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Giant animal

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This article is about the current version of DF.
Note that some content may still need to be updated.

Giant animals preview.png

Giant animals are variants of normal animals, characterized by simply being much larger, and appearing in savage biomes. Giant animals are based on all kinds of animals, ranging from the smallest of vermin to the largest of beasts, from peaceful grazers to ferocious predators. The main exception to this are the domestic animals – there is no giant turkey. Creatures with no basis in reality are also exempt from becoming giant animals.

Both the largest creature in the game, the giant sperm whale, and the largest land creature, the giant elephant, are giant animals. Other giant animals, such as the giant orca, giant rhinoceros, giant elephant seal and giant walrus, are still larger than the fort-threatening monsters that are megabeasts, titans and forgotten beasts.

The rule in Dwarf Fortress is that a giant creature should be at least as large as a grizzly bear, even if it's a giant version of a small insect. As the real-world creatures approach grizzly bear size, and then beyond, a curve is applied, so that the largest ones are only roughly twice as large in every dimension as their counterpart. Giant whales are very, very large, but they are just eight times as massive as a normal whale, rather than the kind of scaling you see when you go from a spider to a giant spider.

Three giant animals are called "gigantic" instead of "giant" to avoid confusion with real-life creatures. They are the gigantic panda, gigantic squid and gigantic tortoise. The giant tortoise and giant grouper are not technically giant animals, despite having "giant" in their names.

List of giant animals[edit]

