Prehistoric animals roamed all over the Earth. One of the best examples is the fascinating animals found at the La Brea Tar Pits. However, there are great places to find fossils across the US and abroad, including that of a giant apex predator found in Texas and the Jurassic Coast in the UK.
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Many associate prehistoric animals with dinosaurs. While dinosaurs are the best-known ancient animals, some of the scariest prehistoric creatures were not dinosaurs. Instead, these animals could crush bone, were the apex predators of their environments, and feared little making them more ferocious than most dinosaurs.
Here are eight of the scariest prehistoric creatures that were not dinosaurs.
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8 Titanoboa
Titanoboa lived in Columbia 66 to 56 million years ago
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Titanoboa were located in Columbia between 66 and 56 million years ago. Like most large reptiles, the warmth of countries near the equator is where the massive snakes called home. The 40-foot-long Titanoboa weighed one ton and was definitively an apex predator.
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What is interesting about Titanoboa is that only the spine of the massive snake has ever been located. There has never been a head or a complete skeleton found. Because of this, it can only be hypothesized what Titanoboa looked like and how it hunted.
Titanoboa are best guessed to have captured prey the same way that anacondas do. This would have meant that Titanoboa would have grabbed its prey and taken it to the water where it would have been strangled.
It is not known how long Titanoboa's lifespan was. More will be known if and when more fossils are found.
Region Where Titanoboa Lived
Columbia
When Titanoboa Lived
66 to 56 million years ago
Size
40 feet long
Weight
1 ton
Apex Predator
Yes
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7 Megalodon
Megalodon lived in all ocean except for those near the poles 23 to 3.6 million years ago
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Great white sharks may be the most feared shark in the oceans today, but once upon a time, 23 to 3.6 million years ago, that shark was the megalodon.
Swimming in the oceans, (except waters near the poles) Megalodon was the most feared creature under the water. Weighing up to 60 tons and stretching to 60 feet long, if there was an apex predator, Megalodon was it.
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Megalodon had several sets of teeth, just as sharks do today. Some of those teeth reached up to seven inches in size. The sharks used their massive teeth to eat "whales, seals, sea turtles", and more. Megalodon sharks even ate fish. It was a carnivorous predator and would eat what it could when it could.
However, as the climate changed and the large marine animals were not as plentiful, Megalodon suffered. With not enough food available, Megalodon eventually became extinct.
Region Where Megalodon Lived
All oceans except for those near the poles
When Megalodon Lived
23 to 3.6 million years ago
Size
Up to 60 feet long
Weight
Up to 60 tons
Apex Predator
Yes
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6 Arthropleura
Arthropleura lived in North America and Europe 345 to 290 million years ago
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The largest known arthropod to have ever lived in Arthorpleura. Distant cousins to the centipede and millipede, Arthropleura was over eight feet long and weighed 110 pounds. It did not have any predators to note.
First discovered in the 1850s, Arthropleura remained a mystery to researchers. This is because only Arthropleura's body could be found. It was not until October 2024 that a fossil find phased experts. The head of an Arthropleura was seen for the first time after a scan of an intact fossil was done. It was because of this scan that the Arthropleura evolutionary mystery was solved as it was discovered to belong to both the millipede and centipede families.
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From 345 to 290 million years ago, Arthropleura lived in North America and Europe. While the arthropod had a diet that consisted of plants, it was considered an apex predator because no other animals saw it as prey.
Region Where Arthropleura Lived
North America and Europe
When Arthropleura Lived
345 to 290 million years ago
Size
8 feet 2 inches long
Weight
110 pounds
Apex Predator
Yes
5 Epicyon
Epicyon lived in North America 15 to five million years ago
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Epicyon was located in several states across North America 15 to five million years ago. It was nearly eight feet long and weighed between 220 and 276 pounds.
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Epicyon's body was similar in shape to the gray wolf of today. However, the skull was more related to a lion than it is an animal from the canine family. More interesting still, the body is like that of the other "bone-crushing dogs" or Borophaginae that lived during this time, meaning that the Epicyon functioned like a hyena.
Epicyon had jaws that were so strong that it would bite through the bones of its prey. It would not only get nutrients from the flesh of what it hunted, but Epicyon would also get nourishment from the bone marrow. Every bit of the prey was consumed.
Given its size, Epicyon was definitively an apex predator.
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Region Where Epicyon Lived
North America
When Epicyon Lived
15 to five million years ago
Size
7.9 feet long
Weight
220 to 276 pounds
Apex Predator
Yes
4 Smilodon
Smilodon lived in North and South America 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago
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Smilodons are more commonly referred to as "saber-toothed cats". These cat-looking animals, however, are not related to any of the large or small feline species today. Instead, they belonged to the machairodontine family. The machairodontine group would eventually evolve to become a part of the feline family.
