Millions of years before the appearance of the first Homo Sapiens, many amazing creatures lived on our planet: dinosaurs, mammoths, pterodactyls, and so on. Some of them were simply huge, much larger than any animals in our time. We present to you the most impressive extinct creatures.
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1. Moschops.
A representative of tapinocephals, who lived during the Middle Permian period, weighed about a ton.
2. Mosasaurus. Extinct marine reptiles of the order Squamate. The average length of individuals of this species was 15-20 meters, and their weight was 14 tons.
3. Kronosaurus. Giant inhabitant of the early Cretaceous period, a representative of the genus of marine reptiles. According to the reconstruction, Kronosaurus was about 13 meters long and weighed 10 tons.
4. Sarcosuchus. An extinct genus of giant crocodylomorphs that lived in modern Africa. It was 9-12 meters long, and its weight was approximately 8 tons.
5. Quetzalcoatlus. The largest representative of the pterosaur order, its wingspan is estimated at 12-15 meters, and its weight could reach 250 kilograms.
6. Diplodocus. One of the largest giants of the Late Jurassic period. According to researchers, the Diplodocus could reach 54 meters in length and weigh 113 tons.
7. Brontosaurus A genus of dinosaurs that lived in the Late Jurassic period in what is now North America. It was 20-23 meters long and weighed approximately 30 tons.
8. Magnapaulia. A genus of herbivorous dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous period. The length of the dinosaur, according to experts, was 14-15 m, and its weight was 25 tons.
9. Tyrannosaurus The most famous of the dinosaurs, a large predator of the Cretaceous period. The length of individuals reached 9-12 meters, and the weight was 9-10 tons.
10. Gigantosaurus. Large carnivorous dinosaurs that lived during the Upper Cretaceous era. The length of these predators was approximately 13 meters and their weight was about 14 tons.
11. Spinosaurus. A species of dinosaur that lived in Africa during the Cretaceous period. It was 15-17 meters long and weighed more than 7 tons.
12. Amphicelia. A genus of dinosaurs that lived during Jurassic in the USA and Zimbabwe. According to the skeletal reconstruction, the average length of the amphicelia was 50 meters, and the weight reached 120 tons.
13. Bruhatkayosaurus. 14. Futalognokosaurus. 15. Argentinosaurus. One of the most large dinosaurs South America, its length was about 35 meters, and its weight was approximately 100 tons.
For 135 million years, dinosaurs were the undisputed rulers of the Earth and may have remained so today if they had not been destroyed during a cataclysm 65 million years ago. However, our planet has existed much longer than the reign of dinosaurs and, as it turns out, it can produce monstrous monsters. It would be a mistake to believe that dinosaurs were the only scary prehistoric creatures.Gorgonops
The earth was full creepy monsters even before the dinosaurs appeared. A prime example is Gorgonops, an animal that lived about 260 million years ago, long before dinosaurs became the dominant predators. With a height of three meters, he was a vicious and fast beast, which allowed him to become the dominant predator of his time. This was greatly facilitated by massive fangs protruding beyond the lower jaw.
Megalodon
You can't make a list of ancient monsters without mentioning the megalodon. Recently, this extinct giant great-great-great-great-grandfather of sharks has become very famous, and in popularity it is second only to the Tyrannosaurus Rex. This is the largest species of shark that has ever existed. Supposedly it looked like a modern large white shark. Moreover, if our contemporary can grow to about 6 meters in length, then the megalodon reached 20 meters and could weigh from 50 to 100 tons.
Megalodon was the apex predator of its time, and the last member became extinct just 2.6 million years ago. This means that he communicated very closely (by this word we mean breakfast, lunch and dinner) with many modern animals, such as giant sea turtles, porpoises, large whales.
Check out what the Discovery Channel had to say about Megaladon in their Shark Week documentary.
Fororacoaceae
Their scientific name isn't particularly scary, not to mention hard to remember, so let's call these large, flightless, frugivorous birds by their "folk" name: terrorist birds. They grew up to 3 meters and could run at speeds of 50 kilometers per hour and had a giant curved beak like an eagle. The only living relatives of this terrible bird are representatives of the Cariamidae family, very tiny birds, close to butterflies in aggressiveness.
But her great-great-great-great-grandfather should not be underestimated. It was the top predator throughout South America for 60 million years. And these birds became extinct around the same time as the megalodon - 2.5 million years ago.
Titanoboa
If the movie Anaconda creeps you out, you can skip this part. Simply put, Titanoboa is the world's largest snake that has ever existed, and that's basically all there is to know. Its length exceeded 12 meters, and it weighed about a ton. For comparison, this is the approximate weight of an adult giraffe. Titanoboa appeared almost immediately after the dinosaurs became extinct, and quickly filled the empty niche left behind by the dominant predators to this day.
This is what a clash between Titanoboa and T. rex could have been like.
Megatherium
A sloth is not the first thing you might imagine when looking at this deadly monster. But Megatherium is more like the giant evil grandfather of modern sloths. He behaved like a sloth and looked like a bear the size of an elephant. Although, unlike the latter, the prehistoric animal had giant claws and could stand on its hind legs, which made it seem even more terrifying. And unlike other characters on our list, there is a high probability that humanity found these animals, because they became extinct quite recently - 10,000 years ago.
