing
Forget blue whales and giant sequoias. The largest organism on Earth is a single fungus growing invisibly underground across an area the size of 1,665 football fields in Oregon.
The title of "largest organism on Earth" is not held by any tree or whale. It belongs to a honey fungus growing quietly underground in Oregon's Blue Mountains — a single organism that covers approximately 9.65 square kilometers (2,385 acres), an area roughly the size of 1,665 American football fields. Scientists call it Armillaria ostoyae, but its nickname is the Humongous Fungus.
What you see on the surface — small clusters of honey-colored mushrooms — is just the very tip of this organism. Below the forest floor, the fungus spreads as a vast network of black, shoestring-like structures called rhizomorphs and as thin sheets called mycelial mats between the bark and wood of living trees. The fungus kills trees by invading their roots and preventing water and nutrients from moving through the plant. It has been slowly expanding through Malheur National Forest for an estimated 8,650 years.
One Individual, Not a Colony
This is the mind-bending part: the Humongous Fungus is not a colony of many organisms like an ant colony. It is a single individual — one organism with genetically identical DNA throughout its entire 2,385-acre body. Scientists confirmed this through genetic testing in the 1990s, comparing samples from across its range and finding the DNA was effectively identical everywhere. One creature. Nearly 10 square kilometers.
How Do You Weigh It?
Estimating the mass of a mostly-underground organism this vast is extremely difficult. Scientists' best estimates put the total weight at around 35,000 metric tons (77 million pounds). Even if that estimate is off by 90%, it's still larger than any individual animal. The Humongous Fungus grows about one meter per year in all directions. At 8,650 years of age, it may have started growing before the Egyptian pyramids were built.
- Area covered: ~9.65 km² (2,385 acres) = 1,665 football fields
- Estimated weight: ~35,000 metric tons (77 million lbs)
- Age: ~8,650 years — older than the pyramids of Egypt
- Location: Malheur National Forest, Oregon, USA
- Species: Armillaria ostoyae (honey fungus)
- Growth rate: About 1 meter per year outward
- How identified: DNA testing confirms the entire mass is one individual
- In what US state does the Humongous Fungus live?
- How do scientists know the entire fungus is one individual organism?
- Approximately how many football fields would the Humongous Fungus cover?
- Is the Humongous Fungus older or younger than the ancient Egyptian pyramids?
- What does the Humongous Fungus do to trees in the forest around it?
- Oregon (Malheur National Forest)
- DNA testing across its entire range shows genetically identical DNA throughout
- About 1,665 football fields (across ~2,385 acres / 9.65 square kilometers)
- Older — the Humongous Fungus is ~8,650 years old; the pyramids are ~4,500 years old
- It invades tree roots and kills them by blocking water and nutrient transport
Our World Is Full of Giants,
Past and Present.
From the ancient air-giant Meganeuropsis to the living network of the Humongous Fungus, Earth's history is a story of extraordinary scale. These giants remind us that nature's imagination is boundless — and that the most astonishing stories often happen right beneath our feet, far beneath the ocean, or millions of years in the past.
