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.

The animal world is quite large. But when evaluating all its diversity, one should not forget how many species have died out in the course of evolution. However, already in modern times, many animals disappeared from the face of the planet not for natural reasons, but in the course of the activity of the most dangerous creature - man. Remembering the most amazing animals, you should not be limited only to ancient times and dinosaurs.

Many animals died out quite recently, leaving us with not only their remains, but also photographs, memories of eyewitnesses. There are sad statistics that say that 99.9% of all species that existed on Earth have become extinct.

In his book Encyclopedia of Species Extinct in Human History, writer Ross Piper counted as many as 65 creatures. The author moves back in time, starting with the golden toad and the Eskimo curlew and five species last seen less than a hundred years ago. Mention is also made of those animals that became extinct more than 50 thousand years ago - mega-sharks and giant monkeys. Homo erectus and its closest relatives are also considered extinct. We will tell below about the most amazing extinct animals and birds.

Tyrannosaurus Rex became extinct 65 million years ago. This animal was the largest carnivore of all those who have ever lived on the planet. It was 43 feet long and 16 feet high. Scientists have calculated that Tyrannosaurus could weigh up to 7 tons. Like its other close relatives, this predator was bipedal, it had a massive skull, and behind it was balanced by a long and heavy tail. The hind limbs were large and strong, but the front ones were much smaller and practically did not perform any important functions. These fossil animals have been found in North America in rock formations. Scientists have found that they died out 68.5-65 million years ago and were the last dinosaurs to disappear before the Cretaceous period. More than 30 animal specimens have been identified, some even retaining their skeletons almost completely. Researchers have even found soft tissue remains. Such an abundance of fossil material allowed for a large-scale study of this animal, including the history of its existence and biomechanics.

Quagga, became extinct in 1883. This amazing animal was half horse and half zebra. The quagga is one of Africa's most famous extinct creatures. This subspecies of the plains zebra has been found in large numbers in the Cape Province of South Africa and the southern part of the Orange Free State. This animal differed from other zebras in that it had characteristic bright markings on the front of the body. In the middle part of the body, the stripes became darker, wider, and merged. The rear part was completely uniform brown. The body length of this odd-toed ungulate was 180 centimeters. The name of this species comes from the name of the zebra KhoiKhoi, being an onomatopoeia of this word. Initially, scientists classified the quagga as a separate species of Equus Quagga. It happened in 1788. Over the next half century, explorers and naturalists described many other zebras. Due to the wide range of colors of creatures (two identical zebras simply do not exist), a large number of described "species" turned out to be. At the same time, it turned out to be difficult to determine which of them were real, and which were just natural options. While all this confusion was sorted out, the quaggs were exterminated for meat and skins. The last wild quagga was killed in 1878, after 5 years the last representative of this subspecies also died in the Amsterdam Zoo. Due to much confusion between the various subspecies of zebra, especially among the public, the quagga became extinct before it was clear that it was a separate species. But the animal was the first among the extinct, whose DNA began to be studied. In 1987, a project to restore this biological species was born. By selection, the first 9 individuals were bred, which were placed in a special camp in Namibia. In 2005, a representative of the third generation of quagga was born, some believe that he is very similar to a typical representative. So far, the project is only developing, but there is hope to resurrect this disappeared animal.

The Tasmanian tiger became extinct in 1936. This animal was the largest marsupial carnivore known to science. It lived in Australia and New Guinea and became extinct in the last century. Because of his striped back, he was nicknamed the Tasmanian tiger, although there are other nicknames - the Tasmanian tiger, tiger, marsupial wolf. It was the last surviving member of a kind of marsupial wolves. But in the stone chronicles, similar species were found that existed in the early Miocene. In length, the marsupial ox reached 1-1.3 meters, in height - 0.6 meters, and weighed 20-25 kilograms. Outwardly, the animal looked like a dog. It is noteworthy that its elongated mouth could open as much as 120 degrees. In Australia, the marsupial wolf died out thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans, but survived in Tasmania along with other endemic species such as the Tasmanian devil. When people discovered Tasmania in 1642, they found traces of a wild animal with claws like a tiger. But the first detailed scientific description of it was made in 1808. In the 1830s, the mass extermination of the Tasmanian tiger began - it was considered a sheep hunter. There were real legends about the rapacity and ferocity of the marsupial wolf. At the beginning of the 20th century, an epidemic of dog distemper also passed on the island, which practically destroyed these already rare animals. But this did not stop the man, the law still did not protect the rare species. As a result, the last wild wolf was killed in 1930, and in 1936 the last representative of the Tasmanian tigers died of old age at the zoo. Today there is a $1.1 million reward for anyone who catches a live marsupial wolf. Now Australian scientists are trying to clone this unique animal.