Quetzalcoatlus
Let's immediately dispel a popular myth - the pterodactyl was never a dinosaur. It was a pterosaur that is believed to be very different from dinosaurs. But the pterodactyl is not the most dangerous creature in the sky. This honor goes to Quetzalcoatlus, the largest flying animal of all time. The problem is that since scientists have not yet found well-preserved remains, it is impossible to say exactly how big it was. According to modern estimates, its wingspan was at least 10 meters. It is more difficult to measure it all, but scientists believe that the lord of the skies weighed more than 200 kilograms.
Thalattoarchon
Talattoarkhon is just a young man. Its remains were discovered only a few years ago, and it was officially recognized as a species and received the appropriate classification only in 2013. It was an ichthyosaur, another group of animals that were mistakenly classified as dinosaurs. The marine reptile reached a length of 10 meters, and its massive jaws allowed it to hunt animals almost as large as itself.
Mosasaurus
And mosasaurs weren't dinosaurs either. Like ichthyosaurs, they were marine reptiles. They were almost 20 meters long, making them the largest marine life. In fact, they were the most dangerous creatures swimming in the world's oceans throughout the Cretaceous period. The mosasaurus resembled a huge crocodile (particularly the head), but only with fins, which gave it greater mobility in the water.
Thanks to the Discovery Channel, we can imagine what this animal looked like when it was “upset.”
Sarcosuchus
This animal is in colloquial speech called a super crocodile, which gives us general idea about who it looked like. While not technically a crocodile, Sarcosuchus was a distant relative of them and differed primarily in size. It was approximately 12 meters long, twice as long as the largest modern crocodile and the largest such reptile known to date. At the same time, it weighed about 8 tons, which meant an almost automatic victory over almost any enemy that it met along the way. And this was very useful, because Sarcosuchus lived at the same time as dinosaurs (which often became his lunch).
See how sarcosuchus is created for filming.
Liopleurodon
And the last in the line of “dinosaurs that – in fact – were not – dinosaurs” is the pliosaurs. They were actually marine reptiles that came and went around the same time as the dinosaurs, so the confusion is understandable. And Liopleurodon is a giant pliosaur. This carnivorous reptile was more than 6 meters long, a quarter of which was a large skull with a massive jaw and several rows of very sharp teeth.
If you're brave enough, check out Liopleurodon in action:
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There are a lot of things people are afraid of, from phobias of small insects and spiders to giant predators like crocodiles, sharks and bears. However, even these terrible beasts cannot be compared with prehistoric monsters who once lived on our planet.
Azhdarchids were a type of pterosaur, flying reptiles that many people think of as dinosaurs with wings (even though they belong to a completely different family). The name comes from the Persian word meaning “dragon”, and it is not surprising - after all, these creatures were the size of giraffes, and their wingspan exceeded 20 meters. They also had a gigantic head and a toothless beak almost the size of their own body.
Entolodonts are an extinct family of pig-like creatures that lived on Earth about 37 million years ago. These giant creatures could be found in North America, parts of Europe and even Asia. Like their modern relatives, entelodonts were omnivores, with a diet consisting of both meat and vegetation, meaning they had incredibly sharp teeth. A distinctive feature of these terminator pigs are the large protrusions on their heads that look like horns. These animals often fought with each other, and left inch-deep dents on the enemy's skulls. Such power is justified, because they reached 120 cm in height and 3 meters in width, and weighed about 450 kg.
Unlike most modern aquatic reptiles, Liopleurodon was truly giant creature. Liopleurodon lived in the oceans for about 5 million years and disappeared about 155 million years ago. Their exact size is difficult to determine due to the lack of remains, but experts believe that these creatures reached a length of 9 meters. This means that they weighed about 1600 kilograms, and could easily hunt any aquatic creatures.
Gigantopithecus has recently come into the spotlight, even though virtually no one knew about it for centuries. And all thanks to his appearance in the new Disney film “The Jungle Book”. Gigantopithecus was essentially a giant orangutan that lived in the forests of India and China about 100,000 years ago. They were so huge (3 meters tall and 500 kg weight) that they are considered the largest primates of all time.
Many people imagine saber-toothed tigers as simply big cats, but xenosmilus was not just a big cat - it had a powerful structure and very large muscles. Because of this, he resembled a cross between a leopard and a bear. Its unique appearance and build meant that it hunted differently than most saber-toothed cats. Using his protruding jaw, he snatched from the victim large pieces flesh so that she would die from blood loss while trying to escape.
This sea creature, which is a distant relative of modern lobsters, was discovered only in 2014, when its remains were found in Morocco. Egirokassid reached almost two meters in length, that is, it could be as tall as an adult. However, he was not a bloodthirsty predator. It ate in much the same way as modern whales eat - it sucked water into its mouth and used its teeth as a filter for food.
The remains indicate that Argentavis was the largest bird in history. With the height of an adult human and a weight of 80 kg, it is larger than any living bird. However, unlike other large birds, Argentavis was unlikely to act like a predator, since its structure did not allow it to hunt prey. It is also unlikely that, with such a gigantic size, Argentavis could fly like its modern relatives. It is assumed that it hovered in the air, only occasionally flapping its wings to gain altitude.
