1. Walrus
This is one of the most unusual and recognizable animals. And yes, they also inhabit Russia, albeit in a very limited territory – near the shores of the Arctic Ocean. Typical adult walruses can grow up to 3.5 meters in size and reach a weight of about 800 kilograms. However, sometimes, they can grow much larger than their kin – some Arctic Ocean explorers have found 5-meter-long walruses, with a weight of almost 2 tons!
Konstantin Mikhalchevsky / Sputnik
By the way, walruses’ distinctive feature – its tusks – also impresses with their size. Adult males can have up to one-meter-long tusks. They need these tusks to intimidate enemies and cut through thick ice when looking for food. Unfortunately, their tusks can also easily make breaches in ships…
2. European bison
A European bison’s weight varies from 400 kilograms to 1,000 kilograms; adults can grow up to two meters in height. The European bison is a rare artiodactyl; its population was destroyed at the beginning of the 20th century. But, you still can find them today and even in Russia.
Илья Наймушин / Sputnik
Today, 66 European bison live in zoos across Russia; their offspring were released to national reserves in the Caucasus, as well as in the Bryansk and Smolensk regions. However, scientists expect the results from the Pleistocene Park in Yakutia the most – in 2011, five European bison were relocated there in the hope that, over the course of the next century, they would be able to rebuild the population.
3. Boar
Despite the fact that an average boar weighs no more than 200 kilograms (which is far from a giant), in some cases, these animals can grow to truly colossal sizes.
Oleg Smyslov / Sputnik
Hunters have stumbled multiple times upon wild boars weighing more than 500 kilograms in the Ural Mountains and in the Far East; their size was like that of an average human – 1.7 meters! Such boar sizes amaze, for the regular representatives of this species don’t grow over a meter in height.
4. Polar bear
Polar bears are not just very large animals, they are the largest land predators on the planet. And they also inhabit Russia; however, the habitats of these animals are similar to walruses’ geographic ranges – on the territory of the Far North and the shores of the Arctic Ocean.
Maxim Deminov / Sputnik
Polar bear adult males can reach the size of three meters in height and weigh up to 600 kilograms. There are even larger representatives of this species, whose mass can reach a whopping 1,000 kilograms; however, they are much more rare. By the way, if such a predator stands on its hind legs (which they often do to intimidate their enemies), its height can reach 3.5 meters!
5. Beluga
This freshwater fish is one of the most unusual inhabitants of the deep. It’s unusual, not only for its looks (many note that its look is reminiscent of a human face), but also for its colossal size.
Legion Media
This fish can grow up to a length of nine meters and weigh as many as 2,000 kilograms! Although, it’s a rarity for them to grow to such size, due to human activities in the water. Today, there are only a few belugas left in the wild. The matter is not in ecology or mass capturing, but in hydraulic structures that prevent them from migrating from the Caspian, Azov, and Black Seas to large rivers for spawning. They only survive thanks to fish nurseries, but artificially grown belugas rarely reach such sizes.