Ancient mammalian predators. The most unusual extinct animals. Terrible predator: short-faced bear
Phororacos, also known as the "terrible bird", first appeared in South America 62 million years ago and existed for 60 million years. It was a frighteningly effective predator - a huge flightless bird up to 3 m in height with a powerful beak and sharp claws, running at a speed of about 70 km / h.
The marsupial lion has no connection to modern lions other than the name. He lived in Australia and died out quite recently - some 30 thousand years ago. A relatively small predator - about 1.5 meters long and weighing 110 kg, he nevertheless skillfully dealt with prey thanks to razor-sharp fangs and claws.
Amphicyon is a bear-sized predator but hunts like a canine. Hence his English nickname grows - "bear dog", "bear dog". There were many types of amphicyons, their largest representatives reached a height of 2.5 meters and a weight of 600 kg. Their jaws easily bit through even the strongest bones.
Archaeotherium, also known as the "hell pig" lived 30 million years ago and really resembled modern pigs - only adjusted for height 1.2 meters, length 2 meters and weight up to 300 kg. According to the genes, however, archaeoteria is attributed to the ancestors of hippos. Powerful jaws allowed him both to tear the ground in search of roots, and to hunt small creatures.
The short-faced bear was one of the largest predators of the glaciation, existing from 44 thousand to 12 thousand years ago. Reaching a size of 3.5 meters and weighing up to a ton, he could put to flight even the most massive polar bears. It was a formidable opponent for the first people, although it was fortunately mostly interested in larger prey.
Megalania is an Australian monitor lizard that became extinct about 40 thousand years ago. Up to 9 meters in size and weighing two tons, it looked much more like a real dragon than modern Komodo ones.
Basilosaurus, which translates as "royal lizard" was actually a mammal - a giant predatory whale up to 20 meters in length. At the beginning of the 19th century, his bones were found so often that they were sometimes used as furniture. But about 40 million years ago, the basilosaurus terrified the seas and oceans of the planet, devouring any creatures smaller than itself in size.
Smilodon, also known as the "saber-toothed tiger" is one of the iconic prehistoric predators. To use the huge 30-centimeter teeth, the smilodon could open its mouth 120 degrees. He hunted any representatives of the megafauna - and died out with them about 10 thousand years ago.
Andrewsarchus is supposedly the largest predator among land mammals that lived in Asia about 40 million years ago. Of all the remains, only a skull was found - a huge size, 83 cm. Scientists argue whether Andrewsarchus was a tall and long animal or short and short, but with a hefty head. Most likely he hunted like crocodiles - jumping on the victim from an ambush, perhaps even from the water.
Megalodon is a monstrous shark 16 meters long and about 50 tons in weight with 20 cm teeth. Existed 25 million years, died out 1.5 million years ago. Megalodon was one of the most massive and successful predators the Earth has ever known, eating any prey it could stumble upon.
Prehistoric beasts of prey, birds, reptiles and sharks have entered the legends along with dinosaurs. Some even hunted our ancestors, who hunted them. Here are ten of the most feared predators of the era of mammals.
Today we have great overview of prehistoric animals that lived on Earth millions of years ago. Big and strong, mammoths and saber-toothed tigers, terrible birds and giant sloths. All of them have disappeared from our planet forever.
Based on materials from Studio @ UA
Lived about 15 million years ago
The remains of Platybelodon (lat. Platybelodon) were found for the first time only in 1920 in the Miocene deposits of Asia. This animal descended from Archaeobelodon (genus Archaeobelodon) from the early and middle Miocene of Africa and Eurasia and was much like an elephant, except that it did not have a trunk, the place of which was occupied by huge jaws.
Platybelodon became extinct by the end of the Miocene, about 6 million years ago, and today there is no animal with such an unusual shape of the mouth. Platybelodon had a dense build and reached 3 meters at the withers. He probably weighed 3.5-4.5 tons. There were two pairs of tusks in the mouth. The upper tusks were rounded in cross section, like those of modern elephants, while the lower tusks were flattened and spade-shaped. With its spade-shaped lower tusks, Platybelodon rummaged through the ground in search of roots or tore the bark from trees.
F silt about 48 million years ago
Pakicetus (lat. Pakicetus) is an extinct predatory mammal belonging to the archaeocetes. The oldest known predecessors of the modern whale adapted to search for food in the water. Lived in what is now Pakistan.
This primitive "whale" was still amphibious, like a modern otter. The ear had already begun to adapt to hear under water, but could not yet withstand a lot of pressure. It had powerful jaws that betrayed a predator, close-set eyes and a muscular tail. The sharp teeth were adapted to grasp slippery fish. He probably had webbing between his fingers. The cranial bones are very similar to those of whales.
Lived 300 thousand years ago
Megaloceros (lat. Megaloceros giganteus) or big-horned deer, appeared about 300 thousand years ago and died out at the end of the Ice Age. Inhabited Eurasia, from the British Isles to China, preferred open landscapes with sparse woody vegetation.
The big horned deer was the size of a modern elk. The head of the male was decorated with colossal horns, greatly expanded at the top in the form of a spade with several processes, with a span of 200 to 400 cm, and weighing up to 40 kg. There is no consensus among scholars as to what led to the emergence of such huge and apparently inconvenient jewelry for the wearer. It is likely that the luxurious horns of males, intended for tournament fights and attracting females, pretty much 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.