Giant aardvark sprite.png / A Giant aardvark Giant adder sprite.png / A Giant adder Giant albatross sprite.png / A Giant albatross
Giant alligator sprite.png / A Giant alligator Giant anaconda sprite.png / A Giant anaconda Giant anole sprite.png / A Giant anole
Giant armadillo sprite.png / A Giant armadillo Giant axolotl sprite.png / A Giant axolotl Giant aye aye sprite.png / A Giant aye-aye
Giant bat sprite.png / B Giant bat Giant badger sprite.png / B Giant badger Giant bark scorpion sprite.png / S Giant bark scorpion
Giant barn owl sprite.png / B Giant barn owl Giant beaver sprite.png / B Giant beaver Giant beetle sprite.png / B Giant beetle
Giant black bear sprite.png / B Giant black bear Giant black mamba sprite.png / S Giant black mamba Giant bluejay sprite.png / B Giant bluejay
Giant bobcat sprite.png / B Giant bobcat Giant brown recluse spider sprite.png / S Giant brown recluse spider Giant bushmaster sprite.png / S Giant bushmaster
Giant bushtit sprite.png / B Giant bushtit Giant buzzard sprite.png / B Giant buzzard Giant capuchin sprite.png / C Giant capuchin
Giant capybara sprite.png / C Giant capybara Giant cardinal sprite.png / C Giant cardinal Giant cave spider sprite.png / S Giant cave spider
Giant cave swallow sprite.png / C Giant cave swallow Giant cave toad sprite.png / T Giant cave toad Giant cassowary sprite.png / C Giant cassowary
Giant chameleon sprite.png / C Giant chameleon Giant cheetah sprite.png / C Giant cheetah Giant chinchilla sprite.png / C Giant chinchilla
Giant chipmunk sprite.png / C Giant chipmunk Giant coati sprite.png / C Giant coati Giant cockatiel sprite.png / C Giant cockatiel
Giant copperhead snake sprite.png / S Giant copperhead snake Giant cougar sprite.png / C Giant cougar Giant coyote sprite.png / C Giant coyote
Giant crab sprite.png / C Giant crab Giant crow sprite.png / C Giant crow Giant cuttlefish sprite.png / C Giant cuttlefish
Giant damselfly sprite.png / D Giant damselfly Giant deer sprite.png / D Giant deer Giant desert scorpion sprite.png / S Giant desert scorpionUntil v0.42.04
Giant desert tortoise sprite.png / T Giant desert tortoise Giant dingo sprite.png / D Giant dingo Giant dragonfly sprite.png / D Giant dragonfly
Giant eagle sprite.png / E Giant eagle Giant earthworm sprite.png / W Giant earthworm Giant echidna sprite.png / E Giant echidna
Giant elephant sprite.png / E Giant elephant Giant elephant seal sprite.png / S Giant elephant seal Giant elk sprite.png / E Giant elk
Giant emu sprite.png / E Giant emu Giant firefly sprite.png / F Giant firefly Giant fly sprite.png / F Giant fly
Giant flying squirrel sprite.png / F Giant flying squirrel Giant fox sprite.png / F Giant fox Giant gazelle sprite.png / G Giant gazelle
Giant tortoise sprite.png / T Gigantic tortoise Giant gila monster sprite.png / G Giant gila monster Giant giraffe sprite.png / G Giant giraffe
Giant grackle sprite.png / G Giant grackle Giant grasshopper sprite.png / G Giant grasshopper Giant gray langur sprite.png / L Giant gray langur
Giant grey squirrel sprite.png / S Giant gray squirrel Giant great horned owl sprite.png / O Giant great horned owl Giant green tree frog sprite.png / F Giant green tree frog
Giant grey parrot sprite.png / P Giant grey parrot Giant grizzly bear sprite.png / B Giant grizzly bear Giant groundhog sprite.png / G Giant groundhog
Giant hamster sprite.png / H Giant hamster Giant hare sprite.png / H Giant hare Giant harp seal sprite.png / H Giant harp seal
Giant hedgehog sprite.png / H Giant hedgehog Giant hippo sprite.png / H Giant hippo Giant hoary marmot sprite.png / M Giant hoary marmot
Giant honey badger sprite.png / B Giant honey badger Giant hornbill sprite.png / H Giant hornbill Giant horseshoe crab sprite.png / H Giant horseshoe crab
Giant hyena sprite.png / H Giant hyena Giant ibex sprite.png / I Giant ibex Giant iguana sprite.png / I Giant iguana
Giant impala sprite.png / I Giant impala Giant jackal sprite.png / J Giant jackal Giant jaguar sprite.png / J Giant jaguar
Giant jumping spider sprite.png / S Giant jumping spider Giant kakapo sprite.png / K Giant kakapo Giant kangaroo sprite.png / K Giant kangaroo
Giant kea sprite.png / K Giant kea Giant kestrel sprite.png / K Giant kestrel Giant king cobra sprite.png / K Giant king cobra
Giant kingsnake sprite.png / K Giant kingsnake Giant kiwi sprite.png / K Giant kiwi Giant koala sprite.png / K Giant koala
Giant leech sprite.png / L Giant leech Giant leopard gecko sprite.png / G Giant leopard gecko Giant leopard sprite.png / L Giant leopard
Giant leopard seal sprite.png / L Giant leopard seal Giant lion sprite.png / L Giant lion Giant lion tamarin sprite.png / L Giant lion tamarin
Giant lizard sprite.png / L Giant lizard Giant loon sprite.png / L Giant loon Giant lorikeet sprite.png / L Giant lorikeet