Steller's cow, became extinct in 1768. This marine mammal from the order of sirens was discovered in 1741. It was discovered by Georg Steller, a scientist who was part of the Bering expedition. The length of the sea cow reached 10 meters, and it weighed up to 4 tons. In size, the animal was much larger than a seal or manatee. The cow led a sedentary way, living in shallow bays and eating algae. The animal had a vague shape, its tail was forked, like that of a whale, two thick forelimbs were present. Steller described that the found species had a thick and black skin, like the bark of an old oak tree, the head was small in relation to the body. The cow did not have any teeth at all, but only two flat bone plates were present, located one above the other. The researchers found a large number of these animals on Bering Island, while they were not afraid of people at all. This is what ruined them. After all, the smell and taste of their fat was quite pleasant, the meat was also tasty and could be stored for a long time. Even milk was edible, resembling sheep's. Predatory fishing completely exterminated this species by 1768. Fossils later reported that Steller's sea cow formerly lived along the coast of the North Pacific Ocean, reaching as far south as Japan and California. Considering how quickly the animals were exterminated in this area, it was most likely the arrival of people that caused their extinction in other places. In the last couple of centuries, there have been isolated reports of sea cow sightings in areas from the Bering regions to Greenland. Scientists cherish the hope that a small population of animals still survived to this day. In the meantime, there is a variant with cloning in the future of the animal, because there was a piece of her skin preserved in alcohol, carrying genetic material.

The Irish deer became extinct about 7700 years ago. This deer was the largest deer that ever lived. It is also called the Irish elk, and lived throughout Eurasia, from Ireland and in the east to Baikal itself. Deer dwelling time - late Pleistocene and early Holocene. Based on carbon analysis, it was found that the last animal died about 7,700 years ago. Such a deer was outwardly similar to a doe, but was distinguished by its enormous size. It was about two meters high, and the giant horns had up to 4 meters in scope. At the same time, they weighed about 35 kilograms, at the top they expanded like a shovel, and had sharp ends. The structure of the teeth and limbs indicates that this animal lived in the meadows - with such an ornament on its head, there was simply nothing to do in the forest. It is the horns of the animal that are of interest, and not its gigantic size. Scientists believe that the causes of extinction are most likely natural - the forest began to advance on open spaces, taking away habitats. In those days, in general, many other large animals disappeared from the face of the planet. You should not discount a person, hunting by him could also undermine the population of a handsome horned man. However, the theory about the effect of hunting is rather doubtful. After all, the species was widespread throughout the continent. Most likely, he evolved together with people throughout his existence, adapting even to their presence.

Caspian tiger disappeared in 1970. It is the third largest tiger in its species. The Caspian tiger is also called the Turanian or Persian. This subspecies lived in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, the Caucasus, Central Asia and Mongolia. This subspecies had a bright red coat color, and the stripes were longer than usual, with a brownish tinge. The body was rather stocky, the elongated legs were strong, and the paws were wide. The Caspian tiger also had unusually large claws. The largest individual weighed 240 kilograms, this subspecies is second in size only to the Bengal and Amur. But the females weighed 85-135 kilograms. The tiger's ears were short and small, with no hair at their tips. In Asia, people have traditionally put up with the existence of these neighbors. Russian settlers caused great harm to the population. The tigers began to be deliberately destroyed. But this influence was only indirect. Tigers died out due to the fact that the cultivation of floodplain lands in riverbeds deprived the animals of a food base. After all, earlier wild boars and roe deer freely lived in tugai.

Wild tour, disappeared from 1627. This animal is one of the most famous extinct in Europe already with man. These are very large primitive bulls, the progenitors of modern cows. Bison developed in India about two million years ago, and then migrated to the Middle East and Asia. The animal came to Europe about 250 thousand years ago. But by the XIII century, the habitat of the tour was limited to Poland, Lithuania, Moldova, Transylvania and East Prussia. The powerful beast had a height at the withers of up to 180 centimeters, and it weighed up to 800 kilograms. The head was set high, and its sharp horns crowned it. The males were black, with a narrow light stripe along the back. And females and juveniles were reddish in color. The main habitat of the aurochs is the steppes and forest-steppes, but the species lived out its last days in the forests. Only the nobility had the right to hunt them, and later only the royal family had the right to hunt them. The number of tours began to fall sharply, the hunt was stopped. The royal court demanded that the huntsmen provide fields for grazing animals, for which they were supposed to reduce taxes. There were even decrees that punished by death for the murder of this large animal. In 1564, the huntsmen knew only about 38 individuals, which was reported in the royal report. The last sighting of a live bison was in 1627, it was seen by a Polish woman in the forest. His skull subsequently ended up in the Swedish army and is currently the property of one of the museums in Stockholm. In 1920, two German zoologists tried to revive this species from livestock. After all, cows and bulls are descendants of tours. The plan was based on the assumption that a species cannot become extinct while all the genes are still present in at least one of the descendants. You just need to put together all the genes. As a result, after painstaking work, a “restored tour” was obtained, which outwardly almost does not differ from its progenitor. However, this is just a form of livestock.

