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.