Top 10 scariest extinct animals
Contents:
• Many of the animals that once roamed the Earth no longer exist. While in some cases this is very unfortunate, in other cases it is only for the better. It is unlikely that you would be happy to meet one of the ten most terrible extinct animals.
10 Titanoboa
• There is no more snake on this planet than the gigantic Titanoboa cerrejonensis. This monster lived in the Paleocene era, having chosen the muddy rivers of tropical rainforests on the territory of modern Colombia.
• According to paleontologists, the titanoboa reached a length of 12-13 meters and weighed approximately 1,1 tons. She could easily have a bite to eat with a giant crocodile, which at that time reached, on average, 5 meters in length and weighed 400 kilograms. But the favorite food of the titanoboa was fish. There were no people yet.
9. Sarcosuchus
• Although not technically a crocodile, Sarcosuchus (aka supercroc or crocodilemorph) was a distant relative of the pholidosaurid family.
• About 110-120 million years ago, sarcosuchus inhabited the territory of modern Africa and South America. A complete skeleton of Sarcosuchus has not yet been found, but according to the most conservative assumptions, this reptile was half as long and 3 times heavier than the largest of modern crocodiles.
• According to paleontologists, it was an imposing 12-meter, 7-ton reptile that fed on fish and other aquatic animals, and also did not disdain small dinosaurs, setting up an ambush near the coast. The body of the Supercroc itself was protected from bites by a layer of bone scales.
8. Meganeura
• Love dragonflies? Then, perhaps, you will be touched by looking at the reconstruction of a giant dragonfly that lived about 300 million years ago, during the Carboniferous period.
• The biggest difference between the modern dragonfly and the dragonfly of the past was their size. With a wingspan of half a meter, it was one of the largest insects that ever lived on Earth. Meganevra ruled the sky in those days. She hunted both insects and larger creatures such as frogs and newts.
• Why aren't giant dragonflies found now? Even at the beginning of the last century, scientists suggested that the atmosphere of the Carboniferous period contained more oxygen than the modern one. Simply put, in this day and age, a meganeura would simply suffocate.
7. Arthropleura
• Just imagine how this huge centipede crawls on the bed at night ...
• The body of Arthropleura was flat and consisted of a number of segments overlapping each other. Thirty pairs of legs carried the weight of a 50-kilogram body. The body length of Arthropleura could reach 2,6 meters, and weight – 50 kg.
• Among all the invertebrate species that ever existed, Arthropleura was the largest.
• What this creature ate is an open question. Presumably – plant food, but may have been an omnivore.
6. Megalodon
• This extinct species of giant shark lived 2,8-1,5 million years ago. It is believed that the megalodon was similar to the modern great white shark, and its name means "big tooth". The largest megalodon tooth ever discovered was over 18 centimeters long.
• While great white sharks can reach 6 meters in length and weigh up to 3175 kg, Megalodon, according to various estimates, reached 15-18 meters in length and weighed up to 47 tons. And the bite force of the largest individuals was 10,8 tons.
Megalodon was the biggest shark in the world and became extinct only 2,6 million years ago. During life, this underwater monster ate very large animals, such as giant sea turtles and whales.
5. Gorgonops
• Even before the advent of dinosaurs, there were many terrifying prehistoric creatures on our planet. Gorgonops is a great example. This is an animal that lived 260 million years ago.
• Gorgonops was about 4 meters long and weighed about 450 kilograms. Perhaps this creature was warm-blooded, which is one of the most interesting facts about him. This means that the body of the Gorgonops may have been covered with a layer of fur.
• According to scientists, Gorgonops had a "saber-toothed" type of dental system, and were an analogue of a saber-toothed cat for its time.
4. Epicyon
• Looking at the reconstruction of this huge prehistoric animal that lived about 15 million years ago, it's hard to say: "Good dog!" If only because this doggie could easily dine with you.
• Large epicyons weighed 100-135 kilograms, and had very powerful jaws, for which they received the nickname "bone crushers".
3. Pulmonoscorpion
• The giant centipede was already on the list of extinct prehistoric monsters. Meet the giant scorpion known as Pulmonoscorpius ("breathing scorpion"). He lived 336 million years ago in what is now Scotland.
• This king of scorpions reached 70 centimeters in length (according to other sources, grew up to a meter), while the largest modern scorpions grow up to 20 centimeters. The diet of Pulmonoscorpius is not directly known, but it is likely that they preyed on smaller arthropods and small tetrapods.
• Now a giant arthropod would simply not have enough oxygen to grow to such a size and feel even more comfortable.
2. Arctod
• Bulldog bears (Arctodus) are an extinct species that lived in North America during the Pleistocene period, about 1,8 million years ago. At the time, this bear may have been the largest meat-eating land mammal.
• In a standing position, the arctod reaches a height of 3,5 meters and weighs more than one ton. These bears are about 50 percent larger than the largest polar bears recorded in history.
1 Spinosaurus
• A monster larger than a Tyrannosaurus rex that could run and swim and had a long crocodile mouth. It's all about the (thankfully) extinct Spinosaurus, the largest carnivorous dinosaur on Earth!
• During the Middle Cretaceous, about 93-100 million years ago, spinosaurs lived in what is now Egypt, Morocco, and the Republic of Niger. It is estimated that the skull of Spinosaurus was about one and a half meters long, and its body length reached 12-16 meters. Body weight, presumably, reached 12 tons.
• I don’t know about you, dear readers, but I’m glad that I will never encounter this terrible extinct animal!