Few things scare people as much as bugs and insects. They are so creepy that giant versions of the most common insects are often featured as monsters in horror films. Arthropleura could just be mistaken for a monster from a horror movie. These giant centipedes reached two and a half meters in length. They were so huge that they had no enemies among predators, and they are still considered the largest land invertebrates in the history of the planet.
Nowadays the most big snakes can reach eight meters in length at best, but titanoboa rubs their nose in all of them. It weighed more than a ton and measured more than fifteen meters in length. This snake lived in the swampy jungles of South America a little after the death of the dinosaurs. Like boa constrictors, titanoboa was not poisonous, and it strangled victims with a force of 28 kilograms of force per square centimeter. After the death of the dinosaurs, Titanoboa was the largest predator on the planet for 10 million years.
Dragonflies are not the most terrible creatures in the world, although some are afraid of them. But few would not be afraid of this distant relative of the dragonfly, which was the size of a child. The flying insect, which lived on Earth 300 million years ago, had a wingspan of 66 centimeters, and its body length was 30 cm. Like its modern relatives, Meganeura was carnivorous and fed mainly on invertebrates and amphibians.
Although modern fish are full of ugly and scary ones, all of them, including piranhas, fade next to the dunkleosteus. This giant fish lived on the planet about 360 million years ago and, with a body length of 6 meters and a weight of one ton, is one of the most large fish in history. Its size indicates that it was a predator, and thanks to its powerful jaw and large teeth it could eat all the creatures it came across in the water.
In 2005, scientists discovered the remains of Carbonemys in a coal mine in Colombia. This is an extinct species of giant tortoise that lived on Earth 60 million years ago. The creature's shell alone reached two meters in length, and the weight of carbonemys reached up to a ton. That is, this turtle could be the same size as a small car. Although carbonemis is not the most big turtle in history, it is definitely the worst. Her powerful jaws allowed her to hunt animals larger than herself.
Gorgonopsians are a species of therapsid that are the ancestors of modern mammals. Roughly speaking, they were a cross between reptiles and mammals, and inhabited the Earth about 250 million years ago. Gorgonops were one of the largest predators of their time, and could equal the size of a large bear. Moreover, the length of the skull of these monsters was 60 cm.
Although they were not technically crocodiles, Sarcosuchus closely resembles modern reptiles with their long bodies and scales. But at the same time, they are twice the size of the crocodiles we know. Some scientists believe that Sarcosuchus continued to grow throughout its life, eventually reaching a length of 12 meters. However, they weighed about 8 tons, and their skin was so thick that it could serve as armor - a useful quality, considering that they lived at the same time as dinosaurs.
Sharks are already the scariest creatures on the planet, but Megalodon takes it to the next level. These are gigantic sea creatures lived about 2.5 million years ago, and today are considered one of the largest and deadliest killers in history. The basking shark could grow up to 18 meters in length and looked like a larger version of the man-eating white shark. The worst thing is that its mouth contained teeth 15 cm long and 10 cm wide. Thanks to its gigantic size, the megalodon could devour a wide variety of prey, including whales, large sea turtles and dolphins.
Unseen prehistoric animals
Prehistoric creatures. Ancient animals. Animals of the past.
Animals of the prehistoric period. Animals of the distant past.
Prehistoric animals that lived on different continents thousands and millions of years ago.
Remains of Platybelodon ( Platybelodon) were found for the first time only in 1920 in Miocene deposits (about 20 million years ago) of Asia. Descended from the archaeobelodon (genus Archaeobelodon) from the early and middle Miocene of Africa and Eurasia and was in many ways similar to the elephant, except that it did not have a trunk, the place of which was taken by huge jaws.
Platybelodon died out towards the end of the Miocene, about 6 million years ago, and today there is no animal with such unusual shape mouth Platybelodon had a dense build and reached 3 meters at the withers. It probably weighed approximately 3.5-4.5 tons. There were two pairs of tusks in the mouth. The upper tusks were round in cross-section, like those of modern elephants, while the lower tusks were flattened and spade-shaped. With its spade-shaped lower tusks, Platybelodon apparently rummaged in the ground in search of roots or stripped bark from trees. Platybelodon belongs to the order of proboscis - Proboscidea, to the superfamily Elephantoidea, which in Russian can be formulated as elephant-shaped.
Pakicetus (Pakicetus) - extinct carnivorous mammal, related to archaeocetes. The oldest known ancestor of the modern whale, it lived approximately 48 million years ago and adapted to foraging in water. Lived in the territory of modern Pakistan. This primitive “whale” still remained an amphibian, like the modern otter. The ear had already begun to adapt to hear underwater, but could not yet withstand the high pressure.
He had powerful jaws that marked him as a predator, close-set eyes and a muscular tail. The sharp teeth were adapted to grab slippery fish. He probably had webbing between his fingers. The main feature is that its ankle bones are most similar to those of pigs, sheep and hippos. The cranial bones are very similar to those of whales.