Lived 36-30 million years ago
Arsinotherium (lat. Arsinoitherium) is an ungulate that lived about 36-30 million years ago. Reached a length of 3.5 meters and was 1.75 m high at the withers. Externally resembled a modern rhinoceros, however, on the front and hind legs retained all five fingers.
His "special feature" were huge, massive horns, which did not consist of keratin, but of a bone-like substance, and a pair of small outgrowths of the frontal bone. Remains of Arsinotherium are known from the Lower Oligocene deposits of northern Africa (Egypt).
Lived from 60 to 10 million years
Astrapotherium (lat. Astrapotherium magnum) is a genus of large ungulates from the Late Oligocene - Middle Miocene of South America. They are the most well-studied representatives of the Astrapotheria order. They were quite large animals - their body length reached 290 cm, their height was 140 cm, and their weight, apparently, reached 700 - 800 kg.
Lived about 60 million years ago
Titanoides (lat. Titanoides) lived on the American continent and were the first truly large mammals. The area where the Titanoides lived is subtropical with a swampy forest, similar to modern southern Florida.
They probably fed on roots, leaves, tree bark, and also did not disdain small animals and carrion. They were distinguished by the presence of frightening fangs - sabers, on a huge, almost half a meter skull. In general, they were powerful beasts, with a weight of about 200 kg. and body length up to 2 meters.
Lived about 45 million years ago
Stylinodon (lat. Stylinodon) is the most famous and last species of teniodonts that lived during the Middle Eocene in North America. Teniodonts were among the fastest growing mammals after the extinction of the dinosaurs. They are probably related to the ancient primitive insectivorous animals, from which they apparently originated.
The largest representatives, such as Stylinodon, have reached the size of a pig or a 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 teniodonts ate solid plant food (tubers, rhizomes, etc.), which they dug out of the ground with their claws. It is believed that they were the same active diggers and led a similar burrowing lifestyle.
Lived about 60 million years ago
Pantolambda (lat. Pantolambda) is a relatively large North American pantodont, the size of a sheep, who lived in the middle of the Paleocene. The oldest member of the squad. Pantodonts are related to early ungulates. Probably the diet of pantolambda was varied and not very specialized. The menu included shoots and leaves, mushrooms and fruits, which could be supplemented with insects, worms, or carrion.
Lived 3 million years ago
Kvabebigiraksy (lat. Kvabebihyrax kachethicus) is a genus of very large fossil hyraxes of the pliogiracid family. Lived only in Transcaucasia, (in Eastern Georgia) in the Late Pliocene.
They were distinguished by their large size, the length of their massive body reached 1,500 cm. Perhaps it was in the aquatic environment that the quabebigirax sought protection at the moment of danger.
Lived 55 million years ago
Coryphodons (lat. Coryphodon) were widespread in the Lower Eocene, at the end of which they became extinct. The genus Coryphodon appeared in Asia in the early Eocene epoch, and then migrated to the territory of modern North America.
The height of the corphodon was about a meter, and the weight was about 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. These animals, possessing a very small brain and characterized by a very imperfect structure of teeth and limbs, could not coexist for a long time with the new, more progressive ungulates that took their place.
Lived from 3 million to 70 thousand years ago
Celodonts (lat. Coelodonta antiquitatis) - fossils woolly rhinos, adapted to life in arid and cool conditions of open landscapes of Eurasia. They existed from the late Pliocene to the early Holocene. They were large, relatively short-legged animals with a high scruff and an elongated skull bearing two horns. The length of their massive body reached 3.2 - 4.3 m, the height at the withers - 1.4 - 2 meters.
A characteristic feature of these animals was a well-developed woolly cover that protected them from low temperatures and cold winds. A 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 an object of hunting for Neanderthals about 70 thousand years ago.
Lived from 36 to 23 million years ago
Embolotherium (lat. Embolotherium ergilense) - representatives of the detachment of odd-toed. They are large land mammals bigger than rhinos. The group was widely represented in the savanna landscapes of Central Asia and North America, mainly in the Oligocene.
Growing from a large African elephant under 4 meters at the withers, the animal weighed about 7 tons.
Lived from 15 million to 40 thousand years ago
Palorchestes (lat. Palorchestes azael) - a genus of marsupials that lived in Australia in the Miocene and became extinct in the Pleistocene about 40 thousand years ago, already after the arrival of man in Australia. Reached 1 meter at the withers. The muzzle of the animal ended in a small proboscis, for which the Palorchests are called marsupial tapirs, to which they are a bit similar. In fact, palorchest are quite close relatives of koalas.
Synthetoceras (lat. Synthetoceras tricornatus) lived in the Miocene in North America. The most characteristic difference between these animals is the bone "horns". It is not known whether they were covered with a cornea, as in modern cattle, but it is clear that the antlers did not change annually, as in deer.
Synthetoceras belonged to the extinct North American family of calluses (Protoceratidae), and is believed to have been related to camels.
Lived from 35 to 23 million years ago
Meriterium (lat. Moeritherium) is the oldest known representative of the proboscis. Was the size of a tapir and outwardly, probably, resembled this animal, having a rudimentary trunk. Reached 2 meters in length and 70 cm in height. Weighed about 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 fed on plants and algae. According to recent data, modern elephants had distant ancestors who lived mainly in the water.
Lived from 20 to 2 million years ago
Deinotherium (lat. 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 meters, growth at the withers reached 3-5 meters, and weight could reach 8-10 tons. Outwardly, they resembled modern elephants, but differed from them in proportions.
