Millions of years before the appearance of the first Homo Sapiens, many amazing creatures lived on our planet: dinosaurs, mammoths, pterodactyls, and so on. Some of them were simply huge, much larger than any animals in our time. We present you the most impressive extinct creatures.

15 PHOTOS

1. Moschops.

A representative of tapinocephals, who lived during the Middle Permian period, weighed about a ton.

2. Mosasaurus.

Extinct marine reptiles of the squamous order. The average length of individuals of this species was 15-20 meters, and their weight was 14 tons.

3. Kronosaurus.

A giant inhabitant of the early Cretaceous period, a representative of the genus of marine reptiles. According to the reconstruction, the length of the kronosaurus reached about 13 meters, and the weight was 10 tons.

4. Sarcosuchus.

An extinct genus of giant crocodilomorphs that lived in what is now Africa. It was 9-12 meters long, and its mass was approximately 8 tons.

5. Quetzalcoatl.

The largest representative of the order of pterosaurs, its wingspan is estimated at 12-15 meters, and its weight could reach 250 kilograms.

6. Diplodocus.

One of the largest giants of the late Jurassic period. According to researchers, the dimensions of diplodocus could reach 54 meters in length, and weigh 113 tons.

7. Brontosaurus.

A genus of dinosaurs that lived in the late Jurassic period in what is now North America. It had a length of 20-23 meters and a weight of about 30 tons.

8. Magnapaulia.

Genus herbivorous dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous period. The length of the dinosaur, according to experts, was 14-15 m, and the weight was 25 tons.

9. Tyrannosaurus.

The most famous of the dinosaurs, a large predator of the Cretaceous period. The length of individuals reached 9-12 meters, and weight - 9-10 tons.

10 Gigantosaurus

Large carnivorous dinosaurs that lived in the Upper Cretaceous. The length of these predators was approximately 13 meters, and the weight was about 14 tons.

11. Spinosaurus.

A species of dinosaur that lived in Africa during the Cretaceous period. It had a length of 15-17 meters and a weight of more than 7 tons.

12. Amphicelium.

A genus of dinosaurs that lived during the Jurassic period in the United States and Zimbabwe. According to the reconstruction of the skeleton, the average length of the amphicelium was 50 meters, and the weight reached 120 tons.

13. Bruhatkayosaurus. 14. Futalognosaurus. 15. Argentinosaurus.

One of the most large dinosaurs South America, its length was about 35 meters, and its weight was about 100 tons.

The name of the Laurasiatheria superorder is based on the common origin of its mammals from somewhere in Laurasia - they all descended from some lucky population of animals that lived on this ancient continent about 95 million years ago, and spread at the beginning, even with dinosaurs , in the Northern Hemisphere, and from there they set off to conquer the rest of the planet.

[without a number]. Insectivora (Insectivora)- hedgehogs, moles, shrews, slittooths - traditionally a detachment, but in fact paraphyletic, that is, a combined group of animals that have retained the most archaic structure, little changed since the time of the dinosaurs. Looking at them, one can imagine the common ancestors of all the animals that will be discussed in this part. There are no giants among them, but as an example I would like to mention the chuchundra - remember, Kipling's, which could not go to the middle of the room? So this is a real animal, but not a rat, but a giant shrew ( Suncus murinus, Chuchundar), it is found in India and Southeast Asia. Well, for a shrew, it is gigantic - 20-23 cm long, including the tail.

18. Bats (Chiroptera)- the only detachment of mammals whose representatives are capable of active flight. This order, the second largest (after rodents), includes 1200 species. The largest of them have long lived not in caves, but in forests, where fossil remains are poorly preserved, and we have one largest representative, the modern one - the maned acerodon ( Acerodon jubatus), which can grow up to 2 m in wingspan and weigh more than 1.5 kg. A harmless fruit-eating endemic from the Philippines.

19. Detachment cimolests (Cimolesta, which means "thieves of white clay") was considered extinct in the Miocene, having given before that as a side branch the beginning, however, recent genetic studies have shown that modern pangolins, traditionally distinguished in a separate order, belong to it. The largest of these scaly ant-eaters is the giant pangolin ( Manis gigantea) living in Africa. 140 cm long, weighing up to 33 kg. In the old days, cymolests were no less bizarre, and the largest known was barylambda ( Barylambda faberi) from the Paleocene (60-56 million years ago) of North America. The length of this herbivore was about 2.5 m, weight about 650 kg.