Arsinotherium (Arsinoitherium) - an ungulate that lived approximately 36-30 million years ago. Reached 3.5 m in length and 1.75 m in height at the withers. Outwardly, it resembled a modern rhinoceros, but retained all five toes on its front and hind legs. Its “special feature” were huge, massive horns, consisting not of keratin, but of a bone-like substance, and a pair of small outgrowths of the frontal bone. Remains of Arsinotherium are known from Lower Oligocene deposits of northern Africa (Egypt).
Megaloceros (Megaloceros giganteus) or Bighorn deer, appeared about 300 thousand years ago and died out at the end ice age. Inhabited Eurasia, from the British Isles to China, preferring open landscapes with sparse tree vegetation. The big-horned deer was the size of a modern elk. The male's head was decorated with colossal horns, greatly expanded at the top in the shape of a spade with several branches, with a span of 200 to 400 cm, and weighing up to 40 kg. Scientists do not have a consensus on what led to the emergence of such huge and, apparently, inconvenient jewelry for the owner.
It is likely that the luxurious horns of males, intended for tournament fights and attracting females, greatly interfered with Everyday life. Perhaps, when forests replaced the tundra-steppe and forest-steppe, it was the colossal horns that caused the extinction of the species. He could not live in the forests, because with such a “decoration” on his head it was impossible to walk through the forest.
Astrapoteria (Astrapotherium magnum) - a genus of large ungulates from the late Oligocene - middle Miocene of South America. They are the most well-studied representatives of the order Astrapotheria. They were quite large animals - their body length reached 288 cm, height was 137 cm, and weight, apparently, reached 600 - 800 kg.
Titanoides (Titanoides) lived 60 million years ago on the American continent and were the first truly large mammals. The area where Titanoides lived was subtropical with swampy forest, similar to modern southern Florida. They probably ate roots, leaves, and tree bark; they also did not disdain small animals and carrion. They were distinguished by the presence of terrifying fangs - sabers, on a huge, almost half-meter skull. Overall, they were powerful beasts, weighing about 200 kg. and body length up to 2 meters.
Stilinodon (Stylinodon) is the most famous and last species of taeniodont, living about 45 million years ago during the Middle Eocene of North America. Teniodonts were among the most rapidly evolving mammals after the extinction of dinosaurs. They are probably related to ancient primitive insectivorous animals, from which they apparently originated. The largest representatives, such as Stylinodon, reached the size of a pig or medium-sized bear and weighed up to 110 kg. The teeth had no roots and had constant growth.
Teniodonts were strong, muscular animals. Their five-fingered limbs developed powerful claws adapted for digging. All this suggests that taeniodonts ate solid plant food (tubers, rhizomes, etc.), which they dug out of the ground with powerful claws. It is believed that they were the same active diggers and led a similar burrowing lifestyle.
Pantolambda (Pantolambda) is a relatively large North American pantodont, about the size of a sheep, that lived in the mid-Paleocene. The oldest representative of the order. Panthodonts evolved from Cimolestes and are related to early ungulates. It is likely that Pantolambda's diet was varied and not very specialized. The menu included shoots and leaves, mushrooms and fruits, which could be supplemented with insects, worms, or carrion.
Coryphodons (Coryphodon) were widespread in the lower Eocene 55 million years ago, at the end of which they became extinct. The genus Coryphodon appeared in Asia in the early Eocene era, and then migrated to the territory of modern North America, where it probably replaced the native pantodont Barylambda. The height of the corfodon was about a meter and its weight was approximately 500 kg. Probably, these animals preferred to settle in forests or near water bodies.
The basis of their diet was leaves, young shoots, flowers and all kinds of marsh vegetation. Amblypods, as animals that had a very small brain and were characterized by a very imperfect structure of teeth and limbs, could not coexist for long with the new, more progressive ungulates that took their place.
Kvabebigiraksy (Kvabebihyrax kachethicus) is a genus of very large fossil hyraxes of the pliohyracid family. They lived only in Transcaucasia (in Eastern Georgia) in the late Pliocene, 3 million years ago. They were distinguished by their large size, the length of their massive body reached 1.5 m. The protrusion of the quabebigirax's eye sockets above the surface of the forehead, like a hippopotamus, indicates the ability of quabebigirax to hide in water. Perhaps it is in aquatic environment the Kwabeb hyrax sought protection in a moment of danger.
Celodonts (Coelodonta antiquitatis) - fossil woolly rhinoceroses, adapted to life in the arid and cool conditions of the open landscapes of Eurasia. They existed from the late Pliocene to the early Holocene. They were large, relatively short-legged animals with a high nape and an elongated skull bearing two horns. The length of their massive body reached 3.2–4.3 m, the height at the withers was 1.4–2 m.
A characteristic feature of these animals was a well-developed woolly coat, which protected them from low temperatures and cold winds. The low-set head with square lips made it possible to collect the main food - the vegetation of the steppe and tundra-steppe. From archaeological finds It follows that the woolly rhinoceros was hunted by Neanderthals about 70 thousand years ago.
Embolotherium (Embolotherium ergilense) - representatives of the family Brontotheriidae of the order Unpaired. These are large land mammals, larger than rhinoceroses. The group was widely represented in savannah landscapes Central Asia and North America mainly in the Oligocene. The skull size of 125 cm of condylobasal length suggests the growth of Ergilensis from a large African elephant under 4 m at the withers and a weight of about 7 tons.