Lived from 20 to 5 million years ago
Stegotetrabelodon (lat. Stegotetrabelodon) is a representative of the Elephantidae family, which means that the elephants themselves used to have 4 well-developed tusks each. The lower jaw was longer than the upper, but the tusks were shorter. At the end of the Miocene (5 million years ago), proboscideans began to lose their lower tusks.
Lived from 45 to 36 million years ago
Andrewsarchus (lat. Andrewsarchus), possibly largest extinct land carnivorous mammal, lived in the era of the middle - late Eocene in Central Asia . Andrewsarchus is represented as a long-bodied and short-legged beast with a huge head. The length of the skull is 83 cm, the width of the zygomatic arches is 56 cm, but the dimensions can be much larger.
According to modern reconstructions, if we assume relatively large head sizes and shorter legs, then the body length could reach up to 3.5 meters (without a 1.5 meter tail), height at the shoulders - up to 1.6 meters. Weight could reach 1 ton. Andrewsarchus is a primitive ungulate, close to the ancestors of whales and artiodactyls.
Lived from 16.9 to 9 million years ago
Amphicyonides (lat. Amphicyon major) or dog bears have become widespread in Europe and western Turkey. In the proportions of the Amphicyonids, bearish and catlike features were mixed. Its remains have been found in Spain, France, Germany, Greece and Turkey.
The average weight of Amphicyonid males was 210 kg, and that of females 120 kg (almost the same as modern lions). The Amphicyonid was an active predator, and its teeth were well adapted for gnawing bones.
Lived from 35 million to 10 thousand years ago
Giant sloths - a group of several different types of sloths, distinguished by their especially large size. 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 did not live on trees, but on the ground. They were clumsy, slow animals with a low, narrow skull and very little brain matter.
Despite its great weight, the animal stood on its hind legs and, leaning its front limbs on a 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. Humans settled the American continent between 30,000 and 10,000 years ago, and the last giant sloths disappeared from the mainland about 10,000 years ago. This suggests that these animals were hunted. They were probably easy prey, because, like their modern relatives, they moved very slowly.
Lived from 2 million to 500 thousand years ago
Arctotherium (lat. Arctotherium angustidens) - the largest short-faced bear known at the present time. Representatives of this species reached 3.5 meters in length and weighed about 1,600 kg. The height at the withers reached 180 cm.
Arctotherium lived in the Pleistocene, on the Argentine plains. At one time (2 million - 500 thousand years ago) he was the largest predator on the planet.
Lived from 52 to 37 million years ago
Wintatherium (lat. Uintatherium) is a mammal from the order dinocerate. The most characteristic feature is 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.
Reached the size of a large rhinoceros. It fed on soft vegetation (leaves), lived in tropical forests along the shores of lakes, possibly semi-aquatic.
Lived from 3.6 million to 13 thousand years ago
Toxodon (lat. Toxodon) - the largest representatives of the Toxodont family (Toxodontidae), lived only in 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 a rhinoceros. The height at the shoulders was about 1.5 meters, and the length was about 2.7 meters (excluding the short tail).
Lived about 20 to 2.5 million years ago
Saber-toothed tiger or tilacosmil (lat. Thylacosmilus atrox) is a predatory marsupial of the Sparassodonta order that lived in the Miocene (10 million years ago). Reached the size of a jaguar. On the skull, the upper fangs are clearly visible, constantly growing, with huge roots continuing into the frontal region and long protective “lobes” on the lower jaw. The upper incisors are absent.
Presumably hunted large herbivores. Thylacosmila is often called the 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.
Lived about 35 million years ago
Sarkastodon (lat. Sarkastodon mongoliensis) - one of the largest mammalian land predators of all time. This huge oxyenid lived in Central Asia. The skull of a sarcastodon discovered in Mongolia is about 53 cm long, and the width in the zygomatic arches is about 38 cm. The length of the body, excluding the tail, apparently was 2.65 meters.
Sarcastodon looked like cat and bear mix, only under a ton of weight. Perhaps he led a bear-like lifestyle, but was much more carnivorous, did not disdain carrion, driving away weaker predators.
Lived 23 million years ago
Terrible birds (as the fororakos are sometimes called), who lived 23 million years ago. They differed from their counterparts in a massive skull and beak. Their growth reached 3 meters, weighed up to 300 kg and 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 the skull was rather fragile in the transverse direction. This means that the phororacos 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 of the terrible bird, most likely, was the marsupial saber-toothed tiger (Thylacosmilus). Scientists believe that these two predators were at the top of the food chain at one time. Thylacosmilus was the stronger animal, but the paraphornis outran him in speed and agility.
Lived from 7 to 5 million years ago
The hare family (Leporidae) also had its own giants. In 2005, a giant rabbit was described from the island of Menorca (Baleares, Spain), which received the name (lat. Nuralagus rex). The size of a dog, he 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.
Nuralagus had relatively small eyes and auricles, 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 the reduced paws and stiffness of the spine, the “king of rabbits” lost the ability to jump and moved on land with an exceptionally small step.
megistotherium
Megistotherium (lat. Megistotherium osteothlastes) is a giant hyenodontid that lived in the early and middle Miocene. It is considered one of the largest land predator mammals that has ever existed. Its fossil remains have been 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, presumably 1.6 m, the height at the withers was up to 2 meters. The weight of megistotherium is estimated at 880-1400 kg.
