From razor sharp claws half the size of a
grown man to canines big enough to crush a buffalo's windpipe in one bite, nature has
had billions of years of evolution to tinker with the anatomy of predators with one goal-
make the most efficient killer of all time. But what were some of the most fearsome and
lethal predators ever to walk the earth? Hello and welcome to another episode of The
Infographics Show- today we're taking a look at four of the greatest predators in history. 4. Smilodon No animal has impressed, or baffled, scientists
more than the legendary sabre-toothed tiger. With canines up to eight inches long, its
massive killing teeth would have permanently protruded from its mouth as it savored the
kill to come. But how exactly Smilodon did its killing is
what confounded scientists for decades, as the teeth are actually too large and brittle
for typical killing bites across a prey's body. Those massive chompers may have looked terrifying,
but the truth was that if Smilodon sunk those teeth into the rib cage of a struggling buffalo
there was a good chance they would snap off. Modern forensics and pressure mapping found
that the teeth were simply too brittle to risk in anything but a direct killing blow
to an animal's most sensitive area- the jugular in the neck. Thus scientists concluded that Smilodon used
its massive bulk to actually wrestle its prey to the ground before sinking those dagger
sized teeth into the neck and severing major arteries, causing its victim to quickly bleed
to death. Long thought to be a solitary animal, scientists
recently discovered strong evidence that Smilodon actually lived in prides similar to African
lions. The discovery of injured bones showing healing
scars from wounds that would have been crippling to the animal show that even severely wounded
Smilodons were still able to eat and survive, indicating a supportive group of pride mates
that shared in kills together. This helps lend credence to the theory that
Smilodon wrestled prey to the ground and helps explain the evolution of such massive long,
but ultimately brittle canines. Those iconic chompers also meant that Smilodons
actually couldn't eat much of the carcass from a kill, as it would have been too risky
to bite into bone, and thus left Smilodons with only the soft parts of the body such
as the stomach region to eat from. This also indicates just how formidable a
predator Smilodon really was, as they would have required far more frequent kills to keep
an entire pride fed than today's lions which devour pretty much every part of a prey's
body. Smilodon survived for millions of years across
all of North America, and after the creation of the isthmus of Panama, spread south of
the border to conquer South America. An apex predator of the New World, Smilodon
mysteriously disappeared around 13,000 years ago along with the rest of the great Ice Age
mammals such as the giant sloth and the woolly mammoth. This sudden disappearance has left scientists
puzzled and though man has been historically blamed, researchers today have serious doubts
about the ability of early man to effectively hunt so many animals to extinction on his
own. Instead a new theory supported by the discovery
of a global layer of iridium dust in the geologic layers of the earth hints at a large asteroid
impact just a few thousands of years before the rise of mankind's earliest civilizations. Not big enough to wipe the slate clean for
life on earth, the impact may have been large enough to cause severe weather disruptions
that led to the extinction of large land herbivores and inevitably the predators who relied on
them. 3. Anomalocaris One of the first predators to evolve on planet
earth, Anomalocaris ruled the primitive oceans 500 million years ago. Though the land back then would have been
similar to modern day Mars with continents covered by nothing but barren rock, life had
already conquered the oceans. But early evolution had moved rather slowly,
with little pressure and incentive to innovate and adapt, so most creatures were at this
point simple, soft bodied creatures that drifted along in the ocean currents. Then, suddenly, evolution took a sharp and
strange turn- the first predators arrived, and none were stranger than Anomalocaris. The biggest predator of its time and about
a meter long, Anomalocaris was an invertebrate with a flexible, segmented body not unlike
that of a centipede. It had large, protruding eyes and a circular
mouth built form razor sharp bony plates. The strangest feature however was no doubt
the two massive tentacles right in front of its mouth which it would have used to seize
struggling prey before dragging it to its hungry mouth. The arrival of the first predators began an
arms race between predator and prey, resulting in the evolution of hard-shelled defenses
and the birth of the first arthropods. These early arthropods were Anomalocaris'
prey, and using its powerful tentacles it overcame bony shells by flexing and twisting
a seized animal until the shell cracked. More impressive than this feat of strength