Palorchestes (Palorchestes azael) is a genus of marsupials that lived in Australia in the Miocene and became extinct in the Pleistocene about 40 thousand years ago, after humans arrived in Australia. Reached 1 meter at the withers. The animal's muzzle ended with a small proboscis, for which Palorchests are called marsupial tapirs, to which they are somewhat similar. In fact, palorchests are quite close relatives of wombats and koalas.
Synthetoceras (Synthetoceras tricornatus) lived in the Miocene, 5-10 million years ago, in North America. The most characteristic difference between these animals is their bony “horns”. It is not known whether they were covered by a cornea, like a modern one. cattle, but it is obvious that the antlers did not change annually, like deer. Synthetoceras belonged to the extinct North American family Protoceratidae, and is believed to be related to camels. Protoceratids looked completely different, although the structure of the lower parts of their limbs was similar to that of camels, which made it possible to place such different animals in one group.
Meritherium (Moeritherium) is the oldest known representative of proboscis. It was the size of a tapir and probably resembled this animal in appearance, having a rudimentary trunk. Reached 2 m in length and 70 cm in height. Weighed approximately 225 kg. The second pairs of incisors in the upper and lower jaws were greatly enlarged; their further hypertrophy in later proboscideans led to the formation of tusks. Lived in the late Eocene and Oligocene in North Africa (from Egypt to Senegal). It ate plants and algae. According to the latest data, modern elephants had distant ancestors who lived mainly in water.
Deinotherium (Deinotherium giganteum) - the largest land animals of the late Miocene - middle Pliocene. The body length of representatives of various species ranged from 3.5-7 m, height at the withers reached 3-5 m (on average - 3.5-4 m), and weight could reach 8-10 tons. Outwardly, they resembled modern elephants , however, they differed from them in proportions.
Stegotetrabelodon (Stegotetrabelodon) is a representative of the elephantid family, which means that elephants themselves used to have 4 well-developed tusks. The lower jaw was longer than the upper, but its tusks were shorter. When the jaws closed, the lower tusks entered the gap between the upper ones. At the end of the Miocene (5 million years ago), proboscideans began to lose their lower tusks.
Andrewsarch (Andrewsarchus), perhaps the largest terrestrial carnivorous mammal. Andrewsarchus is represented as a long-bodied, short-legged beast with a huge head. The length of the skull is 834 mm, the width of the zygomatic arches is 560 mm, but the dimensions can be much larger. According to modern reconstructions, assuming relatively big sizes head and shorter leg length, then the body length could reach up to 3.5 meters (without the 1.5 meter tail), the height at the shoulders - up to 1.6 meters. The weight could reach one ton. Andrewsarchus is a primitive ungulate, close to the ancestors of whales and artiodactyls.
Amphicyonids (Amphicyon major) or dog-bears became widespread in Europe from the late Oligocene (2 million years ago). The proportions of Amphicyon major were a mixture of bear and cat features. Like bears, his remains were found in Spain, France, Germany, Greece and Turkey. Average weight males of Amphicyon major weigh 212 kg, and females - 122 kg (almost the same as modern lions). Amphicyon major was an active predator, and its teeth were well adapted for crunching bones.
Giant sloths- a group of several different species of sloths, notable for their particularly large sizes. They arose in the Oligocene about 35 million years ago and lived on the American continents, reaching a weight of several tons and a height of 6 m. Unlike modern sloths, they lived not in trees, but on the ground. They were clumsy, slow animals with low, narrow skulls and very little brain matter.
Despite his heavy weight, the animal stood on its hind legs and, leaning its forelimbs on the tree trunk, took out succulent leaves. Leaves were not the only food of these animals. They also ate cereals, and perhaps did not disdain carrion. People settled the American continent between 30 and 10 thousand years ago, and the last giant sloths disappeared from the continent about 10 thousand years ago. This suggests that these animals were hunted. They were probably easy prey because, like their modern relatives, they moved very slowly.
Arctotherium (Arctotherium angustidens) is the largest short-faced bear known at this time. Representatives of this species reached 3.5 m in length and weighed about 1600 kg. The height at the withers reached 180 cm. Arctotherium angustidens lived in the Pleistocene, on the Argentine plains. At one time (2 million - 500 thousand years ago) it was the largest predator on the planet.
Uintatherium (Uintatherium) is a mammal from the order Dinocerata. Most characteristic- three pairs of horn-like outgrowths on the roof of the skull (parietal and maxillary bones), more developed in males. The outgrowths were covered with skin, like the ossicones of giraffes.
Toxodon (Toxodon) - the largest representative of the toxodont family (Toxodontidae) and the order Notoungulata, was endemic to South America. The genus Toxodon formed at the end of the Pliocene and survived until the very end of the Pleistocene. With its massive build and large size, Toxodon resembled a hippopotamus or rhinoceros. The height at the shoulders was approximately 1.5 meters, and the length was about 2.7 meters (excluding the short tail).
