Cognitive research project “Amazing animals of the past. Ancient animals of the earth Mini project on the theme of animals of the past mammoths

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SABER-TOOTHED TIGER

The saber-toothed tiger, or, in Latin, machairod, is a genus of extinct feline mammals, a distinctive feature of which were impressive upper fangs that protruded menacingly outward even when the mouth of the beast was closed

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FANGS

These long curved teeth in some species reached a length of 20 cm. The fangs resembled dagger-shaped blades, which is why scientists have an association with sabers.

Today, man is the dominant predator on the planet. And all thanks to the fact that these monsters died out long before our appearance. If they were alive today, it is still unknown who would be at the top of the food chain.

Argentavis lived 5-8 million years ago in Argentina. It weighed about 70 kg, had a size of 1.26 m in height, its wingspan reached 7 m (which is twice the wingspan of the largest modern birds - albatrosses). The skull of Argentavis was 45 cm long, and the humerus was more than half a meter long. All this makes Argentavis the largest flying bird known to science in the entire history of the Earth. Experts believe that the majestic Argentine bird flew like a high-quality glider. It is close in size to the Cessna 152 airplane. This creature resembled a bald eagle with a wingspan of about 8 meters and feathers the size of a samurai sword. It was believed that it hovered in the air like a glider, and could reach a speed of 240 km / h. Experts still don't know exactly how this bird could take off and land.

Dunkleosteus was the largest of the prehistoric armored placoderm fish. Her head and chest were covered with an articulated armored plate. Instead of teeth, these fish possessed two pairs of sharp bony plates that formed the beak structure. Dunkleosteus were probably extirpated by other placoderms, which had similar bony plates for protection, and their jaws were powerful enough to cut and pierce armored prey. One of the largest specimens known to have been found was 10 meters long and weighed four tons, making it one of the fish you definitely don't want to spin! This fish was not picky about food at all, eating fish, sharks and even fish of its own family. But they probably suffered from indigestion, provoked by fossils of semi-digested fish remains. Scientists from the University of Chicago concluded that Dunkleosteus had the second most powerful bite among fish. These giant armored fish became extinct during the transition from the Devonian to the Carboniferous.

This giant sea creature looked like a cross between a scorpion and a lobster, with a tapering tail and flat fins. Racoscorpions, although similar to modern scorpions, still belong to a different species: eurypterids. They lived on earth for many millions of years, but still died out at the end of the Permian period. Early forms lived in shallow seas. About 325-299 million years ago, most of them switched to life in fresh water. This group included individuals that are considered the largest arthropods in the history of the planet. The body length of such creatures reached two and a half meters.

Possibly the largest extinct terrestrial predatory mammal that lived during the Middle-Late Eocene in Central Asia. Andrewsarchus is represented as a long-bodied and short-legged beast with a huge head. The length of the skull is 83 cm, the width of the zygomatic arches is 56 cm, but the dimensions can be much larger. According to modern reconstructions, if we assume relatively large head sizes and shorter legs, then the body length could reach up to 3.5 meters (without a 1.5 meter tail), height at the shoulders - up to 1.6 meters. Weight could reach 1 ton. Andrewsarch is a primitive ungulate, close to the ancestors of whales and artiodactyls. Andrewsarch lived from 45 to 36 million years ago.

This creature is called one of the largest, if not the largest of all who have ever plied the sky. Its name is associated with the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, who was known as a feathered serpent. The flying creature lived in the late Cretaceous period. It was the real king of the sky, with a wingspan of 12 meters and a height of almost 10. However, the weight was quite small - up to a centner, thanks to hollow bones. The creature had a pointed key with which it collected food. Long jaws did not interfere with the lack of teeth, and the main food could be fish, the corpses of other dinosaurs. Fossils were first discovered in Big Bend Park, Texas in 1971. It is believed that, while on the ground, the four-legged animal was so strong that it could take off right from the spot, without a run. Of course, it is difficult to compare this huge animal with modern ones. Since it was pterosaurs, it had no direct descendants. But at one time he was most associated with Pteranodon, which is already comparable to modern birds, in particular the marabou stork. Two facts bring them together - a larger than usual wingspan and a predilection for carrion as food.

His name speaks for itself. It was a huge monkey, a relative of the orangutan, who lived in the bamboo thickets, jungles and mountains of China, India and Vietnam during the Pleistocene. Gigantopithecus grew up to 3 m and weighed up to 550 kg! They were very strong, which was to their advantage in defense against predators. Gigantopithecus became extinct 300,000 years ago, most likely due to hunting by early humans or due to climate change. Of course, all Bigfoot lovers like to think that Gigantopithecus somehow survived in remote parts of the Himalayas and that there is still hope to see him.