Great Razorbill, became extinct in 1844. This bird was the only one in the genus Pinguinus that survived to our time, but became extinct quite recently. The height of the bird was about 70 centimeters, and the weight was about 5 kilograms. The wings were rather poorly developed, this auk barely walked on land, could not fly, but swam perfectly. They had white and black shiny feathers, the black key was heavy and had grooves. Flightless flightless birds have long been a favorite object of hunting for coastal residents of Canada, Iceland, Greenland, Norway and even Great Britain. It was not difficult to kill this defenseless bird on land. In the 16th century in Iceland, the inhabitants of whole boats mined eggs of auks, and in 1844 the last two representatives of the species were killed. This is the first American and European bird, completely exterminated by man. Found remains of birds in Florida suggest that the birds climbed far to the south. It is curious that Neanderthals began to hunt great auks more than 100 thousand years ago. This is evidenced by the found processed bones on their bonfires. Today, about 75 bird eggs, 24 complete skeletons and 81 stuffed animals remain in the collections.

Cave lion, extinct about 2000 years ago. This lion was the largest of all that ever existed. It was also called European or Eurasian. Lions first appeared on the continent 700 thousand years ago. The cave subspecies appeared about 300 thousand years ago. He lived in northern Eurasia, penetrating deep into the north. An adult, found in 1985 in Germany, was about 1.2 meters high and 2.1 meters long, excluding the tail. This roughly corresponds to a large modern lion, but other individuals of this subspecies were even larger. It is believed that the cave lion was 5-15% larger than modern ones. The appearance of animals made it possible to clarify their rock drawings from the Stone Age. They, unlike their relatives from Africa or India, were almost always depicted without wool. The coloring was one-color, and a traditional brush was located on the tail. Lions lived in Europe both in warm eras and in the floor of glaciers. They hunted large ungulates of that time. Despite their name, these cave felids did not appear often, simply using them as hiding places. This concerned mainly sick and old individuals. The cave lion most likely died out 10 thousand years ago during the last Wurm glacier, but there is some evidence that this animal could exist in the Balkans as early as 2 thousand years ago.

Dodos disappeared at the end of the 17th century. This family of flightless birds lived in the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean. They were relatives of pigeons, but they reached a standing height of about a meter. An adult bird weighed up to 25 kilograms. The paws were like turkeys, and the beak was massive. This family includes 3 species - the Mauritian dodo, or dodo, the Bourbon dodo and the hermit dodo. Birds lived in forests, kept in pairs. They ate fruits, laying one white egg right on the ground. Once upon a time, dodos could swim, run and fly. But in the course of evolution, the wings lost their function, because there were simply no natural enemies on the islands. But then a man appeared. First the Portuguese, and then the Dutch, methodically destroyed the bird. Her meat replenished ship supplies. Over time, rats, dogs and cats were brought to the islands, which ate the eggs of a helpless bird. Yes, and the hunt for her was unpretentious - they simply approached her and beat her on the head. That is why the Portuguese called the dodos "dodo", which in common means "stupid". The dodo and dodo in particular are widely used as archetypes of extinct species because their extinction is directly related to human activity. Even the phrase "dead as a dodo" appeared. It means both final and certain death. The phrase "to follow the path of the dodo" means the imminent extinction or obsolescence, falling out of the general stream or turning into a thing of the past. Today, only skeletons and a symbol on the coat of arms of Mauritius remain from the unique bird.

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.


Archeotherium, 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.

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 Platibelodon ( Platybelodon) were found for the first time only in 1920 in the Miocene deposits (about 20 million years ago) of Asia. Descended from Archaeobelodon (genus Archaeobelodon) from the early and middle Miocene of Africa and Eurasia and was in many ways similar to an elephant, except that it did not have a trunk, which was replaced by huge jaws.


