When most people think of prehistoric animals, their mind immediately goes to dinosaurs.
That’s expected since dinosaurs were the most abundant and diverse animal group during the Mesozoic Era.
However, several other impressive animals evolved before the dinosaurs or lived alongside these prehistoric beasts.
Even after the dinosaurs went extinct 66 million years ago, several other notable animal groups evolved to occupy the niches left behind by the Mesozoic lizards.
In this post, we’ll explore some of the most notable animals that have lived throughout Earth’s history.
How We Selected These Prehistoric Animals
The prehistoric animals that can potentially make this list are inexhaustive.
Apart from dinosaurs, there have been countless other reptiles, mammals, fish, insects, and shelled animals that qualify as prehistoric animals because of how long ago they lived.
But for this article, we have selected some of the largest animals that were among the most dominant species in their respective ecosystem.
The list includes predators as well as herbivores that dominated the terrestrial or aquatic landscape during the period that they occupied the planet.
More specifically, we have included popular animals whose names come up a lot in conversations about prehistoric animals, so much so that people sometimes mistake them for dinosaurs.
Our list also cuts across various prehistoric times from the current Cenozoic Era to as far back as the Paleozoic before dinosaurs even evolved.
Read on to discover 25 notable prehistoric animals that were not dinosaurs.
25. Megalodon
| Name | Megalodon |
| Name Meaning | Gian Tooth |
| Pronunciation | MEG-uh-loh-don |
| Era | Cenozoic – Neogene Period |
| Classification | Chondrichthyes, Lamniformes, Otodontidae |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Height | N/A |
| Length | 15 to 18 meters (49–59 feet) |
| Weight | 65 metric tons (about 143,000 lbs) |
| Location | North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia |
Most people are familiar with the Megalodon—the biggest and most ferocious shark species ever discovered.
Interestingly, the existence of this massive shark isn’t as far in the past as some people might like to think.
Until about 2.6 million years ago, the Megalodon still ruled warm oceans across the world.
This colossal shark had massive teeth that could grow over seven inches long, and it could exert a powerful bite force of 40,000 pounds per square inch.
That’s higher than the bite force of top predatory dinosaurs like the T. rex and many other carnivores throughout history.
24. Smilodon
| Name | Smilodon |
| Name Meaning | “Knife tooth” |
| Pronunciation | SMY-lo-don |
| Era | Cenozoic – Quaternary |
| Classification | Carnivora, Feliformia, Felidae |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Height | 1 meter (3.3 feet) |
| Length | 1.5–2.5 meters (5–8 feet) |
| Weight | 160–280 kilograms (350–620 pounds) |
| Location | North America and South America |
The Smilodon is the representative of the saber-toothed cats, a group of catlike carnivores known for their elongated blade-like upper canines that grew prominently out of their jaws.
Smilodon was one of the biggest and best-known members of this group.
It lived in the grasslands, forests, and savannahs of North and South America during the Pleistocene Epoch and was alive until about 10,000 years ago.
Smilodon was about the same size as some of the big cats today but with a more robust and muscular build.
It was just as efficient as a predator, specially adapted to take down large prey in its ecosystem.
Smilodon lived in grasslands, forests, and savannahs across North and South America.
23. Woolly Mammoth
| Name | Woolly Mammoth |
| Name Meaning | “Mammuthus primigenius” |
| Pronunciation | WOOL-ee MAM-uhth. |
| Era | Cenozoic – Quaternary |
| Classification | Mammalia, Proboscidea, Elephantidae |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Height | 4 meters (13 feet) |
| Length | 6–7 meters (20–23 feet) |
| Weight | 6,800 to 8,000 kg (15,000 to 18,000 pounds) |
| Location | North America, Eurasia, and Beringia |
Elephants are the biggest land mammals today, but long before they came on the scene, their ancestors, such as the woolly mammoths, dominated the terrestrial landscapes of the Holocene Epoch.
They lived in the cold tundra of North America, Europe, and Asia until about 4,000 years ago and were part of Earth’s Megaherbivores during the Last Ice Age.
These large, shaggy elephants were herbivores.
They were just about the same size as present-day African elephants but were equipped with long, curved tusks and a thick coat of fur to withstand cold temperatures.