A predatory marsupial of the Sparassodonta order that lived in the Miocene (10 million years ago). Reached the size of a jaguar. On the skull, the upper fangs are clearly visible, constantly growing, with huge roots continuing into the frontal region and long protective “lobes” on the lower jaw. The upper incisors are absent. Presumably hunted large herbivores. Tilacosmila is often called the marsupial tiger, by analogy with another formidable predator - the marsupial lion. It died out at the end of the Pliocene, unable to withstand competition with the first saber-toothed cats that settled the continent.

This animal is famous for its unusual dental spiral. It is believed that Helicoprion lived in the Carboniferous period. It is believed that this fish was one of the few who survived the Permian-Triassic mass extinction. But at the end of the Triassic period, the creature still died out. Although there are few fish remains, scientists have found an unusual dental spiral and several jaw bones. With their help, possible images of the animal were recreated. It is known for sure that he had teeth similar to a circular saw, located on the lower jaw. There were so many teeth that the older ones were pushed into the middle, creating a new spiral. However, new theories say that the spiral could be located in the throat area, remaining invisible from the outside. Such a structure of a marine inhabitant made it possible to hunt better. So, with a spiral it was possible to cut tentacles, injure fish or dig up mollusks. The length of such unusual creatures reached 2-3 meters, based on the diameter of a typical spiral of 25 centimeters. True, there were also dental formations of 90 centimeters, which gives reason to believe the length of helicoprions is up to 9-12 meters. Although the fish are very similar to the modern shark, they were primitive cartilaginous, close to the ancestors of modern marine predators.

Known as Phororacos, these birds were the main predators in South America and in some areas of North during the Miocene, Pliocene and Pleistocene period. They were then replaced by big cats and other carnivorous mammals. Fororakosovye could not fly, but they ran very fast (according to some scientists, as fast as a cheetah). They were very large, up to 3 m in height and weighing up to half a ton! Their main weapon was a head up to 1 m long, which allowed them to swallow dog-sized prey whole. But what is most terrible, thanks to the curved beak, terrible birds could kill and eat an animal the size of a horse.

10. Megistotherium.

A giant hyaenodontid that lived in the early and middle Miocene (20-15 million years ago). It is considered one of the largest land predator mammals that has ever existed. Its fossil remains have been found in East and Northeast Africa and South Asia. The length of the body with the head was about 4 m + the length of the tail, presumably 1.6 m, the height at the withers up to 2 m. The weight of megistotherium is estimated at 880-1400 kg.

Animals of the past

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Varieties of prehistoric animals

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Dinosaurs have lived on Earth for over 150 million years. Today on our planet there are no animals like these extraordinary ancient lizards that lived on all continents and became the progenitors of modern birds. Dinosaurs were extremely diverse, from compsognathans no larger than chickens to giant brachiosaurs. Some hunted and picked up carrion, others plucked grass and swallowed stones. All of them found a mate, laid eggs and raised cubs. Dinosaurs moved in different ways: some on two, some on four paws. Many lizards swam, some even tried to fly. They had to fight, escape from pursuers, hide and die. But 65 million years ago, these wonderful animals became extinct. Only the descendants of some feathered lizards remained; these were birds. Although the dinosaurs themselves have long disappeared from the face of the Earth, but the memory of them is reliably kept by stones. Fossils are the so-called fossilized remains of animals and plants that existed millions of years ago, practically the only source of our knowledge about ancient pangolins. During excavations, scientists discovered hundreds of different types of dinosaurs. The researchers managed to restore the skeletons of these animals and recreate a picture of their life.

The time when dinosaurs lived is called the Mesozoic era. It began approximately 245 million years ago and ended 65 million years ago. The Mesozoic era is divided into three periods: Triassic (245 - 213 million years ago), Jurassic (213 - 144 million years ago) and Cretaceous (144 - 65 million years ago). Dinosaur remains have been found in rock deposits only from this time.

Most of the figures given are approximate, because, unfortunately, in the time of the dinosaurs there was no one to take measurements. But all estimates are based on the latest scientific data.

