Dinosaurs
Argentinosaurus is a massive herbivorous dinosaur that lived during the late Cretaceous Period, approximately 90 million years ago, in what is now Argentina. It's known for being one of the largest land animals that ever lived on the planet, with estimates suggesting it may have reached lengths of up to 100 feet and weighed up to 100 tons. Its long neck made up around half its total body length, and it had a relatively small head with a brain the size of a baseball.
The bones of Argentinosaurus are some of the largest ever
discovered, with thigh bones measuring over six feet long. It was so big that
it likely had to eat vast amounts of vegetation just to sustain itself, and it
had to eat up to half a ton of food each day. It probably faced very few
predators due to its sheer size and strength.
But Argentinosaurus was not the only big dinosaur roaming
the planet. Spinosaurus is a genus of theropod dinosaur that also lived during
the late Cretaceous Period, around 100 to 95 million years ago. It's known for
its distinctive sail-like structure on its back, which is formed by elongated
spines of vertebrae.
The first fossils of Spinosaurus were discovered in Egypt in
the early 20th century, but they were destroyed during World War II. However,
new fossils have been discovered in recent years, providing more information
about this unique and intimidating dinosaur. It turns out that Spinosaurus
didn't just hunt on land and is believed to have been a semi-aquatic dinosaur,
spending a significant amount of time in and around water.
Its adaptations for swimming included its long narrow snout,
which may have been used for catching fish, and its webbed feet were able to
propel the big, scary, sharp-toothed beast through water with ease. However,
the jury is still out on just how fast Spinosaurus could swim and whether it
spent all or just some of its time in water.
Spinosaurus was one of the largest known carnivorous
dinosaurs, with some estimates putting it at over 15 meters in length and
weighing 8 metric tons. It is probably safe to say that this dinosaur was scary
at any size and speed. But dinosaurs weren't the only huge animals to live on
Earth.
Megalodon and Shastasaurus
Shastasaurus is a prehistoric marine reptile that lived during the late Triassic period, around 210 to 215 million years ago. It's considered one of the largest known marine reptiles to exist on the planet, with some Shastasaurus reaching lengths of up to 20 meters long. Its size is comparable to that of a modern blue whale, making it one of the largest creatures to have ever lived in the ocean.
Shastasaurus was a highly adapted swimmer. Its elongated
body and paddle-like limbs suggest that it was capable of sustained, efficient
swimming. Its big, oddly shaped tail was likely used for propulsion, similar to
that of a modern dolphin.
Shastasaurus was a carnivore that probably fed on other
marine reptiles and large fish. Its elongated snout, filled with sharp teeth,
suggests it was a specialized predator. But there were other specialized
predators that would take its place millions of years later, lurking in the
deep, always hunting and looking for their next meal.
The infamous Megalodon, also known as the mega-tooth shark,
is one of the most well-known prehistoric sharks that ever lived. This huge
shark lived during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs, approximately 23 to 3.6
million years ago, and was one of the largest predators to ever swim in the
oceans.
The size of Megalodon is the most impressive feature of this species. The largest specimens of Megalodon found may have reached lengths of around 18 meters long and weighed up to 60 tons. To put this into perspective, the largest known great white shark, which is a close relative of Megalodon, only reaches a maximum length of around 6 meters and a weight of just 2.5 tonnes.
One of the reasons for the massive size of Megalodon was its
diet. Scientists believe that these sharks fed on a variety of large marine
mammals, including whales. The bite force of Megalodon was estimated to be
between 10 and 18 tons of pressure, which is more than 10 times the bite force
of the largest recorded great white shark. This allowed Megalodon to easily
bite through the thick blubber of its prey.
But despite its impressive size and strength, Megalodon went
extinct around 3.6 million years ago. However, the exact cause of its
extinction is still debated to this day. Some theories suggest that the
extinction of Megalodon was due to a decline in the availability of its prey or
competition with other predators.
Livyatan
Livyatan had large, robust jaws with teeth that could grow up to 36 centimeters in length, making them some of the largest teeth of any known carnivorous animal. These teeth were blade-like and serrated, which would have been well-suited for tearing into the flesh of prey. Based on the structure of its teeth, it's believed that Livyatan primarily preyed on large marine animals such as whales, seals, and other dolphins.