Giant louse sprite.png / L Giant louse Giant lynx sprite.png / L Giant lynx Giant magpie sprite.png / M Giant magpie
Giant mandrill sprite.png / M Giant mandrill Giant mantis sprite.png / M Giant mantis Giant masked lovebird sprite.png / L Giant masked lovebird
Giant mink sprite.png / M Giant mink Giant mole sprite.png / m Giant mole Giant monarch butterfly sprite.png / B Giant monarch butterfly
Giant mongoose sprite.png / M Giant mongoose Giant monitor lizard sprite.png / M Giant monitor lizard Giant moon snail sprite.png / S Giant moon snail
Giant moose sprite.png / M Giant moose Giant mosquito sprite.png / M Giant mosquito Giant moth sprite.png / M Giant moth
Giant mountain goat sprite.png / G Giant mountain goat Giant muskox sprite.png / M Giant muskox Giant narwhal sprite.png / N Giant narwhal
Giant nautilus sprite.png / N Giant nautilus Giant ocelot sprite.png / O Giant ocelot Giant octopus sprite.png / O Giant octopus
Giant one humped camel sprite.png / C Giant one-humped camel Giant opossum sprite.png / O Giant opossum Giant orca sprite.png / O Giant orca
Giant oriole sprite.png / O Giant oriole Giant osprey sprite.png / O Giant osprey Giant ostrich sprite.png / O Giant ostrich
Giant otter sprite.png / O Giant otter Giant olm sprite.png / O Giant olm Gigantic panda sprite.png / P Gigantic panda
Giant pangolin sprite.png / P Giant pangolin Giant parakeet sprite.png / P Giant parakeet Giant peach faced lovebird sprite.png / L Giant peach-faced lovebird
Giant penguin sprite.png / P Giant penguin Giant peregrine falcon sprite.png / P Giant peregrine falcon Giant platypus sprite.png / P Giant platypus
Giant polar bear sprite.png / B Giant polar bear Giant pond turtle sprite.png / T Giant pond turtle Giant porcupine sprite.png / P Giant porcupine
Giant puffin sprite.png / P Giant puffin Giant python sprite.png / S Giant python Giant raccoon sprite.png / R Giant raccoon
Giant rat sprite.png / R Giant rat Giant rattlesnake sprite.png / S Giant rattlesnake Giant raven sprite.png / R Giant raven
Giant red panda sprite.png / R Giant red panda Giant red squirrel sprite.png / R Giant red squirrel Giant red-winged blackbird sprite.png / R Giant red-winged blackbird
Giant rhesus macaque sprite.png / M Giant rhesus macaque Giant rhinoceros sprite.png / R Giant rhinoceros Giant roach sprite.png / R Giant roach
Giant saltwater crocodile sprite.png / C Giant saltwater crocodile Giant skink sprite.png / S Giant skink Giant skunk sprite.png / S Giant skunk
Giant sloth bear sprite.png / B Giant sloth bear Giant sloth sprite.png / S Giant sloth Giant slug sprite.png / S Giant slug
Giant snail sprite.png / S Giant snail Giant snapping turtle sprite.png / T Giant snapping turtle Giant snowy owl sprite.png / O Giant snowy owl
Giant sparrow sprite.png / S Giant sparrow Giant sperm whale sprite.png / W Giant sperm whale Giant spider monkey sprite.png / M Giant spider monkey
Giant sponge sprite.png / S Giant sponge Gigantic squid sprite.png / S Gigantic squid Giant stoat sprite.png / S Giant stoat
Giant swan sprite.png / S Giant swan Giant tapir sprite.png / T Giant tapir Giant thrips sprite.png / T Giant thrips
Giant tick sprite.png / T Giant tick Giant tiger sprite.png / T Giant tiger Giant toad sprite.png / T Giant toad
Giant two humped camel sprite.png / C Giant two-humped camel Giant vulture sprite.png / V Giant vulture Giant walrus sprite.png / W Giant walrus
Giant warthog sprite.png / W Giant warthog Giant weasel sprite.png / W Giant weasel Giant white stork sprite.png / S Giant white stork
Giant wild boar sprite.png / B Giant wild boar Giant wolf sprite.png / W Giant wolf Giant wolverine sprite.png / W Giant wolverine
Giant wombat sprite.png / W Giant wombat Giant wren sprite.png / W Giant wren
This creature is a variant of a solely pool-dwelling vermin, and will thus never appear in-game.[Verify]

History[edit]

Giant animals have existed since the 2D days of Dwarf Fortress. Initially, the only giant animals were giant bats, giant cave spiders, giant cheetahs, giant leopards, giant lions, giant moles, giant rats, giant tigers, and giant toads. The giant desert scorpion was also one of these.

More giant animals were added up until sometime during 0.31, when creature variations were added. After this, any new giant animal was added as a creature variant. Several new giant animals came with 0.34.01, due to the animals of the animal sponsorship drive receiving giant variants.

Sometime during DF2014, the original giant animals were refactored to be creature variants, instead of being defined separately from their common versions. The giant cave spider was an exception from this.

0.42.04 added many giant animals as variants of existing creatures, including the giant elephant. The giant desert scorpion was removed, as there existed no normal ”desert scorpion”.