Lived from 300 thousand to 3.7 thousand years ago
Woolly mammoth (lat. 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. Summer wool was significantly shorter and less dense. They were most likely painted in 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 more than modern elephants. However, they were much more massive than elephants, reaching a weight of up to 8 tons. A notable difference from the living Proboscis species was the strongly curved tusks, a distinctive outgrowth on the top of the skull, a high hump, and a steeply sloping hindquarters. The tusks found to this day reached a maximum length of 4.2 m and a weight of 84 kg.
Lived from 100 thousand to 10 thousand years ago
In addition to woolly northern mammoths, there were also southern ones without wool. In particular, the Colombian mammoth (lat. Mammuthus columbi), which was one of the largest representatives of the elephant family that have ever existed. The height at the withers in adult males reached 4.5 m, and their weight was about 10 tons. It was closely related to the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) and was in contact with it at the northern border of its range. Lived in the wide expanses of North America.
The northernmost finds are located in southern Canada, the southernmost in Mexico. It fed mainly on 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 the mating season. Mothers protected mammoths from large predators, which was not always successful, as evidenced by the finds of hundreds of mammoth cubs in caves. The extinction of the Columbian mammoth occurred at the end of the Pleistocene about 10 thousand years ago.
Lived about 10 million years ago
Kubanochoerus (lat. Kubanochoerus robustus) is a large representative of the family of pigs of the artiodactyl order. Skull length 680 mm. The facial part is strongly elongated and twice as long as the medulla.
A distinctive feature of this animal is the presence of horn-shaped 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 couple of small protrusions on the sides of the skull. It is possible that fossil pigs used this weapon during ritual fights between males, as African wild boars do today. The upper fangs are large, rounded, curved upwards, the lower ones are trihedral. In terms of size, the Cubanochoerus exceeded the modern wild boar and weighed more than 500 kg. One genus and one species are known from the Middle Miocene Belomechetskaya locality in the North Caucasus.
Lived from 9 to 1 million years ago
Gigantopithecus (lat. Gigantopithecus) is an extinct genus of great apes that lived on 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 the Pleistocene, Gigantopithecus may have coexisted with humans of the species Homo erectus, who began to enter Asia from Africa.
Fossil evidence suggests that the Gigantopithecus was the largest primate of all time. They were probably herbivores and moved 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 is distinguished, Gigantopithecus giganteus.
Although it is not entirely 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. The closest relative of the living species is the orangutan, although some experts consider the Gigantopithecus to be closer to the gorillas.
Lived from 1.6 million to 40 thousand years ago
Diprotodon (lat. Diprotodon) or "marsupial hippopotamus" - largest known marsupial ever to have lived on Earth. Diprotodon belongs to the Australian megafauna - a group of unusual species that lived in Australia.
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 found along with the skeletons of the cubs that were once in the bag. The largest specimens were approximately the size of a hippopotamus: about 3 meters in length and about 3 meters 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 appearance of man on the mainland was one of the reasons for the disappearance of marsupial hippos.
Lived about 20 million years ago
Deodon (lat. Daeodon) is an Asian entelodont who migrated to North America around the end of the Oligocene era. "Giant pigs" or "hogwolves" were four-legged, land-based omnivores with massive jaws and teeth that enabled them to crush and eat large animals, including bones. With a growth of more than 2 meters at the withers, it took food from smaller predators.
Lived from 40 to 3.5 million years ago
Chalicotherium. Chalicotheriaceae are a family of equids. They lived from the Eocene to the Pliocene (40-3.5 million years ago). Reached big horse size, to which they were probably somewhat similar in appearance. They had a long neck and long front legs, four-toed or three-toed. The fingers ended in large split talons, which were not hooves, but thick claws.
Lived 60 million years ago
Barylambda (Barylambda faberi) is a primitive pantodont. He lived in America and was one of the largest mammals of the Paleocene. With a length of 2.5 meters and a weight of 650 kg., Barilambda moved slowly on short powerful legs ending in five fingers with hoof-shaped claws. She ate shrubs and leaves. There is an assumption that barylambda occupied an ecological niche similar to ground sloths, while the tail served as a third fulcrum.
Lived from 2.5 million to 10 thousand years BC. e.
A mammal of the genus Smilodon, which is incorrectly called a saber-toothed tiger. The largest saber-toothed cat of all time and the third largest member of the family, second in size only to the cave and American lions.
Smilodon (meaning "dagger tooth") reached a height at the withers of 125 cm, a length of 250 cm, including a 30 cm tail and weighed from 225 to 400 kg. With the size of a lion, its weight exceeded the weight of the Amur tiger due to its stocky build, which is atypical for modern felines. The famous fangs reached 29 centimeters in length (together with the root), and, despite their fragility, they were powerful weapons.
Lived from 300 thousand to 10 thousand years ago
The American lion (lat. Panthera leo spelaea) is an extinct subspecies of the lion that lived on the American continent in the Upper Pleistocene. Reached a body length of about 3.7 meters with a tail and weighed 400 kg. This is largest cat ever, only smilodon had the same weight, although it was smaller in linear dimensions
Lived from 8 to 5 million years ago
Argentavis (Argentavis magnificens) - the largest flying bird in the history of the Earth who lived in Argentina. It belonged to the now completely extinct family of teratorns, birds that are quite closely related to the American vultures. Argentavis weighed about 60-80 kg, and its wingspan reached 8 meters. (For comparison, the wandering albatross has the largest wingspan among existing birds - 3.25 m.)