20. Dinocerata (Dinocerata)- an extinct order of mammals that lived from the Upper Paleocene to the Middle Eocene (59-41 million years ago) in North America and Asia. One of the first large mammals to appear since the extinction of the dinosaurs. A sort of trial, alpha version of ungulates, which left no descendants. The largest of these is the winter Uintatherium anceps 1.50 m high at the withers, about 3.3 m long, lived in the Middle Eocene in North America.

21. - another extinct order of mammals, peculiar predators of ungulate origin. The largest of them, and at the same time the largest terrestrial predator of mammals, was Andrewsarchus. Andrewsarchus mongoliensis from the Upper Eocene of Mongolia (45-36 million years ago). 3.4 m in length without a tail (all 5 with a tail), 1.5 m at the withers and 800-900 kg of live weight.

22. Creodonts (Creodonta)- the extinct detachment of predatory mammals that I talked about. The largest of them was and still remains megistotherium Megistotherium osteothlastes weighing about 880 kg, more than 3.5 m long and a skull 65 cm long. He lived in the middle Miocene (12 million years ago) in what is now Egypt, Libya and Kenya.

23. The squad will go next predatory (Carnivora). Family felines (Felidae) needs no introduction and contains as many as three champions: the largest of the modern tiger ( Panthera tigris), the Amur subspecies of which grows up to 3.3 m long, 1.2 m at the withers and eats up to 300 kg; extinct American lion subspecies ( panthera leo atrox) - 3.7 m in length as the most overall and saber-toothed Smilodon populator with 470 kg as the most massive.

24. Hyenas (Hyaenidae)- well-known predators (not to be confused with the cat family!), Convergently similar to canines, and genetically close to viverrids. by the most close-up view today is the spotted hyena ( Crocuta crocuta), reaching up to 1.5 - 1.6 m in length, with a shoulder height of 90 cm, and the largest in history was a 190-kilogram short-faced hyena Pachycrocuta brevirostris, who lived in Europe between 1.6 and 0.5 million years ago and performed the same biological role there as her modern spotted sister in Africa.

25. Percrocutids (Percrocutidae)- hyena-like predators that lived in Asia, Africa and Southern Europe from the Miocene to the Pliocene (about 20-2.59 million years ago). However, they were more closely related to the cat-like Nimravids than to the much more similar hyenas. Apparently, they were forced out by real hyenas. reached the largest size Dinocrocuta gigantea,

26. In the family canids (Canidae) domestic dog compete for the title of the largest species ( Canis lupus familiaris) and extinct Epicyon haydeni who lived between 10 and 13 million years ago in North America. Epicyon was 2.4 m long and weighed over a hundred.

27. The largest representative bear (Ursidae) and the largest land predator of our time - polar bear (Ursus maritimus). Its length reaches 3 m, weight up to 1 ton. The largest bear of all time is Arctotherium angustidens- a bear about 3.5 m long from the Pleistocene (2 million-10 thousand years ago). South America.

28. Family raccoons (Procyonidae) today can not boast of giants. But the ancestors of the bear from the previous section, having come from North America to South America, apparently, competitively wiped out Chapalmalania altaefrontis- a giant (meter at the withers) raccoon that lived there between 5.3 and 1.8 million years ago).

29. Pinnipedia (Pinnipedia) previously together they made up one detachment, but today they figured out what it is - true seals (Phocidae), walruses (Odobenidae) And eared seals (Otariidae). The largest representatives of all three families live at the present time. This is respectively the southern elephant seal ( mirounga leonina, 6.9 m x 5t), walrus ( Odobenus rosmarus, 4.9 m x 2t) and sea lion ( Eumetopias jubatus, 3.5m x 1t).

30. That's all with predators, let's move on to the detachment odd-toed ungulates (Perissodactyla). Brontotheriidae (Brontotheriidae)- an extinct family of equids that lived from the Eocene to the beginning of the Oligocene. Despite the resemblance to rhinoceroses, they were closer to horses, and the horns on their nose were not keratin, but outgrowths of the nasal bones of the skull, and served not so much as a weapon as a snorkel when feeding on swamp vegetation and a resonating chamber. The largest of these was the embolotherium ( Embolotherium sp.), who lived on the territory of the modern Gobi desert 50 million years ago. He was about 2.5 m at the withers and weighed about 2000 kg.

