Animals in the wild or at home come in various sizes depending on their adaptation and ancestral DNA. Some are small, measuring around 2 millimeters, while some grow to tens of feet.
Maybe you have read about the sizes of a few animals but only the common ones like dogs and cats. You may have other smaller animals as pets, but you need to know their lengths to understand how to care for them.
Here are 13 12 inches long/tall animals that you may have never heard of.
1. Slug
Slugs in North America can measure around 10 inches, but some can add two extra inches to measure 12 inches. Most are identified by their light brown or gray color.
The banana slug in the Pacific Northwest has a bright yellow color that distinguishes it from the other. The largest slug was found in 2016 by Coyote Peterson of Discovery Network.
The slug was 2 feet long and could grow over 3 feet, bigger than a Chihuahua.
2. Snail
Snails are shelled gastropods, and the term essentially combines the land snails. Snails are considered a delicacy because they have high protein and low fat.
There are various snail species worldwide that come in different sizes. The Ammonicera minortalis grow to around 46 millimeters while the bigger snail species grow to approximately 12 inches.
The giant whelk is the largest snail that can grow up to around 30 inches.
3. Goliath birdeater
The goliath birdeater is one of the largest spiders in the tarantula family and also one of the animals that are 12 inches long.
It has a body mass of around 175 grams and a body length that can reach 13 centimeters. It is only a few inches smaller than the giant huntsman spider by leg span.
They are commonly found in South American forests, and some people prefer to keep them as pets.
4. Millipede
Millipedes exist in different sizes where some only grow a few millimeters long, and some reach over 12 inches.
The African millipede, also known as the Archispirostreptus Gigas, is the largest existing millipede species spanning around 13.2 inches.
The longest millipede to ever exist was the Arthropleura, which was around 8ft long and weighed over 100 pounds.
5. Bamboo rat
Bamboo rats live in South Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. They vary in size with adults growing up to 12 inches (head and body length) with a tail length of around 4 inches.
They weigh roughly 600 grams. The Sumatra bamboo rats’ close relative grow over 24 inches and weigh around 4 kg.
The lesser bamboo rat primarily feeds on bamboo and lives in dense bamboo forests.
6. Giant forest scorpion
The giant forest scorpion, also known as the Asian forest scorpion or giant blue scorpion, is a common scorpion species of the Scorpionidae family.
They typically measure between four to five inches, but some have managed to go over 12 inches. There are over 1500 known scorpion species, and only 40 of these are known to be dangerous.
7. Pacific giant salamander
The Pacific giant salamanders are native to North America in the Pacific Northwest. It is one of the largest Pacific Northwest salamanders and can measure over 30 centimeters (12 inches).
They are fully terrestrial animals and can be identified by the black and brown coloring with a light-brown underside.
The Chinese giant salamander is considered the largest, weighing over 130 pounds at 5.9 feet. They are also the heaviest amphibians worldwide.
8. Squirrel
Eastern gray squirrels are the most popular species around America, and they are known for their grayish color. They are around 5 inches tall with a body length of approximately 12 inches.
The tail alone is about 9.8 inches long, which brings their total weight to 1.3 pounds.
The red and white flying squirrel is the longest globally, growing over 3.9 feet weighing 9.5 pounds.
9. Green Basilisk
The green basilisk is known as the “Jesus Christ lizard” because it can run over water. It primarily inhabits the Central American tropical rainforests and feeds on tiny invertebrates and mice.
The small green basilisks average 12 inches long though some adults grow over 3 feet long.
10. Caiman lizard
The Caiman lizard is known for its heavy scales and rainbow-colored body. They are active swimmers and climbers, which makes them unique.
They are some of the biggest lizards, with small ones measuring 12 inches. The ones kept in captivity can grow to over 4 feet, forcing zookeepers to have bigger enclosures.
11. Gidgee Skinks
Gidgee Skinks are special animals because they tend to live in groups instead of individually. They are native to Australia and can grow between 7-10 inches, with a few exceptions reaching 12 inches.
These animals live in warmer areas with temperature preferences of up to 120°F. They mainly feed on vegetables and insects.
12. Common Leopard gecko
Common Leopard geckos grow bigger than all other gecko species. Adult female common leopard geckos are approximately 7.1 to 7.9 inches long, weighing around 70 grams.
Adult male geckos can grow bigger, around 7.9 to 12 inches long, and weigh over 80 grams. They are predominantly found in Asia, around India, and Afghanistan.
On the other hand, common house geckos grow to about 3 or 6 inches max.
13. Guinea pig
The guinea pig, also known as the domestic guinea pig, is a species of rodent that is kept as a pet or used for lab tests. These animals are neither native to Guinea nor are they related to pigs.
They do not exist in the wild and can grow to around 12 inches when kept at home. These animals are loved for being nature friendly with appealing colors.
The dimension of stuff has been an interest of mine ever since I was a child. What I believe is most fascinating about the dimension of stuff is how extremely long, tall and wide some objects are both on earth and in the universe.