Extinct Animals from Ancient History

You could quite reasonably argue that when it comes to animals, the world is a fairly fascinating place. A simple trip to your nearest zoo or safari park is all it takes to give you some idea as to just how fabulously diverse the animal kingdom is. But is now the best time to be alive for anybody interested in huge, dangerous, or otherwise unusual creatures? In this article, we shall attempt to answer that question as we take a look at some of the more spectacular extinct animals from ancient history.

The Smilodon

Whilst we still have some pretty big cats around today, the lion, for example, can reach lengths of up to 9 feet (2.74 meters) and weigh in at over 200 kg (440 lbs). However, this monstrous killing machine pales in comparison to the size and power of the Smilodon. So, what was it, and when did it live?

The Smilodon, or to use its proper name, Smilodon fatalis, is often referred to as the saber-toothed tiger. Although, in actuality, it is much more closely related to the modern-day lion, only much, much bigger. According to those who have studied recovered remains, these big cats could tip the scales at 750 lbs (or 340 kg) and could reach a length of 11 feet (or 3.53 meters). If all that isn’t terrifying enough, they also came with some pretty devastating weaponry. Not only did they have claws which some experts have claimed would have been capable of ripping through steel, there were also the teeth which earned this cat its iconic nickname. Teeth which could be up to 8 inches (or 20 cm) in length.

Whilst you may be thinking yourself lucky that you are not going to run into one of these awesome predators, our ancestors may not have been so lucky. Smilodon is believed to have been around as recently as 10,000 years ago, so, although it has gone now, it probably took some humans along with it.

Andrewsarchus

Andrewsarchus is perhaps the most interesting animal on this list, not least because we know so little about it. The main reason for this is that the only part of the animal that has ever been recovered is a single skull. Nevertheless, paleontologists are a clever bunch, or so they tell us, and after extensive study, they believe they have a reasonable description of what the animal might have looked like. Let us start with what we definitely do know.

Discovered in Inner Mongolia during an archaeological dig in 1923 by Kan Chuen Pao, a young paleontological assistant, the skull in and of itself is an exceptionally impressive specimen. Measuring 82.4 cm (or 32.8 inches) in length, with a long, pointed snout filled with a selection of teeth designed for cutting flesh and crushing bone, the Andrewsarchus has been described as an ancient, carnivorous relative of the hippopotamus. Based on the study of other similar fossils combined with computer analysis, Andrewsarchus is believed to have stood well over 6 feet tall at the shoulder and reached lengths of approximately 16 feet.

As to what it might have eaten, given the type of teeth it had and the fact that the fossil was found quite close to the shoreline, most scientists believe that it probably enjoyed a diet of hard shell mollusks and turtles.

Apart from that, given we have only the one fossil specimen, it is impossible to provide much more information. Although it is believed this creature lived about 40 million years ago, the only thing we can say for certain is that one of them died close to the sea in Mongolia. Hopefully, during the coming years, more examples of this incredible animal will surface, and this will help to shed more light on its physical properties, day-to-day characteristics, and eating habits.

The Short-Faced Bear

Bears come in all shapes and sizes. From the comparatively diminutive sun bear, which stands about 70 cm (or 28 inches) tall at the shoulder and weighs between 25–65 kg (55–143 lbs), right through to the polar bear, which can reach 5 feet at the shoulder and weigh in excess of 770 kg. Although you probably wouldn’t consider this to be a small animal should you encounter one on a casual stroll through the arctic, bear sizes are actually on the decline, and had you happened to have been alive 2 million years ago in what is now Argentina, you may have encountered something slightly more impressive: Arctotherium angustidens, more commonly known as the South American giant short-faced bear.

So, just how did this colossus stack up against its modern-day equivalent? Well, according to researcher Leopoldo Soibelzon, a paleontologist who had the privilege of studying the fossilized remains of the largest example of this species ever to be found: “Based on measurements of the fossil’s leg bones and equations used to estimate body mass, the bear would have stood at least 11 feet tall (3.3 meters) on its hind legs and would have weighed between 3,500 and 3,855 pounds (1,588 and 1,749 kilograms). In comparison, the largest recorded weight for a living bear is a male polar bear that attained the weight of about 2,200 pounds (1,000 kg).”

