10 Scariest Prehistoric Animals of All Time
10 Scariest Prehistoric Animals of All Time
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Many of the more famous prehistoric beasts gained notoriety because there’s something about them. Could it be the size of their teeth, that they’re covered in spikes or their sheer size? Whatever it is, we can’t deny that something about them elicits a primaeval sense of dread in our mammalian brains. Well, here are our top 10 Scariest Prehistoric Animals of All Time. Watch till the end as Number one will give you goose pimples. Be sure to like the video and subscribe to the channel.
DUNKLEOSTEUS
Dunkleosteus is an extinct subdivision of arthrodire placoderm fish that existed during the Late Devonian period, about 358–382 million years ago. This 33 foot long armoured fish from the Devonian era lacked teeth, but its jaw contained razor-sharp protrusions of bone that it could use to pierce and cut through its prey. These bones grew continuously, and as they did, the edges rubbed together with those of the opposing jaw, acting like self-sharpening shears. This would ensure the “fangs” were always ready to chomp into armoured prey like arthropods, ammonites and other fish. It was a lot bigger than the great white shark. The four-ton monster fish patrolled coastal waters and could snatch prey up by opening and closing its jaws within 50-60 milliseconds.
HELICOPRION
Helicoprion was an archaic member of the wider ratfish group that looked quite shark-like. And these predators reached impressive sizes. The mystery of this bizarre fish starts with a weird fossil and numerous attempts to figure out what it was and classify it. Helicoprion puzzled palaeontologists and ichthyologists for over a century. The only remains of this creature, up until 2013, were from a fossilised whorl of teeth. While most scientists agreed that the teeth belonged to the lower jaw, that didn’t prevent the teeth’s presumed location from migrating around the body in sometimes fanciful arrangements that can be seen in numerous illustrations and reconstructions. With the later discovery of some portions of a jaw, the location of its buzzsaw-like teeth were finally determined to fill the lower jaw. Strangely, there were no upper teeth, so this creature could disgustingly gum and bite you at the same time. The jaw would close, rotating the teeth backwards, much like a circular saw blade. It probably fed on the soft bodies of squid and other cephalopods. The whorl of teeth was formed as they continuously grew outwards, creating a spiral as it aged; the teeth at the beginning of the whorl being small and gradually increasing in size toward the end. Another fish with an equally odd and terrifying face, Edestus, had offset scissor-like jaws that protrude out of its face.
ARTHROPLEURA
Arthropluera was perhaps the largest arthropod of the Carboniferous era. Overall, it was among the largest arthropods that ever lived, measuring on average between 6.6 – 10 feet long, as large as a man or crocodile and as long as a car. This is definitely not something you want to see crawling around the woods when you’re out for a hike. Arthropleura was an 8.5-foot long millipede from the Carboniferous era, and through it was herbivorous, likely feeding on dead plant matter like modern millipedes, it still had a scare factor. They were able to grow so large that oxygen levels were 50% higher than today. The higher oxygen level content in the Carboniferous atmosphere could support larger species whose circulatory system was not as efficient as those of mammals and other species. Just because it won’t try to eat you doesn’t prevent it from being creepy while it scuttles about. Fossil trackways have been discovered, showing that Arthropleura could quickly move and manoeuvre, undulating hundreds of legs in rhythm to nauseate and disturb anyone watching. These are the largest known land invertebrates of all time, and it is unlikely they had any predators, but they could probably rear up into a defensive posture and look you straight in the eyes.
SMILODON
Smilodon, also called the Saber-Tooth Cat, is a subdivision of a large predatory sabre-toothed cat that originated during the Pleistocene epoch in North and South America. Defiantly the most famous prehistoric cat of all time, Smilodon is recognised for its two large, sabre-like teeth, as its name suggests. It was around the size of modern lions and tigers but with massive upper body strength that it used to wrestle its prey to the ground. It would then use its serrated, 11" long fangs to give a killing bite to the throat or a stabbing wound to its victim’s lungs.