Februari 02, 2017
how would humanity fare against these fearsomepredators if they were still around today? here are 7 deadly animals you'll be glad areextinct. number 7: the dire wolfduring the pleistocene, the dire wolf also known as canis dirus inhabited different areasaround north and south america. although the average dire wolf was similarin size to the larger specimens of present day’s grey wolf, its vicious bite was thestrongest of any canis species to date. their teeth were also larger and featureda greater shearing ability. it is also believed that they used their biteto crush the bones of their prey and eat the marrow in order to extract the maximum nutritionalcapacity out of each kill.
based on the numerous specimens recoveredfrom the la brea tar pits in los angeles, it is believed that dire wolves hunted inpacks. their main prey consisted of horses, mastodons,sloths, bison and other mega-herbivores. scientists have determined that the dire wolfwould frequently go after a larger prey. this was mainly attributed to the fact thatit had shorter legs than the grey wolf, which meant that their main hunting approach wasto ambush heavier, slower-moving animals. dire wolves were hyper-carnivorous which meantthat 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 theirfossils were found intermingled in the la brea tar pits. the last recovered dire wolf specimens weredated back to 9.440 years ago, around the end of the last ice age. it might be possible to de-extinct the direwolf by combining their recovered dna with the genome of modern dogs. number 6: the smilodonthe smilodon is one of the best known species of what is commonly known as the saber-toothedcat. smilodons inhabited regions in the americasduring the pleistocene era, around 1.6 million
to 10.000 years ago. thousands of smilodon fossil specimens werediscovered in the la brea tar pits in los angeles, us. their most distinctive features were theircanines which could grow as long as 12 inches for the smilodon populator, the largest ofthe smilodon species. their height was estimated at around 39 incheswith weights ranging from 490 to 880 pounds. although it is typically referred to as thesaber-tooth tiger, the smilodon was only a distant relative of modern-day felines. their build was also different.
their long canines were quite fragile andif they were broken, they did not grow back. even though they could open their mouths atalmost 120 degrees, they would often avoid biting down on their prey too hard, in orderto protect their long ‘sabers’. however, smilodons were more robust and moremuscular than the current species of big cats. they had short and muscular legs, thick necksand broad chests. these physical features made smilodons exceptionalambush predators. paleontologists believe that smilodons wouldoften pounce on their prey from tree branches. as its attack unfolded, the smilodon plungedits canines into the neck of its victim and then retreated to a safe distance as its preybled to death.
it is also believed that, much like otherspecies of big cats, smilodons formed packs and hunted in groups. even though they shared their habitat withearly humans, it is highly unlikely that smilodons were hunted to extinction. experts believe that the contributing factorwas a combination of the gradual disappearance of their prey and climate change. number 5: the terror birdthe phorusrhacidae also known as the terror birds were a type of large carnivorous flightlessbird. it was the apex predator in the south americanregion, during the cenozoic era.
terror birds ranged in height with the largestspecimens standing almost 10 feet tall. they had large heads and powerful beaks butalso great flexibility in their long necks. this enabled them to deliver devastating strikeson their prey. they would often use their height as a meansof intimidation. before delivering a downward attack, the birdwould stretch to its full length. the momentum produced by its heavy head andits 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 intoor 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 amongthe main causes for its extinction. number 4: the spinosaurussimilar to the t-rex the spinosaurus was also a theropod dinosaur meaning that it was amassive land carnivore. it lived during the cretaceous period, approximately112 to 97 million years ago, mainly in the swamps of north africa.
its scientific name, which translates to ‘spinelizard’, reflects the dinosaur’s most distinctive feature. the spinosaurus had tall neural spines growingon its back vertebrae which were connected to each other by skin to form what scientistshave referred to as the ‘sail’. the sail’s function is still unclear. with its sail fully extended the spinosauruswould seem almost double in size thus it might have been used as an intimidation tactic. other interpretations claim that it was usedas a means of regulating body temperature and as a way of communicating informationabout the dinosaur’s size, gender and age
to other animals or another spinosaurus. the spinosaurus is widely regarded as thelargest carnivorous dinosaur in history, its size exceeding that of the t-rex or gigantosaurus. john h. horner, a paleontologist who had workedas a consultant for the jurassic park iii movie, stated at one point ‘if we base theferocious factor on the length of the animal, there was nothing that ever lived on thisplanet that could match this creature’. from head to tail this massive beast was around50 feet long and weighed from 12 to 20 metric tons. a 2014 study published by the science journalstated that the spinosaurus was among the
very few dinosaurs that were able to swim. “spinosaurus had short hind limbs (likeearly whales and other animals that spent more and more time in the water), dense andcompact bones (penguins show a similar bone profile in cross section), wide and flat clawsand feet (possibly used in paddling), and a long and slender snout with conical teeth(perfect for catching fish).†number 3: the titanoboathe titanoboa is the largest genus of snake ever discovered with an estimated weight of2.500 pounds and a length of almost 50 feet. upon its discovery it was believed that thetitanoboa was an apex predator of the palogene epoch inhabiting earth’s tropical regionsapproximately 50-60 million years ago.