22. Deinosuchus
| Name | Deinosuchus |
| Name Meaning | “Terrible crocodile” |
| Pronunciation | DYE-no-SOO-kus. |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Cretaceous |
| Classification | Crocodylomorpha, Crocodilia, Alligatoridae |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Length | 10–12 meters (33–39 feet) |
| Weight | 2.5–8.5 metric tons (55,11.56–18,739 pounds) |
| Location | North America (United States) |
Several crocodilians lived alongside the dinosaurs throughout most of the Mesozoic Era.
Some of them, like the Deinosuchus, grew to massive sizes that would have rivaled some of the biggest dinosaurs around.
With an average weight of up to eight tons, the Deinosuchus was almost twice as large as some of the largest tyrannosaurid dinosaurs of the late Cretaceous Period.
Fossil evidence also suggests that this massive crocodile may have preyed on some dinosaurs.
But the bulk of its diet most likely included fish, reptiles, and other small animals.
21. Megatherium (Giant Ground Sloth)
| Name | Megatherium |
| Name Meaning | “Great beast” |
| Pronunciation | Meg-uh-theer-ee-uhm |
| Era | Cenozoic – Quaternary |
| Classification | Xenarthra, Pilosa, Megatheria |
| Diet | Herbivorous |
| Height | 2.1 meters (6 feet 11 inches) |
| Length | 6 meters (20 feet) |
| Weight | 4 tons (8,800 pounds) |
| Location | South America and North America |
The giant sloths are the much bigger and more majestic ancestral cousins of present-day sloths.
They flourished throughout the Pleistocene Epoch before going extinct about 10,000 years ago.
Megatherium was an elephant-sized herbivore that browsed vegetation with its powerful forelimbs and large claws.
It was primarily found in North and South America, inhabiting diverse environments such as grasslands, forests, and swamps.
Unlike tree sloths today, the massive size of the Megatherium meant it could not climb trees.
But it was quite agile on land and capable of both bipedal and quadrupedal motion,
20. Ichthyosaurus
| Name | Ichthyosaurus |
| Name Meaning | Fish Lizard |
| Pronunciation | IK-thee-o-SAW-rus |
| Era | Mesozoic – Triassic |
| Classification | Sauropterygia, Ichthyosauria & Ichthyosauroidea |
| Diet | Carnivorous, primarily piscivorous |
| Height | N/A |
| Length | 4 meters (13 feet) |
| Weight | 250 to 500 kg (550 to 1,100 lbs) |
| Location | Europe (England, Germany), North America (Unites States) |
Ichthyosaurus is one of the best-known members of the ichthyosaur group—a family of marine reptiles that roamed the Earth’s oceans from the Triassic to the Cretaceous Period.
The Ichthyosaurus itself lived during the Jurassic Period.
Although it looked a lot like modern dolphins, Ichthyosaurus was neither a fish nor a marine mammal.
Instead, it was a reptile that developed a wide range of adaptations that made it possible to survive in the marine ecosystem.
The “fish lizard” preyed on fish and squid-like invertebrates in its ecosystem.
When fossils of the Ichthyosaurus were discovered in the 19th century, it was the first animal to be known from complete fossils.
19. Doedicurus
| Name | Doedicurus |
| Name Meaning | “Stout tail” |
| Pronunciation | dee-DIK-yoo-rus |
| Era | Cenozoic – Quaternary |
| Classification | Mammalia, Xenarthra, Glyptodontidae |
| Diet | Herbivorous |
| Height | 1.5 meters (4 feet 11 inches) |
| Length | 3.6 meters (12 feet) |
| Weight | 1,400 kilograms (3,100 pounds) |
| Location | South America |
The Doedicurus is what you’d have if present-day armadillos weighed up to 1,400 kilograms (3,000 pounds) and had a massive spiked tail club.
This armored herbivore lived in South America during the Pleistocene Epoch.
It is the largest member of a large group of armadillo ancestors known as the glyptodonts that were widespread during the Pleistocene.
Glyptodonts first evolved about 46 million years ago and were alive until about 10,000 years ago.
Their massive, bony shell was made up of small bony plates that resembled a suit of armor and provided protection from predators in their ecosystem.