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• The last of the dinosaurs died out when a terrible catastrophe shook the Earth. But the remains of many ancient creatures were preserved in stone and lay in the ground for 65 million years until people found them.
• There is reason to believe that dinosaur remains were first discovered more than 2,500 years ago in the Gobi desert in Central Asia. Visiting merchants brought news of amazing and terrifying creatures to Ancient Greece. Perhaps these stories are based on fossilized skeletons of protoceratops dinosaurs. And about 1700 years ago, the Chinese sages recorded that huge fossilized bones were found in the ground, which, according to the ancient sages, belonged to dragons and possessed magical powers. It is likely that these were dinosaur bones. But the real discovery of ancient lizards took place only in the 19th century. In 1815, in England, not far from Oxford, in a quarry where lime was mined, fossilized bones of a giant reptile were discovered. Later, William Buckland, professor of geology at Oxford University, gave this animal a scientific name - megalosaurus (huge lizard). And in 1842, the English scientist Richard Owen first used the term "dinosaurs" (terrible lizards) to refer to animals whose three fossilized skeletons were somewhat different from other reptile skeletons found.
• Since then, hundreds of different types of dinosaurs have been discovered. They have been found on all continents, and until now, every year, scientists find 10-15 new species of ancient lizards. At first it was believed that dinosaurs were clumsy and stupid creatures. But when in
• In the 60s of the XX century, Deinonychus was discovered - small large-headed dinosaurs, the opinion of researchers has changed. Now scientists believe that dinosaurs were agile and even smart animals. After all, they have lived on Earth for about 160 million years!

How were dinosaurs discovered?

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Pareiasaurs, the largest of the oldest reptiles, reached a length of 4m. Bone plates ingrown into the skin reliably protected the back of this animal. Pareiasaurs were herbivores, they chewed the leaves with small sharp teeth. Herds of pareiasaurs grazed in shallow water, eating succulent algae.

pareiasaurus

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Diplodocus - translated as "two-pronged" (on the vertebrae of the tail from below there are double processes that

apparently, they strengthened the tail dragging along the ground). The length of the lizard is up to 27 m, the weight is about 10 tons. Herbivorous. He could stand up on his hind legs, reaching high branches of trees.

Diplodocus

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Brachiosaurus is one of the largest dinosaurs. Its weight exceeded 50 tons - about the weight of a huge truck. In addition, it was one of the tallest dinosaurs: its head towered 13m above the ground. In the Jurassic period, when the climate was warm and humid, the land was almost completely covered with lush vegetation.

Brachiosaurus

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• Argentinosaurus is apparently the heaviest land animal ever. Not much is known about this giant; it is believed that it weighed more than 100 tons, and its length from head to tail was 35 m.
• Argentinosaurus had a huge body, but a small head and brain. His heart weighed about 1 ton.

Argentinosaurus

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Stegosaurus - "armored lizard" is sometimes called plate dinosaurs: wide flat plates or bone spikes stuck out on their neck, back and tail.

Most likely, stegosaurs appeared in East Asia in the early Jurassic period, and then settled on other continents. Its length was about 9 m, and it weighed about 3 tons. Stegosaurus fossils date from the late Jurassic to early Cretaceous periods.

Stegosaurus

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Triceratops - a lizard about 9 m long and weighing 5 tons, was twice as heavy and stronger than a rhinoceros. He had three very sharp horns, with which he defended himself from predatory dinosaurs such as tyrannosaurs. However, most of the time he was engaged in plucking plants with his "parrot" beak and chewing them with his many - numerous cheek teeth with sharp serrations. About 65 million years ago, Triceratops were one of the most numerous dinosaurs.

Triceratops

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Tyrannosaurus - means "royal lizard - tyrant." Its fossil remains were found in 1902 in North America. Tyrannosaurus, one of the last dinosaurs, reached 13 m in length, 6 m in height and weighed 6 tons. It walked on powerful hind legs, maintaining balance with the help of a long tail. But since the tyrannosaurus weighed a lot, it probably ran, albeit quickly, but not for long. He could reach speeds of up to 30 km per hour.

tyrannosaurus rex

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Sea animals.

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Ammonites belong to the group of cephalopods. The ammonite shell had several chambers; some of them were filled with gas, which helped the animals to stay afloat. In most, the shells were spiral, but in some species they were straight, cone-shaped, or twisted. Ammonites were predators or fed on dead animals. Long tentacles, powerful mouthparts and good eyesight helped them hunt. These animals were very numerous, but like the dinosaurs, they died out by the end of the Cretaceous period (about 65 million years ago).

Ammonites

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Pikaya is a small worm-like animal that is considered the ancestor of vertebrates. Pikaya looked like an eel with tail fins. Its fossils have been found in the Burgess Shale (Canada) in layers 530 million years old. Pikaya was apparently the first chordate animal known to us with a rigid supporting structure running along the back, the notochord. The group of chordates includes all vertebrates, as well as tunicates living in the sea and non-cranial.

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Trilobite conocoryphe - lived in the seas of the middle Cambrian period, about 530 million years ago. It was one of the smallest trilobites: its length was about 5cm. Most trilobites were in the Cambrian, Ordovician and Silurian periods (542-410 million years ago), although they survived until the late Triassic period, 250 million years ago. years ago. Many trilobite fossils are fossilized shells (exoskeleton).