Obviously 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 the Argentavis are not well adapted for grasping prey, and are similar to those of the American vultures, not the Falconiformes, whose paws are well adapted for this purpose. In addition, Argentavis probably sometimes attacked small animals, as modern vultures do.
Lived from 10 to 5 million years ago
Thalassocnus (lat. Thalassocnus) is an extinct genus of sloths that led an aquatic or semi-aquatic lifestyle in South America. Apparently, these animals fed on seaweed and coastal grasses, using their powerful claws to hold on to the bottom of the sea while feeding - in the same way that marine iguanas now behave.
Once walked the earth.
Looking at these creatures, ranging from giant snakes to incredible centipedes, one can only be glad that we live in the 21st century and will not meet them face to face.
Here are the most amazing giant extinct animals that you may not have known about.
Extinct animals
1. Large duck-mouthed elephants (Platibelodon)
Platybelodon grangeri
Platybelodon are extinct herbivores related to elephants (proboscis) that roamed the earth about 4 million years ago.
They lived mainly in Africa, Europe, Asia and North America. Platibelodones reached up to 6 meters long and 2.8 meters high. Fortunately, they used their intimidating jaws as shovels to dig up plants.
2. Huge snakes (Titanoboa)
Titanoboa cerrejonesis
Titanoboa, which were discovered in Colombia, were a species of snake that lived about 60 million years ago. The largest representatives reached almost 13 meters long and they weighed over a ton.
These giant snakes were related to boas and anacondas, which kill victims with their choking rings.
Titanoboas were not only the largest snakes in history, but also the largest land vertebrates after dinosaurs.
3. Super Dragonflies (Meganeurs)
Meganeura monyi
These flying monsters are extinct insect relatives of dragonflies. They lived about 300 million years ago during the Carboniferous period.
The wingspan of the meganeur reached 65 centimeters.. They were the largest flying insects that once lived on Earth.
4. Giant sea scorpion (Eurypterid)
Jaekelopterus rhenaniae
This creature 2.5 meters long was recently discovered in Germany. The giant eurypterid is an extinct animal that lived about 390 million years ago.
This crocodile-sized scorpion had a 46 cm mouth cavity with pincers. In addition, they did not disdain to eat their own kind.
ancient animals
5. Huge birds (Moa)
Dinornis robustus
Giant moas were the biggest birds that have ever existed. Representatives Dinornis robustus lived on the South Island in New Zealand and reached up to 3.6 meters in height and 250 kg of weight.
One has only to breathe a sigh of relief that these birds with long tearing claws, a sharp beak and long legs no longer exist.
6. The largest lizard (Megalania)
Megalania prisca
This monster was often called the "devil dragon". At 7 meters long and 400-700 kg in weight, they were the largest land lizards that ever lived.
Although the megalanias were thought to be extinct, bones found in Australia indicate that they are only 300 years old, and some scientists suggest that they still live in Australia.
7 Huge Centipede (Arthropleura)
Arthropleura
Arthropleura were largest land invertebrates on Earth, growing up to 2.6 meters long. They are relatives of modern centipedes, but lived 340-280 million years ago.
In addition, they could stand up, leaning on the lower half of the body. It's time to face fear.
8. Giant sloth (Megateria)
Megatherium americanum
While these giant versions of the cute, furry sloths are considered herbivores, experts believe their long forearms and sharp claws were designed to feed on meat.
Megatheria became extinct about 2000 years ago. They reached 6 meters high, weighed almost 4 tons and walked on their hind legs. Interestingly, they are relatives of modern armadillos.
9 Giant Fish (Dunkleosteus)
Dunkleosteus terrelli
This giant fish reached 9 meters in length and was known as one of the most ferocious and fearsome creatures that ever lived. Dunkleosteus lived during the late Devonian period 360 million years ago.
This fish didn't need teeth, as its razor-sharp jaws could cut any prehistoric shark in two. And when the Dunkleosteus wasn't feeding, it rubbed its jaws together like self-sharpening scissors.
Huge animals
10. Giant tortoise (Protostega)
Protostega gigas
This super turtle reached up to 3 meters long. Its sharp beak and powerful jaws helped chew on slow-moving fish, including sharks. However, they themselves were not much faster, therefore they often turned out to be the prey of sharks.
11. The largest bear (Giant short-faced bear)
Arctodus Simus
The giant short-faced bear was one of the largest predatory mammals on Earth. Straightening up, he could reach 3.5 meters high and up to 900 kg of weight.
A powerful jaw, 20-centimeter claws and huge size undoubtedly instilled fear in smaller predators.
12. Huge crocodile (Sarcosuchus)
Sarcosuchus imperator
Sarcosuchus is an extinct species of crocodiles that lived 112 million years ago. It was one of the largest crocodile-like reptiles that ever lived on Earth.
Modern crocodiles look pretty intimidating, but they are nothing compared to this. 12 meters monster. In addition, they ate dinosaurs.
13 Giant Shark (Megalodon)
C. megalodon
Megalodon lived 28-1.5 million years ago. This is the older brother of the great white shark, whose teeth reached 18 centimeters in length. This shark reached 15 meters in length and 50 tons of weight, being the largest predatory fish that ever existed. A megalodon could have swallowed a bus whole.
