With Earth being as old as it is, thousands, if not millions, of creatures have walked the face of the Earth. These tough guys are surprising and might even put up quite a fight if they were still around.
Extinct Nightmares
While a lucky few animals survived to see the modern world, some animals weren’t so lucky. That might have been the best thing for us because having these creatures roaming around would be nothing short of a nightmare.
1. Titanoboa
If you’ve got a fear of snakes, you should be thankful that this creature isn’t around anymore. This massive snake grew to 50 feet long and had over 250 vertebrae. Sixty million years ago, they could be found slithering around tropical rainforests.
2. Deinosuchus
The modern-day crocodile would be no match for this massive creature. This massive croc could grow up to 35 feet long, and it was even believed that they would pick fights with a T-Rex every so often. Anything brave enough to take on a T-Rex is something out of a nightmare.
3. Arcdotus
Around 12,00 years ago, roaming the forests of North America would have been more intimidating than it is now. These giant bears weighed 1,500 pounds, stood 11 feet tall on their hind legs, and wouldn’t be something to mess with. You couldn’t run too far either because they ran a remarkable 40 miles per hour.
4. Megalodon
We’ve all seen the movies, and most people know how they end, too, so needless to say, these creatures weren’t something to mess with. These sea beasts went extinct around 3.6 million years ago and grew as long as 33 feet.
5. Gigantopithecus
When people first started finding the teeth of these magnificent creatures, they were convinced that giants roamed the Earth. These creatures resembled the modern-day orangutan but were much larger. They weighed over 600 pounds and stood over 10 feet tall.
6. Phorusrhacidae
With a name like terror bird, it is no surprise that these creatures should only belong in your nightmares. These predators varied between 3 and 9 feet in height and were mainly found in South America.
7. Arthropleura
Some of the smallest critters can make your skin crawl, but this creature takes creepy crawly to a different level. This giant millipede grew up to 9 feet long, but thankfully, they went extinct 290 million years ago.
8. Smilodon fatalis
The saber-tooth Tiger is well known in the media today, but it doesn’t really capture the greatness of this creature. They used to hunt prey much bigger than themselves, showing how bold and brave they could be. These tigers grew as long as lions, but they were much bulkier.
9. Megalania
If you ever encounter a Komodo Dragon, you might think they are pretty large for a lizard. If that’s the case, you surely didn’t want to meet their extinct cousin. These massive creatures grew over 18 feet long and weighed 1,300 pounds. What’s even scarier is that they used to hunt and scavenge for their food, often tearing flesh apart.
10. Megapiranha
Piranhas aren’t the most loved fish species, and they had an even bigger cousin. Mostly found in Argentina, they grew to be over 27 inches long and weighed up to 22 pounds.
11. Therizinosaurus
This large dinosaur lived around 70 million years ago, and they were pretty terrifying. These creatures were a family of velociraptors, but they had one distinct feature: their razor-sharp claws on each hand. Thankfully, they only used these claws to pull vegetation from the ground rather than hunt other creatures.
