8 Scariest Prehistoric Creatures That Aren’t Dinosaurs

Prehistoric animals roamed all around the Earth. Among the finest examples is the fascinating animals found at the La Brea Tar Pits. Nevertheless, there are great places to find fossils across the US and overseas, together with that of a giant apex predator found in Texas and the Jurassic Coast within the UK.

Many affiliate prehistoric animals with dinosaurs. Whereas dinosaurs are the best-known historical animals, a few of the scariest prehistoric creatures weren’t dinosaurs. As a substitute, these animals might crush bone, have been the apex predators of their environments, and feared little making them extra ferocious than most dinosaurs.

Listed here are eight of the scariest prehistoric creatures that weren’t dinosaurs.

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8 Titanoboa

Titanoboa lived in Columbia 66 to 56 million years in the past

Titanoboa have been located in Columbia between 66 and 56 million years ago. Like most massive reptiles, the heat of nations close to the equator is the place the huge snakes referred to as house. The 40-foot-long Titanoboa weighed one ton and was definitively an apex predator.

What’s fascinating about Titanoboa is that solely the backbone of the huge snake has ever been positioned. There has by no means been a head or an entire skeleton discovered. Due to this, it could actually solely be hypothesized what Titanoboa regarded like and the way it hunted.

Titanoboa are finest guessed to have captured prey the same way that anacondas do. This could have meant that Titanoboa would have grabbed its prey and brought it to the water the place it could have been strangled.

It’s not recognized how lengthy Titanoboa’s lifespan was. Extra will likely be recognized if and when extra fossils are discovered.

7 Megalodon

Megalodon lived in all ocean aside from these close to the poles 23 to three.6 million years in the past

Nice white sharks will be the most feared shark within the oceans right this moment, however as soon as upon a time, 23 to 3.6 million years ago, that shark was the megalodon.

Swimming within the oceans, (besides waters close to the poles) Megalodon was probably the most feared creature beneath the water. Weighing as much as 60 tons and stretching to 60 toes lengthy, if there was an apex predator, Megalodon was it.

Megalodon had a number of units of enamel, simply as sharks do right this moment. A few of these enamel reached as much as seven inches in dimension. The sharks used their large enamel to eat “whales, seals, sea turtles”, and extra. Megalodon sharks even ate fish. It was a carnivorous predator and would eat what it might when it might.

Nevertheless, because the climate changed and the large marine animals were not as plentiful, Megalodon suffered. With not sufficient meals out there, Megalodon ultimately turned extinct.

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6 Arthropleura

Arthropleura lived in North America and Europe 345 to 290 million years in the past

The largest known arthropod to have ever lived in Arthorpleura. Distant cousins to the centipede and millipede, Arthropleura was over eight toes lengthy and weighed 110 kilos. It didn’t have any predators to notice.

First found within the 1850s, Arthropleura remained a thriller to researchers. It is because solely Arthropleura’s physique may very well be discovered. It was not till October 2024 {that a} fossil find phased experts. The head of an Arthropleura was seen for the first time after a scan of an intact fossil was carried out. It was due to this scan that the Arthropleura evolutionary mystery was solved because it was found to belong to each the millipede and centipede households.

From 345 to 290 million years in the past, Arthropleura lived in North America and Europe. Whereas the arthropod had a food plan that consisted of vegetation, it was thought-about an apex predator as a result of no different animals noticed it as prey.

5 Epicyon

Epicyon lived in North America 15 to 5 million years in the past

Epicyon was located in several states across North America 15 to 5 million years in the past. It was practically eight toes lengthy and weighed between 220 and 276 kilos.

Epicyon’s physique was comparable in form to the grey wolf of right this moment. Nevertheless, the skull was more related to a lion than it’s an animal from the canine household. Extra fascinating nonetheless, the physique is like that of the opposite “bone-crushing canine” or Borophaginae that lived throughout this time, that means that the Epicyon functioned like a hyena.

Epicyon had jaws that have been so robust that it could chew by means of the bones of its prey. It might not solely get vitamins from the flesh of what it hunted, however Epicyon would additionally get nourishment from the bone marrow. Each little bit of the prey was consumed.

Given its dimension, Epicyon was definitively an apex predator.

