©Guy Corbishley/Alamy
Size is relative—the further away an object is, the smaller it looks. In addition to that old adage, we also know that seeing a picture of something on the Internet or reading about its height often isn’t enough to truly showcase its size.
All of the items on this list, from cacti to wombats to vintage hard drives, are bigger than expected. Google Images can’t do them justice, so we’ve put together a compilation of comparative sizing for you to get a handle on just how wide, tall, and heavy these animals, people, and objects are.
1. Wombats Are Huge
Found In: Australia
Est. Cost: N/A (Not Suitable As A Pet)
This cuddly, cute marsupial is known as a wombat. Though wombats are just as adorable, they aren’t the size of kittens or puppies—they are massive. Wombats are surprisingly muscular, and they can reach up to 77 pounds in weight.
Giant Wombat ©a-train215 / Stockimo/Alamy
Though generally friendly, you wouldn’t want to get on one of these creatures’ bad side. Wild wombats can become standoffish, and they have sharp teeth and claws you’ll want to avoid. Fans of The Irwins on WBD will know all about wombats’ aggression from a 2022 episode in which the animal-loving Irwins have to handle a particularly cranky wombat called Bunker.
2. What the World’s Tallest Man Looks Like with a Can of Soda
Found In: Mardin, Turkey
Est. Cost: $1.99* (Per can of soda)
Sultan Kosen, a Turkish farmer born in 1982, is the current Guinness World Record holder for being the tallest man on Earth. He stands eight feet, 2.82 inches in height, and his limbs, hands, and feet are particularly massive.
What the world’s tallest man looks like with a can of soda @onediocom/Pinterest
Here, we see Kosen holding a regular-sized can of Pepsi to demonstrate how large his hands are. Kosen’s massive height is the result of two conditions, acromegaly, and gigantism, both of which are caused by a pituitary gland. Far from turning him into an NBA star, these conditions have caused Kosen to have to walk using crutches.
3. True Size of The Great Pyramid of Giza
Found In: Giza Necropolis, Egypt
Est. Cost: $6.47 for a ticket to visit (locals visit free)*
The Great Pyramid of Giza is, deservedly, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Of those Seven Wonders, Giza is the only one that has, for the most part, remained intact. Millions of people go to visit this feat of human ingenuity and engineering every year.
r/HumanForScale/Reddit | ©Nataliia Bornia /Alamy
Located in Egypt, this pyramid was constructed during 25 B.C., and it took twenty-seven years to build. The Great Pyramid stands 455’ in height, and it is a seemingly-impossible marvel, with some claiming that The History Channel was right in stating that aliens, not ancient humans, built this feat of engineering.
4. This is How Big Some Road Signs Are
Found In: U.S.
Est. Cost: $25-$40 per square foot*
When you’re driving past a road sign, you probably only notice what it says, not its size. After all, thanks to forced perspective, the sign doesn’t look huge. When you’re up close to it, you can tell how big this sign is.
This is how big some road signs are @vezlys/Imgur
Some road signs are massive, stretching dozens of feet in length and width. Far from being ordered on Amazon, entire manufacturing plants, many of which hire prisoners as their labor force, are hired to produce these road signs for federal and state governments.
5. This is the Size of a Wind Turbine
Found In: Worldwide
Est. Cost: $2-$4 million*
The typical wind turbine costs between $2 and $4 million to buy, with average operation costs ranging from $42,000 to $48,000 per year. Wind turbines turn wind’s kinetic energy into electric energy, and there thousands of these eco-friendly machines around the world.
This is how big a wind turbine is @r/pics/Reddit
The height of these turbines has increased over the years. Since the 1990s, wind turbines’ size has increased by 60%, reaching between 260 and 300 feet in height. Turbines from companies like General Electric, Vestas, Siemens, and more have increased in size so as to increase in power and energy output.
6. The Size of the Titanic vs. a Modern-day Cruise Ship
Found In: Worldwide
Est. Cost: $200 million to build the Titanic* (Inflation-Adjusted)
The tragedy of the Titanic wasn’t just a hit movie featuring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio; it was a real-life event. Though billed as an unsinkable ship, the Titanic went down into the depths of the North Atlantic after striking an iceberg in 1909.
The size of Titanic against a modern-day cruise ship @r/Damnthatsinteresting/Reddit
Though a larger-than-life historical emblem, the Titanic was actually small when compared to cruise ships from big-names like Disney and Royal Caribbean. Modern cruise ships are 20% larger and 200% taller than the Titanic, dwarfing the Edwardian-era ship in comparison.
7. The Biggest Baby in the World Compared to an Average-sized Baby
Found In: Indonesia
Est. Cost: N/A
According to BabyCenter, the average weight for a baby is between seven and eight pounds. However, as you can see from this image, some babies far exceed those expectations. Born in Indonesia a few years ago, this bundle of joy was one of the largest babies ever born.
The biggest baby in the world compared to an average-sized baby @ebaumsworld/ebay
He weighs 19.2 pounds and measures more than a foot long. When put in perspective, this baby weighed almost as much as a push lawn mower from Home Depot when he was born. Obviously, he was born via a C-section, to spare his mother.