however, later analysis indicated that thesnake was mainly piscivorous, meaning that its diet consisted mostly of fish. when it would take on larger prey, the serpentwould use its massive body to constrict its prey before swallowing it whole, much likethe different species of boa snakes that still exist today. fossils from 28 individuals were found inthe colombian cerrejã³n coal mines in 2009. following the discovery, the titanoboa receivedthe scientific name titanoboa cerrejonensis. because of the snake‘s massive size severalscientists have questioned how the titanoboa would fare against the tyrannosaurus rex whichis widely considered to be the largest and
most fearsome predator in history. however, the two could never have interactedin the wild, as they lived approximately 10 million years apart. number 2: the tyrannosaurus rexthe name ‘rex’ comes from latin and translates as ‘king’. considering the fact that the tyrannosaurusrex 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 dinosaursthat were still roaming the earth, prior to the cretaceous-paleogene extinction event(k-pg).
the leading theory behind the k-pg event isthat a large asteroid brought about the mass extinction of approximately three quartersof all the plant and animal life on earth. the largest complete t-rex specimen is locatedat the field museum of natural history, in chicago and measures 40 feet in length andstands at 12 feet tall. based on the bone structure it is estimatedthat the specimen weighed approximately 10.2 metric tons. aside from its imposing frame, the t-rex hadone of the most massive and ferocious heads in carnivore history. its jaws were capable of delivering a biteforce that exceeded 10 metric tons.
it is still considered that the t-rex’sbone-crushing bite is the strongest of any land animal that has ever lived. each set of its serrated teeth served a differentfunction. the front teeth were used for gripping andpulling, the side ones tore into the flesh while the back ones diced the meat of itsprey. the t-rex’s forelimbs each featured two-clawsand even though they could reportedly grow to be 3 feet long, they were small in sizecompared to the dinosaur’s massive thighs and legs. the function of the t-rex’s arms is stillunknown.
its large tail would enable the dinosaur tobalance the size of its head and allow it to move quickly. its muscle distribution suggests that theanimal could reach speeds of 10 to 25 mph. it was most likely the apex predator of itstime although many scientists believe that t-rex was more scavenger than hunter. the consensus is that it behaved like an apexpredator but its highly developed sense of smell would have made surviving on carcassesmuch easier. paleontologist david burnham commented onthe 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 whenthey were hungry.’ the t-rex is without a doubt among the mostdangerous land carnivores in history. number 1: the megalodonthe megalodon was one of the most dangerous predators in the sea during the pliocene andmiocene epochs, around 23 to 2.6 million years ago. based on the size of the discovered teethand vertebrae, it was determined that the megalodon’s physical appearance resembledthat of today’s great white shark.
however, the megalodon was much larger. based on the fossil evidence and body massanalysis which was done in comparison with that of the great white it was estimated thatthe length of the megalodon ranged from 55 to 60 meters in length with a weight between50 and 75 tons. scientists have not excluded the possibilityof certain specimens exceeding these parameters. a 2008 computer simulation determined thatthe 10.8 to 18.2 ton bite force that this shark could produce was stronger than thatof any other animal ever discovered. its bite was so powerful that it could breakthe shells of giant turtles and the sulks of whales on which it would often prey.
its name, derived from ancient greek and roughlytranslated as ‘big tooth’, is more than suitable as the megalodon’s teeth exceeded7 inches in length. many of the whale bones which have been discoveredshow large bite marks which match the description of the megalodon’s teeth. its hunting style differed from that of thegreat white. the placement of the megalodon’s teeth madebiting through cartilage very easy. it is believed that, while on the hunt, theshark 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 alsoan agile swimmer, capable of reaching great
speeds. a computer simulation determined that a 53-tonmegalodon 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 disappearanceof giant whales, the megalodon’s main diet, had lead to its extinction.
some experts believe that the global coolingbrought about by the last ice age might have been the main contributing factor. although they are not supported by concreteevidence, there are some theories which suggest that the megalodon has never gone extinctand that it still lurks in the vastly unexplored depths of today’s oceans.
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