Trilobite conocoryphe

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Holothurians (sea cucumbers), like starfish, are echinoderms. They live on the sea floor and feed on small animals that are caught from water, silt or sand.

Holothurians

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Mesosaurus - it was about 1 m long, had a flat, well-adapted tail for swimming. Mesosaurus fed on invertebrates, filtering them through thin teeth. In South Africa and Brazil, remains of a freshwater mesosaurus have been found in Permian deposits.

Mesosaurus

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Unseen prehistoric animals
prehistoric creatures. ancient animals. Animals of the past.
Animals of the prehistoric period. Animals of the distant past.

Remains of Platibelodon ( Platybelodon) were found for the first time only in 1920 in the Miocene deposits (about 20 million years ago) of Asia. Descended from Archaeobelodon (genus Archaeobelodon) from the early and middle Miocene of Africa and Eurasia and was in many ways similar to an elephant, except that it did not have a trunk, which was replaced by huge jaws.

Pakicet (Pakicetus) is an extinct predatory mammal related to archaeocetes. The most ancient of the now known predecessors of the modern whale, who lived about 48 million years ago and adapted to search for food in the water. Lived in what is now Pakistan. This primitive "whale" was still amphibious, like a modern otter. The ear had already begun to adapt to hear under water, but could not yet withstand a lot of pressure.

Arsinotherium (Arsinoitherium) - an ungulate that lived about 36-30 million years ago. Reached 3.5 m in length and 1.75 m in height at the withers. Outwardly, it resembled a modern rhinoceros, but retained all five fingers on the front and hind legs. His "special feature" were huge, massive horns, consisting not of keratin, but of a bone-like substance, and a pair of small outgrowths of the frontal bone. Remains of Arsinotherium are known from the Lower Oligocene deposits of northern Africa (Egypt).

Megaloceros (Megaloceros giganteus) or bighorn deer, appeared about 300 thousand years ago and died out at the end of the ice age. Inhabited Eurasia, from the British Isles to China, preferred open landscapes with sparse woody vegetation. The bighorn deer was about the size of a modern elk. The head of the male was decorated with colossal horns, greatly expanded at the top in the form of a spade with several processes, with a span of 200 to 400 cm, and weighing up to 40 kg. There is no consensus among scholars as to what led to the emergence of such huge and apparently inconvenient jewelry for the wearer.

Astrapoteria (Astrapotherium magnum) - a genus of large ungulates from the Late Oligocene - Middle Miocene of South America. They are the most well-studied representatives of the Astrapotheria order. They were quite large animals - their body length reached 288 cm, their height was 137 cm, and their weight, apparently, reached 600 - 800 kg.

Titanoides (Titanoides) lived 60 million years ago on the American continent and were the first truly large mammals. The area where the Titanoides lived is subtropical with a swampy forest, similar to modern southern Florida. They probably ate roots, leaves, tree bark, and also did not disdain small animals and carrion. They were distinguished by the presence of frightening fangs - sabers, on a huge, almost half a meter skull. In general, they were powerful beasts, with a weight of about 200 kg. and body length up to 2 meters.

Stilinodon (Stylinodon) is the most famous and last species of teniodont, living about 45 million years ago during the Middle Eocene in North America. Teniodonts were among the fastest growing mammals after the extinction of the dinosaurs. They are probably related to the ancient primitive insectivorous animals, from which they apparently originated. The largest representatives, such as Stylinodon, reached the size of a pig or a medium-sized bear and weighed up to 110 kg. The teeth had no roots and had constant growth.

Pantolambda (pantolambda) is a relatively large North American pantodont, about the size of a sheep, who lived in the middle of the Paleocene. The oldest member of the squad. Pantodonts are descended from Cimolestes and are related to early ungulates. Probably the diet of pantolambda was varied and not very specialized. The menu included shoots and leaves, mushrooms and fruits, which could be supplemented with insects, worms, or carrion.

Coryphodon (Coryphodon) were widespread in the Lower Eocene 55 million years ago, at the end of which they became extinct. The genus Coryphodon appeared in Asia in the early Eocene epoch, and then migrated to the territory of modern North America, where it probably supplanted the native pantodont Barylambda (Barylambda). The height of the corphodon was about a meter, and the weight was about 500 kg. Probably, these animals preferred to settle in forests or near water bodies.

Quabebihyraxes (Kvabebihyrax kachethicus) is a genus of very large fossil hyraxes of the pliogiracid family. They lived only in Transcaucasia, (in Eastern Georgia) in the late Pliocene, 3 million years ago. They were distinguished by large sizes, the length of their massive body reached 1.5 m. Perhaps it was in the aquatic environment that the Kvabeb daman sought protection at the moment of danger.