18. Quetzalcoatlus
| Name | Quetzalcoatlus |
| Name Meaning | “Named after the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl” |
| Pronunciation | SMY-lo-don |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Cretaceous |
| Classification | Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea, Azhdarchidae |
| Diet | Carnivorous or piscivorous |
| Height | 3–4 meters (10–13 feet) |
| Wingspan | 10–12 meters (33–39 feet) |
| Weight | 200–250 kilograms (440–550 pounds) |
| Location | North America (United States) |
While the dinosaurs ruled the terrestrial landscape during the Mesozoic, massive flying reptiles like the Quetzalcoatlus dominated the skies.
It was a pterosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous Period, around 68 to 66 million years ago, and was one of the largest of them around.
This giant pterosaur had a wingspan of up to 36 feet, making it one of the largest flying creatures to have ever lived.
The largest species in the genus (Q. northropi) would have been as big as a Cessna 172 light aircraft.
Quetzalcoatlus patrolled the coastlines and open plains of North America.
It fed mainly on fish but was capable of hunting larger prey and may have been a scavenger as well.
17. Diprotodon
| Name | Diprotodon |
| Name Meaning | “Two forward teeth” |
| Pronunciation | dye-PROH-toh-don |
| Era | Cenozoic – Quaternary |
| Classification | Mammalia, Diprotodontia, Diprotodontidae |
| Diet | Herbivorous |
| Height | 1.8 meters tall |
| Length | 2,700 kilograms (about 3 tons) |
| Weight | 2,700 kilograms (about 3 tons) |
| Location | Australia |
Diprotodon was a massive marsupial closely related to wombats and koalas.
It is regarded as the largest marsupial to have ever lived based on current fossil records.
It is also the only marsupial made to have formed large herds and migrated seasonally in search of food and favorable habitats.
Diprotodon roamed the plains, grasslands, and forests of Australia during the Pleistocene Epoch from 1.6 million to 46,000 years ago.
This marsupial had chisel-like incisors, which inspired its name “diprotodon,” meaning “two forward teeth.”
16. Phorusrhacos (Terror Birds)
| Name | Phorusrhacos |
| Name Meaning | “Aves, Cariamiformes, Phorusrhacidae” |
| Pronunciation | FOR-us-RA-kos |
| Era | Cenozoic – Tertiary |
| Classification | Aves, Cariamiformes, Phorusrhacidae |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Height | 2.4–2.7 meters (7 feet 10 inches to 8 feet 10 inches) |
| Weight | 150–250 kg (330–550 pounds) |
| Location | South America |
Terror birds is the common name for a large group of prehistoric birds that were the apex predators in the Americas during the Cretaceous Period.
After the dinosaurs went extinct 66 million years ago, these carnivorous flightless birds in the Phorusrhacid family took over as the apex predators of the terrestrial landscape.
They stood tall, with powerful beaks and strong talons that made them very efficient hunters.
The large beaks of these birds were strong enough to crush bones, allowing them to feed on a variety of prey, including small mammals and reptiles.
Phorusrhacos was one of the most popular terror birds.
But there were several others, such as Titanis, Patagornis, and Devincenzia.
15. Sarcosuchus
| Name | Sarcosuchus |
| Name Meaning | “Flesh crocodile” |
| Pronunciation | sar-koh-SOO-kus |
| Era | Mesozoic – Early Cretaceous |
| Classification | Reptilia, Pseudosuchia, Crocodylomorpha |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Length | Up to 12.9 meters (40 feet) |
| Weight | Over 10 tons |
| Location | Africa |
Also commonly referred to as the SuperCroc, Sarcosuchus was the largest crocodile to have ever lived.
While the largest crocs today rarely top 25 feet, the Sarcosuchus was up to 40 feet long from head to toe and weighed more than 10 tons.
It lived in North Africa during the Late Cretaceous, in the same region as the Spinosaurus, one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs that have ever lived.
Despite its massive size, the Sarcosuchus was likely a piscivore which means it ate fish as a major part of its diet.
However, it was capable of hunting other prey too.
14. Dimetrodon
| Name | Dimetrodon |
| Name Meaning | “Two Measures of Teeth” |
| Pronunciation | Die-met-ro-don |
| Era | Paleozoic – Permian |
| Classification | Synapsida, Pelycosauria, Sphenacodontidae |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Length | 3 to 4.5 meters (10 to 15 feet) |
| Weight | 28–250 kg (62–551 lb) |
| Location | North America and Europe |
Often mistaken for a dinosaur, Dimetrodon evolved and went extinct several million years before the first dinosaurs evolved.
