From the snack-loving monkey nicknamed “Mr. Fat” to the two-stone cat that’s often mistaken for a dog, not all animals are as cute and fluffy as the ones we know and love.
Although obesity is not normally a problem facing the animal kingdom, some creatures have become social media sensations solely thanks to their indulgent eating habits.
Others achieved their enormous size through muscle weight alone, making international headlines by showing off their toned physiques.
Here, MailOnline takes you ‘inside the world’s biggest animals’ with a selection of creatures whose SIZE has put them in the spotlight in recent years – even if it often has devastating consequences for their health.
Roger the Kangaroo
Roger, who stood 200 centimeters tall, became an internet sensation in 2015 when photos of his bulging biceps, bulging veins and prominent chest surfaced.
The red kangaroo lived at a sanctuary in Alice Springs, Australia, where it crushed metal buckets with its paws for fun.
However, despite his toned physique, Roger was unable to beat the aging process and suffered from arthritis towards the end of his life.
The kangaroo died aged 12 in December 2018 and sanctuary boss Chris “Brolga” Barnes paid a moving tribute to him on Facebook.
Roger, who stood 200 centimeters tall, became an internet sensation in 2015 when photos of his bulging biceps, bulging veins and prominent chest surfaced.
The red kangaroo lived at a sanctuary in Alice Springs, Australia, where it crushed metal buckets with its paws for fun
“It’s a very sad day here today as we have lost our beautiful boy, Roger,” Mr Barnes said.
“Ten years ago I built this sanctuary to house Roger and some of his wives, Ella (and) Abigail. We built it so they would have a place to live.
“Roger was our alpha male for many years and he grew up to be a kangaroo that people around the world grew to love as much as we love him too.”
Uncle Fat and Godzilla
Weighing over 20kg, the legendary apes Uncle Fatty and Godzilla became famous for their lives of indulgence, despite the devastating consequences on their health.
Cruelly leashed and raised on a diet of junk food, Godzilla’s weight ballooned to more than 20kg and he became a major tourist attraction at his owner’s market stall in Bangkok, Thailand.
He quickly drew comparisons to Uncle Fatty, another popular overweight primate, who weighed 60 pounds and was believed to be between 10 and 15 years old.
Uncle Fatty (pictured) tipped the scales at 27kg and would be between 10 and 15 years old.
Godzilla has been compared to the late Uncle Fatty (above), a long-tailed macaque who is said to have eaten himself to death.
The monkeys were then forced to join a “fat camp” where they were able to lose weight through strict diets.
But after returning to the wild and not being seen for years, Uncle Fatty is now widely believed to have eaten himself to death.
Uncle Fatty once lived near a tourist floating market in Bangkok, where he lived a lavish lifestyle.
The elderly monkey was popular with locals and tourists alike, gobbling up any food it got its paws on.
But the abundance of food offered to him by visitors, which included sweet melons and sweet corn as well as extremely unhealthy human food like milkshakes and noodles, caused him to gain weight.
With macaques normally weighing between eight and 10kg, the 27kg beast weighed the same as three of its species.
Uncle Fatty was considerably larger than the average-sized macaques, two of which are pictured with the obese monkey above.
Frederick the Great
Frederik The Great, a Friesian stallion from the United States, might just be the world’s true black beauty.
He shares his name with the ruler of Prussia from 1740 to 1786 and has a muscular build, striking black features and a flowing mane.
Frederik lives on Pinnacle Friesians, a farm in the Ozark Mountains, Arkansas, USA, and was imported there from the Netherlands at the age of six.
The magnificent stallion has amassed many fans on Facebook and an online gallery featuring works of his has even been created.
Frederik the Great fans have expressed their love for the beautiful horse online over the years.
“Frederik, you are the most beautiful horse I have ever seen. Only God could create such artistry. Breathtaking and beautiful,” one person wrote.
“There will NEVER be a more majestic, more beautiful, sexier horse on the face of the earth. Never again. I wish I could touch and ‘feel’ him just once,” another wrote.
Frederik The Great, a Friesian stallion from the United States, might just be the world’s true black beauty
Abu the dog with 18 stones
Abu, a Turkish Malakli, weighs 18 stone – about the same weight as a baby elephant – and was once described as the UK’s biggest dog.
When he was two years old, he ate 3kg of meat a day, including a whole chicken, three whole mackerel, two eggs and raw meat dog food.
His monstrous diet was costing his owner, Dylan Shaw, from Redcar, Yorkshire, more than £4,000 a year.
Speaking about his diet, Dylan said: “He eats raw meat, raw dog food and also whole chickens – he eats a chicken a day.
“He’s very energetic when he’s outside, but in the house you don’t know he’s there until you trip over him.
Dog trainer Dylan claims Abu’s diet costs him £11 a day, or just over £4,000 a year.
Abu, a Turkish Malakli, stands 7 feet 2 inches tall when on his hind legs and weighs the same as a baby elephant
“When he’s on all fours, his shoulders come up to my hips – I’m 5ft 9in and he makes me look like a child standing next to him.
“He thinks he’s a lot smaller than he is, he tries to sit on your lap and crushes you but he’s such a big softy, he cries when you scold him.
“They don’t reach full maturity until they’re three years old, so he still has a year of growth left – it’s ridiculous, I don’t know what I’ll end up with – he’s already exceeded my expectations.”
But despite his large size, Dylan insisted Abu is a gentle giant and loves nothing more than to snuggle up on the sofa.
A Turkish Malakli (pictured with his owner) has been described as the UK’s biggest dog.
The huge dog gobbles down 3kg of meat a day, including a whole chicken, three whole mackerels, two eggs and raw meat dog food every day.
Kefir the two-stone cat
Kefir, a two-stone cat native to Russia, is so large that people often mistake him for a dog.
Named after the fermented milk drink, Kefir is an oversized Maine Coon owned by Yulia Minina in Stary Oskol.
Yulia said: “I couldn’t even imagine that an ordinary baby could grow so big.
“Not only has he grown up in appearance, but he is also very intelligent and always behaves calmly.
“His appearance is generally similar to that of a person, and Kefir has a formidable appearance, but he is a very affectionate and modest child.
“When friends and acquaintances come to the house, all attention is focused on him and he happily lets himself be petted.”
A huge two-stone Russian cat, believed to be the largest in the world, is so big that it is often mistaken for a dog.
Kefir, named after the fermented milk drink, is an oversized Maine Coon owned by Yulia Minina in Stary Oskol
Maine Coons also hold the record for the world’s longest cat, with Stewie from Nevada measuring 48.5 inches from nose to tail before his death in 2010.
The breed is native to the state of Maine in the United States and is considered one of the oldest landraces in the country.
It was considered the largest domestic cat breed until the Savannah cat in the 1980s.
On average, males weigh up to 18 pounds while females weigh up to 12 pounds.
Maine Coons also hold the record for the world’s longest cat, with Stewie from Nevada measuring 48.5 inches from nose to tail before his death in 2010.
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