Tilakosmil (Thylacosmilus atrox) is a predatory marsupial of the order Sparassodonta, which lived in the Miocene (10 million years ago). Reached the size of a jaguar. The upper canines are clearly visible on the skull, constantly growing, with huge roots continuing into the frontal region and long protective “blades” on the lower jaw. The upper incisors are missing. He probably hunted large herbivores. Thylacosmila is often called a marsupial tiger, by analogy with another formidable predator - the marsupial lion (Thylacoleo carnifex). It died out at the end of the Pliocene, unable to withstand competition with the first saber-toothed cats that settled the continent.
Sarcastodon (Sarkastodon mongoliensis) is one of the largest mammalian land predators of all time. This huge oxyenid lived in Central Asia. The Sarcastodon skull discovered in Mongolia is about 53 cm long, and the width at the zygomatic arches is approximately 38 cm. The body length, apparently, was 2.65 meters, excluding the tail. Sarcastodon looked like a cross between a cat and a bear, only weighing a ton. Perhaps he led a lifestyle similar to that of a bear, but was much more carnivorous, and did not disdain carrion, driving away weaker predators.
Mongoloterium (Prodinoceras Mongolotherium) is a species of mammal of the extinct order Dinocerata, family Uintatheridae. It is considered one of the most primitive representatives of the order.
Terrible Birds(sometimes called fororakosov), who lived 23 million years ago, differed from their fellows in their massive skull and beak. Their height reached three meters, and they were formidable predators. Scientists created a three-dimensional model of the bird's skull and found that the bones of the head were strong and rigid in the vertical and longitudinal-transverse directions, while in the transverse direction the skull was quite fragile.
This means that the fororacos would not be able to grapple with struggling prey. The only option is to beat the victim to death with vertical blows of the beak, as if with an ax. The only competitor to the terrible bird was most likely the marsupial saber-toothed tiger (Thylacosmilus). Scientists believe that these two predators were once at the top of the food chain. Thylacosmil was a stronger animal, but Paraphornis surpassed it in speed and agility.
In the hare family ( Leporidae), also had their giants. In 2005, a giant rabbit was described from the island of Menorca (Balearic Islands, Spain) and given the name Nurogalus (Nuralagus rex). The size of a dog, it could reach a weight of 14 kg. According to scientists, such a large size of the rabbit is due to the so-called island rule. According to this principle, large species, once on the islands, decrease over time, while small ones, on the contrary, increase.
Nurogalus had relatively small eyes and ears, which did not allow him to see and hear well - he did not have to fear an attack, because. there were no large predators on the island. In addition, scientists believe that due to reduced paws and rigidity of the spine, the “king of rabbits” lost the ability to jump and moved on land exclusively in small steps.
Megistotherium (Megistotherium osteothlastes) - a giant hyaenodontid that lived in the early and middle Miocene (20-15 million years ago). It is considered one of the largest land mammal predators to ever exist. Its fossilized remains are found in East and Northeast Africa and South Asia. The length of the body with the head was about 4 m + the length of the tail is supposedly 1.6 m, the height at the withers is up to 2 m. The weight of Megistotherium is estimated at 880-1400 kg.
Woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) appeared 300 thousand years ago in Siberia, from where it spread to North America and Europe. The mammoth was covered with coarse wool, up to 90 cm long. A layer of fat almost 10 cm thick served as additional thermal insulation. The summer coat was significantly shorter and less dense. They were most likely painted dark brown or black. With small ears and a short trunk compared to modern elephants, the woolly mammoth was well adapted to cold climates. Woolly mammoths were not as huge as is often assumed.
Adult males reached a height of 2.8 to 4 m, which is not much larger than modern elephants. However, they were significantly more massive than elephants, weighing up to 8 tons. A noticeable difference from living species of proboscis was the strongly curved tusks, a special growth on the top of the skull, a high hump and a steeply sloping rear part of the back. The tusks found to this day reached maximum length 4.2 m and weight 84 kg. On average, however, they were 2.5 m long and weighed 45 kg.
In addition to the woolly northern mammoths, there were also southern ones without wool. In particular, the Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi), which was one of the largest representatives of the elephant family that ever existed. The height at the withers of adult males reached 4.5 m, and their weight was about 10 tons. It was closely related to the six-hundredth mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) and came into contact with the northern border of its range. Lived in the vast expanses of North America.
The northernmost finds are located in southern Canada, the southernmost in Mexico. It ate mainly grasses and lived like today's elephant species in matriarchal groups of two to twenty animals led by a mature female. Adult males approached the herds only during mating season. Mothers protected mammoth calves from large predators, which was not always successful, as evidenced by the finds of hundreds of baby mammoths in caves near Homotherium. The extinction of the Columbian mammoth occurred at the end of the Pleistocene about 10 thousand years ago.
Cubanochoerus (Kubanochoerus robustus) is a large representative of the pig family of the order Artiodactylae. Skull length 680 mm. The facial part is highly elongated and twice as long as the brain section. Distinctive feature of this animal is the presence of horn-like outgrowths on the skull. One of them, a large one, was located in front of the eye sockets on the forehead, behind it were a pair of small protrusions on the sides of the skull.