31. As for the actual Rhinoceros (Rhinocerotidae), then they are thanks to the white rhino ( Ceratotherium simum) today occupy the place of the second largest land animal on the planet after the elephant. The mass of old males can reach 5 tons, body length - 4.2 m, shoulder height - 2 m. The largest rhinoceros in history is elasmotherium Elasmotherium caucasicum, who lived in Eurasia from the Pliocene to the Pleistocene, up to 6 m long, 2.5 m high.

32. Close to the rhino family - gyracodonts (Hyracodontidae). Most of them were small, hornless creatures with a light build and resembled small horses, but this family includes the largest land mammal of all time - the indricotherium. Paraceratherium tienshanense. This beauty, up to 5.5 m high at the withers, 9 m long and weighing about 15 tons, lived in Asia in the Oligocene between 33 and 23 million years ago.

33. On the example of a family equine (Equidae) it is very good to demonstrate consistent evolution - its representatives gradually and consistently lost extra toes on their paws over 55 million years and grew from a 20-centimeter hyracotherium ( common ancestor with indricotherium) to the horse itself in full size. Further, people intervened in the process, as a result we have a domestic horse ( Equus ferus caballus) as the largest member of the family. The historical growth record belongs to Samson, born in 1850, later renamed Mammoth, whose height reached 218 cm at the withers, and of the living horses in the world, the English heavy truck Noddy is considered to be 2.05 meters high at the withers and weighing one and a half tons.

34. Another family related to horses - Chalicotheriidae (Chalicotheriidae)- represented by strange creatures that lived from the Eocene to the Pliocene (40-3.5 million years ago). Their fingers, despite belonging to the order of equids, carried not hooves, but thick claws. Some of them extracted roots and tubers from the ground, others fed on leaves, bending tree branches with their paws. Their sizes ranged from comparable to a sheep to 2.7 meters at the withers of chalicotherium. Chalicotherium sp.

35. Let's move on to artiodactyls. To the family bovids (Bovidae) include buffaloes, antelopes and other goats - those ruminants whose horns are unbranched, non-replaceable and covered with a horn sheath. Today the largest cow is the gaur ( Bos frontalis). The length of his body is more than three meters, the height at the shoulders reaches 2.3 m, and in some cases the weight can reach 2000 kg. Pleistocene American giant bison ( Bison latifrons) was already 5 m long and weighed the same two tons on average, and not as a record. The distance between the tips of its horns is 2.5 m.

36. Representatives of the family deer (Cervidae) have branched, regularly shed and re-growing horns, usually growing only in males. The most primitive representatives do not have horns, but they do have fangs. Today the largest deer is the elk ( Alces alces) - body length up to 3 m, height at the withers up to 2.3 m, weight up to 600 kg. But Thranduil in Peter Jackson's film - remember yourself and tell all your friends! - he sat astride not on any moose, but on a megaloceros or a big-horned deer ( Megaloceros giganteus). This largest representative of the family, exterminated by man back in the Pleistocene, resembled an elk in size, but weighed about 750 kg, and its horns reached 3.65 m in width. Its range covered most of Eurasia, from Western Europe to the western part of China.

37. Family camelids (Camelidae) today not numerous, and its largest representative is humped camel (camelus dromedarius) about 2 m high at the withers and weighing 600 kg. Giant Camel ( Titanotylopus nebraskensis), who lived 10.3-1.8 million years ago in North America, was 3.5 m high at the withers, 5 m long and weighed about 2 tons.

38. Giraffidae (Giraffidae)- a family of artiodactyls, currently found exclusively in Africa and containing two genera in which there is one species each: giraffe ( Giraffa camelopardalis) and okapi. The first is the tallest mammal of the present time and the largest representative of the family in history.

39. Treasure Suoidea includes the families Suidae (Pigs), Tayassuidae (Pecariidae) and Entelodontidae (Entelodonts). The largest representative of the modern family, as you might guess, is the subspecies of the wild boar, the domestic pig ( Sus scrofa domesticus), individual individuals of which can reach a ton of weight or more. In the Miocene in North America lived Daeodon shoshonensis- a representative of entelodonts 3.4 m long, 2.4 m high at the withers and weighing 900 kg.

40. Family hippos (Hippopotamidae) used to be classified as a suborder of porcine or non-ruminant, but from the point of view of cladistics, they are closer to whales and ruminants than to pigs. Today the largest hippopotamus is an ordinary ( Hippopotamus amphibius), reaching 3 m in length, 1.65 m at the withers and sometimes weighing more than 4 tons. But this is not the top of the ways of God - in the Pleistocene in the lakes of Western Sahara was found Hippopotamus gorgops 4.3 meters long. Well, in appearance - a hippo hippopotamus.

