Whether the old adage of "bigger is better" holds true kind of depends on what we're talking about, but it's certainly true that bigger is more fascinating.
For instance, there are probably some benefits and drawbacks to having a particularly large animal as a pet. On one hand, there's definitely more of them to love, but there's probably also a lot more of their poop to clean up.
But whether the people who encountered these creatures saw them as big, cuddly friends, or enemies that only got creepier with size, they would likely all admit to being at least a little impressed with their size.