It is possible that fossil pigs used these weapons during ritual fights between males, as African wild boars do today. The upper fangs are large, rounded, curved upward, the lower ones are triangular. In size, Cubanochoerus exceeded the modern wild boar and weighed more than 500 kg. One genus and one species are known from the Belomechetskaya locality of the Middle Miocene in the North Caucasus.
Gigantopithecus (Gigantopithecus) - extinct genus great apes, lived in the territory of modern India, China and Vietnam. According to experts, Gigantopithecus had a height of up to 3 meters and weighed from 300 to 550 kg, that is, they were the largest monkeys of all time. At the end of this Pleistocene, Gigantopithecus may have coexisted with Homo erectus, who began to enter Asia from Africa.
Fossil remains indicate that Gigantopithecus was the largest primate of all time. They were probably herbivores and walked on all fours, feeding mainly on bamboo, sometimes adding seasonal fruits to their food. However, there are theories that prove the omnivorous nature of these animals. Two species of this genus are known: Gigantopithecus bilaspurensis, which lived between 9 and 6 million years ago in China, and Gigantopithecus blacki, which lived in northern India at least 1 million years ago. Sometimes a third species, Gigantopithecus giganteus, is isolated.
Although it is not completely known what exactly caused their extinction, most researchers believe that climate change and competition for food sources from other, more adaptable species - pandas and humans - were among the main reasons. Closest relative from now existing species is an orangutan, although some experts consider Gigantopithecus to be closer to gorillas.
Diprotodon (Diprotodon) or " marsupial hippopotamus" is the largest known marsupial to ever live on earth. Diprotodon belongs to the Australian megafauna, a group of unusual species that lived in Australia from approximately 1.6 million to 40 thousand years ago. Diprotodon bones, including complete skulls and skeletons, as well as hair and footprints, have been found in many places in Australia.
Sometimes the skeletons of females are discovered along with the skeletons of the cubs that were once in the pouch. Most large specimens were approximately the size of a hippopotamus: about three meters in length and about two at the withers. The closest living relatives of diprotodons are wombats and koalas. Therefore, diprotodons are sometimes called giant wombats. It cannot be ruled out that the last diprotodons became extinct already in historical time, and also that the appearance of humans on the mainland was one of the reasons for their disappearance.
Deodon (Daeodon) is an Asian entelodont that migrated to North America around the end of the Oligocene era (20 million years ago). "Giant pigs" or "pigwolves" were four-legged land omnivores with massive jaws and teeth that allowed them to crush and eat large animals, including bones. With a height of more than 2 m at the withers, it took food from smaller predators.
Chalicotherium (Chalicotherium). Chalicotheriums are a family of the equid order. They lived from the Eocene to the Pliocene (40-3.5 million years ago). They reached the size of a large horse, which they were probably somewhat similar in appearance to. They had a long neck and long front legs, four-toed or three-toed. The toes ended in large split claw phalanges, on which were not hooves, but thick claws.
Barylambda (Barylambda faberi) - a primitive pantodont, lived 60 million years ago in America, was one of largest mammals Paleocene. With a length of 2.5 m and a weight of 650 kg, Barylambda slowly moved on short powerful legs ending in five fingers with hoof-shaped claws. She ate bushes and leaves. There is an assumption that Barylambda occupied an ecological niche similar to ground sloths, with the tail serving as a third point of support.
Argentavis (Argentavis magnificens) - the biggest known to science flying bird in the entire history of the Earth, which lived 5-8 million years ago in Argentina. It belonged to the now completely extinct family of teratorns, birds that are quite closely related to American vultures, with which it was part of the order of storks (Ciconiiformes).
Argentavis weighed about 60-80 kg, and its wingspan reached 8 m. (For comparison, the wandering albatross has the largest wingspan among existing birds - 3.25 m.) The Argentavis skull was 45 cm long, and the humerus was as long as more than half a meter. Apparently the basis of his diet was carrion.
He could not play the role of a giant eagle. The fact is that when diving from a height at high speed, a bird of this size has a high probability of crashing. In addition, the paws of Argentavis are poorly adapted to grasping prey, and are similar to the paws of American vultures, and not to falcons, whose paws are perfectly adapted for this purpose. Like American vultures, Argentavis's claws were likely relatively weak, but its beak was very powerful, allowing it to feed on dead animals of any size.
In addition, Argentavis probably sometimes attacked small animals, as modern vultures do.
Thalassocnus– incompletely edentate from the Miocene and Pliocene (10-5 million years ago) of South America. Probably led a semi-aquatic lifestyle.
The modern world with its inhabitants is so familiar to humans that the events of a century ago are perceived as a beautiful fantastic story. However, the evidence found by scientists makes us believe that prehistoric predators really existed.
Terrible predator: short-faced bear
Millions of years ago, the current places with built houses, highways, amusement parks were deserted and not people walked around them, but huge prehistoric predators, one of which was a short-faced bear gigantic size. Its height when standing on two legs reached 4 meters, and its weight was about 500 kilograms. There was an external resemblance to its modern brothers, but unlike them, the giant could easily reach the speed of a horse when running (about 50 km/h).
