14 Crazy Animals You're Glad Are Extinct
14.
Megalodon
While never quite reaching the same length
as the sperm whale of today, the megalodon
was far heavier, capable of reaching a weight
of 60 tons.
Among predators, it is the largest shark known
to have existed in the history of the planet.
With seven-inch teeth and a jaw ten feet in
diameter, the megalodon was capable of consuming
some of the largest sea mammals of its day.
Based on fossil remnants found on all six
continents, scientists estimate the megalodon
went extinct just over 2,500,000 (2.5 million)
years ago, mainly due to a drop in sea temperature
that depleted its primary food sources.
13.
Dunkleosteus
Known for its armored head made of thick-boned
plates, the dunkleosteus sustained itself
by gobbling up entire schools of fish.
The literal shear force of its bite was capable
of severing flesh faster than any other sea
predator of its time.
This, added to its stealth and the fact that
it could open its massive jaw in less than
a second, made the dunkleosteus inescapable.
When numbers among smaller prey were depleted,
evidence suggests this master of the sea resorted
to attacking other mammals of its own genus,
making it an occasional cannibal.
Based on traces of the dunkleosteus found
in North America, Europe and North Africa,
it went extinct roughly 360,000,000 years
ago as a result of a decrease in oxygen levels
in the ocean.
12.
Smilodon
Thriving from the early Pleistocene Period
until about 10,000 years ago, this 11-foot-long
saber-toothed cat is often mistakenly categorized
as a tiger despite actually being a distant
ancestor to the cheetahs and lions known to
humans today.
While its formidable teeth were highly effective
in warding off competition for its food, the
smilodon’s signature incisors were too weak
to act as shredding mechanisms.
Its primary method of taking down its targets
came in stalking from above using tree branches.
It would then pounce on its prey and use its
teeth to puncture the jugular vein.
It remains a subject of debate as to whether
the smilodon hunted alone or in packs.
The iconic feline disappeared during the Quaternary
Extinction.
11.
Helicoprion
Capable of growing to 35 feet in length and
instantly recognizable for its 360-degree
wheel of teeth, the helicoprion is the only
known mammal with any such jaw structure.
This led to its nickname among experts as
the “Buzzsaw Killer.”
In vertically and upwardly slicing its prey,
the helicoprion’s lower jaw performed the
dual function of severing its food and then
pushing it up into the shark-like creature’s
unique curved esophagus.
Its additional fin structure allowed it to
spring towards its prey in what is often described
as an underwater sprint.
Despite surviving the Extinction Event of
the Permian-Triassic Crossover, the helicoprion
died out for unclear reasons about 230,000,000
years ago.
10.
Pulmonoscorpius
With a name that translates to “breathing
scorpion,” pulmonoscorpius is believed to
have reached its irregular size during the
Carboniferous Period, during which there was
an increase in available oxygen during development.
Beyond its size, the only qualities that differentiate
it from modern scorpions are its eyes, which
were better developed and made pulmonoscorpius
a more adept hunter.
Though the toxicity of its venom is an unsettled
matter in the scientific community, many consider
this frightful predator to have been powerfully
poisonous due to the thickness of its tail
compared to its smaller pincers.
Despite its primary food source being up for
debate as well, there is no doubt it was carnivorous.
Even more surprising than its appearance is
the environment in which pulmonoscorpius was
found to have lived - modern day Scotland.
The only reason researchers have a comprehension
of its full form comes from how well fossilized
its skin became after shedding.
--9.
Phorusrhacidae
It’s hard to imagine wanting something widely
known as the “Terror Bird” as a household
pet.
Domineering and flightless, phorusrhacidae
would have towered over modern ostriches and
probably travelled faster.
This has led to many comparisons with the
popularly-known velociraptor.
Its bone-breaking beak could lacerate flesh
easily and allowed it to scoop meat into its
mouth.
Believed to have travelled in packs, phorusrhacidae
benefitted from large nasal chambers that
allowed them to communicate with one another
over long distances.
Although its hearing was almost unmatched
by birds of its time, the phorusrhacid suffered
from an inadequate sense of smell, which may
have contributed to its eventual extinction.
8.
Arthropleura
Considered to be the biggest bugs ever to
live on land, arthropleura were millipedes
that could grow past six feet in length.
Benefitting from the same spike in oxygen
levels that allowed pulmonoscorpius to achieve
its size, arthropleura inhabited and protected
themselves among deep vegetation.
Despite the belief that arthropleura were
herbivores, their intimidating appearance
has inspired illustrations of countless fictional
monsters.