It lived during the Permian Period, about 295 to 272 million years ago.
The major reason this non-mammalian synapsid is often mistaken for a dinosaur is because of the giant sail-like structure on its back, which is similar to the sail of some dinosaurs.
The sail likely served the purpose of thermoregulation or display.
Dimetrodon was a carnivorous synapsid that inhabited the swamps and wetlands of Permian North America and Europe.
It preyed on fish and other small animals in its ecosystem.
13. Elasmotherium
| Name | Elasmotherium |
| Name Meaning | “Laminated beast” |
| Pronunciation | Ee-laz-muh-THEER-ee-um |
| Era | Cenozoic – Quaternary |
| Classification | Mammalia, Perissodactyla, Rhinocerotidae |
| Diet | Herbivorous |
| Height | 2 meters (6.5 feet) |
| Length | 5 meters (16 feet) |
| Weight | 3.5–5 tons (7,000–10,000 pounds) |
| Location | Europe and Asia |
Elasmotherium was a prehistoric rhinoceros that lived during the Pleistocene Epoch, around 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago.
This large rhinoceros is considered the largest rhinoceros to have ever lived.
It lived in grasslands and savannahs across Eurasia and was alive until about 39,000 years ago.
Elasmotherium was as big as a mammoth and is often depicted as a woolly mammal with layers of hair covering its body to protect it from the harsh cold weather of the Pleistocene epoch.
It has been nicknamed the Siberian unicorn due to its prominent single-snout horn.
12. Hyaenodon
| Name | Hyaenodon |
| Name Meaning | “Hyena tooth” |
| Pronunciation | hye-EN-uh-don |
| Era | Cenozoic – Tertiary |
| Classification | Mammalia, Creodonta, Hyaenodontidae |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Height | 1.4 meters (4.6 feet) |
| Length | 6 meters (20 feet) |
| Weight | 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) |
| Location | North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa |
Despite the similarities in their name and overall physical attributes to hyenas, the Hyaenodon is not a relative of present-day Hyenas.
Instead, it was a creodont, a member of a group of carnivorous mammals that became one of the top predators of the Cenozoic Era shortly after the dinosaurs went extinct.
The Hyaenodon was a prolific predator that hunted primitive horses, rhinos, and other large animals in Europe, Asia, and North America.
Hyaenodon was a formidable predator with oversized muscular jaws strong enough to snap the neck of large prey with a single bite.
11. Arthropleura
| Name | Arthropleura |
| Name Meaning | “Jointed rib” |
| Pronunciation | ar-THRO-plu-rah |
| Era | Paleozoic – Carboniferous |
| Classification | Diplopoda, Arthropoda, Arthropleuridae |
| Diet | Herbivorous |
| Length | 1.5–2.5 meters (5–8 feet)2.6 meters (8.5 feet) |
| Weight | 50 kilograms (110 pounds) |
| Location | North America, Europe |
Long before the dinosaurs evolved, large critters like the Arthropleura dominated the terrestrial landscape.
This giant millipede dominated the Carboniferous forests of North America and Europe about 330 million years ago.
It could grow over eight feet in length and was one of the largest animals on land during the Paleozoic Era.
Arthropleura is also reputed as the largest terrestrial invertebrate to have ever lived.
Although scientists are not certain what this massive arthropod ate when it was alive, a herbivorous diet has been proposed.
10. Thylacoleo
| Name | Thylacoleo |
| Name Meaning | “Pouch lion” |
| Pronunciation | THIGH-lah-co-LEE-oh |
| Era | Cenozoic – Quaternary |
| Classification | Marsupialia, Diprotodontia, Thylacoleonidae |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Height | 75 centimeters (30 inches) |
| Length | 150 centimeters (59 inches) |
| Weight | 90–160 kilograms (198–352 pounds) |
| Location | Australia |
Thylacoleo is unique because it was a carnivorous marsupial that evolved from herbivorous ancestors.
The common name of this predator is the pouch lion.
However, it wasn’t related to lions or any of the big cats.
Instead, it was a marsupial related to wombats and koalas more than any other living species.
Thylacoleo was the top mammalian predator in Australia during the Pleistocene Epoch.
Thylacoleo had one of the strongest bite forces of any mammalian predator, comparable to that of the African lion.