Celodonts (Coelodonta antiquitatis) are fossil woolly rhinos that have adapted to life in the arid and cool conditions of the open landscapes of Eurasia. They existed from the late Pliocene to the early Holocene. They were large, relatively short-legged animals with a high scruff and an elongated skull bearing two horns. The length of their massive body reached 3.2 - 4.3 m, the height at the withers - 1.4 - 2 m.

Embolotherium (Embolotherium ergilense) are representatives of the brontotheriid family of the odd-toed order. These are large land mammals that were larger than rhinos. The group was widely represented in the savanna landscapes of Central Asia and North America, mainly in the Oligocene. The skull size of 125 cm condylobasal length suggests the growth of Ergilensis from a large African elephant under 4 m at the withers and a weight of about 7 tons.

Palorchesta (Palorchestes azael) - a genus of marsupials that lived in Australia in the Miocene and became extinct in the Pleistocene about 40 thousand years ago, after the arrival of man in Australia. Reached 1 meter at the withers. The muzzle of the animal ended in a small proboscis, for which the Palorchests are called marsupial tapirs, to which they are a bit similar. In fact, Palorchest are quite close relatives of wombats and koalas.

Synthetoceras (Synthetoceras tricornatus) lived in the Miocene, 5-10 million years ago, in North America. The most characteristic difference between these animals is the bone "horns". It is not known whether they were covered with a cornea, as in modern cattle, but it is clear that the antlers did not change annually, as in deer. Synthetoceras belonged to the extinct North American family of calluses (Protoceratidae), and is believed to have been related to camels. Protoceratids looked very different, although the structure of the lower limbs in them and in camels is similar, which made it possible to place such different animals in one group.

Meriterium (moeritherium) is the oldest known representative of the proboscis. It was the size of a tapir and apparently looked like this animal, having a rudimentary trunk. Reached 2 m in length and 70 cm in height. Weighed approximately 225 kg. The second pairs of incisors in the upper and lower jaws were greatly enlarged; their further hypertrophy in later proboscideans led to the formation of tusks. Lived in the late Eocene and Oligocene in North Africa (from Egypt to Senegal). It fed on plants and algae. According to recent data, modern elephants had distant ancestors who lived mainly in the water.

Deinotherium (Deinotherium giganteum) are the largest land animals of the Late Miocene - Middle Pliocene. The body length of representatives of various species ranged from 3.5-7 m, growth at the withers reached 3-5 m (on average - 3.5-4 m), and the weight could reach 8-10 tons. Outwardly, they resembled modern elephants , but differed from them in proportions.

Stegotetrabelodon (Stegotetrabelodon) is a representative of the elephantidae family, which means that the elephants themselves used to have 4 well-developed tusks each. The lower jaw was longer than the upper, but the tusks were shorter. The lower tusks entered, when the jaws closed, into the gap between the upper ones. At the end of the Miocene (5 million years ago), proboscideans began to lose their lower tusks.

Andrewsarchus (Andrewsarchus), possibly the largest land carnivorous mammal. Andrewsarchus is represented as a long-bodied and short-legged beast with a huge head. The length of the skull is 834 mm, the width of the zygomatic arches is 560 mm, but the dimensions can be much larger. According to modern reconstructions, if we assume relatively large head sizes and shorter legs, then the body length could reach up to 3.5 meters (without a 1.5 meter tail), height at the shoulders - up to 1.6 meters. The weight could reach one ton. Andrewsarchus is a primitive ungulate, close to the ancestors of whales and artiodactyls.

Amphicyonidae (Amphicyon major) or dog bears became widespread in Europe from the late Oligocene (2 million years ago). In the proportions of Amphicyon major, bearish and catlike traits were mixed. Like bears, its remains have been found in Spain, France, Germany, Greece and Turkey. The average weight of Amphicyon major males is 212 kg, and females - 122 kg (almost like modern lions). Amphicyon major was an active carnivore, and its teeth were well adapted for gnawing bones.

giant sloths- a group of several different species of sloths, distinguished by their especially large size. They originated in the Oligocene about 35 million years ago and lived on the American continents, reaching a weight of several tons and a height of 6 m. Unlike modern sloths, they did not live on trees, but on the ground. They were clumsy, slow animals with a low, narrow skull and very little brain matter.

Arctotherium (Arctotherium angustidens) is the largest short-faced bear known to date. Representatives of this species reached 3.5 m in length and weighed about 1600 kg. The height at the withers reached 180 cm. Arctotherium angustidens lived in the Pleistocene, on the Argentine plains. At one time (2 million - 500 thousand years ago), he was the largest predator on the planet.

Wintatherium (Uintatherium) is a mammal from the dinocerate order. The most characteristic feature is three pairs of horn-like outgrowths on the roof of the skull (parietal and maxillary bones), more developed in males. The outgrowths were covered with skin, like giraffe ossicons.