Unlike the modern-day polar bear, however, the giant short-faced bear is believed to have been an omnivorous scavenger. Although it certainly would’ve been capable of taking down its own prey, its sheer size and power would have allowed it to steal the kills of other apex predators such as the already mentioned Smilodon. Personally, we feel that fighting a Smilodon for its dinner was probably more effort than hunting for your own, but we are not here to argue with the experts.

Titanoboa

Snakes are very much the Marmite of the Animal Kingdom. For every person who finds it relaxing to curl up on the sofa with a snake wrapped around their shoulders, there are several others for whom such an experience would necessitate a trip to therapy or, at the very least, a trip to wherever they keep their clean underwear. The snake lovers among you may be disappointed to hear that even if Titanoboa had not gone extinct some 56 million years ago, a sofa selfie would not have been on the cards, largely because, weighing in at 1,135 kg (or 1.25 tons), it almost certainly would have crushed you to death and quite probably your sofa as well.

In fact, their extreme weight, alongside the fact that they could reach lengths of nearly 50 feet (or 15.2 m), meant that although they were technically capable of moving on land, they probably spent the majority of their time in the water. So, where should the ophidiophobic time traveler avoid? The largest collection of Titanoboa fossils was located in a coal mine somewhere in North Columbia, but they are believed to have been prevalent across tropical South America.

When asked to describe this colossal serpent, one expert said: “We estimate that it could’ve been between 45 and 50 feet long, that it could’ve been maybe 3 feet wide and would’ve weighed over a ton. And you know with all of these dimensions it can be difficult to try to imagine what that means in terms of the size of this snake. So one of the ways that I try to imagine it is that if it were to try to come in, say through your office door, it would have to squeeze through to get at you.

So that provides a better image, I think. This was a truly gigantic animal and in fact, it was the largest predator that we know of on the face of the planet following the extinction of the dinosaurs.”

As to what it may have eaten, being about 3 feet thick at its widest point, there were probably very few dietary restrictions. However, as we previously mentioned, the snake spent a lot of its time in the water and so probably mostly ate fish. Anything it could have reached would have been fair game though, and Titanoboa would’ve had no problems at all swallowing a crocodile.

The Woolly Mammoth

Not only is the next entry another animal that would have coexisted with humans in the past, but, as we shall soon discover, there is a very real possibility that they may do so again. Most directly related to modern-day Asian elephants, the woolly mammoth, named so because of its thick furry coat, could be found throughout the mammoth steppe which, according to EOS: “at its greatest extent, spanned from Iberia to eastern Siberia and across the Bering Strait into Alaska and Canada.”

Given that the word mammoth has now become synonymous with huge, just how big were they? Well, they were pretty big! On average, they stood between three and 3.7 m (10 to 12 feet) and could reach a staggering 7,300 kg or about 16,100 lbs.

Unlike the majority of extinct species from the past, we have a little bit more than fossil records to go on. Thousands of fairly well-preserved specimens have been discovered under the permafrost in Siberia alone. Not only does this provide us with a unique opportunity to discover exactly what they ate (examination of the stomach contents has revealed grass, sage, willow, and different types of flowers), it also means that we have quite a large collection of woolly mammoth DNA.

Although the last woolly mammoth is believed to have died between nine and 7,000 years ago, depending on who you ask, partly due to climate change and partly due to the fact that humans really can’t resist hunting awesome animals to extinction, there may, for the first time in history, be an opportunity to bring a species back to our planet. Whilst this might sound like some crazy, futuristic Jurassic Park-style movie, according to a company called Colossal Biosciences, who bill themselves as a de-extinction company, the woolly mammoth will be back by 2028.