Millions of years ago the world was different. It was inhabited by prehistoric animals, beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Dinosaurs, marine predators of monstrous size, giant birds, mammoths and saber-toothed tigers - they have long disappeared, but interest in them does not fade away.
The first inhabitants of the planet
When did the first living beings appear on Earth? More than three and a half billion years ago, unicellular organisms arose.
As much as two billion years passed before multicellular living organisms appeared. Approximately 635 million years ago, the Earth was inhabited and at the beginning of the Cambrian period - vertebrates.
The oldest remains of living organisms found to date belong to the late Neoproterozoic.
In the Cambrian period, life existed only in the seas. Trilobites were prominent representatives of prehistoric animals of that time.
Due to frequent underwater landslides, many living organisms were buried in the silt and survived to this day. Thanks to this, scientists have a fairly complete picture of the structure and lifestyle of trilobites and other ancient marine inhabitants.
The prehistoric animals are actively developing on land and in the sea. The first inhabitants of wet places on the Earth's surface are arthropods and centipedes. In the middle of the Devonian, amphibians joined them.
ancient insects
Having appeared in the early Devonian period, insects successfully developed. Many species have disappeared over time. Some of them were gigantic.
Meganeura - belonged to the genus of dragonfly-like insects. Its wingspan was up to 75 centimeters. She was a predator.
Ancient insects are well studied. And ordinary tree resin helped scientists in this. Hundreds of millions of years ago, it flowed down tree trunks and became a deadly trap for careless insects.
They are perfectly preserved in their original transparent sarcophagi to this day. Thanks to amber, into which petrified resin has turned, today anyone can admire the ancient inhabitants of our planet.
Prehistoric sea animals - dangerous giants
The first marine reptiles appeared during the Triassic period. They could not, like fish, live completely underwater. They needed oxygen, and they periodically rose to the surface. Outwardly, they looked like land dinosaurs, but differed in limbs - the marine inhabitants had fins or webbed feet.
Nothosaurs were the first to appear, reaching a size of 3 to 6 meters, and placoduses, which had three types of teeth. Plakodus were small in size (about 2 meters) and lived close to the coast. Their main food was shellfish. Nothosaurs ate fish.
The Jurassic period is the era of the giants. Plesiosaurs lived during this time. Their largest species reached a length of 15 meters. These include Elasmosaurus, which had a surprisingly long neck (8 meters). The head, in comparison with the massive body, was small. Elasmosaurus had a wide mouth armed with sharp teeth.
Ichthyosaurs - large reptiles, reaching an average of 2-4 meters in length - were similar to modern dolphins. Their feature is huge eyes, which indicates a nocturnal lifestyle. They, unlike dinosaurs, had skin without scales. It is assumed that ichthyosaurs were excellent deep-sea divers.
More than forty million years ago lived Basilosaurus - an ancient whale of enormous size. The length of a male individual could reach 21 meters. He was the largest predator of his time and could attack other whales. Basilosaurus had a very long skeleton and moved with the help of curvature of the spine, like a snake. He had vestigial hind limbs 60 centimeters long.
Marine prehistoric animals were very diverse. Among them are the ancestors of modern sharks and crocodiles. The most famous marine predator of the ancient world is the megalodon, which reached 16-20 meters in length. This giant weighed about 50 tons. Since the skeleton of this shark consisted of cartilage, nothing survived except for the animal's enameled teeth. It is assumed that the distance between the open jaws of megalodon reached two meters. It could easily accommodate two people.
No less dangerous predators were prehistoric crocodiles.
Purussaurus is an extinct relative of modern caimans that lived about eight million years ago. Length - up to 15 meters.
Deinosuchus is an alligator crocodile that lived at the end of the Cretaceous period. Outwardly, it was not much different from modern representatives of the species. The length of the body reached 15 meters.
Worst: Ancient Lizards
Dinosaurs and other prehistoric sizes continue to amaze It's hard to imagine that such giants once reigned on the planet.
The Mesozoic era is the time of the dinosaurs. Appearing at the end of the Triassic, they became the main form of life in the Jurassic and suddenly disappeared at the end of the Cretaceous.
The species diversity of these ancient lizards is striking. Among them were land and aquatic individuals, flying species, herbivores and predators. They also differed in size. Most dinosaurs were huge, but there were also very small dinosaurs. Among predators, Spinosaurus stood out for its size. The length of his body was from 14 to 18 meters, height - eight meters. With outstretched jaws, it looked like modern crocodiles. Therefore, it is assumed that he led an amphibious lifestyle. Spinosaurus was characterized by the presence of a spine that resembled a sail. It made him look taller. Paleontologists believe that the sail was used by the animal for thermoregulation.
ancient birds
Prehistoric animals (photos can be seen in the article) were also represented by flying lizards and birds.
In the Mesozoic, pterosaurs appeared. Presumably, the largest of them was ornithocheirus, which had wings, the span of which was up to 15 meters. He lived in the Cretaceous period, was a predator and preferred to hunt large fish. Pteranodon is another large flying predatory pangolin from the Cretaceous period.
Among prehistoric birds, gastornis struck with its size. Two meters tall, individuals had a beak that easily broke bones. It is not clear whether this extinct bird was a predator or a plant eater.
Fororacos is a bird of prey that lived in the Miocene. Growth reached 2.5 meters. The curved sharp beak and powerful claws made it dangerous.