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Between 2.5 million and 10,000 years ago, Smilodons wandered North and South America. The animals that better resembled hyenas rather than tigers are believed to have traveled in packs together. The belief is that the pack would have taken down large prey such as mammoths, horses, camels, bison, and more.
It would not have been the Smilodons' massive canine teeth that would have been used when trying to subdue prey. Instead, it was their massive forearms and paws that would have captured the prey, and then a kill bite would have been administered. This is because, while impressive, Smilodons' teeth were fragile. One wrong bite and they would have broken.
Smilodons were approximately six feet long and 350 to 620 pounds. They were considered an apex predator but did have natural enemies like the dire wolf and hyenas.
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Region Where Smilodon Lived
North and South America
When Smilodon Lived
2.5 million to 10,000 years ago
Size
Six feet long
Weight
350 to 620 pounds
Apex Predator
Yes
3 Sarcosuchus
The Sarcosuchus lived in Africa and South America 122 to 113 million years ago
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There are some large and fearsome crocodiles and alligators that have been caught over the years. But, every one of those reptiles pale in comparison to Sarcosuchus, the largest crocodile ever to live.
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Sarcosuchus was located in Africa and South America. Unlike crocodiles of today, which stop growing around 10 years old, Sarcosuchus continued to grow throughout its lifetime. This is how the "Super Croc", as some refer to it, reached up to nearly 40 feet long and weighed 15 tons.
While it may have looked like a crocodile, Sarcosuchus was a member of the pholidosaur family. This group of massive reptiles lived 122 to 113 million years ago. But when they went extinct, there was not a relative species that has yet to be found that carried on into the present. What this means is that when Sarcosuchus died, that was the end of the species altogether.
Sarcosuchus' size would have allowed it to eat whatever it wanted when alive. But, based on the size of its snout, it is more likely that the huge reptile preferred a diet of fish instead.
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Region Where Sarcosuchus Lived
Africa and South America
When Sarcosuchus Lived
122 to 113 million years ago
Size
36 to 39 feet
Weight
15 tons
Apex Predator
Yes
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2 Andrewsarchus
The Andrewsarchus lived in China 45 to 36 million years ago
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Despite being one of the largest prehistoric terrestrial mammals, there is very little known about the Andrewsarchus. This is because the only fossil found of the huge creature is the skull. There has never been a full or partial skeleton located.
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The Andrewsarchus' skull is three feet long and was located in Mongolia by Roy Andrews in 1923. But with finding the skull came more questions than answers.
Based on the size of the skull, it is estimated that the Andrewsarchus weighed about 2,200 pounds. Estimates also have the Andrewsarchus clocking in at 16 feet long and six feet tall.
However, it is not known if this is correct. It is entirely possible that the Andrewsarchus was a slimmer animal than one with the stature of a bear. Its skull suggests that Andrewsarchus' head may have resembled a wolf. But, there were no canines present that would have broken bone or torn apart live prey after catching it.
Consequently, it is believed that Andrewsarchus could have been a scavenger. Others theorized it may have been an omnivore. But, until more fossils from 45 to 36 million years ago are discovered, what Andrewsarchus was truly like remains a mystery.
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Region Where Andrewsarchus Lived
China
When Andrewsarchus Lived
45 and 36 million years ago
Size
16 feet long and six feet tall
Weight
2,200 pounds
Apex Predator
Yes
1 Dire Wolf
The dire wolf lived in North America 125,000 to 9,500 years ago
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The dire wolf was much smaller than some of the other prehistoric animals of its time. Measuring five feet long and up to 200 pounds, the dire wolf was a compact killing machine.
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With jaws that literally broke bones, the dire wolf was quite fearsome, taking on saber-toothed cats when necessary. Breaking the prey's bones allowed the wolves to get as much nutrition as possible, as the dire wolves could consume marrow from the bones. Not surprisingly, the dire wolf was an apex predator.
While the dire wolf looked a great deal like the gray wolf, it is from a lineage of canines that are not related to the gray wolf.
The dire wolf lived as soon as 9,500 years ago. There are areas in North America where the fossilized footprints of dire wolves can still be seen, showing just where the dire wolves hunted and traveled together in packs.
Region Where Dire Wolf Lived
North America
When Dire Wolf Lived
125,000 to 9,500 years ago
Size
Five feet long
Weight
150 to 200 pounds
Apex Predator
Yes
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