From carnivorous turtles the size of a car,
to giant humanoids, here are 10 awesome extinct animals that people don't talk about…. 10. Carbonemys The Carbonemys was a turtle that grew to be
the size of a small car, that lived around 60 million years ago during the Paleocene
Period. The first evidence of this species was found
in a coal mine in Colombia in 2005, which is why it was given this name, which means
‘coal turtle’. They lived in South America during a time
where many animals grew to gigantic sizes so, despite being 10 feet long and weighing
more than 1,000 pounds, it would still have faced up against some mighty adversaries. A turtle this large, which was also cold-blooded,
would have been very slow moving, but it was equipped with something not seen in turtles
today- extremely powerful jaws! They were so strong, in fact, that paleontologists
are certain that they were carnivores… they would have been able to crush bones with ease,
and maybe even preyed on crocodiles! 9. Arctotherium angustidens Standing at up to eleven feet tall, and weighing
up to 4,500 pounds- the Arctotherium angustidens was, as far as we know, the largest species
of bear to have ever lived. Living across South America, it was at least
1,000 pounds heavier than the largest bears that live today, and 9 times heavier than
its closest relative that’s still around- the spectacled bear. It was so big, in fact, that its humerus,
the bone in the upper arm, was a similar size to those seen in elephants. The giant bear had a varied diet, similar
to that of grizzly bears, which leaves somewhat of a mystery about why it died out about 800,000
years ago. Presumably, it would have been able to adapt
to the changing availability of food where it lived, so it's thought that it was an increased
competition for meat with other carnivores that led the species to rely more on vegetation
and, therefore, evolve to be smaller as a result. 8. Quagga The Quagga was a type of zebra from South
Africa, but unlike those that you see today, the Quagga’s stripes faded below its neck. It was once thought to be a completely different
species, but recent analysis has shown it to be a subspecies of the plains zebra. Increased hunting by humans in the 1800s was
responsible for the extinction and near extinction of a number of animals and, unfortunately
for the Quagga, they were all completely gone by the end of the century. They were particularly sought after for their
meat and their hides, and farmers started taking over their grazing habitat for growing
crops. The last wild Quagga was killed in the 1870s,
and the last one in captivity, in an Amsterdam zoo, died in 1883. That’s not the end of the Quagga story,
though, because scientists have been working to selectively breed zebras to bring back
the traits of the Quagga that are hidden within their genetic code. Whether this counts as the re-introduction
of a true Quagga, or simply a zebra that closely resembles one, is up for debate- but it could
well be one of those extremely rare cases of an extinct animal being brought back to
life. Do you think we should bring back the Quagga?? Let me know in the comments below!! And be sure that you are subscribed before
you go, we'd love to have you around here!! 7. Cygnus Falconeri Swans are found in temperate environments
around the world, and while they are certainly one of the largest birds you’ll see on a
river, they used to be a whole lot bigger! The Cygnus Falconeri lived around Malta and
Sicily at some time between 800 and 150 thousand years ago. Remains have shown them to have been about
a third larger than the mute swans of today, which means their bill to tail length would
have been up to seven feet. This would have made them taller (but not
heavier) than the region’s dwarf elephants, and it’s thought to have been too large
to be able to fly. Cygnus Falconeri died out before major human
activity began in the area, and it's thought that they fell victim to mass changes in the
environment or the arrival of new predators and competitors for the limited resources. 6. Steller’s Sea Cow Sailing the oceans you might expect to encounter
various large creatures, but there was one that sailors would often come across- that
was until, of course, they were hunted to extinction. Known as Steller’s sea cow, they were a
relative of manatees and dugongs, just much much bigger. While manatees may grow to up to 13 feet long,
Steller’s sea cows could grow to up to 33 feet- with estimates of their weight ranging
between 9000 and 24,000 pounds. These giant beasts had no teeth, and would
rely on horny pads in their mouths to chew on kelp. The first sighting of one was in 1741 near
Bering island in the Bering Sea. A group of sailors had been marooned there,
so they hunted the sea cow to survive and took notes on their behaviors and numbers-
suggesting there were as many as 1500 in the surrounding waters. They were slow moving, so very easy to catch,
it was said that one animal could feed 33 sailors for a month. Their blubber tasted similar to almond oil,
so was very popular. Eventually, the sailors were able to return
to the mainland, where they told stories of the massive sea cows. People returned in droves, and within 27 years
of their first discovery, they had all been killed. They are one of the few large mammals known
to have been driven to extinction by humans in the modern age, but are unlikely to be
the last! 5. Meganeura The Meganeura was the largest of many species
of giant dragonfly-looking creatures that lived about 300 million years ago. They were the biggest known flying insect
to have ever lived, with a wingspan of up to 26 inches. The first fossil specimen was found in France