Extinct animals of the Cenozoic era
It began 66 million years ago. During this time, thousands of species of living beings appeared and disappeared on Earth. Which extinct prehistoric animals of that time were the most interesting?
Megatherium is the largest mammal of that era. It is assumed that he was a herbivore, but it is possible that Megatherium could kill other animals or eat carrion.
Woolly rhinoceros - was covered with thick reddish-brown hair.
The mammoth is the most famous extinct genus of elephants. Animals lived two million years ago and were twice as large as modern representatives of their species. Many remains of mammoths have been found, very well preserved due to permafrost. By historical standards, these majestic giants died out quite recently - about 10 thousand years ago.
Of the predatory prehistoric animals, the most interesting is the smilodon, or saber-toothed tiger. It did not exceed the size of the Amur tiger, but it had incredibly long fangs, reaching 28 centimeters. Another feature of Smilodon was a short tail.
Titanoboa is an extinct giant snake. A close relative of the modern boa constrictor. The length of the animal could reach 13 meters.
Documentaries about prehistoric animals
Among them are such as "Sea Dinosaurs: Journey to the Prehistoric World", "Mammoth Land", "The Last Days of Dinosaurs", "Prehistoric Chronicles", "Walking with Dinosaurs". There are a lot of good documentaries created about the life of ancient animals.
"The Ballad of Big Al" - the amazing story of one allosaurus
This film is part of the famous TV series Walking with Dinosaurs. He talks about how a perfectly preserved skeleton of an allosaurus was found in the USA, which received the name Big Al from scientists. The bones showed how many fractures and injuries the dinosaur suffered, and this made it possible to recreate the history of his life.
Conclusion
Prehistoric animals (dinosaurs, mammoths, cave bears, sea giants) that lived in the distant past still amaze the human imagination. They are clear evidence of how amazing the past of the Earth was.
What animals of antiquity have survived to this day, and what do we know about them? The pages of our site have already talked about dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals that once inhabited our planet, but have already become extinct by now.
Is there really among the contemporaries of dinosaurs those who could survive to this day ?! Today we will present to your attention 25 of the most real "living fossils".
shield
A freshwater crustacean similar to a small horseshoe crab. Over the past 70 million years, its prehistoric morphology has hardly changed, almost no different from the ancestors of the shieldfish that inhabited the earth about 220 million years ago.
24. Lamprey
Jawless fish. It has a funnel-like sucker mouth. Occasionally they burrow their teeth into the bodies of other fish, sucking out blood, but the bulk of 38 species of this fish do not do this.
The most ancient remains of this fish date back to 360 million years ago.
23. Sandhill crane
Endemic to North-Eastern Siberia and North America is a heavy and large bird, weighing up to 4.5 kilograms. Presumably the most ancient representative of this species, the fossils of which could be found, lived 10 million years ago in Nebraska.
22. Sturgeon
Living in lakes, rivers and coastal waters, the subarctic, temperate and subtropical sturgeon is sometimes called "primitive fish". The reason for this is that the morphological characteristics of the sturgeon have not changed much. In any case, the most ancient fossils of the sturgeon are practically indistinguishable from its modern descendants, despite the passage of 220 million years.
It is true, regrettable as it may seem, but environmental pollution and overfishing have put these unique fish on the verge of complete extinction, and some species of sturgeon are almost beyond restoration.
21. Giant Chinese salamander
The largest amphibian, the length of which can reach 1.8 m. It represents the family of cryptogills that appeared 170 million years ago. Like the sturgeon, it is on the verge of extinction.
The reason is habitat loss, overfishing and pollution. Like many other rare species, it is used by the Chinese for food and goes to the dubious needs of Chinese medicine.
20. Martian ant
It lives in the tropical forests of Brazil and the Amazon. Belongs to the oldest genus of ants and has an age of about 120 million years.
19. Goblin shark
The body length of this fish can reach 4 meters. A very rare and poorly studied species of deep-sea shark. Creepy and unusual appearance indicates prehistoric roots. Apparently, her first ancestors lived on Earth already 125 million years ago. Despite the frightening appearance and size, it is absolutely safe for people.
18. horseshoe crab
A marine arthropod that lives primarily in shallow ocean waters on soft, muddy or sandy bottoms. It is considered the closest relative of the trilobite and is one of the most famous living fossils that has not changed much over 450 million years.
17. Echidna
Like the platypus, the echidna remains the only egg-laying mammal. Its ancestors diverged from the platypus about 48-19 million years ago. The common ancestor of both led an aquatic lifestyle, but echidnas adapted to life on land. Due to its appearance, it was named after the "Mother of Monsters" from ancient Greek mythology.
16. Hatteria
Endemic tuatara from New Zealand can reach a length of 80 cm, distinguished by a spiny ridge along the back, which is especially pronounced in males. However, despite the clear resemblance to modern reptiles and lizards, the body structure of the tuatara has remained unchanged for two hundred million years. In this regard, tuatara are extremely important for science, as they can help in the study of the evolution of both snakes and lizards.
15. Frilled Shark
Frilled sharks live in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans at a depth of fifty to two hundred meters. Like the goblin shark, the frilled shark has an extremely intimidating appearance.
This line has existed for at least 95 million years (since the end of the Cretaceous). It is possible that the age of frilled sharks may be 150 million years (the end of the Jurassic period).