Platybelodon died out by the end of the Miocene, about 6 million years ago, and today there is no animal with such an unusual mouth shape. Platybelodon had a dense build and reached 3 meters at the withers. He probably weighed approximately 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 apparently dug into the ground in search of roots or stripped the bark from trees. Platybelodon belongs to the proboscis order - Proboscidea, to the superfamily Elephantoidea, which in Russian can be formulated as elephant-like.

Pakicet (Pakicetus) is an extinct predatory mammal related to archaeocetes. The most ancient of the now known predecessors of the modern whale, who lived about 48 million years ago and 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 main feature is that its ankle bones are most similar to the bones of pigs, sheep and hippos. The cranial bones are very similar to those of whales.

Arsinotherium (Arsinoitherium) - an ungulate that lived about 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 fingers on the front and hind legs. 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).

Megaloceros (Megaloceros giganteus) or bighorn 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 bighorn deer was about 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.

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 Astrapotheria order. They were quite large animals - their body length reached 288 cm, their height was 137 cm, and their 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 the Titanoides lived is subtropical with a swampy forest, similar to modern southern Florida. They probably ate 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.

Stilinodon (Stylinodon) is the most famous and last species of teniodont, living about 45 million years ago 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, 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 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, who lived in the middle of the Paleocene. The oldest member of the squad. Pantodonts are descended from Cimolestes and 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.

Coryphodon (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 epoch, and then migrated to the territory of modern North America, where it probably supplanted the native pantodont Barylambda (Barylambda). 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. Amblipods, as animals with 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.

Quabebihyraxes (Kvabebihyrax kachethicus) is a genus of very large fossil hyraxes of the pliogiracid 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. Perhaps it was in the aquatic environment that the Kvabeb daman sought protection at the moment of danger.

Celodonts (Coelodonta antiquitatis) are fossil woolly rhinos that have 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 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 m.


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.

Embolotherium (Embolotherium ergilense) are representatives of the brontotheriid family of the odd-toed order. These are large land mammals that were larger than rhinos. The group was widely represented in the savanna landscapes of Central Asia and North America, mainly in the Oligocene. The skull size of 125 cm 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.

Palorchesta (Palorchestes azael) - a genus of marsupials that lived in Australia in the Miocene and became extinct in the Pleistocene about 40 thousand years ago, 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 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 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. Protoceratids looked very different, although the structure of the lower limbs in them and in camels is similar, which made it possible to place such different animals in one group.

Meriterium (moeritherium) is the oldest known representative of the proboscis. It was the size of a tapir and apparently looked like this animal, 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 fed on plants and algae. According to recent data, modern elephants had distant ancestors who lived mainly in the water.

Deinotherium (Deinotherium giganteum) are the largest land animals of the Late Miocene - Middle Pliocene. The body length of representatives of various species ranged from 3.5-7 m, growth at the withers reached 3-5 m (on average - 3.5-4 m), and the weight could reach 8-10 tons. Outwardly, they resembled modern elephants , but differed from them in proportions.

Stegotetrabelodon (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. The lower tusks entered, when the jaws closed, into the gap between the upper ones. At the end of the Miocene (5 million years ago), proboscideans began to lose their lower tusks.

Andrewsarchus (Andrewsarchus), possibly the largest land carnivorous mammal. Andrewsarchus is represented as a long-bodied and 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, 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), 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.

Amphicyonidae (Amphicyon major) or dog bears have become widespread in Europe since the late Oligocene (2 million years ago). In the proportions of Amphicyon major, bearish and catlike traits were mixed. Like bears, its remains have been found in Spain, France, Germany, Greece and Turkey. The average weight of Amphicyon major males is 212 kg, and females - 122 kg (almost like modern lions). Amphicyon major was an active carnivore, and its teeth were well adapted for gnawing bones.

giant sloths- a group of several different species 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.

Arctotherium (Arctotherium angustidens) is the largest short-faced bear known to date. 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), he was the largest predator on the planet.

Wintatherium (Uintatherium) is a mammal from the dinocerate order. 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, like giraffe ossicons.

Toxodon (Toxodon) - the largest representative of the Toxodont family (Toxodontidae) and the order Notoungulata (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 a rhinoceros. The height at the shoulders was about 1.5 meters, and the length was about 2.7 meters (excluding the short tail).

Thilacosmil (Thylacosmilus atrox) - a predatory marsupial animal 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. Tylacosmila 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.

Sarcastodon (Sarkastodon mongoliensis) is one of the largest land mammal predators of all time. This huge oxyenid lived in Central Asia. The skull of a sarcastodon found 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 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.