9. Entelodon
| Name | Entelodon |
| Name Meaning | “Perfect tooth |
| Pronunciation | en-tuh-LOH-don |
| Era | Cenozoic – Tertiary |
| Classification | Mammalia, Artiodactyla, Entelodontidae |
| Diet | Omnivorous |
| Height | 1.35 meters (4 feet 5 inches) |
| Length | 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) |
| Weight | 900 kilograms ( 2,000 pounds) |
| Location | Europe, North America, and Asia |
Enteldon was a pig-like mammal related to modern-day hippos and whales.
It lived during the Oligocene and Miocene epochs, about 33.9 to 16 million years ago.
Enteldon was an omnivore.
It had a long snout with specialized teeth for cutting and grinding food.
Fossils of this hippo-relative have been found across various continents, including Europe, Asia, and North America.
8. Anomalocaris
| Name | Anomalocaris |
| Name Meaning | “Unusual shrimp” |
| Pronunciation | uh-NAHM-uh-loh-KAIR-is |
| Era | Paleozoic – Cambrian |
| Classification | Dinocaridida, Radiodonta, Anomalocarididae |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Length | 1 meter (3.3 feet) |
| Location | Europe |
Anomalocaris is one of the earliest apex predators known from Earth’s prehistoric past.
It was one of the largest animals in the aquatic ecosystem of the Cambrian Period.
The shrimp-like invertebrate had large, segmented appendages that were probably adapted for catching prey.
It also had large compound eyes and swimming flaps on the side of its body for active locomotion in the water.
Anomalocaris likely preyed on smaller marine organisms, including trilobites and other marine arthropods.
6. Mosasaurus
| Name | Mosasaurus |
| Name Meaning | “Meuse lizard” |
| Pronunciation | mo-zaw-SAW-rus |
| Era | Mesozoic – Late Cretaceous |
| Classification | Squamata, Mosasauria & Mosasauroidea |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Height | Carnivorous, primarily piscivorous |
| Length | 12–18 meters (39–59 feet) |
| Weight | 10 to 20 metric tons (22,046.23 to 44,092.45 lbs) |
| Location | North America, Europe, Africa |
During the Late Cretaceous, a group of squamate reptiles (relatives of snakes and lizards) known as mosasaurs dominated the aquatic ecosystem.
The Mosasaurus is one of the most well-known members of this group.
It was a large aquatic reptile with a skull similar to that of crocodilians and a streamlined body similar to that of whales.
Mosasaurus was fully adapted to aquatic life.
All its limbs were replaced by flippers, and it swam using its tail.
Mosasaurus lived in oceans worldwide, preying on fish and other marine creatures.
6. Titanoboa
| Name | Titanoboa |
| Name Meaning | “Giant boa” |
| Pronunciation | Tie-tuh-noh-boh-uh |
| Era | Cenozoic – Paleogene Period |
| Classification | Reptilia, Squamata, Boidae |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Length | 11– 15 meters (39–49 feet) |
| Weight | 1,135–1,135 kilograms (2,500–2,500 pounds) |
| Location | South America |
Titanoboa was a massive prehistoric snake, possibly reaching lengths of up to 40 feet, and weighed as much as 2,500 pounds.
It was the largest prehistoric snake ever discovered.
Titanoboa inhabited rainforests in what is now South America during the Paleocene epoch from 66 million to 56 million years ago.
Boids like the Titanoboa became the dominant terrestrial predators after the dinosaurs went extinct.
They preyed on large mammals and other reptiles, with a hunting style similar to that of the anaconda.
5. Platybelodon
| Name | Platybelodon |
| Name Meaning | “Flat-spear tooth” |
| Pronunciation | Plat-ee-BELL-uh-donn |
| Era | Cenozoic – Neogene |
| Classification | Mammalia, Proboscidea, Amebelodontidae |
| Diet | Herbivorous |
| Height | 3 meters (10 feet) |
| Length | 5–6 meters (16–20 feet) |
| Weight | 2–3 tons |
| Location | Europe, Asia, and Africa |
The Platybelodon is famous as the prehistoric elephant that had shovels for a mouth.
This is due to the flat lower tusks that stuck prominently out of the elephant’s jaws.
Platybelodon lived in the swampy grasslands and savannas of Africa and Asia during the Pliocene Epoch.
Initially, experts thought the shovel-like tusks were useful for scoping aquatic vegetation into the elephant’s mouth.
