How would humanity fare against these fearsome
predators if they were still around today?
Here are 7 deadly animals you'll be glad are
extinct.
Number 7: The Dire Wolf
During the Pleistocene, the dire wolf also
known as Canis dirus inhabited different areas
around North and South America.
Although the average dire wolf was similar
in size to the larger specimens of present
day’s grey wolf, its vicious bite was the
strongest of any Canis species to date.
Their teeth were also larger and featured
a greater shearing ability.
It is also believed that they used their bite
to crush the bones of their prey and eat the
marrow in order to extract the maximum nutritional
capacity out of each kill.
Based on the numerous specimens recovered
from the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles,
it is believed that dire wolves hunted in
packs.
Their main prey consisted of horses, mastodons,
sloths, bison and other mega-herbivores.
Scientists have determined that the dire wolf
would frequently go after a larger prey.
This was mainly attributed to the fact that
it had shorter legs than the grey wolf, which
meant that their main hunting approach was
to ambush heavier, slower-moving animals.
Dire wolves were hyper-carnivorous which meant
that at least 70 percent of their diet consisted
of meat.
It is widely considered that the Smilodon,
also known as the sabre-tooth cat and the
dire wolf competed for the same prey, as their
fossils were found intermingled in the La
Brea Tar Pits.
The last recovered dire wolf specimens were
dated back to 9.440 years ago, around the
end of the last Ice Age.
It might be possible to de-extinct the dire
wolf by combining their recovered DNA with
the genome of modern dogs.
Number 6: The Smilodon
The smilodon is one of the best known species
of what is commonly known as the saber-toothed
cat.
Smilodons inhabited regions in the Americas
during the Pleistocene era, around 1.6 million
to 10.000 years ago.
Thousands of smilodon fossil specimens were
discovered in the La Brea Tar Pits in Los
Angeles, US.
Their most distinctive features were their
canines which could grow as long as 12 inches
for the Smilodon populator, the largest of
the smilodon species.
Their height was estimated at around 39 inches
with weights ranging from 490 to 880 pounds.
Although it is typically referred to as the
saber-tooth tiger, the smilodon was only a
distant relative of modern-day felines.
Their build was also different.
Their long canines were quite fragile and
if they were broken, they did not grow back.
Even though they could open their mouths at
almost 120 degrees, they would often avoid
biting down on their prey too hard, in order
to protect their long ‘sabers’.
However, smilodons were more robust and more
muscular than the current species of big cats.
They had short and muscular legs, thick necks
and broad chests.
These physical features made smilodons exceptional
ambush predators.
Paleontologists believe that smilodons would
often pounce on their prey from tree branches.
As its attack unfolded, the smilodon plunged
its canines into the neck of its victim and
then retreated to a safe distance as its prey
bled to death.
It is also believed that, much like other
species of big cats, smilodons formed packs
and hunted in groups.
Even though they shared their habitat with
early humans, it is highly unlikely that smilodons
were hunted to extinction.
Experts believe that the contributing factor
was a combination of the gradual disappearance
of their prey and climate change.
Number 5: The Terror Bird
The Phorusrhacidae also known as the terror
birds were a type of large carnivorous flightless
bird.
It was the apex predator in the South American
region, during the Cenozoic era.
Terror birds ranged in height with the largest
specimens standing almost 10 feet tall.
They had large heads and powerful beaks but
also great flexibility in their long necks.
This enabled them to deliver devastating strikes
on their prey.
They would often use their height as a means
of intimidation.
Before delivering a downward attack, the bird
would stretch to its full length.
The momentum produced by its heavy head and
its developed neck muscles would usually produce
fatal wounds on its prey.
An almost intact skull discovered in Patagonia,
in 2006, measured 28 inches in length, making
it the largest bird skull ever discovered.
In addition to its massive head and strong,
curved beak, the terror bird also possessed
sharp talons which it would use to tear into
or hold down its prey.
These avian predators were also quite fast,
capable of reaching speeds of 30 miles per
hour.
Environmental changes are thought to be among
the main causes for its extinction.
Number 4: The Spinosaurus
Similar to the T-Rex the Spinosaurus was also
a theropod dinosaur meaning that it was a
massive land carnivore.
It lived during the Cretaceous period, approximately
112 to 97 million years ago, mainly in the
swamps of North Africa.
Its scientific name, which translates to ‘spine
lizard’, reflects the dinosaur’s most
distinctive feature.
The Spinosaurus had tall neural spines growing
on its back vertebrae which were connected
to each other by skin to form what scientists
have referred to as the ‘sail’.
The sail’s function is still unclear.
With its sail fully extended the Spinosaurus
would seem almost double in size thus it might
have been used as an intimidation tactic.
Other interpretations claim that it was used
as a means of regulating body temperature
and as a way of communicating information
about the dinosaur’s size, gender and age
to other animals or another Spinosaurus.
The Spinosaurus is widely regarded as the
largest carnivorous dinosaur in history, its
size exceeding that of the T-Rex or Gigantosaurus.
John H. Horner, a paleontologist who had worked
as a consultant for the Jurassic Park III
movie, stated at one point ‘If we base the
ferocious factor on the length of the animal,
there was nothing that ever lived on this
planet that could match this creature’.
From head to tail this massive beast was around
50 feet long and weighed from 12 to 20 metric
tons.
A 2014 study published by the Science journal
stated that the Spinosaurus was among the
very few dinosaurs that were able to swim.