Arthropleura died out early in the Permian
Period as a result of the dry climate eliminating
their plant-filled habitats, on which most
creatures of crustacean ancestry depend for
their survival.
7.
Meganeura
Meganeura are the largest flying insects ever
to have existed, flexing a wingspan of over
30 centimeters.
They are scientifically categorized in the
family of griffinflies despite their noticeable
resemblance to dragonflies.
Meganeura hunted small amphibians as well
as other invertebrates.
Discovered mainly in France, experts believe
meganeura to have been the dominant insectivores
of their era.
They became extinct when oxygen levels plummeted
at the conclusion of the Permian Period.
6.
Megapiranha
Based on fossil evidence found in South America,
the megapiranha is believed to have thrived
throughout the Miocene Epoch.
Although it remains a matter of debate as
to whether the megapiranha was an herbivore
or a carnivore, its appearance makes it objectively
terrifying.
It was three times larger than even the most
similar species of piranha found today, weighed
up to 22 pounds and had a stronger bite than
that of the Tyrannosaurus rex.
A favorite among aquatic paleontologists,
the megapiranha went extinct when the Andes
Mountains formed, separating the Amazon Basin
from the Parana Basin.
5.
Titanoboa
With a length of 45 feet and an estimated
weight of over 2,500 pounds, the discovery
of the first titanoboa fossils in a Colombian
coal mine in 2003 rivaled those of even the
most widely recognized dinosaurs.
This unparalleled reptile lived in South America’s
Cerrejón region - today a mostly dry outback
that was once covered with rainforests and
deep flowing rivers.
Resembling a boa-constrictor, it moved like
an anaconda.
The availability of a warm climate and heavy
rainfall with little seasonal change allowed
the titanoboa’s metabolism to increase its
growth.
By crushing and suffocating even the largest
water and land-bound creatures in its environment,
the titanoboa quickly became a dominant predator.
Falling temperatures and the drying-out of
its habitat led to the titanoboa’s vextinction
at the end of the Paleocene Epoch.
4.
Cameroceras
Instantly recognizable due to its shell measuring
almost 20 feet in length, traces of the cameroceras
have been found in Central China as well as
various parts of Europe and North America.
Ranked among the largest cephalopods ever
recorded, it inhabited the sea during Silurian
Period, ultimately disappearing roughly 420,000,000
years ago.
Its solid cone-like shell wildy differentiated
it from modern soft-headed squids and octopi.
Strong and far-reaching tentacles grew out
from the base of its head, allowing it to
quickly crush and suffocate its prey.
It has not been determined whether or not
the cameroceras had eyes, creating a mystery
has to how it hunted given that cephalopods
are visually-oriented creatures.
3.
Sarcosuchus
Popularly known as the “Supercroc,” the
sarcosuchus was capable of growing up to 40
feet long.
While crocodiles living today achieve an average
lifespan of 25 years, this supreme carnivore
was capable of living until the age of 40.
Adding to its uniqueness among the species
- most of which meet their full size upon
entering adulthood - the “Supercroc” never
stopped growing.
Its two main food sources were lobe-finned
fish and land-dwelling dinosaurs.
This required considerable speed in both environments.
It’s hard to imagine a prehistoric beast
that would’ve been threatening even to the
dinosaurs, but the sarcosuchus’s long, thin
jaw made it a dominant presence in the Animal
Kingdom until the Cretaceous Period, when
a change in climate depleted its food source
and ended its reign.
2.
Mosasaurus
Largely considered the most fearsome water-dwelling
dinosaur, the mosasaurus is a distant relative
to the Komodo dragon.
Distinct because of its size - up to 60 feet
long - and its quadruple flipper fins, the
mosasaurus adapted shark-like tails that increased
its underwater speed.
Unlike most other aquatic life, the mosasaurus
needed to regularly come up to the ocean’s
surface in order to breathe, limiting the
depths at which it could hunt.
Surviving on a diet of other sea mammals,
the mosasaurus died out along with all the
other dinosaurs during the Cretaceous-Paleogene
Extinction.
1.
Quetzalcoatlus
One of the largest winged creatures to ever
live on earth, the quetzalcoatlus was a pterodactyloid
pterosaur that glided over what is now North
America during the latter half of the Cretaceous
Period.
Because it was unable to actually take off
from the ground, paleontologists believe the
quetzalcoatlus sprung itself from high places
and then used its wings to drift down over
its prey.
Taking its name from the serpent god Quetzalcoatl
of Aztec myth, it displayed a wingspan three
times the length of the Andean Condor.
That’s about 36 feet.
With an added weight of up to 300 pounds,
the quetzalcoatlus would have been strong
enough to pick up a fully grown man and carry
him off with ease.