in 1880, and since then many more have been found. While they resembled dragonflies, they are
actually quite different and are classified as griffinflies. Their behavior is thought to have been similar
to that of dragonflies, but their much larger size meant that they would have moved slower,
and they had a number of extra appendages on their abdomens that aren’t seen in insects
today. Before you wish you could have seen one of
these creatures in the wild, it’s worth knowing that they were actually carnivorous. They had sharp teeth that would allow them
to eat invertebrates and insects, and be able to fend off any attackers. They also had an unusual vein structure within
their wings that made them far more resilient than the flying insects of today. It's thought that the higher oxygen levels
in the air back then were what enabled such large flying insects to thrive. Today oxygen makes up about 21 percent of
the air, but in the Carboniferous period, it was about 35 percent. The changing atmosphere would have made it
impossible for them to absorb enough oxygen from the air, so appears to be the reason
why they eventually died out. 4. Elasmotherium While you might think unicorns are simply
animals of legend, there was a creature that used to walk the lands across Eurasia that
looked very similar to one. The Elasmotherium, also known as the Giant
Rhinoceros, or the Siberian Unicorn, lived between around 3 million years ago to 29,000
years ago. They were 6 and a half feet tall, almost 15
feet long, and could weigh up to 4 and a half US tons! The most striking feature, of course, was
the large single horn that protruded from the front of their skulls. We know that they lived between the Don River
in Russia and Kazakhstan, but it's believed that they traveled much further than that. It’s generally thought that they were hairy
in a similar way to woolly mammoths, and were herbivores. There are many theories about what their massive
single horns were for, ranging from defense and attracting mates, to sweeping snow or
digging for water and food. It’s not entirely clear why the Elasmotherium
went extinct, but images in cave paintings found in France are very similar to the structure
of these animals- which means they could very well be the inspiration for beliefs about
the unicorns we hear of today. 3. Ledumahadi mafube The Ledumahadi mafube, was a dinosaur that
lived around South Africa about 200 million years ago. Its name means ‘a giant thunderclap at dawn'
in Sesotho, the language that's spoken in the region where the remains of this giant
were found, and it's clear to see why. It's thought to have been the largest animal
to be alive at the time and was related to the brontosaurus. It weighed as much as 26,000 pounds and was
twice the size of an African elephant. The scientifically interesting thing about
this dinosaur is that it appears to have been a transitional species. Its ancestors were smaller, and moved around
on two legs, while its descendants, such as the brontosaurus, were increasingly larger,
and moved around on four. The Ledumahadi, is thought to have mainly
walked on 4 legs, but was able to stand up on 2 to reach high up food or to lift itself
up to difficult to reach places. This dinosaur is also one of the reasons scientists
believe the continents used to be part of one large landmass- Pangea. It’s very closely related to dinosaurs that
lived at the same time in Argentina, which would only seem possible if there wasn’t
such a large ocean separating the two countries! 2. Titanoboa If you’re not too keen on snakes, then this
next one is probably going to be a problem for you. 58 million years ago, just a few million years
after the fall of the dinosaurs, northern Colombia was a massive swampy jungle, where
it was much hotter and wetter than it is today. These conditions allowed giant creatures to
thrive- huge turtles, giant crocodiles, and the biggest of them all… the Titanoboa. This mega snake could grow to up to 40 feet
long and weighed as much as a ton. It looked a lot like a boa constrictor but
behaved more like an anaconda- swimming through the dense waters of the swamp and feasting
on whatever it wanted. At its thickest, the Titanoboa was as tall
as a human’s waist, and they would have had no problem with eating us if we had been
around at that time. This was, by far, the largest snake (that
we know of) to have ever lived on earth- and I think we can all be thankful that they are
much much smaller these days! 1. Gigantopithecus There have been a large number of different
species of primates, with some estimates claiming there are as many as 448 on the earth today,
but there's a debate between researchers as to the true number. One thing that is certain, though, is that
the largest primate species have long been extinct, and the biggest to have ever walked
the earth is known as the Gigantopithecus blacki. This distant ancestor of orangutans could
grow to up to 10 feet tall and weighed up to 595 pounds. They lived almost exclusively in the forests
in Southeast Asia, but beyond this very little is known of them. Remains are few and far between, and they
appear to have been around for about a million years before dying off about 100,000 years
ago. Their large molar teeth, which look similar
to those of panda bears, suggest that they fed on tough branches and plants, such as
bamboo, along with fruit and leaves. Their reliance on this type of food is likely
what caused their demise because, at the time they died out, the world was getting cooler
and drier. Food supplies would have drastically dwindled,
and these wonderful creatures would have had no way to find the sustenance they needed
to survive. Thanks for watching!