4 Smilodon

Smilodon lived in North and South America 2.5 million to 10,000 years in the past

Smilodons are extra commonly referred to as “saber-toothed cats”. These cat-looking animals, nevertheless, will not be associated to any of the big or small feline species right this moment. As a substitute, they belonged to the machairodontine household. The machairodontine group would ultimately evolve to change into part of the feline household.

Between 2.5 million and 10,000 years in the past, Smilodons wandered North and South America. The animals that higher resembled hyenas moderately than tigers are believed to have traveled in packs collectively. The assumption is that the pack would have taken down massive prey corresponding to mammoths, horses, camels, bison, and extra.

It might not have been the Smilodons’ large canine enamel that may have been used when attempting to subdue prey. As a substitute, it was their massive forearms and paws that would have captured the prey, after which a kill chew would have been administered. It is because, whereas spectacular, Smilodons’ enamel have been fragile. One unsuitable chew and they might have damaged.

Smilodons have been roughly six toes lengthy and 350 to 620 kilos. They have been thought-about an apex predator however did have pure enemies just like the dire wolf and hyenas.

3 Sarcosuchus

The Sarcosuchus lived in Africa and South America 122 to 113 million years in the past

There are some massive and fearsome crocodiles and alligators which have been caught over time. However, each a kind of reptiles pale compared to Sarcosuchus, the largest crocodile ever to live.

Sarcosuchus was positioned in Africa and South America. In contrast to crocodiles of right this moment, which cease rising round 10 years outdated, Sarcosuchus continued to develop all through its lifetime. That is how the “Tremendous Croc”, as some confer with it, reached as much as practically 40 toes lengthy and weighed 15 tons.

Whereas it might have regarded like a crocodile, Sarcosuchus was a member of the pholidosaur household. This group of massive reptiles lived 122 to 113 million years ago. However once they went extinct, there was not a relative species that has but to be discovered that carried on into the current. What this implies is that when Sarcosuchus died, that was the tip of the species altogether.

Sarcosuchus’ dimension would have allowed it to eat no matter it wished when alive. However, based mostly on the scale of its snout, it’s extra seemingly that the large reptile most popular a food plan of fish as an alternative.

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2 Andrewsarchus

The Andrewsarchus lived in China 45 to 36 million years in the past

Regardless of being one of many largest prehistoric terrestrial mammals, there may be little or no recognized in regards to the Andrewsarchus. It is because the one fossil discovered of the large creature is the cranium. There has by no means been a full or partial skeleton positioned.

The Andrewsarchus’ cranium is three toes lengthy and was positioned in Mongolia by Roy Andrews in 1923. However with discovering the cranium got here extra questions than solutions.

Primarily based on the scale of the cranium, it’s estimated that the Andrewsarchus weighed about 2,200 kilos. Estimates even have the Andrewsarchus clocking in at 16 toes lengthy and 6 toes tall.

Nevertheless, it isn’t recognized if that is right. It’s completely potential that the Andrewsarchus was a slimmer animal than one with the stature of a bear. Its cranium means that Andrewsarchus’ head might have resembled a wolf. However, there have been no canines current that may have damaged bone or torn aside stay prey after catching it.

Consequently, it’s believed that Andrewsarchus might have been a scavenger. Others theorized it might have been an omnivore. However, till extra fossils from 45 to 36 million years in the past are found, what Andrewsarchus was really like stays a thriller.

1 Dire Wolf

The dire wolf lived in North America 125,000 to 9,500 years in the past

The dire wolf was a lot smaller than a few of the different prehistoric animals of its time. Measuring five feet long and up to 200 pounds, the dire wolf was a compact killing machine.

With jaws that literally broke bones, the dire wolf was fairly fearsome, taking over saber-toothed cats when crucial. Breaking the prey’s bones allowed the wolves to get as a lot diet as potential, because the dire wolves might devour marrow from the bones. Not surprisingly, the dire wolf was an apex predator.

Whereas the dire wolf regarded an excellent deal like the grey wolf, it’s from a lineage of canines that are not related to the gray wolf.

The dire wolf lived as quickly as 9,500 years in the past. There are areas in North America the place the fossilized footprints of dire wolves can nonetheless be seen, displaying simply the place the dire wolves hunted and traveled collectively in packs.