Buzz
Prehistory gave birth to an endless array of intriguing creatures. While many are familiar with raptors, mammoths, saber-toothed tigers, and other iconic beasts, this only scratches the surface of nature's boundless imagination.
From sea lion-like whales that emerged from the water to give birth to the VW Beetle-sized armadillo that abandoned its protective shell for the greater good of humanity, to a fearsome armored frog that snatched baby dinosaurs, the prehistoric world was teeming with fascinating, lesser-known life forms.
10. Ancient Whales That Gave Birth On Land
Protocetids, the early whales of 50 million years ago, had an astonishingly bizarre appearance. They were relatively small, measuring only about 2–5 meters (7–16 ft) in length, and sported four odd limbs that ended in hoof-like flippers.
These strange limbs enabled creatures like Maiacetus inuus to awkwardly shuffle on land like a sea lion, marking the point when the early whales diverged from their goat and cow-like ancestors to embrace the ocean.
Protocetids hunted in the water but ventured onto land for other essential activities such as sleeping, mating, and giving birth.
A rare fossil of a pregnant mother and her unborn calf bolsters the theory of land-based birth. The 48-million-year-old calf is positioned headfirst in the womb, similar to land mammals, whereas aquatic creatures typically position their young tail-first to prevent drowning before birth.
9. Enormous Crocodiles the Size of Buses That Dominated the Seas
Machimosaurus rex was uncovered in 120-million-year-old rocks on the outskirts of the Sahara in an area that was once a lagoon facing the ocean.
Similar to modern crocs featured on Nat Geo and Science, Machimosaurus thrived as an ambush predator. It hunted sea creatures and land animals that ventured too close to the shore. With its stout, rounded teeth, it could have easily pulverized large prehistoric turtles.
It holds the title of the largest sea-dwelling crocodile ever—three tons and 9 meters (30 ft) of sheer power—its skull alone measuring over 1.5 meters (5 ft) long.
8. Aggressive Otters That Grew to the Size of Wolves
Around six million years ago, the marshes and swampy woodlands of southwest China were home to otters the size of wolves that could wreak havoc. The 50-kilogram (110 lb) Siamogale melilutra wasn’t just large, it was a fierce predator with an incredibly strong bite.
Normally, jaw strength weakens as otters grow in size. However, S. melilutra was an evolutionary anomaly with jaws powerful enough to crush and kill much larger, tougher prey than any otter alive today.
Unlike modern otters, which mostly feed on plants and small creatures like rodents and crabs, S. melilutra had the ability to break through the thick shells of large mollusks, turtles, and even bird bones for extra nutrients.
7. A Dinosaur With Sail-Like Structures
Amargasaurus was a smaller sauropod (think brontosaurus but more compact), measuring around 9 meters (30 ft) long and weighing just three tons. It roamed the Earth during the Cretaceous period, approximately 130 million years ago, and fed primarily on plants.
But unlike other sauropods, it featured two rows of spines running down its neck and back. While the exact function of these spines remains unclear, they might have been covered in bone and used as a form of self-defense.
Alternatively (and the more exciting theory), these spines could have acted as the framework for two parallel sails.
These striking skin flaps may have helped regulate body temperature, or they might have been used in mating displays, with evolution favoring female Amargasauruses that preferred prominent spines and sails—and who could blame them?
6. Ankylosaurs Stayed Cool Thanks To Their Nasal Air Conditioning
Massive dinosaurs like the heavily armored and horned ankylosaurs fought off the danger of overheating with complex nasal passages that functioned as a natural air conditioning system.
Noses, beyond just smelling, also heat and humidify the air we breathe. In birds and mammals like humans, a network of bones and cartilage helps enhance heat exchange by expanding the surface area. However, for ankylosaurs such as the hippo-sized Panoplosaurus and the rhino-sized Euoplocephalus, evolution took a different path.
CT scans and fluid dynamics revealed incredibly long nasal passages coiled in their snouts, which researchers compare to crazy straws. This unique design made a significant impact. By manipulating the shape of these nasal passages, evolution boosted the dinosaurs' heat-transfer rates by an impressive 50 percent.
5. Pterosaurs Might Have Had Feathers
Between 230 million and 66 million years ago, the fearsome flying reptiles known as pterosaurs dominated the skies, striking terror into the hearts of dinosaurs. Traditionally, pterosaurs were thought to be covered in fur-like pycnofibers.
However, recent studies suggest that they may have actually had a full range of feathers, based on 160-million-year-old fossils found at the Daohugou Formation in Mongolia. These remarkably well-preserved remains reveal even the finest details, including individual feathers.
The fossils also indicate that pterosaurs possessed four distinct types of feathers, some 80 million years before similar features appeared in dinosaurs and birds.
4. Glyptodon Shells Served As Prehistoric Shelters
The Glyptodon was a colossal ancient armadillo. Like other prehistoric creatures, evolution took it to epic proportions. This gigantic ancestor of the armadillo reached 3 meters (10 ft) in length and weighed about a ton, comparable to a Volkswagen Beetle.
Like its modern-day cousins, the Glyptodon was shielded by dome-like armor formed of bony plates. However, despite its imposing look, it wasn’t much of a threat to others, feeding on plants in the swamps of South America. It didn’t even possess a weaponized club-tail like other glyptodonts.
The Glyptodon made its appearance on the evolutionary stage about two million years ago and vanished around 10,000 years ago—likely with significant aid from human hunters, who occasionally used its discarded shell for makeshift shelters.
3. Unicorns Did Walk the Earth
Unicorns were real, but not the fairy-tale kind. These creatures were terrifyingly majestic, likely impaling an early human or two with a horn that stretched over 1 meter (3 ft) long.
Known as Elasmotherium sibiricum, this beast diverged from modern rhinos around 40 million years ago. Weighing tons, it was a tank-like creature, twice the size of current rhinos, with a build suited for running.
While scientists once believed the “Siberian unicorn” went extinct 100,000–200,000 years ago, new evidence suggests it persisted until much later—about 39,000 years ago.
Fortunately for us, as climate change ushered Earth out of the ice age, it also wiped out the Siberian unicorn's primary food source—tough, dry grasses—sending it into extinction.
2. Turkey-Sized Ornithopods with Beaks That Roamed the Prehistoric Plains
Some of the most successful dinosaurs ever were not the fearsome ones. Ornithopods, bipedal plant-eaters, became one of the most dominant groups during the Cretaceous period, which lasted from 146 million to 66 million years ago.
From limited fossil evidence, including a few tail bones and a foot fragment found in Australia, scientists reconstructed the beaked, turkey-sized Diluvicursor pickeringi. This creature lived near the Antarctic Circle 113 million years ago when Antarctica and Australia were still connected.
This dinosaur was designed for swift running, with a short, muscular tail and robust, powerful legs. However, its wrath was only directed at plants, devouring mosses, ferns, seeds, lichens, and possibly even flowers.
1. The Frog That Feasted on Baby Dinosaurs
Allow me to introduce Beelzebufo ampinga, the devilish armored frog that certainly lived up to its intimidating name.
This fierce and enormous Beelzebufo roamed Madagascar about 70 million years ago, a land known for its strange inhabitants. It weighed a hefty 5 kilograms (10 lbs) and stretched to 41 centimeters (16 inches) in length, resembling a bumpy, slimy beach ball.
Equipped with a cranial shield to protect its head and an astonishing bite force, this frog could ambush its prey like modern horned frogs. Researchers suggest that its bite could have delivered 2,200 newtons of force—equivalent to that of a wolf or even a tiger—powerful enough to crush baby dinosaurs.
