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Top 14 of the Greatest Prehistoric Animals

Spinosaurus
Spinosaurus. Image by Engin Akyurt via Pexels.

Welcome to the 14 Prehistoric Animals, You Should Definitely Know About.

Animals have existed since the creation of Adam or the big bang theory. But there are whispers of animals even older than men. Some of these animals are extinct now. A lot of reasons are behind the extinction of animals.

Prehistoric Animals

Battle between dinosaur and insect
Prehistoric battle between a Permian period reptile and giant dragonfly. Image by Andrew via DallE

But that does not mean that all prehistoric animals are extinct or disappear entirely.

Some of the animals we have today are descendants of extinct animals, in the same category as these prehistorical animals. This article focuses on animals of old.

#14 Andrewsarchus

YouTube video
“Is Andrewsarchus The Biggest Carnivorous Land Mammal of All Time?” Source: YouTube, Uploaded: Animalogic

This animal lived so long ago that man has entirely forgotten its existence. It lived in the Paleogene period. It is a hoofed animal, having relations with hippopotami and whales.

Andrews Roy Chapman found it in Mongolia, and the animal got its name from its founder.

It is a predator and is likely the largest carnivore to have lived, based on the measurements of its skull.

#13 Basilosaurus

YouTube video
“Basilosaurus – Ancient Animal” Source: YouTube, Uploaded: North 02

Typically, anything called “Saurus” is part of the reptile family. However, in this case, this animal is a mammal rather. It has ties to the whale and lived in the Eocene epoch stage of the Paleogene period. It is also a predator with solid jaws lined by full, long, and dagger-like teeth. This says that when this animal bit something, it was not letting go.


#12 Brygmophyseter

YouTube video
“Brygmophyseter Sounds” Source: YouTube, Uploaded: Dino P

This, too, has ties to the whale family. The Brygmophyseter was an early sperm whale that lived during the Paleogene period under the Miocene epoch. This animal had very long and sharp teeth up to 14cm long.


#11 Castoroides

YouTube video
“Spotlight: Castoroides!” Source: YouTube, Uploaded: ARK: Survival Ascended

This animal was a beaver. It has been extinct for so long now that people do not remember its living. Back then, it was common in North America during the Pleistocene epoch. It is also the largest beaver to have lived to date. Back then. Its brain capacity was small; thus, it wasn’t as brilliant as its modern-day descendants.

#10 Megalania

YouTube video
“When Giant Lizards Ruled Australia – Megalania” Source: YouTube, Uploaded: Ben G Thomas

You can know from the ” meg ” in its name that the Megalania was a big creature. In fact, it was the largest lizard ever.

It lived in Australia during the Pleistocene epoch and has ties to today’s goannas.

#9 Megalodon

Megalodon size in comparison to human size
Megalodon size in comparison to human size. Image generated by Animals Around The Globe via DALL-E

The Megalodon is another large animal, this time a shark. Its name means “mighty tooth,” and it lived during the Neogene period. It was about 18 meters long. This animal defines the word predator because it is the largest shark and the largest predator ever.

#8 Mesonyx

YouTube video
“Prehistoric Hunters – Animated Size Comparison” Source: YouTube, Uploaded: Sr. Topanga

This is one of the ancestors of modern-day wolves and closely resembles today’s wolves. The only difference is that the Mesonyx had hoofed feet. It is also a carnivorous animal of the Mesonychid group. Its habitat was in America, and it lived there from the early to mid-Paleogene period.


#7 Wholly Mammoth

Mammoth de-extinction
Woolly Mammoth. Image by John Benitez via Unsplash

This is the most common prehistoric animal and is a direct ancestor of the African elephants of today. It is part of the Mammuthus subolanifrons family.

This species of mammoth lived towards the end of the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs. The wholly mammoth was almost as big as the elephants of today. It had fur coatings as an adaptation from living during the ice age.


#6 Titanoboa

YouTube video
“What if Tintanboa Snake didn’t go extinct?” Source: YouTube, Uploaded: Ridddle

The snakes we have today are not nearly as scary as this snake. Titanoboa is the largest snake in history, as long as 13 meters or more.

South Africa was its home during the Paleocene epoch.

#5 Uintatherium

YouTube video
“Uintatherium” Source: YouTube: Uploaded:Chiodo Bros. Production, Inc

This animal was the leading herbivore in an era when plant-eating animals were scarce. Its home was America and China during the Eocene epoch.

There were two species during that period, one in each of the above countries. Its teeth were extended and sharp but were mainly for maneuvering food or acting as a defense tool.


#4 Saber-Toothed Tiger

YouTube video
“Reasons Why the Saber-Tooth Tiger Went Extinct” Source: YouTube, Uploaded: Grunge

This animal looked remarkably identical to the tigers of today. They lived during the Pleistocene epoch, and their homes were in both North America and South America. They were also carnivores, with extended canine teeth used to devour their prey. One species of this animal is the Smilodon. The Smilodon is the most popular species of the sabertoothed tiger.

That is why all sabertoothed tigers are commonly called Smilodon. You should know that three species of the Smilodon have been discovered so far. The largest of these three species is the Smilodon populator, bigger than today’s tiger. It is the biggest cat to have lived.

Although it looks like the tiger and lion of today, it had more upper body strength than them. However, its bite was weaker than the tiger and lion of today but just as dangerous.


#3 Levyatan Melvillei

YouTube video
“Livyatan & Megalodon Animation” Source: YouTube, Uploaded: Julian Johnson-mortimer

If you have ever seen the movie “Supernatural,” you would come across this name. This animal was named after an old testament book of the bible, Leviathan, and the author of the Moby Dick novel, Herman Melville.


This animal is also part of the sperm whale family and lived during the Miocene epoch. It has the most prolonged teeth ever known to humanity; 14.5cm. They used them for feeding on large prey, including other whales. This animal was the only other competitor for the Megalodon.


#2 Spinosaurus

Spinosaurus
Spinosaurus. Image by Engin Akyurt via Pexels.

Going by its pictures, this animal was hideous. This animal was a dinosaur species and was the largest of all the species.

It had a giant skull and a crocodile-like snout filled with about 64 straight conical teeth. It had the features of fishes and dinosaurs; therefore, it could survive on land and sea.

#1 Jaekelopterus

YouTube video
Jaekelopterus – The Biggest Arthropod that ever lived Source: YouTube, Uploaded: Ben G Thomas

The Jaekelopterus was a sea animal to be feared. It is known as the “giant sea scorpion.” It was 8cm long, lived in water, and had death-like claws.

The bodies of this animal were segmented just like that of modern-day cockroaches. Some of these segments had spikes used in capturing their prey.

Conclusion on 14 Prehistorical Animals

Prehistoric
Image by Tim Oun via Unsplash


The list above is not exhaustive. Many animals lived even before the coming of humans. You can know some of these animals today because anthropologists find and study fossils.

Some animals are not even recognized today because anthropologists have found no remains. Many of these prehistoric animals were carnivores with unforgiving spirits.

We hope you liked to learn about prehistoric animals.