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.