Terrifying And Little Known Prehistoric Monsters

Who hasn’t heard of a tyrannosaurus Rex or a velociraptor thanks to movies like Jurassic Park? When we think of dinosaurs, we almost all think of a very small subset of these giant creatures from history. But perhaps more interesting are those which are far less familiar to us all. This list is just a small selection of monstrous or weird-looking creatures from ancient times, most of which are little known to the public.

This is a fairly well known prehistoric monster, but it is just so big and scary that it deserves to be in this list. Megalodon (technically called a Carcharocles megalodon) was a gigantic shark, closely related to today’s makos and great whites. It could grow up to 20 meters long and weigh up to 60 tons, being almost six times larger than Tyrannosaurus rex! Obviously, the only thing in the sea big enough to feed Megalodon where whales, and indeed, the giant shark’s bite marks have been found in the fossil remains of whales all around the world. Although many people like to imagine encounters between Megalodon and T-Rex, or dinosaur-like marine reptiles, the truth is Megalodon appeared long after the extinction of such creatures, and it wasn’t seen alive by any humans either, although it was still roaming the oceans when our australopithecine relatives took their first steps out of the jungle.

Since the formidable Smilodon (better known as saber-toothed tiger) is too well known, we have decided to go for a refreshing change. Enter Xenosmilus, possibly the nastiest feline ever to have existed. The remains of this very large cat (the size of a lion or tiger, but more robust) were recently found in Florida along with the remains of many unlucky giant peccaries (similar to wild pigs) that fell prey to it. Instead of strangling prey or breaking their neck as lions do, or stabbing them as the sabertoothed tiger did, Xenosmilus acted more like a shark or a carnivorous dinosaur, biting off a huge chunk of flesh and causing massive blood loss and shock in a matter of seconds. Compared to modern day felids, a Xenosmilus’ kill would probably be extremely bloody; so much in fact that it would probably not be shown in Animal Planet! Since we don’t know when exactly Xenosmilus became extinct, we can’t tell if humans ever met this cat, or fell prey to it.

Pulmonoscorpius
This is by far the smallest creature of the list, but it would still cause hysteria, and perhaps even some heart attacks, if it showed up today. It was very similar to today’s scorpions but could grow up to one meter long, perhaps more, and was armed with sharp chelae (claws) and a venomous stinger. Of course, we don’t know how toxic its venom was, but considering the considerable amount it injected with each attack, it was most likely a very deadly critter indeed. A predator, Pulmonoscorpius roamed the swampy forests of the Carboniferous in what is today Scotland. Just so you know, during the Carboniferous there were also giant roaches the size of house cats, dragonflies the size of hawks, and centipede-relatives up to three meters long. No kidding.

Azhdarchids were a kind of pterosaur (most popularly known as pterodactyls) which included the largest flying creatures ever to have existed. Some of them had wingspans of 12 to 15 meters, making them as large as a small plane (although they were obviously not as heavy). But what makes Azhdarchids really strange are their body proportions; they had ridiculously long legs, necks and beaks, and very small bodies, as well as relatively short wings. Scientists believe that they did not hunt on the wing, but rather walked on the ground hunting for any animal they could catch and swallow whole- that included dog-sized, perhaps even man-sized creatures! Standing on all fours, the largest Azhdarchids were as tall as a modern day giraffe… and almost as tall as a T-Rex.

Madtsoia
Madtsoia would be the worst nightmare of anyone with a phobia of snakes. Although only fragmentary remains are known, it is claimed to have reached the immense length of 15-20 meters! This creature appeared in the Cretaceous period and possibly dined on dinosaurs. It was similar to today’s boas and pythons in that it was not venomous, but rather squeezed its victims to death using its immense muscular strength. Madtsoia was such a successful predator, that it managed to survive the extinction that wiped out dinosaurs and other animals, but it finally went extinct about 45 million years ago. Other giant snakes are known to have existed, including one that was said to reach 29 meters in length!

Terror birds, formally known as Phorusrhacids, were the top predators in South America and parts of North America during the Miocene, Pliocene and Early Pleistocene periods, before they were replaced by big cats and other carnivorous mammals. They were unable to fly, but could run very fast (as fast as a cheetah, according to some scientists!) and were very large; the largest species could grow up to three meters tall and weigh up to half a ton. Their main weapon was their head, which could be up to one meter long, allowing them to swallow prey as large as a dog in one single gulp! However, thanks to the hooked tip of the bill, similar to that of eagles and hawks, the terrors birds could kill and devour prey much larger than a dog, including horses, camels, etc.

Epicyon
Epicyon could well be described as a giant pitbull on steroids. It was a member of the Canidae or dog family, but whereas modern day canids are built for speed and endurance, Epicyon was built for brute strength, and had jaws so powerful that they could crush bone as if they were crackers! This beast ruled the plains of North America for fifteen million years, before it was replaced by big cats (including sabertooths).