Toxodon (Toxodon) - the largest representative of the Toxodont family (Toxodontidae) and the order Notoungulata (Notoungulata), was endemic to South America. The genus Toxodon formed at the end of the Pliocene and survived until the very end of the Pleistocene. With its massive build and large size, Toxodon resembled a hippopotamus or a rhinoceros. The height at the shoulders was about 1.5 meters, and the length was about 2.7 meters (excluding the short tail).

Thilacosmil (Thylacosmilus atrox) - a predatory marsupial animal of the Sparassodonta order that lived in the Miocene (10 million years ago). Reached the size of a jaguar. On the skull, the upper fangs are clearly visible, constantly growing, with huge roots continuing into the frontal region and long protective “lobes” on the lower jaw. The upper incisors are absent. Presumably hunted large herbivores. Tylacosmila is often called the marsupial tiger, by analogy with another formidable predator - the marsupial lion (Thylacoleo carnifex). It died out at the end of the Pliocene, unable to withstand competition with the first saber-toothed cats that settled the continent.

Sarcastodon (Sarkastodon mongoliensis) is one of the largest land mammal predators of all time. This huge oxyenid lived in Central Asia. The skull of a sarcastodon found in Mongolia is about 53 cm long, and the width at the zygomatic arches is approximately 38 cm. The body length, apparently, was 2.65 meters, excluding the tail. Sarcastodon looked like a cross between a cat and a bear, only under a ton of weight. Perhaps he led a bear-like lifestyle, but was much more carnivorous, did not disdain carrion, driving away weaker predators.

Mongolian (Prodinoceras Mongolotherium) is a species of mammals of the extinct order Dinocerata, family Uintatherium. It is considered one of the most primitive representatives of the detachment.

terrible birds(sometimes called fororacos), who lived 23 million years ago, differed from their counterparts in a massive skull and beak. Their growth reached up to three meters, and they were formidable predators. Scientists created a three-dimensional model of the bird's skull and found that the bones of the head were strong and rigid in the vertical and longitudinal-transverse directions, while the skull was rather fragile in the transverse direction.

In the hare family ( Leporidae), also had their giants. In 2005, a giant rabbit was described from the island of Menorca (Baleares, Spain), which received the name Nurogalus (Nuralagus rex). The size of a dog, he could reach a weight of 14 kg. According to scientists, such a large size of the rabbit is due to the so-called island rule. According to this principle, large species, once on the islands, decrease over time, while small ones, on the contrary, increase.

megistotherium (Megistotherium osteothlastes) - a giant hyenodontid that lived in the early and middle Miocene (20-15 million years ago). It is considered one of the largest land predator mammals that has ever existed. Its fossil remains have been found in East and Northeast Africa and South Asia. The length of the body with the head was about 4 m + the length of the tail, presumably 1.6 m, the height at the withers up to 2 m. The weight of megistotherium is estimated at 880-1400 kg.

woolly mammoth (Mammothus primigenius) appeared 300 thousand years ago in Siberia, from where it spread to North America and Europe. The mammoth was covered with coarse wool, up to 90 cm long. A layer of fat almost 10 cm thick served as additional thermal insulation. Summer wool was significantly shorter and less dense. They were most likely painted in dark brown or black. With small ears and a short trunk compared to modern elephants, the woolly mammoth was well adapted to cold climates. Woolly mammoths were not as huge as is often assumed.

In addition to woolly northern mammoths, there were also southern ones without wool. In particular, the Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi), which was one of the largest representatives of the elephant family that ever existed. The height at the withers in adult males reached 4.5 m, and their weight was about 10 tons. It was closely related to the sixth mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) and was in contact with it at the northern border of the range. Lived in the wide expanses of North America.

Cubanochoerus (Kubanochoerus robustus) is a large representative of the family of pigs of the artiodactyl order. Skull length 680 mm. The facial part is strongly elongated and twice as long as the medulla. A distinctive feature of this animal is the presence of horn-shaped outgrowths on the skull. One of them, a large one, was located in front of the eye sockets on the forehead, behind it were a pair of small protrusions on the sides of the skull.

Gigantopithecus (Gigantopithecus) - an extinct genus of great apes that lived in the territory of modern India, China and Vietnam. According to experts, Gigantopithecus had a height of up to 3 meters and weighed from 300 to 550 kg, that is, they were the largest monkeys of all time. At the end of this Pleistocene, Gigantopithecus may have coexisted with humans of the species Homo erectus, who began to enter Asia from Africa.