Mongolian (Prodinoceras Mongolotherium) is a species of mammals of the extinct order Dinocerata, family Uintatherium. It is considered one of the most primitive representatives of the detachment.

terrible birds(sometimes called fororacos), who lived 23 million years ago, differed from their counterparts in a massive skull and beak. Their growth reached up to 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 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.

In the hare family ( Leporidae), also had their giants. In 2005, a giant rabbit was described from the island of Menorca (Baleares, Spain), which received the name Nurogalus (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.


Nurogalus 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 osteothlastes) - a giant hyenodontid that lived in the early and middle Miocene (20-15 million years ago). 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 up to 2 m. The weight of megistotherium is estimated at 880-1400 kg.

woolly mammoth (Mammothus 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. On average, however, they were 2.5 m and weighed 45 kg.

In addition to 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 in adult males reached 4.5 m, and their weight was about 10 tons. It was closely related to the sixth mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) and was in contact with it at the northern border of the 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 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 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 these weapons during the ritual fights of males, as African forest boars do today. The upper fangs are large, rounded, bent upwards, the lower ones are trihedral. In terms of size, Kubanoherus 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) - an extinct genus of great apes that 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 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 herbivorous 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 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.

Diprotodon (Diprotodon) or " marsupial hippopotamus"- the largest known marsupial that has ever lived on earth. Diprotodon belongs to the Australian megafauna - a group of unusual species that lived in Australia in the period 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 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 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 died out already in historical time, and also that the appearance of man on the mainland became one of the reasons for their disappearance.

Deodon (Daeodon) is an Asian entelodont who migrated to North America around the end of the Oligocene era (20 million years ago). "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 m at the withers, it took food from smaller predators.

Chalicotherium (Chalicotherium). Chalicotheriaceae are a family of equids. They lived from the Eocene to the Pliocene (40-3.5 million years ago). Reached the size of a large horse, which they probably were 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.

barylambda (Barylambda faberi) - a primitive pantodont, lived 60 million years ago in America, was one of the largest mammals of the Paleocene. With a length of 2.5 m and a weight of 650 kg, barylambda 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.

Argentavis (Argentavis magnificens) is the largest flying bird known to science 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 the American vultures, with which it was included in 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 skull of Argentavis was 45 cm long, and the humerus was long over half a metre. 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. Like American vultures, Argentavis' claws were likely relatively weak, but the 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- edentulous from the Miocene and Pliocene (10-5 million years ago) of South America. He probably led a semi-aquatic lifestyle.

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There were times when the kings of nature were creatures much larger than us - real prehistoric giants! And one of them still lives on Earth, can you imagine?

We are in website we can't decide what we'd like to do more - ride a paraceraterium or fly a quetzalcoatl.

Amphicelia

Amphicelia is the largest animal that has ever existed on Earth. These herbivorous dinosaurs lived 145-161 million years ago. One vertebra of amphicelia was equal to 2.5 meters.

Titanoboa

Titanoboa is a close relative of the boa constrictor. But much, much more. Titanoboa lived 58-61 million years ago and reached 13 meters in length. A modern reticulated python can grow up to a maximum of 7.5 meters.

Megalodon

Megalodons were apex predators that lived 3-28 million years ago. Only one megalodon tooth can hardly fit in the hands of an adult. Its length could reach 20 meters, and its weight reached 47 tons. Megalodon bite force was equal to 10 tons!

Argentavis

Argentavis lived 5–8 million years ago. This is one of the largest birds in the history of the Earth. Its wingspan reached almost 7 meters, and it fed on rodents.

bighorn deer

Large-horned (Irish) deer appeared a couple of million years ago. When the forests began to advance on open spaces, the big-horned deer died out - with their huge (more than 5 meters in span) horns, they simply could not move among the dense branches.

Giant short-faced bear

The giant short-faced bear (bulldog bear), having straightened up, reached a height of 3.5-4.5 meters and had incredibly powerful jaws. He was one of the largest predatory mammals that lived on Earth during the Ice Age. Males were much larger than females and could reach a weight of 1.5 tons. 14 thousand years ago, bulldog bears became extinct.

Gigantopithecus

Gigantopithecus are the largest great apes of all time. They lived about 1 million years ago. It is difficult to draw unambiguous conclusions from rare remains, but scientists believe that Gigantopithecus was 3–4 meters tall, weighed 300–550 kg, and ate mainly bamboo.

paraceratherium

Paraceratheria (indrycoteria) lived 20–30 million years ago. They are relatives of modern rhinos, but they did not have horns. Paraceratherium is one of the largest land mammals that has ever existed. They reached 5 meters in height and weighed up to 20 tons. Despite their imposing appearance, they were not predators and fed on the leaves and branches of trees.