Much of what we see in life comes through a filter, be it perspective or television or the internet. We just don't always get to see things how they really are, or get an accurate sense of scale.
So, with that in mind, here are some things that are definitely bigger than you'd think they would be.
They're not interplanetary Roombas. They're a lot closer to cars in actual size.
That stuff can grow to positively enormous sizes, and it does so remarkably quickly.
Which is what makes you realize just how large Maine coons can grow. That's some monster fluff!
You'd have to think they're for one of those massive mining dump trucks. If it takes an 18-wheeler to haul three of those tires, it's a huge piece of machinery.
And it doesn't look that large next to the diver because of perspective. Their tentacles can extend up to 120 feet in length.
And they're commonly found as tiny specimens, no more than 20 mm in size. But they can also be the size of a person.
Not by a long shot. Wolves are much larger, as a wolf print in the snow with a human hand for scale illustrates.
Well, bigger than her head, and she seems to have a pretty average-sized noodle. Look at the claws on that beast!
A fully grown snapper looks like a freaking dinosaur.
At ground level, they're almost as tall as an adult. Makes sense though — you want people to be able to see them!
That's a strawberry that eats like a meal, holy smokes.
Considering the idea is to make the lines more visible for aircraft, bigger is definitely better.
They're the sort of chains that secure an oil rig in place, so they have a big job, which requires big chains!
Most of us can't even get a hand around a basketball, but his shoe is twice as large as one. Crazy.
But this absolute unit looks bigger than the van those folks are quite reasonably retreating to.
It really makes you appreciate not living in the same era as them, doesn't it?
Among the largest known dinosaurs, Argentinosaurs were estimated to have been up to 115 feet long and weigh up to 100 tons.
But full-grown ones can be as much as 80 lbs and now, unfortunately, I’m forced to reimagine the size of their famously cube-shaped droppings.
The star-spangled banner flew during the War of 1812, over Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor.
It’s only when you place an average human in front of one of the blocks that make up the structure that you truly understand why they are considered one of the wonders of the world.
Sure, maybe it’s puny compared to the pyramids, but it’s no slouch in the world wonder department either.
That’s not the case with the Giant African Land Snail. Is it just me, or does this one kind of look like an alien rabbit?
And while there is still a lot of that, there are also tools like this Bagger 288 excavator. It looks like a giant saw, but those “blades” are actually massive buckets.
I mean, it’s already hard to visualize the size of Earth when you’re standing on it. This model does a pretty good job of showing the scale.
I mean, it makes sense that they’d need to be this big in order to be seen and read clearly, but knowing that and actually seeing it are two very different things.
It’s just that the launches are always filmed from very far away. I’ve actually seen the space shuttle Enterprise in person at the intrepid Museum in NYC and it’s absolutely breathtaking.
But not this Japanese Spider Crab. Naming it a spider crab makes is one thousand times more shudder-inducing.
There are people in this picture, but they’re only ants atop the Cliffs of Moher along Ireland’s Atlantic coast.
These doors used to be opened and closed each day by the guards, but since renovations in 2003 a new visitors entrance has been used and these only open for special occasions.
Still, it’s another case where you really need to see one with an average human in the same frame to really visualize the true scale compared to other “large” trees one may have seen before.
This is just the skeleton of the upper arch of what would become the sarcophagus that caps the destroyed reactor and is currently protecting us from the radiation.
If you've ever watched Titanic and wondered if the propeller that poor guy hit on the way down to the water was realistic... yep.
I don't know about you, but I often picture old-timey ships as being a lot smaller, but when you remember they usually housed hundreds of men, cargo, and artillery, you realize that they must have been massive.
We 're all pretty familiar with the fact that cacti grow slowly compared to a lot of other plants. So just imagine how long this one has been chilling in the desert munching on sunlight!
And the biggest one ever is called the Tule Tree. It's actually wider than it is tall, measuring 116ft high, but 119ft around.
This is an underground flood tunnel, where storm waters get diverted to. You can imagine that a storm would need to be really really bad before this filled up.
The blue plaque on the wall marks the height the water reached up the side of the building during the 2011 tsunami.
Some scientists believe that these giant, short-faced bears had something to do with it.
Yeah. Science checks out.
Chickens shouldn't be that big. It's unnerving and makes me think of Foghorn Leghorn.
I kind of love how the moai ended up to be bashful. If you dig out their naked bodies, they're still politely covering their privates.
This is an actual photograph taken after a cargo ship ran aground outside the Australian town of Newcastle in 2007.
We're so used to seeing them from the distance, tiny and majestically spinning.
You may think that a filing cabinet wouldn't need to be all that tall to get the record, but you'd be wrong.
This thing isn't even the largest beetle in the world, a title that belongs to the appropriately named goliath beetle.
This attacus atlas looks like it could make off with a small child if it wanted to.
They're bred for show, but are still perfectly edible. These are the smaller of his harvest and will be donated to homeless kitchens to make into a whole lot of soup.
They were found embedded into the back of a kayak after the shark attempted to take a bite out of it — with the kayaker right there in the boat.
Yes, exist. Scientists have never found any record of an animal that was larger and based on gravity and fancy math, they're pretty sure it's not even possible for something to get much bigger.
Here's a scientist recovering the skull of a blue whale. I don't think he's planning on getting the whole thing into his boat.
This one, Chand Baori happens to be over a thousand years old, and there are 3,500 steps down to the bottom if you're thirsty.
And it tips the scales at a ridiculous 76 lbs. That could make enough cole slaw to save a dozen church picnics at least!
In a cave in Naica, Mexico, crystals grow to the size of telephone poles. The largest is 39 feet long and weighs in at an estimated 55 tons.
They're not exactly Kraken-like, but I still wouldn't want to share a beach with one, thank you very much.
Look no further. This is the superyacht Dilbar, built for Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, next to a whole marina lined with regular yachts. It has 41,000 square feet of living space and two helipads.
When he died, he was just shy of nine feet tall. It's hard to imagine how he'd even fit into that car.
Just to give you a sense of how large, that's a 737 on the right, and next to it is just the engine from a 777.
You could make a whole loaf's worth of avocado toast and have enough leftover for guac.
I think she's going to need a bigger window if she wants to push that thing's size.
Remember that thing about how many Earths would fit inside the sun? Well, here's a close-up of the sun. That prominence on the horizon is about the same size as Jupiter.
Covering a 270,000 square-foot rooftop, it's hard to appreciate this mural by artists Ella & Pitr unless you have a drone.
