Animal size comparison
Whales, sharks, elephants, bears, dinosaurs and pets, drawn to scale next to a person. Every size is cited.
Animal size comparison: the tool
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Every size on this page
36 animals, from House cat (22.5 cm (8.86 in)) to Argentinosaurus (35.0 m (115 ft)). Add any of them to the board from the list.
| What | Size | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Argentinosaurus Estimated length from partial fossils. | 35.0 m (115 ft) long | Natural History Museum, London |
| Blue whale Maximum length. Antarctic blue whales reach about 110 ft; in the North Atlantic and North Pacific about 90 ft. | 33.5 m (110 ft) long range 27.4 m (90 ft) to 33.5 m (110 ft) | NOAA Fisheries |
| Fin whale Adult length range 75 to 85 ft; value is the midpoint. | 24.4 m (80 ft) long range 22.9 m (75 ft) to 25.9 m (85 ft) | NOAA Fisheries |
| Megalodon Fossil estimate. A 2025 study puts the maximum at up to 24.3 m; older tooth-based estimates gave a maximum of 15 to 18 m. | 24.3 m (80 ft) long range 15.0 m (49 ft) to 24.3 m (80 ft) | Natural History Museum, London, Western Australian Museum |
| Brachiosaurus Estimated length. | 22.0 m (72 ft) long | Natural History Museum, London |
| Whale shark Maximum size thought to be about 20 m; both sexes mature by about 9 m. | 20.0 m (66 ft) long range 9.0 m (30 ft) to 20.0 m (66 ft) | Florida Museum of Natural History |
| Humpback whale Maximum length, up to about 60 ft. | 18.3 m (60 ft) long | NOAA Fisheries |
| Sperm whale Adult males up to 52 ft; females up to 40 ft. | 15.8 m (52 ft) long range 12.2 m (40 ft) to 15.8 m (52 ft) | NOAA Fisheries |
| Tyrannosaurus rex (SUE) SUE, the largest known T. rex specimen: 40.5 ft long, 13 ft tall at the hip. | 12.3 m (40 ft) long | Field Museum |
| Orca (killer whale) Maximum length, up to 32 ft. | 9.8 m (32 ft) long | NOAA Fisheries |
| Green anaconda Can reach 30 ft (9 m). | 9.1 m (30 ft) long | Smithsonian's National Zoo |
| Great white shark Adults grow up to about 20 ft; the same page also gives up to 21 ft. | 6.1 m (20 ft) long range 6.1 m (20 ft) to 6.4 m (21 ft) | NOAA Fisheries |
| Giraffe Males up to 18 ft tall; females up to 14 ft. | 5.5 m (18 ft) tall range 4.3 m (14 ft) to 5.5 m (18 ft) | San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance |
| Saltwater crocodile Grows up to 7 m but rarely more than 5 m; large males can exceed 6 m, females usually around 3 m. | 5.0 m (16 ft) long range 3.0 m (10 ft) to 7.0 m (23 ft) | Queensland Museum |
| Hippopotamus 10.8 to 16.5 ft long; value is the midpoint. Up to 5.2 ft at the shoulder. | 4.2 m (14 ft) long range 3.3 m (11 ft) to 5.0 m (16 ft) | San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance |
| African elephant Up to 4 m (13 ft) tall. | 4.0 m (13 ft) tall | African Wildlife Foundation |
| White rhino Head and body 10 to 16 ft; 5 to 6 ft at the shoulder. Values are midpoints. | 4.0 m (13 ft) long range 3.0 m (10 ft) to 4.9 m (16 ft) | International Rhino Foundation |
| Asian elephant Typically 6 to 12 ft at the shoulder; value is the midpoint. Males are usually larger. | 274 cm (9 ft 0 in) at the shoulder range 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) to 3.7 m (12 ft) | Smithsonian's National Zoo |
| Komodo dragon Typically 6 to 10 ft long (value is the midpoint); largest verified specimen 10.3 ft. | 244 cm (8 ft 0 in) long range 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) to 3.0 m (10 ft) | San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Smithsonian's National Zoo |
| Polar bear Head and body length, most are about 6 to 9 ft; value is the midpoint. Males may top 12 ft standing on hind legs. | 229 cm (7 ft 6 in) long range 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) to 274 cm (9 ft 0 in) | San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance |
| Ostrich Females 5.7 to 6.2 ft, males 6.9 to 9 ft; value is the midpoint of the full range. | 224 cm (7 ft 4 in) tall range 174 cm (5 ft 8 in) to 274 cm (9 ft 0 in) | San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance |
| Tiger 4.8 to 9.5 ft depending on sex and location (value is the midpoint); Amur males can be 12 ft long. | 218 cm (7 ft 2 in) long range 146 cm (4 ft 10 in) to 3.7 m (12 ft) | San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance |
| Lion Adult males 5.6 to 8.3 ft long (value is the midpoint); females 4.6 to 5.7 ft. Tail not included. | 212 cm (6 ft 11 in) long range 140 cm (4 ft 7 in) to 253 cm (8 ft 4 in) | San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance |
| Moose 5.5 to 7.5 ft at the shoulder (Shiras moose, Yellowstone); value is the midpoint. | 198 cm (6 ft 6 in) at the shoulder range 168 cm (5 ft 6 in) to 229 cm (7 ft 6 in) | National Park Service (Yellowstone) |
| Adult man (US average) Average height of US men aged 20 and over, 2021 to 2023 survey. | 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) tall | CDC National Center for Health Statistics |
| Gorilla Standing height: males up to 5.7 ft, females up to 5 ft. | 174 cm (5 ft 8 in) tall range 152 cm (5 ft 0 in) to 174 cm (5 ft 8 in) | San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance |
| Horse (Thoroughbred) Height at the withers. Typical Thoroughbred 15.2 to 17.0 hands, averaging 16 hands (64 in). | 163 cm (5 ft 4 in) at the shoulder range 157 cm (5 ft 2 in) to 173 cm (5 ft 8 in) | Wikipedia |
| Adult woman (US average) Average height of US women aged 20 and over, 2021 to 2023 survey. | 161 cm (5 ft 4 in) tall | CDC National Center for Health Statistics |
| Giant panda 4 to 6 ft long; 2 to 3 ft at the shoulder. Values are midpoints. | 152 cm (5 ft 0 in) long range 122 cm (4 ft 0 in) to 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | Smithsonian's National Zoo |
| Cow (Holstein) Mature Holstein dairy cow, about 58 in at the shoulder. | 147 cm (4 ft 10 in) at the shoulder | University of Delaware, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources |
| Emperor penguin Stands around 110 to 130 cm; value is the midpoint. | 120 cm (3 ft 11 in) tall range 110 cm (3 ft 7 in) to 130 cm (4 ft 3 in) | WWF-UK |
| Grizzly bear 3 to 4 ft at the shoulder; value is the midpoint. About 8 ft standing upright. | 107 cm (3 ft 6 in) at the shoulder range 91 cm (3 ft 0 in) to 122 cm (4 ft 0 in) | National Park Service (North Cascades) |
| American black bear About 3 ft at the shoulder; 5 to 7 ft standing upright (secondary is the midpoint). | 91 cm (3 ft 0 in) at the shoulder | National Park Service |
| Great Dane AKC standard: males at least 30 in, preferably 32 in or more; females at least 28 in, preferably 30 in or more. | 81 cm (2 ft 8 in) at the shoulder range 71 cm (2 ft 4 in) to 81 cm (2 ft 8 in) | American Kennel Club |
| Labrador retriever AKC standard: dogs 22.5 to 24.5 in, bitches 21.5 to 23.5 in at the withers. Value is the midpoint. | 58 cm (1 ft 11 in) at the shoulder range 55 cm (1 ft 10 in) to 62 cm (2 ft 0 in) | American Kennel Club |
| House cat 20 to 25 cm at the shoulder, 46 to 51 cm long. Values are midpoints. | 22.5 cm (8.86 in) at the shoulder range 20.0 cm (7.87 in) to 25.0 cm (9.84 in) | Felidae Conservation Fund |
Closer comparisons
Whale size comparisonShark size comparisonBear size comparisonDinosaur size comparisonBlue whale size comparison
Drawings are to scale on the measured dimension. The other proportions of each silhouette are approximate.
Sources
- NOAA Fisheries: Blue Whale (checked 2026-10-02)
- NOAA Fisheries: Fin Whale (checked 2026-10-02)
- NOAA Fisheries: Humpback Whale (checked 2026-10-02)
- NOAA Fisheries: Sperm Whale (checked 2026-10-02)
- NOAA Fisheries: Killer Whale (checked 2026-10-02)
- Florida Museum of Natural History: Rhincodon typus (whale shark) (checked 2026-10-02)
- NOAA Fisheries: White Shark (checked 2026-10-02)
- Natural History Museum, London: Megalodon: the truth about the largest shark that ever lived (checked 2026-10-02)
- Western Australian Museum: Megalodon larger than previously thought. New research estimates up to 24 metres (checked 2026-10-02)
- African Wildlife Foundation: Elephant (checked 2026-10-02)
- Smithsonian's National Zoo: Asian elephant (checked 2026-10-02)
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: Giraffe (checked 2026-10-02)
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: Polar Bear (checked 2026-10-02)
- National Park Service (North Cascades): Grizzly Bears (checked 2026-10-02)
- National Park Service: Black Bears (checked 2026-10-02)
- Smithsonian's National Zoo: Giant panda (checked 2026-10-02)
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: Hippo (checked 2026-10-02)
- International Rhino Foundation: White Rhino (checked 2026-10-02)
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: Gorilla (checked 2026-10-02)
- Wikipedia: Thoroughbred (via Wikipedia, citing Patten, Light Horse Breeds) (checked 2026-10-02)
- University of Delaware, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources: The Holstein Dairy Cow (checked 2026-10-02)
- National Park Service (Yellowstone): Moose (checked 2026-10-02)
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: Ostrich (checked 2026-10-02)
- WWF-UK: Emperor penguin (checked 2026-10-02)
- Queensland Museum: Crocodiles - Animals of Queensland (checked 2026-10-02)
- Smithsonian's National Zoo: Green anaconda (checked 2026-10-02)
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: Komodo Dragon (checked 2026-10-02)
- Smithsonian's National Zoo: Komodo dragon (checked 2026-10-02)
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: Lion (checked 2026-10-02)
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: Tiger (checked 2026-10-02)
- Felidae Conservation Fund: Domestic cat (checked 2026-10-02)
- American Kennel Club: Official Standard of the Labrador Retriever (checked 2026-10-02)
- American Kennel Club: Official Standard of the Great Dane (checked 2026-10-02)
- Field Museum: How well do you know SUE? (checked 2026-10-02)
- Natural History Museum, London: Brachiosaurus - Dino Directory (checked 2026-10-02)
- Natural History Museum, London: Argentinosaurus - Dino Directory (checked 2026-10-02)
- CDC National Center for Health Statistics: FastStats: Body Measurements (checked 2026-10-02)
Last checked: 5 October 2026