Although it is not entirely known what exactly caused their extinction, most researchers believe that climate change and competition for food sources from other, more adaptable species - pandas and humans, were among the main reasons. The closest relative of the living species is the orangutan, although some experts consider the Gigantopithecus to be closer to the gorillas.

Diprotodon (Diprotodon) or " marsupial hippopotamus"- the largest known marsupial that has ever lived on earth. Diprotodon belongs to the Australian megafauna - a group of unusual species that lived in Australia in the period from approximately 1.6 million to 40 thousand years ago. Diprotodon bones, including complete skulls and skeletons, as well as hair and footprints, have been found in many places in Australia.

Deodon (Daeodon) is an Asian entelodont who migrated to North America around the end of the Oligocene era (20 million years ago). "Giant pigs" or "hogwolves" were four-legged, land-dwelling omnivores with massive jaws and teeth that enabled them to crush and eat large animals, including bones. With a growth of more than 2 m at the withers, it took food from smaller predators.

Chalicotherium (Chalicotherium). Chalicotheriaceae are a family of equids. They lived from the Eocene to the Pliocene (40-3.5 million years ago). Reached the size of a large horse, which they probably were somewhat similar in appearance. They had a long neck and long front legs, four-toed or three-toed. The fingers ended in large split talons, which were not hooves, but thick claws.

barylambda (Barylambda faberi) - a primitive pantodont, lived 60 million years ago in America, was one of the largest mammals of the Paleocene. With a length of 2.5 m and a weight of 650 kg, barylambda moved slowly on short powerful legs ending in five fingers with hoof-shaped claws. She ate shrubs and leaves. There is an assumption that barylambda occupied an ecological niche similar to ground sloths, while the tail served as a third fulcrum.

Argentavis (Argentavis magnificens) is the largest flying bird known to science in the entire history of the Earth, which lived 5-8 million years ago in Argentina. It belonged to the now completely extinct family of teratorns, birds that are quite closely related to the American vultures, with which it was included in the order of storks (Ciconiiformes).

He could not play the role of a giant eagle. The fact is that when diving from a height at high speed, a bird of this size has a high probability of crashing. In addition, the paws of the Argentavis are poorly adapted to grasping prey, and are similar to those of the American vultures, not the Falconiformes, whose paws are well adapted for this purpose. Like American vultures, Argentavis' claws were likely relatively weak, but the beak was very powerful, allowing it to feed on dead animals of any size.

In addition, Argentavis probably sometimes attacked small animals, as modern vultures do.

Thalassocnus- edentulous from the Miocene and Pliocene (10-5 million years ago) of South America. He probably led a semi-aquatic lifestyle.