Well, we still have a detachment of cetaceans (Cetacea), which includes at least 14 families, to which we will devote a separate part - why are they worse than sauropods, after all?

Millions of years ago the world was different. It was inhabited by prehistoric animals, beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Dinosaurs, marine predators of monstrous size, giant birds, mammoths and saber-toothed tigers - they have long disappeared, but interest in them does not fade away.

The first inhabitants of the planet

When did the first living beings appear on Earth? More than three and a half billion years ago, unicellular organisms arose.

As much as two billion years passed before multicellular living organisms appeared. Approximately 635 million years ago, the Earth was inhabited and at the beginning of the Cambrian period - vertebrates.

The oldest remains of living organisms found to date belong to the late Neoproterozoic.

In the Cambrian period, life existed only in the seas. Trilobites were prominent representatives of prehistoric animals of that time.

Due to frequent underwater landslides, many living organisms were buried in the silt and survived to this day. Thanks to this, scientists have a fairly complete picture of the structure and lifestyle of trilobites and other ancient marine life.

The prehistoric animals are actively developing on land and in the sea. First inhabitants wet places surface of the Earth - arthropods and centipedes. In the middle of the Devonian, amphibians joined them.

ancient insects

Having appeared in the early Devonian period, insects successfully developed. Many species have disappeared over time. Some of them were gigantic.

Meganeura - belonged to the genus of dragonfly-like insects. Its wingspan was up to 75 centimeters. She was a predator.

Ancient insects are well studied. And ordinary tree resin helped scientists in this. Hundreds of millions of years ago, it flowed down tree trunks and became a deadly trap for careless insects.

They are perfectly preserved in their original transparent sarcophagi to this day. Thanks to amber, into which petrified resin has turned, today anyone can admire the ancient inhabitants of our planet.

Prehistoric sea animals - dangerous giants

The first marine reptiles appeared during the Triassic period. They could not, like fish, live completely underwater. They needed oxygen, and they periodically rose to the surface. Outwardly, they looked like land dinosaurs, but differed in limbs - the marine inhabitants had fins or webbed feet.

Nothosaurs were the first to appear, reaching a size of 3 to 6 meters, and placoduses, which had three types of teeth. Plakodus were small in size (about 2 meters) and lived close to the coast. Their main food was shellfish. Nothosaurs ate fish.

The Jurassic period is the era of the giants. Plesiosaurs lived during this time. Their largest species reached a length of 15 meters. These include Elasmosaurus, which had a surprisingly long neck (8 meters). The head, in comparison with the massive body, was small. Elasmosaurus had a wide mouth armed with sharp teeth.

Ichthyosaurs - large reptiles, reaching an average of 2-4 meters in length - were similar to modern dolphins. Their feature is huge eyes, which indicates a nocturnal lifestyle. They, unlike dinosaurs, had skin without scales. It is assumed that ichthyosaurs were excellent deep-sea divers.

More than forty million years ago lived Basilosaurus - an ancient whale of enormous size. The length of a male individual could reach 21 meters. He was the largest predator of his time and could attack other whales. Basilosaurus had a very long skeleton and moved with the help of curvature of the spine, like a snake. He had vestigial hind limbs 60 centimeters long.

Marine prehistoric animals were very diverse. Among them are the ancestors of modern sharks and crocodiles. The most famous marine predator ancient world is a megalodon, reaching 16-20 meters in length. This giant weighed about 50 tons. Since the skeleton of this shark consisted of cartilage, nothing survived except for the animal's enameled teeth. It is assumed that the distance between the open jaws of megalodon reached two meters. It could easily accommodate two people.

No less dangerous predators were prehistoric crocodiles.

Purussaurus is an extinct relative of modern caimans that lived about eight million years ago. Length - up to 15 meters.

Deinosuchus is an alligator crocodile that lived at the end of the Cretaceous period. Outwardly, it was not much different from modern representatives of the species. The length of the body reached 15 meters.

Worst: Ancient Lizards

Dinosaurs and other prehistoric sizes continue to amaze It's hard to imagine that such giants once reigned on the planet.

The Mesozoic era is the time of the dinosaurs. Appearing at the end of the Triassic, they became the main form of life in the Jurassic and suddenly disappeared at the end of the Cretaceous.