Given their size and predatory nature, it's possible that Livyatan could have attacked and even killed and eaten a Megalodon. However, it's important to note that there's no direct evidence of such an interaction, as both species lived millions of years apart and in different marine environments. When it comes to huge land animals, not many are aware of this next one.
Paraceratherium
Paraceratherium would have been an intimidating animal to be around, regardless of whether it was a herbivore or not. They were hornless, rhinoceros-like mammals that lived during the Oligocene epoch, approximately 34 to 23 million years ago. It's definitely one of the largest land animals that ever lived, with an estimated weight of up to 18 metric tons, almost as much as three or four adult African elephants, and a height of over 5.5 meters at the shoulder.
Paraceratherium had a long, flexible neck and a small head in proportion to its massive body. It's believed to have been a herbivore, feeding on leaves and other vegetation. It had four large legs, each with three toes, which were adapted for supporting its weight and allowing it to move across vast areas. But this wasn't the only giant land animal running around on the planet. There were three other giant animals roaming the land of North America around 23 to 20 million years ago.
Deodon
Deodon was one of the largest Entelodonts, a group of pig-like mammals that roamed North America and Eurasia during the Oligocene and Miocene epochs. It stood over two meters tall at the shoulder and weighed up to 498 kilograms. Deodon was an omnivore that ate almost anything it could catch or scavenge, including small mammals, reptiles, birds, and carrion. It had a powerful bite force and sharp teeth that could crush bones.
But the terror pig, Deodon, went extinct during the late Miocene, around 5 million years ago, possibly due to competition with other carnivores or climate change. Aside from the mammals, there were giant reptiles creeping around that you probably wouldn't want to meet, like this next monster.
Megalania
Megalania, also known as the giant Ripper lizard, was a prehistoric predator that lived in Australia during the Pleistocene epoch. It was a massive lizard that's estimated to have grown up to six meters long and weighed up to 680 kilograms, making it one of the largest lizards to have ever existed.
One of the most interesting things about Megalania is that it was able to climb trees. This is surprising given its large size and heavy body, but it's believed that Megalania used its strong claws to climb up trees to search for prey or escape from predators.
Another interesting thing is that Megalania went extinct around 50,000 years ago. This means that it's very possible humans were either hunted or the hunters of Megalania.
So far, we've covered a few of the biggest animals that are now extinct, but...
What are the largest animals on the planet today?
If you answered Wales, then you'd be correct, and you'd get a shiny gold star. When it comes to toothed whales, sperm whales are the largest and can grow up to 18 meters in length and weigh over 60 tons. Sperm whales are known for their remarkable ability to dive to incredible depths of up to 3,000 meters and stay underwater for over an hour, making them one of the deepest-diving mammals in the world.
Sperm whales are apex predators and feed primarily on squid,
but they also eat fish and other marine animals. They're also known for their
ability to use echolocation to locate prey in the deep ocean.
Now, that seems huge, but there is one animal that's much, much bigger, and its immense size and impressive abilities will simply blow your mind. Blue whales are the largest animals to have ever lived on Earth. They can grow up to 30.5 meters in length and weigh up to 200 tons, making them even larger than any dinosaur that ever lived.
Blue whales have a heart the size of a small car, weighing
as much as 680 kilograms. A blue whale's heart only beats five to six times per
minute but pumps over 10,000 liters of blood with each beat. Their blue-gray
skin pattern is actually made up of millions of tiny organisms called diatoms.
And here's something else remarkable we bet you didn't know: blue whales
produce some of the loudest sounds in the animal kingdom, with their calls
reaching up to 188 decibels. That's louder than a jet engine. They also have a
lifespan of about 80 to 90 years, putting them right up there with humans as
the longest-living mammals on Earth. Sadly, despite being the largest animal on
the planet, blue whales are also one of the most endangered species, with only
around 10,000 individuals remaining in the wild.
And that's a wrap on the largest animals article. We hope you
enjoyed learning about these incredible creatures and their impressive sizes.
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