As reported by an article in the Metro: “its dedicated team achieved a world-first breakthrough by successfully reprogramming pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) from elephants.” These stem cells, which can theoretically turn into anything: bone, muscle, fat, keratin, etc., should be able to be genetically reprogrammed in order to recreate the woolly mammoth. Well, not quite the woolly mammoth, woolly mammoth 2.0 if you will.

As far as we understand it, the first calf will be born from an elephant mother and will possess many of the physical attributes of the woolly mammoth, such as the iconic fur and tusks. This, however, is only the first step. The end goal is to have herds of these beasts roaming wild in some of the colder climates that were originally their home.

The research that has gone into this project may also have exceptionally beneficial ramifications for ordinary elephants. At the moment, almost 20% of all elephants born die from EEHV (Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus), and it is hoped that this new understanding of elephant stem cells could help greatly reduce this number. However, as with all matters of genetic engineering, there are both ethical and bureaucratic issues that will have to be overcome. Should Colossal Biosciences be successful, they have plans to bring back other species such as the dodo.

Terror Birds

Up until this point, we have mainly focused on mammals for our list. Now, it’s time to look at the birds. More specifically, a particular terror bird called Kelenken guillermoi.

Nowadays, if you wanted to experience being killed by a bird, your best bet would be to pop on down to Australia, a place so dangerous that even some of the trees tried to kill you, and pick a fight with an ostrich. At around 7 feet tall, well over 200 pounds, and with a kick that is capable of disemboweling a human, the ostrich really is the Chuck Norris of birds.

Pop back in time some 15 million years and take a trip to Argentina, however, and you might start to consider the ostrich a fluffy Easter chick in comparison to Kelenken guillermoi. Due to there being no complete fossilized remains of this avian specimen, its stats have been compiled through educated guesswork. However, as we do know that its skull was 77 cm (or 30.3 inches) long and 45 cm (or 17.7 inches) of that length was a razor-sharp beak, the projected stats seem fairly believable to us. So, what were they? The largest of the species is believed to have been about 3 m (or just a fraction under 10 feet) tall and may have weighed as much as 250 kg (or 551 lbs).

Although the ostrich is known for having somewhat of a violent streak, they are at least herbivorous. Kelenken guillermoi was very definitely not and, to quote the most metal extract we think we have ever come across in a scientific paper: “has a variety of killing techniques attributed to it, and these included using the hook tip of its large beak to inflict penetrating strikes against critical areas of its prey, to violently shaking small prey in its beak to even throwing it against the ground to kill and break its bones before swallowing.”

Although it was once believed that these birds may have also been scavengers, this theory is now much less popular. Mainly because it is now understood that they would have had little to no useful sense of smell, and so it would have been difficult for them to seek out decomposing remains. For this bird, it was all murder all of the time!

Although we have used the ostrich as a comparison throughout this section, this is because it is the only bird alive today which even approaches Kelenken guillermoi in size and weight. In actual fact, the closest living relative are the seriemas, who are not only much smaller at about 90 cm (or 36 inches) in length but are also capable of flying short distances unlike their ancient ancestors.

Conclusion

And that brings us to the end of our list. We don’t know about you but, with the possible exception of the woolly mammoth, we shall sleep a little more easily on our next camping trip knowing that these animals are now confined to history and, of course, nightmares.

Key Takeaways

• The Smilodon, or saber-toothed tiger, was a massive predator with 8-inch teeth and steel-ripping claws.
• Andrewsarchus, a giant carnivorous relative of the hippopotamus, had a skull measuring 32.8 inches and likely fed on hard-shell mollusks.
• The South American giant short-faced bear stood 11 feet tall and weighed up to 3,855 pounds, making it one of the largest bears ever.
• Titanoboa, the largest snake after the dinosaurs, weighed over a ton and could reach lengths of nearly 50 feet.
• The woolly mammoth, closely related to modern Asian elephants, may be brought back through genetic engineering by 2028.

Sources

• Original Side Projects video: Extinct Animals from Ancient History
• Hero image source by Lvxing6321 / openverse, cc0.

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