The species diversity of these ancient lizards is striking. Among them were land and aquatic individuals, flying species, herbivores and predators. They also differed in size. Most dinosaurs were huge, but there were also very small dinosaurs. Among predators, Spinosaurus stood out for its size. The length of his body was from 14 to 18 meters, height - eight meters. With outstretched jaws, it looked like modern crocodiles. Therefore, it is assumed that he led an amphibious lifestyle. Spinosaurus was characterized by the presence of a spine that resembled a sail. It made him look taller. Paleontologists believe that the sail was used by the animal for thermoregulation.

ancient birds

Prehistoric animals (photo can be seen in the article) were also represented by flying lizards and birds.

In the Mesozoic, pterosaurs appeared. Presumably, the largest of them was ornithocheirus, which had wings, the span of which was up to 15 meters. He lived in the Cretaceous period, was a predator and preferred to hunt big fish. Pteranodon is another large flying predatory pangolin from the Cretaceous period.

Among prehistoric birds, gastornis struck with its size. Two meters tall, individuals had a beak that easily broke bones. It is not clear whether this extinct bird was a predator or a plant eater.

Fororacos is a bird of prey that lived in the Miocene. Growth reached 2.5 meters. The curved sharp beak and powerful claws made it dangerous.

Extinct animals of the Cenozoic era

It began 66 million years ago. During this time, thousands of species of living beings appeared and disappeared on Earth. Which extinct prehistoric animals of that time were the most interesting?

Megatherium is the largest mammal of that era. It is assumed that he was a herbivore, but it is possible that Megatherium could kill other animals or eat carrion.

Woolly rhinoceros - was covered with thick reddish-brown hair.

The mammoth is the most famous extinct genus of elephants. Animals lived two million years ago and were twice as large as modern representatives of their species. Many remains of mammoths have been found, very well preserved due to permafrost. By historical standards, these majestic giants died out quite recently - about 10 thousand years ago.

Of the predatory prehistoric animals, the most interesting is the smilodon, or saber-toothed tiger. It did not exceed Amur tiger, but it had incredibly long fangs, reaching 28 centimeters. Another feature of Smilodon was a short tail.

Titanoboa is an extinct giant snake. A close relative of the modern boa constrictor. The length of the animal could reach 13 meters.

Documentaries about prehistoric animals

Among them are such as "Sea Dinosaurs: Journey to the Prehistoric World", "Land of the Mammoths", " Last days Dinosaurs", "Prehistoric Chronicles", "Walking with Dinosaurs". There are a lot of good documentaries created about the life of ancient animals.

"The Ballad of Big Al" - the amazing story of one allosaurus

This film is part of the famous TV series Walking with Dinosaurs. He talks about how a perfectly preserved Allosaurus skeleton was found in the USA, which he received from scientists name Big Al. The bones showed how many fractures and injuries the dinosaur suffered, and this made it possible to recreate the history of his life.

Conclusion

Prehistoric animals (dinosaurs, mammoths, cave bears, sea ​​giants), who lived in the distant past, and today amaze the human imagination. They are clear evidence of how amazing the past of the Earth was.

Looking at these creatures, ranging from giant snakes to incredible centipedes, one can only be glad that we live in the 21st century and will never meet them face to face.

Here are the most amazing giant extinct animals that you may not have known about.

1. Large duck-mouthed elephants (Platybelodon grangeri)

Platybelodons are extinct herbivores related to elephants (proboscis) that roamed the earth about 4 million years ago.

2. They lived mainly in Africa, Europe, Asia and North America. Platybelodon reached up to 6 meters in length and 2.8 meters in height. Fortunately, they used their intimidating jaws as shovels to dig up plants.

3. Huge snakes (Titanoboa, Titanoboa cerrejonesis)

Titanoboa, which were discovered in Colombia, were a species of snake that lived about 60 million years ago. The largest representatives reached a length of almost 13 meters and they weighed more than a ton.

4. These giant snakes were relatives of boas and anacondas, which kill victims with their suffocating rings.

Titanoboas were not only the largest snakes in history, but also the largest land vertebrates after the dinosaurs.

5. Super dragonflies (Meganeurs, Meganeura monyi)

These flying monsters are extinct insect relatives of dragonflies. They lived about 300 million years ago during the Carboniferous period.

6. The wingspan of the Meganeur reached 65 centimeters (larger than a human head). They were the largest flying insects that once lived on Earth.