Secondary School No. 2, Voronezh 5th grade student "B" Lesnikov Ilya Dinosaurs have lived on Earth for more than 150 million years. Today on our planet there are no animals like these extraordinary ancient lizards that lived on all continents and became the progenitors of modern birds. Dinosaurs were extremely diverse, from compsognathans no larger than chickens to giant brachiosaurs. Some hunted and picked up carrion, others plucked grass and swallowed stones. All of them found a mate, laid eggs and raised cubs. Dinosaurs moved in different ways: some on two, some on four paws. Many lizards swam, some even tried to fly. They had to fight, escape from pursuers, hide and die. But 65 million years ago, these wonderful animals became extinct. Only the descendants of some feathered lizards remained; these were birds. Although the dinosaurs themselves have long disappeared from the face of the Earth, but the memory of them is reliably kept by stones. Fossils are the so-called fossilized remains of animals and plants that existed millions of years ago, practically the only source of our knowledge about ancient pangolins. During excavations, scientists discovered hundreds of different types of dinosaurs. The researchers managed to restore the skeletons of these animals and recreate a picture of their life. The time when dinosaurs lived is called the Mesozoic era. It began approximately 245 million years ago and ended 65 million years ago. The Mesozoic era is divided into three periods: Triassic (245-213 million years ago), Jurassic (213-144 million years ago) and Cretaceous (144-65 million years ago). Dinosaur remains have been found in rock deposits only from this time. Most of the figures given are approximate, because, unfortunately, in the time of the dinosaurs there was no one to take measurements. But all estimates are based on the latest scientific data. The last of the dinosaurs died out when a terrible catastrophe shook the Earth. But the remains of many ancient creatures were preserved in stone and lay in the ground for 65 million years until people found them. There is reason to believe that dinosaur remains were first discovered more than 2,500 years ago in the Gobi desert in Central Asia. Visiting merchants brought news of amazing and terrifying creatures to Ancient Greece. Perhaps the basis of these stories is the discovery of fossilized skeletons of protoceratops dinosaurs. And about 1700 years ago, the Chinese sages recorded that huge fossilized bones were found in the ground, which, according to the ancient sages, belonged to dragons and possessed magical powers. It is likely that these were dinosaur bones. But the real discovery of ancient lizards took place only in the 19th century. In 1815, in England, not far from Oxford, in a quarry where lime was mined, fossilized bones of a giant reptile were discovered. Later, William Buckland, professor of geology at Oxford University, gave this animal a scientific name - megalosaurus (huge lizard). And in 1842, the English scientist Richard Owen first used the term "dinosaurs" (terrible lizards) to refer to animals whose three fossilized skeletons were somewhat different from other reptile skeletons found. Since then, hundreds of different types of dinosaurs have been discovered. They have been found on all continents, and until now, every year, scientists find 10-15 new species of ancient lizards. At first it was believed that dinosaurs were clumsy and stupid creatures. But when Deinonychus, small, large-headed dinosaurs, were discovered in the 60s of the 20th century, the opinion of researchers changed. Now scientists believe that dinosaurs were agile and even smart animals. After all, they have lived on Earth for about 160 million years! Pareiasaurs, the largest of the oldest reptiles, reached a length of 4m. Bone plates ingrown into the skin reliably protected the back of this animal. Pareiasaurs were herbivores, they chewed the leaves with small sharp teeth. Herds of pareiasaurs grazed in shallow water, eating succulent algae. Diplodocus is translated as "two-pronged" (on the vertebrae of the tail from below there are double processes that apparently strengthened the tail dragged along the ground). Brachiosaurus is one of the largest dinosaurs.Its weight exceeded 50 tons - about the weight of a huge truck.In addition, it was one of the tallest dinosaurs: its head towered 13m above the ground.During the Jurassic period, when the climate was warm and humid, the land was almost completely covered with lush vegetation.Argentinosaurus is apparently the heaviest land animal that has ever existed.Not much is known about this giant, it is believed that it weighed more than 100 tons, and its length from head to tail was 35m .The Argentinosaurus had a huge body, but a small head and brain.His heart weighed about 1 ton.The stegosaurus- "armored lizard" is sometimes called plate dinosaurs: they had sticking out on the neck, back and tail wide flat plates or bone spikes. Most likely, stegosaurs appeared in East Asia in the early Jurassic period, and then settled on other continents. Its length was about 9 m, and it weighed about 3 tons. Stegosaurus fossils date from the late Jurassic to early Cretaceous periods. Triceratops - a lizard about 9 m long and weighing 5 tons, was twice as heavy and stronger than a rhinoceros. He had three very sharp horns, with which he defended himself from predatory dinosaurs such as tyrannosaurs. However, most of the time he was engaged in plucking plants with his "parrot" beak and chewing them with his many - numerous cheek teeth with sharp serrations. About 65 million years ago, Triceratops were one of the most numerous dinosaurs. Tyrannosaurus - means "royal lizard - tyrant." Its fossil remains were found in 1902 in North America. Tyrannosaurus, one of the last dinosaurs, reached 13 m in length, 6 m in height and weighed 6 tons. It walked on powerful hind legs, maintaining balance with the help of a long tail. But since the tyrannosaurus weighed a lot, it probably ran, albeit quickly, but not for long. He could reach speeds of up to 30 km per hour. Ammonites belong to the group of cephalopods. The ammonite shell had several chambers; some of them were filled with gas, which helped the animals to stay afloat. In most, the shells were spiral, but in some species they were straight, cone-shaped, or twisted. Ammonites were predators or fed on dead animals. Long tentacles, powerful mouthparts and good eyesight helped them hunt. These animals were very numerous, but like the dinosaurs, they died out by the end of the Cretaceous period (about 65 million years ago). Pikaya is a small worm-like animal that is considered the ancestor of vertebrates. Pikaya looked like an eel with tail fins. Its fossils have been found in the Burgess Shale (Canada) in layers 530 million years old. Pikaya was apparently the first chordate animal known to us with a rigid supporting structure running along the back, the notochord. The group of chordates includes all vertebrates, as well as tunicates living in the sea and non-cranial. Trilobite conocoryphe - lived in the seas of the middle Cambrian period, about 530 million years ago. It was one of the smallest trilobites: its length was about 5cm. Most trilobites were in the Cambrian, Ordovician and Silurian periods (542-410 million years ago), although they survived until the late Triassic period, 250 million years ago. years ago. Many trilobite fossils are fossilized shells (exoskeleton). Holothurians (sea cucumbers), as well as echinoderm starfish. They live on the sea floor and feed on small animals that are caught from water, silt or sand. Mesosaurus - it was about 1 m long, had a flat, well-adapted tail for swimming. Mesosaurus fed on invertebrates, filtering them through thin teeth. In South Africa and Brazil, remains of a freshwater mesosaurus have been found in Permian deposits.