However, recent studies suggest it probably functioned like a scythe for cutting vegetation.
4. Meganeura
| Name | Meganeura |
| Name Meaning | “Large-nerved” |
| Pronunciation | Meg-ah-NEER-uh |
| Era | Paleozoic – Carboniferous |
| Classification | Insecta, Meganisoptera, Meganeuridae |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Wingspan | 70 centimeters (28 inches) |
| Location | Europe and North America |
Meganeura was a giant dragonfly that lived during the Carboniferous Period, about 300 million years ago.
It was alive until the Late Permian Period.
The Meganeura had a wingspan of about 2.5 feet, making it one of the largest flying insects to have ever lived.
Considering how long ago it lived, it was also one of the first animals to evolve the ability to fly, long before the pterosaurs and birds came on the scene.
It likely inhabited swampy environments of the Carboniferous and was an active insectivore.
3. Plesiosaurus
| Name | Plesiosaurus |
| Name Meaning | “Near to lizard” |
| Pronunciation | Plee-see-oh-SAWR-us |
| Era | Mesozoic – Jurassic |
| Classification | Carnivorous |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Height | 1–2 meters (3-6 feet) |
| Length | 2.87–3.5 meters (9.4–11.5 feet) |
| Weight | 185 kilograms (408 pounds) |
| Location | Europe and North America |
The Plesiosaurus was a large marine reptile that lived during the Jurassic Period.
It is the most popular member of the Plesiosauria group, which includes several other related marine reptiles that were widespread during the Jurassic.
Plesiosaurus had a thick turtle-like torso, a long neck, and a small head.
This is a sharp contrast to the closely related pliosaurs known for their shorter neck and thicker torso.
Plesiosaurus had stiff flippers effective for paddling through the water but practically useless on land.
2. Liopleurodon
| Name | Liopleurodon |
| Name Meaning | Smooth-sided tooth |
| Pronunciation | LYE-oh-PLOOR-oh-don |
| Era | Mesozoic – Early Jurassic |
| Classification | Reptilia, Plesiosauria, Pliosauridae |
| Diet | Carnivorous |
| Length | 6.6 meters (22 feet) |
| Weight | 3.3 tons (7275 pounds) |
| Location | Europe (England and France) |
Liopleurodon was a pliosaur, a relative of the long-necked plesiosaurs, but with a distinctively different appearance.
Liopleurodon was one of the largest pliosaurs ever discovered.
It was a top predator of the Middle to Late Jurassic seas of Europe.
The massive marine reptile thrived on a diet of fish, cephalopods, and smaller marine reptiles.
The largest species in the genus was up to 6.6 meters (22 feet) long and weighed up to 1.7 tons on average.
1. Basilosaurus
| Name | Basilosaurus |
| Name Meaning | “The King Lizard” |
| Pronunciation | Bah-sil-oh-saw-rus |
| Era | Cenozoic – Paleogene |
| Classification | Artiodactyla, Cetacea, Basilosauridae |
| Diet | Carnivorous (Piscivorous) |
| Length | 15–20 meters (49–66 feet) |
| Weight | 5.8 tons (11600) |
| Location | North America, Africa, and Asia |
The Basilosaurus was a massive, sharp-toothed marine creature.
Perhaps this was why scientists that described it first thought it had to be a reptile.
Basilosaurus means “king lizard,” which would have been an apt name for this gigantic sea monster.
Except the Basilosaurus was not a reptile at all.
Instead, it was a prehistoric whale that evolved from land-dwelling hoofed mammals.
With a maximum length of up to 66 feet, this cetacean was one of the largest animals known to have existed after the dinosaurs died off at the end of the Cretaceous.
It fed on fish, large sharks, and marine reptiles in the shallow Tethys Sea where it lived.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalodon
- https://oumnh.ox.ac.uk/learn-mary-annings-ichthyosaur
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megatherium
- https://allthatsinteresting.com/terror-birds
- https://australian.museum/learn/animals/mammals/thylacoleo-carnifex/
- https://www.wired.com/2010/11/anomalocaris-trilobite-bite/
- https://www.britannica.com/animal/Titanoboa
- https://www.nyit.edu/medicine/basilosaurus_spp
- https://museum.wa.gov.au/explore/dinosaur-discovery/deinosuchus
- https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/mammal/carnivora/sabretooth.html
