Extinct animals size

[Catherine]

From where I was standing the mastodon and the mammoth both looked enormous. If I got another chance to see them I would observe more. On that trip I let myself feel the presence of the creatures and experience their size. I wasn't expecting to see the skeletons either. I was on a different trip with friends and I took a side trip by myself to see the tar pits and the museum. It was worth the whole trip just to see the mammoth and the mastodon.

The Liopleurodon was a serious looking predator. It must have been able to swallow a fairly large prey animal. The oceans were a dangerous place in prehistoric times.

I have heard of the thresher shark. Is there a smaller version that is alive today or are they all extinct.

[SameerluvAnimals]

(01-30-2019, 04:25 PM)Catherine Wrote: From where I was standing the mastodon and the mammoth both looked enormous. If I got another chance to see them I would observe more. On that trip I let myself feel the presence of the creatures and experience their size. I wasn't expecting to see the skeletons either. I was on a different trip with friends and I took a side trip by myself to see the tar pits and the museum. It was worth the whole trip just to see the mammoth and the mastodon.

The Liopleurodon was a serious looking predator. It must have been able to swallow a fairly large prey animal. The oceans were a dangerous place in prehistoric times.

I have heard of the thresher shark. Is there a smaller version that is alive today or are they all extinct.

You can compare the mammoth and mastodon skeleton from internet pictures too. There are 3 types of small thresher sharks alive today. Common thresher, big eye thresher and pelagic thresher.



Carcharocles chubutensis is considered to be a close relative of the megatoothed shark megalodon. It is one of the largest sharks to have existed, reaching 12 m (40 ft) in length. 

Fossils have been found in Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Cuba and Puerto Rico.

[Catherine]

Seeing pictures of mammoths and mastodons is good, but actually seeing the skeletons is a much deeper experience.

I though there were thresher sharks alive today.

Carcharocles chubutensis is a big shark. So Megalodon has relatives. Are they all extinct or are there some distant relatives alive today.

[SameerluvAnimals]

Megalosaurus was perhaps the first scientifically-described dinosaur. This mid-sized theropod was about 7 m (23 ft) long or more and weigh about 1 tonne.

Fossils have been found in Europe (England).

[Catherine]

I think a small herd of kotasaurus would be just the thing that we need. It would be impressive without being too big. 

I am not so sure about the Megalosaurus. Even one might be a bit too much to handle.

The world must have been an amazing place when dinosaurs roamed the earth.

[SameerluvAnimals]

(02-05-2019, 03:08 PM)Catherine Wrote: I am not so sure about the Megalosaurus. Even one might be a bit too much to handle.

The world must have been an amazing place when dinosaurs roamed the earth.

(I am not so sure about the Megalosaurus. Even one might be a bit too much to handle.)  -----   In that case, how about a T-Rex ?




Equus Capensis or the cape giant zebra was a powerfully built equid, it resembled a modern heavy horse, however it may not be as big as the latter. It stood about 15hh - 16 hh or more at the withers and weighed about 400 - 600 kg.

Fossils have been found in South Africa.


(The size of E.capensis is based on the article by Vera Eisenmann.)




The broad-fronted moose, cervalces latifrons, was a large moose-like deer is the largest deer ever existed. It had the same mass as the American bison despite being much taller. Cervalces latifrons was 2.1 - 2.5 m (7 - 8 ft) tall and weighed about 1 - 1.2 tonnes. It is larger than its North American relative cervalces scotti, megaloceros giganteus and the modern moose. But the span of its antlers at 2.5 m (8 ft) was smaller than that of megaloceros.

Fossils have been found in Asia and Europe (Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Russia, UK.)

[Catherine]

I like the moose. The antlers are really interesting. They look like star bursts or perhaps maple leaves.  It is too bad that we don't have these animals anymore. The giant zebra is amazing too. We have lost so many beautiful animals. There are way too many animals on the extinct list and way too many almost on the extinct list.

[SameerluvAnimals]

(02-23-2019, 03:27 PM)Catherine Wrote: I like the moose. The antlers are really interesting. They look like star bursts or perhaps maple leaves.  It is too bad that we don't have these animals anymore. The giant zebra is amazing too. We have lost so many beautiful animals. There are way too many animals on the extinct list and way too many almost on the extinct list.

I agree that it's antlers are interesting. Yes, we have lost so many beautiful animals. 



Equus giganteus is possibly the largest horse that ever existed. It might have stood about 20hh - 22hh at the withers and weighed about 1.2 - 1.6 tonnes. It was as large as or larger than the draft horses.

Fossils have been found in North America.

[Catherine]

Equus Giganteus is an impressive horse. I knew there were  horse fossils in North America. I thought they were for small horses. I have never heard of Equus Giganteus. It is normal for North America to have horses. Even though the horses we have now are introduced they belong here since we have no more of the horses we should have.

[Libby]

I love this thread! It's amazing to imagine standing next to these animals that are gone.