7. Giant sea scorpion (Eurypterid, Jaekelopterus rhenaniae)

This 2.5 meter long creature was recently discovered in Germany. The giant eurypterid is an extinct animal that lived about 390 million years ago.

8. This crocodile-sized scorpion had a 46-centimeter mouth cavity with pincers. In addition, they did not disdain to eat their own kind.

ancient animals

9. Huge birds (Moa, Dinornis robustus)

Giant moas were the largest birds that ever existed. Representatives of Dinornis robustus lived on south island in New Zealand and reached up to 3.6 meters in height and 250 kg of weight.

10. One has only to breathe a sigh of relief that these birds with long tearing claws, a sharp beak and long legs no longer exist.

This monster was often called the "devil dragon". At 7 meters long and 400-700 kg in weight, they were the largest land lizards ever to have lived.

12. Although Megalania was thought to be extinct, bones found in Australia indicate that they are only 300 years old, and some scientists suggest that they still live in Australia.

13. Huge centipede (Arthropleura, Arthropleura)

Arthropleura were the largest terrestrial invertebrates on Earth, growing up to 2.6 meters in length. They are relatives of modern centipedes, but lived 340-280 million years ago.

14. In addition, they could stand up, leaning on the lower half of the body. It's time to face fear.

15. Giant sloth (Megateria, Megatherium americanum)

While these giant versions of the cute furry sloths are considered herbivores, experts believe their long forearms and sharp claws were meant to feed on meat.

16. Megatheria died out about 2000 years ago. They reached 6 meters in height, weighed almost 4 tons and walked on their hind legs. Interestingly, they are relatives of modern armadillos.

17. Giant fish (Dunkleosteus terrelli)

This giant fish reached 9 meters in length and was known as one of the most ferocious and fearsome creatures that ever lived. Dunkleosteus lived during the late Devonian period 360 million years ago.

18. This fish didn't need teeth, as its razor-sharp jaws could crack any prehistoric shark in two. And when the Dunkleosteus wasn't feeding, it rubbed its jaws together like self-sharpening scissors.

Huge animals

19. Giant tortoise (Protostega, Protostega gigas)

20. This super turtle reached up to 3 meters in length. Its sharp beak and powerful jaws helped chew on slow-moving fish, including sharks. However, they themselves were not much faster, therefore they often turned out to be the prey of sharks.

21. The largest bear (Giant short-faced bear, Arctodus Simus)

The giant short-faced bear was one of the largest predatory mammals on Earth. Straightened up, he could reach 3.5 meters in height and up to 900 kg of weight.

22. Powerful jaws, 20-centimeter claws and huge size undoubtedly instilled fear in smaller predators.

23. Huge crocodile (Sarcosuchus imperator)

Sarcosuchus is an extinct species of crocodiles that lived 112 million years ago. It was one of the largest crocodile-like reptiles that ever lived on Earth.

24. Modern crocodiles look pretty intimidating, but they are no match for this 12-meter monster. In addition, they ate dinosaurs.

25. Giant shark (Megalodon, C. megalodon)

26. Megalodon lived 28 -1.5 million years ago. This is the older brother of the great white shark, whose teeth reached 18 centimeters in length. This shark reached 15 meters in length and 50 tons of weight, being the largest predatory fish ever existed. A megalodon could have swallowed a bus whole.

We often hear that more and more species of animals are on the verge of extinction, and their extinction is only a matter of time. The inexorable expansion of human activities such as hunting, destruction of natural habitats, climate change and other factors are contributing to a species extinction rate that is 1,000 times greater than natural level. Even though the extinction of a species is a tragedy, sometimes it can be beneficial for a certain species... ours! From a 12m mega-snake to giraffe-sized flying creatures, today we bring you 25 stunning extinct creatures that thankfully no longer exist.

25. Pelagornis Sandersi

With a wingspan estimated to exceed 7 meters, Pelargonis Sandersi appears to be the largest flying bird ever discovered. It is possible that the bird could only fly by jumping off cliffs and spent most of its time over the ocean, where it relied on wind currents bouncing off the ocean to keep it flying. Although it is considered the largest of the flying birds, compared to pterosaurs such as Quetzalcoatlus with a wingspan of almost 12 meters, it was rather modest in size.