Like all prehistoric predators, the bear had incredible strength and could destroy almost any animal with one blow. Having powerful jaws, this monster was able to bite through even the strongest bones. When analyzing the found remains of the ancient giant, it was found that he ate everything that moved: horses, bison and even mammoths. The daily food requirement was approximately 16 kilograms of meat; this is 2-3 times more than a lion needs. The search for food in such quantities was facilitated by enlarged nasal cavities, which made it possible to hear the smell of prey within a radius of 9 kilometers. The last representatives of short-faced bears, according to scientists, became extinct about 20 thousand years ago, and, most likely, this happened due to their inability to adapt to strong environmental changes.
Prehistoric Predators: American Lion
The prehistoric American lion is one of the most... bloodthirsty predators on the planet. Unlike its modern descendants, it weighed almost half a ton. The body length of this animal was almost 4 meters. The habitat of the largest cat in history was North and South America.
Saber-toothed tiger
Also, such prehistoric predators as saber-toothed tigers, powerful weapon which had giant 20-centimeter fangs that stuck out menacingly even with their mouths closed. They were similar to dagger-shaped blades and resembled sabers (hence the name of the predator). Combined with enormous strength and lightning-fast reactions, these animals, which lived about 20 million years ago in Eurasia, North America, and Africa, horrified their potential victims. A powerful body, short massive legs, terrifying fangs - an appearance that is best seen in pictures. The richest source of fossils of these animals is located in the heart of Los Angeles. It was here that in prehistoric times tar lakes were located - deadly traps that killed thousands of animals. Covered on top with leaves that stuck to their surface, they deceived unwary herbivores and predators, absorbing them into a sticky quagmire.
Prehistoric Predators: Dog-Bear
Dogbears (aka amphicyonids) are active predators that were widespread in Turkey and Europe from 17 to 9 million years ago. These prehistoric predators got their name for the mixed features of a bear and a dog in their appearance, so scientists hesitated for a long time which group to classify the strange animals into. As a result, they were separated into a completely separate family. Dog-bears were stocky animals with short legs, a long body (about 3.5 meters), a huge head (the length of the skull was 83 cm), a one and a half meter tail and a weight of about 1 ton. Their approximate height was approximately 1.8 meters.
There is an opinion that the dog-bear led a semi-aquatic lifestyle and could live on sea coasts. The predator’s skull was vaguely similar to that of a crocodile, and its powerful jaws could bite through the bones and shell of a turtle. Its diet was varied: from small animals to large animals. The bear-dog, of course, was a hunter, but most often he was satisfied with the role of a scavenger. He could calmly dine on a wounded but still living victim.
Deinosuchus - the largest crocodile on the planet
About 60 million years ago, the planet was inhabited by Deinosuchus (from Greek - “terrible crocodile”), which was about 12 meters long, 1.5 meters high, and weighed about 10 tons. The streamlined shape of the body provided it with high speed of movement in water and excellent maneuverability. On land, Deinosuchus became clumsy and earth's surface moved jerkily on thick curved legs.
Having a huge head (about 1.5 meters), massive wide jaws, large teeth designed for crushing, a back covered with armored bone plates and a thick tail, it fed on fish and large dinosaurs.
Haast's eagle - winged monster
Prehistoric birds of prey were also characterized by their impressive size. For example, the Haast eagle, which lived in New Zealand, weighed 16 kg and its wingspan was 3 meters. This predator was capable of speeds of 60-80 km/h, which allowed it to successfully hunt flightless moa birds, which weighed 10 times more and were unable to defend themselves from a sudden powerful impact force.
The predator was able to grab and hold prey in flight, and the latter could be an order of magnitude larger than it. According to the legends of New Zealanders, these monsters with a red crest on their heads even kidnapped small children and killed people. Nests of winged prehistoric predators have been found 2 kilometers above the ground. The extinction of eagles caused the destruction of natural habitats and the disappearance of moa birds, which were hunted by settlers in New Zealand.
Prehistoric ground bird fororakos
Of the flightless winged birds of the prehistoric period, scientists are interested in the so-called terrorist bird (fororacos), which was the largest predator in South America and lived more than 23 million years ago. Its height varied from 1 to 3 meters, and its favorite food was small mammals, as well as horses. The predator killed prey in two ways: by lifting it into the air and hitting it on the ground, or by delivering precise blows with its massive beak to important and vulnerable parts of the body.
The beak and massive skull of a three-meter giant weighing about 300 kilograms made it stand out from other winged creatures. Its powerful legs allowed it to develop considerable speed when running, and its curved 46-centimeter beak was ideal for tearing apart the meat it had caught. In an instant, the predator swallowed the caught victim.
Megalodon - a huge shark
Millions of years ago in water element There were also huge prehistoric predators. Megalodon (“big tooth”) is a giant shark that had 5 rows of huge 20-centimeter teeth in the amount of about 300 pieces. The total length of this monster was about 20 meters, and its weight was supposedly 45 tons. What to talk about modern sharks, feeding on seals, if the megalodon hunted whales.
Over the years, the teeth of this giant shark were mistaken for the remains of dragons. According to scientists, this animal became extinct due to oceanic hypothermia, falling sea levels and depletion of food sources.
One of the largest predators centuries ago was the mosasaurus. Its length was more than 15 meters, and its head was similar to a crocodile. Hundreds of razor-sharp teeth killed even the most protected opponents.