Some of Earth’s extinct giants may have been smaller than thought

The scale of some revisions calls for more caution with initial size estimates, researchers say

An artist's drawing of the extinct whale Perucetus colossus.

The extinct whale Perucetus colossus, once estimated to be the largest animal ever on Earth, is now thought to have been smaller than the blue whale.

Connor Ashbridge (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Body size estimates of some of Earth’s larger-than-life species may have been just that: a little bit too large for real life.