24. Euphoberia (giant centipede)


Ephoberia, which is similar to modern centipedes in shape and behavior, had a striking difference - its length was almost a full meter. Scientists are not entirely sure what exactly it fed on, we know that some modern centipedes feed on birds, snakes and bats. If a 25 cm centipede feeds on birds, imagine what a centipede almost 1 meter long could eat.

23. Gigantopithecus (Gigantopithecus)


Gigantopithecus lived in the territory of modern Asia from 9 million to 100,000 years ago. They were the largest primates on Earth. Their height was 3 meters, and they weighed up to 550 kilograms. These creatures walked on four legs, like modern gorillas or chimpanzees, but there are those scientists who are of the opinion that they walked on two legs, like people. The features of their teeth and jaws suggest that these animals were adapted to chewing hard, fibrous food, which they cut, crushed and chewed.

22. Andrewsarchus


Andrewsarchus was gigantic predatory mammal who lived in the Eocene epoch 45 - 36 million years ago. Based on the found skull and several bones, paleontologists suggest that the predator could have weighed up to 1,800 kilograms, possibly making it the largest terrestrial predatory mammal ever. However, the creature's behavioral habits are unclear, and according to some theories, Andrewsarchus may have been an omnivore or scavenger.

21. Pulmonoscorpius


Pulmonoscorpius literally means "breathing scorpion". It's extinct giant view a scorpion that lived on Earth during the Visean era of the Carboniferous period (approximately 345 - 330 million years ago). Based on fossils found in Scotland, it is believed that the length of this species was approximately 70 centimeters. It was a terrestrial animal that most likely fed on small arthropods and tetrapods.

20. Megalania


Megalania, endemic to southern Australia, became extinct as recently as about 30,000 years ago, which means that the first Aborigines who settled in Australia may well have encountered it. Scientific estimates vary widely as to the size of this lizard, but it may have been about 7.5 meters long, making it the largest lizard ever.

19. Helicoprion (Helicoprion)


Helicoprion, one of the longest-lived prehistoric creatures (310 to 250 million years ago), is a shark-like fish from the whole-headed subclass, distinguished by its spiraling clusters of teeth called tooth coils. The length of the helicoprion could reach up to 4 meters, but the body length of its closest living relative, the chimera, reaches only 1.5 meters.

18. Entelodon


Unlike its modern relatives, the entelodon was a pig-like mammal with a wild appetite for meat. Possibly the most monstrous looking of all mammals, the Entelodon walked on all fours and was nearly as tall as a human. Some scientists believe that entelodons were cannibals. And if they could even eat their relatives, they would definitely eat you.

17. Anomalocaris (Anomalocaris)


Anomalocaris (which means "abnormal shrimp"), which lived in almost all the seas of the Cambrian period, was a species of marine animal related to ancient arthropods. Scientific research suggest that it was a predator that fed on hard-shelled sea creatures, as well as trilobites. They were notable especially for their eyes, which were equipped with 30,000 lenses and were considered the most developed eyes of all the species of that period.

16. Meganeura


Meganeura is a genus of extinct insects from the Carboniferous period that resemble and are related to modern dragonflies. With a wingspan of up to 66 centimeters, it is one of the largest known flying insects that have ever lived on Earth. Meganeura was a predator and its diet consisted mainly of other insects and small amphibians.

15. Attercopus


Attercopus was a type of spider-like animal that had a tail like a scorpion. For a long period of time, Attercopus was thought to be the prehistoric ancestor of modern spiders, but the scientists who discovered the fossils found a few more specimens more recently and rethought their original conclusion. Scientists find it unlikely that Attercopus wove webs, but consider it entirely possible that it used silk to wrap its eggs, build threads for locomotion, or line the walls of its burrows.

14. Deinosuchus (Deinosuchus)


Deinosuchus is an extinct species related to modern crocodiles and alligators that lived on Earth from 80 to 73 million years ago. Even though he was much bigger than any of the modern species, in general, he looked the same. The body length of Deinosuchus was 12 meters. He had large sharp teeth capable of killing and eating sea ​​turtles, fish and even large dinosaurs.

13. Dunkleosteus


Dunkleosteus, which lived approximately 380-360 million years ago, in the late Devonian period (Late Devonian), was a large carnivorous fish. Due to its terrifying size, reaching up to 10 meters and weighing almost 4 tons, it was the apex predator of its time. The fish had very thick and hard scales, which made it a rather slow but very powerful swimmer.

