Knowing that the largest animals on the planet lie beneath the calm surface of the ocean is baffling. Some people refuse to swim in a murky pool based on mistrust of the unknown. So imagine what’s waiting for you at the bottom of the sea? This thought is enough to turn the hardiest old sea dog into a landlubber. But nothing puts the ocean into perspective quite like a scaled comparison. That’s what the below infographic will do for you! But, before you feel small, get a bit of perspective on the ocean below.
Tales Of Old
Mermaids, sea serpents, the mighty Kraken. All are calamitous creatures of the deep. The pioneer sailors documented grim encounters with these beasts. But what’s scarier than the stories, is that they weren’t stories at all. The mysteries of the ocean hold a ton of cryptic tales. But none as curious as to the largest animals.
Meet The Kraken
The Kraken was known to sailors as a monstrous beast which took whole ships. It had tentacles as long as the ship and could pull you down with one tug. But, all the poor souls were witnessing was the colossal squid. At 14m, the sailors may have been exaggerating their recounts of the creature slightly.
Enter The Sea Serpent
This beast was nothing more than the humble oarfish. Whilst this long, sleek fish is peculiar at first sight, it means no harm. Still, seeing an 8m long serpent-like creature snaking alongside your boat would send shivers down any one’s timber.
The (Not So) Lovely Mermaid
It was Christopher Columbus who shared his first sighting of the mythical mermaid. However, he must’ve been out at sea for some time. Because what he had mistaken for a fish-tailed woman was a Manatee. Either the ocean had warped his mind or Mrs. Columbus wasn’t such a looker!
Today’s Largest Animals In Scale To You
As previously mentioned, the easiest way to understand the size of the largest animals of the sea is to put them in perspective to you. So, take a gander at the infographic below and see if you can spot yourself (the scuba diver) amidst these beasts.
Ocean Giants Infographic by Karl Tate, from Livescience.com http://www.livescience.com/49427-new-size-estimates-for-large-ocean-animals-infographic.html