8. A Lion’s Mane Jellyfish
Found In: Northern Pacific, Northern Atlantic, and Arctic Oceans
Est. Cost: N/A
This beautiful, strange sea creature is known as the Lion’s Mane Jellyfish, and it can grow up to 120 feet in length. You can find the Lion’s Mane in the boreal, cold waters of the Northern Pacific, Northern Atlantic, and Arctic Oceans.
A Lion’s Mane jellyfish @ashIG88/Imgur
Its length makes it almost as long as six Ford F-150s stacked end-to-end. Though the Lion’s Mane might make this jellyfish look terrifying, its stings, while painful, are not fatal, and allergic reactions are uncommon.
9. A Blue Whale and a Big Ship
Found In: All Oceans (Minus the Arctic)
Est. Cost: N/A
Blue Whales are the largest creatures on Earth, with females reaching as long as seventy-nine feet (males are ten feet shorter). Boats pale in comparison to these marine mammals, and the latter lasts far longer, as Blue Whales can live up to ninety years in the wild.
A blue whale and a big ship @r/Damnthatsinteresting/Reddit
Blue Whales would make for a boring addition to WBD Shark Week, as they are quite docile, choosing to feed on krill rather than on humans. Because of its size, this whale has just one predator: the Killer Whale. To take down a Blue Whale, Killer Whales have to work in packs like wolves; otherwise, they stand no chance of hunting such a massive creature.
10. A 10MB Hard Drive from the 1960s
Found In: Worldwide
Est. Cost: $3,000-$4,000*
Hard disk drives were used commercially beginning in the late 1950s, and they looked far different than they do today. In the 1960s, hard drives were massive, as scientists and engineers had yet to compactify technology.
A 10MB hard drive from the 1960s @r/photoshopbattles/Pinterest
Far from being sleek like our Mac laptops, computers in the ‘60s weighed 1,000 pounds and were as large as two desks put together. Though this was an upgrade over older computers that took up an entire room, 1960s-era technology wasn’t exactly sleek and portable.
11. Bear Claw vs. Human Hand
Found In: Western U.S., Western Canada
Est. Cost: $290 for a grizzly claw at Glacier Wear*
When you think of disasters that can befall you when hiking or camping, your mind might jump to the horror-movie scenario that is running into a grizzly bear. These bears are massive, as you can see from this picture.
Bear claw vs. human hand ©u/hayz00s/Reddit
Their claws alone are between two and four inches long, and they use these claws to dig roots, excavate dens, and take a swipe at anyone or anything that threatens them. According to the National Park Service, if you run into a grizzly, slowly move away sideways. If the bear follows you, stop in your tracks and stand your ground.
12. Large Traffic Light or Very Small Lady?
Found In: Worldwide
Est. Cost: $200,000-$500,000 to install*
The traffic light can be this big, and people still won’t see it until you slam on your horn. As you can see from this image, traffic lights are about the height of a small child and three times the width.
Traffic light or small child? @buzzfeed/Pinterest | @massimonazare/Twitter
In addition to being bigger than you may have expected, these lights are also pretty pricey. According to the Wyoming DoT, it can cost between $200,000 and half a million to install a traffic signal, especially when you factor in utility adjustments, repairs, access ramps, and all the other accouterments that come with intersections.
13. The Mona Lisa is Smaller Than the Average TV Set
Found In: The Louvre, Paris, France
Est. Cost: Over $1 billion*
Painted by Leonardo DaVinci and based on the image of a wealthy socialite, The Mona Lisa is a masterpiece from the Italian Renaissance. This portrait is a giant in the art world, and it is the most visited, best-known work of art on Earth.
Mona Lisa is smaller than the average TV set ©Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Don’t let that reputation fool you, as, though The Mona Lisa is incredibly important, she is a half-length portrait, which makes her smaller than the average television set. According to Britannica, the portrait’s “speculative” price could be well over $1 billion, thanks to her cultural value.
14. A Full Sized Snapping Turtle
Found In: Southern U.S.A.
Est. Cost: N/A (Not Suitable For A Pet)
This peevish-looking, stocky reptile is a snapping turtle, and he’s not someone you’d want to run into while taking a swim. Some breeds of snapping turtles can grow to 29 inches in length and 249 pounds in weight.
Snapping turtle @r/photoshopbattles/Reddit
Pictured here is an Alligator Snapping Turtle, a freshwater snapper that is one of the heaviest breeds in the world. These turtles have a bit force of 1,000 pounds, easily enough to snap through bone. Fearsome though they appear, Alligator Snappers are actually docile, and they are more likely to hightail it away from humans if they run into them.
15. This is What a T. Rex’s Tooth Looks Like
Found In: Western U.S.
Est. Cost: $9,500*
Sixty-five million years ago, the Tyrannosaurus rex went extinct, and the world lost a true monster. The T. rex was incredibly fearsome and aggressive, with a bite force of 35,000 newtons (for reference, humans’ bite force is 300 newtons).
@jamie44561041/Twitter | ©Fernando Cortés/stock.adobe.com
T. rex teeth were between six and twelve inches, and these dinosaurs were strictly carnivores. They were, obviously, at the top of the food chain, able to easily hunt down and snack on large dinosaurs like the Triceratops, Anatosaurus, and Edmontosaurus.