megafauna
Earth's largest animals
Megafauna are the large animals of a region or era—typically those exceeding 100 pounds.
The term often refers to the massive creatures of the Pleistocene: mammoths, giant sloths, saber-toothed cats.
Most went extinct around 10,000 years ago.
Today's megafauna include elephants, whales, and large predators: African megafauna draw millions of tourists annually.
Tusked gray giant
- whaleHuge sea mammal
- rhinocerosLarge horned African mammal
- hippopotamusLarge semi-aquatic African mammal
- giraffeTallest land animal
gorilla · bison · moose · grizzly · crocodile · shark · walrus · manatee
Extinct elephant with curved tusks
- mastodonExtinct elephantine Pleistocene mammal
- glyptodonExtinct armored ice-age mammal
- moaExtinct flightless New Zealand bird
- PleistoceneAncient glacial geological period
fossils · paleontology · Quaternary · Holocene · carbon-dating · tundra · permafrost
At risk of extinction
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
- protectionGuarding against harm
- sanctuaryProtected sacred space
- reserveSupply kept back
poaching · reintroduction · corridors · anti-poaching · translocation · rewilding · CITES · WWF
Extremely large and heavy
- enormousExtremely large in scale
- giganticImmensely large in scale
- colossalExtremely large in scale
- tonnageShip's weight capacity
bulk · heavyweight · imposing · towering · formidable
Feeding on pasture
- browsingCasual examination of options
- predator-preyEcological consumption relationship
- biodiversityRange of life forms
- herbivorePlant-only consumer
elephant
Tusked gray giant
- whaleHuge sea mammal
- rhinocerosLarge horned African mammal
- hippopotamusLarge semi-aquatic African mammal
giraffe · gorilla · bison · moose · grizzly · crocodile · shark · walrus · manatee · orca
mammoth
Extinct elephant with curved tusks
- mastodonExtinct elephantine Pleistocene mammal
- glyptodonExtinct armored ice-age mammal
- moaExtinct flightless New Zealand bird
Pleistocene · fossils · paleontology · Quaternary · Holocene · carbon-dating · tundra · permafrost
endangered
At risk of extinction
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
- protectionGuarding against harm
- sanctuaryProtected sacred space
reserve · poaching · reintroduction · corridors · anti-poaching · translocation · rewilding · CITES · WWF
massive
Extremely large and heavy
tonnage · bulk · heavyweight · imposing · towering · formidable
grazing
Feeding on pasture
- browsingCasual examination of options
- predator-preyEcological consumption relationship
- biodiversityRange of life forms
- African NatureAfrican elephants, African lions, Serengeti, Sahara, Congo Basin
- Ice Ageice age, mammoths, saber-tooth cat, mammoth, woolly mammoth
- prehistorystone tools, Neolithic, Stone Age, caveman, cavemen
- fossilsdinosaur bones, ammonite, amber, ammonites, fossils
- Mega- Wordsmegahertz, megaton, megawatt, megapixel, megacity
- prehistoric lifedinosaur, dinosaurs, triceratops, Velociraptor, velociraptor
megafaunamicrofauna
Minute soil animals
invertebrates · insects · mice · rodents · small mammals
megafaunamicroorganisms
Microscopic living entities
microbes · bacteria · microbiota · plankton · protists