The frilled shark is a living fossil belonging to one of the oldest extant lineages of sharks. 14. Vulture Turtle
The vulture turtle lives mostly in the waters adjacent to the southeastern territories of the United States. Belongs to one of the two surviving families of Cayman tortoises.
This prehistoric tortoise family has a centuries-old fossil history dating back to the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous (72-66 million years ago). The weight of the vulture turtle can reach up to 180 kilograms, which makes it the heaviest freshwater turtle in the world.
13. Coelacanth
Endemic to the coastal waters of Indonesia, a genus of fish that includes two living species of the coelacanth family. Until 1938, coelacanths were considered extinct until they were rediscovered.
Ironically, coelacanths are more closely related to mammals, reptiles, and lungfish than they are to other ray-finned fish. Presumably, the coelacanth acquired its current form about 400 million years ago.
Coelacanth is endemic to Indonesian waters. 12. Giant freshwater stingray
The giant freshwater stingray is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world, growing in diameter to almost two meters. Its weight can reach up to six hundred kilograms. According to research, its oval pectoral fin disc formed about 100 million years ago.
Like most of the representatives of the animal kingdom mentioned in this article, the giant freshwater stingray is on the verge of extinction due to excessive capture for the purpose of display in aquariums, sale for meat, and due to pollution of the living conditions of this animal.
11. Nautilus
A pelagic mollusk that lives in the central-western region of the Pacific and the Indian Ocean.
Prefers deep slopes of coral reefs. Based on the fossil record, nautilus managed to survive five hundred million years, during which the earth changed several eras and several mass extinctions occurred. Of course, nautiluses, too, having existed for half a billion years and survived the most severe cataclysms, may not withstand the most terrible (and this is not an exaggeration) of the evils that our planet has ever faced - with a person. It is on the verge of extinction due to overfishing and human pollution.
10. Medusa
They live in all oceans from the depths of the sea to the surface. Presumably, they appeared in the seas about 700 million years ago. In view of this, jellyfish can be called the most ancient polyorganic animals. This is probably the only animal included in this list, the number of which can increase significantly due to excessive capture of natural enemies of jellyfish. At the same time, some species of jellyfish are also on the verge of extinction.
9. Platypus
An oviparous mammal with otter legs, a beaver tail and a duck bill. Very often it is called the most bizarre animal in the world. In light of this, there is nothing surprising in the fact that the roots of the platypus go into the prehistoric wilds.
On the one hand, the oldest platypus fossil is only 100,000 years old, but the first platypus ancestor roamed the expanses of the Gondwana supercontinent about 170 million years ago.
8. Long-eared jumper
This small four-legged mammal is widespread throughout the African continent and looks like opossums or some kind of small rodents. However, oddly enough, they are much closer to elephants than to opossums. The first ancestors of the long-eared jumper lived on earth already in the Paleogene period (about 66-23 million years ago).
7. Pelican
Oddly enough, but this large waterfowl with a long heavy beak is one of the living fossils that have hardly changed since the prehistoric period. The genus of these birds has existed for at least 30 million years.
The most ancient fossilized skeleton of a pelican was found in France in the deposits of the early Oligocene. Outwardly, it is almost indistinguishable from modern pelicans, and its beak is morphologically completely identical to the beaks of modern birds of this genus.
Pelicans are one of the few birds that have not changed since the prehistoric period. 6 Mississippi Carapace
One of the largest North American freshwater fish. It is often called a living fossil or "primitive fish" because of the preservation of a number of morphological characteristics of its most ancient ancestors. In particular, among these characteristics we can mention the ability to breathe both in water and air, as well as a spiral valve. Paleontologists trace the existence of the shell for 100 million years back into the centuries.
The Mississippi shell is a primitive fish. 5. Sponge
The duration of the existence of sea sponges on our planet is difficult to trace, since estimates of their age vary widely, but today the oldest fossil is about 60 million years old.
4. Slittooth
Nocturnal venomous burrowing mammal. It is endemic to several countries in the Caribbean at once and is often called a living fossil, which is not at all surprising, since it has hardly undergone any changes over the past 76 million years.
3. Crocodiles
Unlike most animals on this list, the crocodile actually looks like a dinosaur. In addition to crocodiles, mention should be made of gharial crocodiles, gharials, caimans and alligators. This group appeared on our planet about 250 million years ago. This happened in the early Triassic period, and the descendants of these creatures to this day carry a lot of morphological features that were formed even in their distant ancestors.
2. Pygmy whale
Until 2012, the pygmy whale was considered extinct, but since it did survive, it is still considered the smallest representative of baleen whales. Since this animal is very rare, very little is known about its population and its social behavior. But it is known for sure that the pygmy whale is a descendant of the cetotherium family, which is included in the suborder of baleen whales and which existed from the late Oligocene until the late Pleistocene (28-1 million years ago).
1. Black-bellied disc-tongued frog
As it turned out, living fossils can also be found among, it would seem, such a completely prosaic creature as a frog. Like the aforementioned dwarf whale, this black-bellied frog was thought to be extinct, but was rediscovered in 2011.
At first it was believed that the black-bellied disc-tonguing frog existed for only 15 thousand years, but resorting to phylogenetic analysis, scientists were able to calculate that the last direct ancestor of this unique animal jumped on the earth's surface about 32 million years ago. This makes the black-bellied disc-tonguing frog not only a living fossil, but also the only representative of its kind that has survived to this day.
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