12. Spinosaurus (Spinosaurus)


Spinosaurus, which was larger than Tyrannosaurus Rex, is the largest carnivorous dinosaur ever to have existed. The length of his body was 18 meters and he weighed up to 10 tons. Spinosaurus ate tons of fish, turtles and even other dinosaurs. If this horror lived in the modern world, then we would probably not exist.

11. Smilodon


Smilodon, endemic to North and South America, roamed the earth during the Pleistocene era (2.5 million - 10,000 years ago). It is the best known example of a saber-toothed tiger. It was a heavily built predator with particularly well developed forelimbs and exceptionally long and sharp upper fangs. The largest species could weigh up to 408 kilograms.

10. Quetzalcoatl


With an incredible wingspan of 12 meters, this giant pterosaur was the largest creature ever to fly on Earth, including modern birds. However, it is very problematic to calculate the size and mass of this creature, since none of the living creatures has a similar size or body structure, as a result, published results vary greatly. One of the distinguishing characteristics that was observed in all specimens found was an unusually long, inflexible neck.

9. Hallucigenia (Hallucigenia)


The name hallucigenia comes from the idea that these creatures are extremely strange and have a fairy-tale appearance, like in a hallucination. The worm-like creature had a body length that varied from 0.5 to 3 centimeters and a head that lacked sensory organs such as eyes and nose. Instead, Hallucigenia had seven pincer-tipped tentacles on each side of its body, and three pairs of tentacles behind them. To say that this creature was strange is like saying nothing.

8. Arthropleura (Arthropleura)


Arthropleura lived on Earth in the late Carboniferous period (340 - 280 million years ago) and was endemic to what is now North America and Scotland. It was the largest known terrestrial invertebrate species. Despite its enormous length of up to 2.7 meters and the conclusions made earlier, Arthropleura was not a predator, it was a herbivore that fed on rotting forest plants.

7. Short-faced bear


The short-faced bear is an extinct member of the bear family that lived in North America during the late Pleistocene until 11,000 years ago, making it one of the most recently extinct creatures on the list. However, it was truly prehistoric in size. Standing on its hind legs, it reached a height of 3.6 meters, and if it stretched its front paws up, it could reach 4.2 meters. According to scientists, the short-faced bear weighed more than 1360 kilograms.

6. Megalodon (Megalodon)


Megalodon, whose name translates as "big tooth", is an extinct species of giant shark that lived from 28 to 1.5 million years ago. Due to its incredible length of 18 meters, it is considered one of the largest and most powerful predators that have ever lived on Earth. Megalodon lived all over the world and looked like a much larger and more terrifying version of the modern white shark.

5. Titanoboa (Titanoboa)


Titanoboa, which lived approximately 60-58 million years ago during the Paleocene epoch, is the largest, longest and heaviest snake ever discovered. Scientists believe that the largest individuals could reach a length of up to 13 meters and weighed approximately 1133 kilograms. Her diet usually consisted of giant crocodiles and turtles, which shared territory with her in modern times. South America.

4. Fororacos (Phorusrhacid)


These prehistoric creatures, informally known as "terrible birds", are an extinct species of large carnivorous birds that were the largest top predator species in South America in Cenozoic era, 62–2 million years ago. These are the largest flightless birds that have ever lived on Earth. Terrible birds reached 3 meters in height, weighed half a ton and supposedly could run as fast as a cheetah.

3. Cameroceras (Cameroceras)


Cameroceras, which lived on our planet in the Ordovician period 470 - 440 million years ago, was a giant ancient ancestors of modern cephalopods and octopuses. The most distinctive part of this mollusk was its huge cone-shaped shell and tentacles, which it used to catch fish and other sea creatures. Estimates of the size of this shell vary greatly from 6 to 12 meters.

2. Carbonemys (Carbonemys)


Carbonemys is an extinct species of giant tortoise that lived on Earth approximately 60 million years ago. This means that they have experienced mass extinction which killed most of the dinosaurs. Fossils that were found in Colombia suggest that the length of the shell of this turtle was almost 180 centimeters. The turtle was carnivorous with huge jaws that were strong enough to eat large animals such as crocodiles.

1. Jaekelopterus


With a size of 2.5 meters calculated by scientists, Jaekelopterus is one of the two largest arthropods ever found. Although it is sometimes referred to as the "sea scorpion", it was actually more of a giant lobster living in freshwater lakes and rivers in what is today Western Europe. This terrifying creature lived on Earth approximately 390 million years ago, earlier than most dinosaurs.