Curious Cases Colossal Creatures
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Jun 13, 2025 Join Ben Garrod, a Professor of Evolutionary Biology, and Tori Herridge, a Senior Lecturer in the field, as they tackle the sizing conundrums faced by colossal creatures. They reveal why scaling up a mouse could lead to disaster and how giant bones require air pockets to support their weight. The duo humorously discusses the digestive strategies of massive herbivores and the peculiar timing of animal bladders. Delve into their imaginative musings on how a rerun of evolution might reshape our understanding of the animal kingdom's giants.
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Giant Prehistoric Animal Anecdote
- Professor Ben Garrod shares his fascination with giant prehistoric animals like Gigantopithecus and Patagotitan.
- Patagotitan was so massive, its full-size statue didn't fit in a museum and had to be placed in a cotton mill.
Current Scarcity of Giants
- We currently live in a relatively small-world ecosystem with fewer giant terrestrial mammals.
- Many large species vanished after the last ice age, shrinking today's megafauna diversity.
Physical Adaptations for Large Size
- Big animals have columnar limbs to support weight, like Grecian temple columns.
- Long necks and tails serve as counterbalances for stability in massive creatures.