“Spinosaurus had short hind limbs (like
early whales and other animals that spent
more and more time in the water), dense and
compact bones (penguins show a similar bone
profile in cross section), wide and flat claws
and feet (possibly used in paddling), and
a long and slender snout with conical teeth
(perfect for catching fish).”
Number 3: The Titanoboa
The titanoboa is the largest genus of snake
ever discovered with an estimated weight of
2.500 pounds and a length of almost 50 feet.
Upon its discovery it was believed that the
titanoboa was an apex predator of the Palogene
epoch inhabiting Earth’s tropical regions
approximately 50-60 million years ago.
However, later analysis indicated that the
snake was mainly piscivorous, meaning that
its diet consisted mostly of fish.
When it would take on larger prey, the serpent
would use its massive body to constrict its
prey before swallowing it whole, much like
the different species of boa snakes that still
exist today.
Fossils from 28 individuals were found in
the Colombian Cerrejón coal mines in 2009.
Following the discovery, the titanoboa received
the scientific name Titanoboa cerrejonensis.
Because of the snake‘s massive size several
scientists have questioned how the titanoboa
would fare against the Tyrannosaurus Rex which
is widely considered to be the largest and
most fearsome predator in history.
However, the two could never have interacted
in the wild, as they lived approximately 10
million years apart.
Number 2: The Tyrannosaurus Rex
The name ‘Rex’ comes from Latin and translates
as ‘king’.
Considering the fact that the Tyrannosaurus
Rex is one of the largest predators that have
ever lived, the name does it justice.
The T-Rex was one of the few non-avian dinosaurs
that were still roaming the Earth, prior to
the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event
(K-Pg).
The leading theory behind the K-Pg event is
that a large asteroid brought about the mass
extinction of approximately three quarters
of all the plant and animal life on Earth.
The largest complete T-Rex specimen is located
at the Field Museum of Natural History, in
Chicago and measures 40 feet in length and
stands at 12 feet tall.
Based on the bone structure it is estimated
that the specimen weighed approximately 10.2
metric tons.
Aside from its imposing frame, the T-Rex had
one of the most massive and ferocious heads
in carnivore history.
Its jaws were capable of delivering a bite
force that exceeded 10 metric tons.
It is still considered that the T-Rex’s
bone-crushing bite is the strongest of any
land animal that has ever lived.
Each set of its serrated teeth served a different
function.
The front teeth were used for gripping and
pulling, the side ones tore into the flesh
while the back ones diced the meat of its
prey.
The T-Rex’s forelimbs each featured two-claws
and even though they could reportedly grow
to be 3 feet long, they were small in size
compared to the dinosaur’s massive thighs
and legs.
The function of the T-Rex’s arms is still
unknown.
Its large tail would enable the dinosaur to
balance the size of its head and allow it
to move quickly.
Its muscle distribution suggests that the
animal could reach speeds of 10 to 25 mph.
It was most likely the apex predator of its
time although many scientists believe that
T-Rex was more scavenger than hunter.
The consensus is that it behaved like an apex
predator but its highly developed sense of
smell would have made surviving on carcasses
much easier.
Paleontologist David Burnham commented on
the subject, stating ‘T. rex was probably
opportunistic and may have fed on carcasses,
but that is not a very abundant or consistent
food source.
T. rex had a hard life.
They had to go out and kill for food when
they were hungry.’
The T-Rex is without a doubt among the most
dangerous land carnivores in history.
Number 1: The Megalodon
The megalodon was one of the most dangerous
predators in the sea during the Pliocene and
Miocene epochs, around 23 to 2.6 million years
ago.
Based on the size of the discovered teeth
and vertebrae, it was determined that the
megalodon’s physical appearance resembled
that of today’s great white shark.
However, the megalodon was much larger.
Based on the fossil evidence and body mass
analysis which was done in comparison with
that of the great white it was estimated that
the length of the megalodon ranged from 55
to 60 meters in length with a weight between
50 and 75 tons.
Scientists have not excluded the possibility
of certain specimens exceeding these parameters.
A 2008 computer simulation determined that
the 10.8 to 18.2 ton bite force that this
shark could produce was stronger than that
of any other animal ever discovered.
Its bite was so powerful that it could break
the shells of giant turtles and the sulks
of whales on which it would often prey.
Its name, derived from Ancient Greek and roughly
translated as ‘big tooth’, is more than
suitable as the megalodon’s teeth exceeded
7 inches in length.
Many of the whale bones which have been discovered
show large bite marks which match the description
of the megalodon’s teeth.
Its hunting style differed from that of the
great white.
The placement of the megalodon’s teeth made
biting through cartilage very easy.
It is believed that, while on the hunt, the
shark would first bite off the fins of its
prey, impairing its ability to swim away,
before going in for the kill.
Despite its massive size, the shark was also
an agile swimmer, capable of reaching great
speeds.
A computer simulation determined that a 53-ton
megalodon could swim at a top speed of 16.5
feet per second.
Many experts agree that the megalodon was
"arguably the most formidable carnivore ever
to have existed".
Although the exact reason is still unknown,
there are certain theories concerning the
extinction of this apex predator.
One of them claims that the gradual disappearance
of giant whales, the megalodon’s main diet,
had lead to its extinction.
Some experts believe that the global cooling
brought about by the last Ice Age might have
been the main contributing factor.
Although they are not supported by concrete
evidence, there are some theories which suggest
that the megalodon has never gone extinct
and that it still lurks in the vastly unexplored
depths of today’s oceans.