though was Anomalocaris' complex eyes which would have been a massive evolutionary leap
forward and made it one of the first animals ever to track prey by sight. A product of one of the first experiments
by evolution which resulted in other strange creatures, Anomalocaris and other early weirdos
were ultimately evolutionary dead ends that eventually went extinct. Though many subspecies of Anomalocaris are
thought to have existed, none of its iconic features would go on to be passed down to
other animals, meaning that no matter how fearsome, Anomalocaris was ultimately a dead-end
branch on the tree of life. 2. Tyrannosaurus Rex The king of dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus Rex was
without a doubt one of the most terrifying predators to ever exist. Its arsenal of weapons included serrated teeth
up to eight inches long, neatly fitted into a mouth that could be up to 4 feet long and
opened up to three feet wide. Modern forensics have discovered that T-Rex
had the greatest bite of any known terrestrial animal, with a bite force of almost 12,800
pounds (5,806 kilograms), which was six to seven times greater than that of its cousin
Allosaurus. Yet adolescent T-rexes couldn't match the
bite strength of their older peers, topping out at about a bite force of 880 pounds (399
kilograms). This meant that young T-rex would have targeted
smaller prey, leading to something called 'resource partitioning' and no competition
between younger and older T-rexes for prey, a huge evolutionary advantage for the fearsome
predator. That incredible bite power would have meant
that adult T-rex bit down on prey with a vice-like grasp, likely on the flank of large dinosaurs. Its teeth would crush bone and puncture arteries
while shredding internal organs. Unlike other specialized killers such as Smilodon
or other dinosaurs, its thought that T-rex's bite was so formidable it didn't target specific
areas of a prey item to secure a kill, but rather simply attacked its prey savagely until
it died of blood loss. Yet despite its incredible biting power, T-rex
was actually unable to chew its food which left it at serious risk of choking. In fact, scientists have discovered the remains
of a large cousin of T-rex that had died from choking on two bones that had become lodged
in its throat. Fearsome as it was, T-rex can't be talked
about without bringing up the elephant in the room- its two tiny little forearms. Too short to reach its mouth and far too weak
to aid in defense or hunting, the best theory offered so far is that they may have acted
as counter balance for its massive head- or perhaps used as part of a mating ritual. One of the last of the large dinosaurs to
evolve on Earth, it would ultimately take an asteroid impact to put an end to T-rex's
reign, which in our opinion is kind of bad ass. After all, few predators to ever evolve would
require an act of God to put their fearsome reign to an end... but given the size of those
terrifying teeth and gigantic jaws, we're kind of glad it did. 1. Spinosaurus One of the few animals to rival T-rex in size
and strength, Spinosaurus grew to 50 feet (15 meters) long, making it just a few feet
longer than T-rex, though with a more slender body build. It's most iconic features however were the
6.5 foot (2 meter) tall spines that ran the length of its back giving it an iconic sail,
and the massive claws on its forelimbs that would have easily sliced a man in half. Living in what was once a tropical river system
in northern Africa, Spinosaurus inhabited swamps filled with sharks, coelacanths, crocodiles,
and various close relatives of T-rex. This hyper-concentration of predators in one
area has led paleontologists to call Spinosaurus' stomping grounds the most “dangerous place
in the history of our planet”. Yet fearsome as Spinosaurus was, this mighty
carnivore was primarily a fish eater. Looking like a cross between a crocodile and
a duck, Spinosaurus' long snout sported nostrils that faced up and were midway down its snout,
allowing it to cruise through murky waters with most of its body submerged. It also had secondary openings similar to
neurovascular slits which today are found in crocodiles. Its teeth were cone-shaped and not serrated
like T-rex, though perfect for catching fish, and even its powerful and clawed arms are
thought to have been used for catching the car-sized fish of its primeval home. Sadly due to a lack of fossil evidence and
the rarity of discovered bones, not much is known about this incredible dinosaur. Its discovery however completely changed scientist's
perceptions of dinosaurs. While aquatic reptiles existed during the
age of the dinosaurs, it was long thought that dinosaurs themselves were limited to
living and hunting on land- but the discovery of Spinosaurus and its very unique adaptations
have led scientists to reconsider this conclusion. While some scientists theorize that Spinosaurus
lived a semi-aquatic lifestyle, others believe that given its long range of adaptations,
Spinosaurus may have been almost completely aquatic- an absolutely revolutionary discovery
for these long-extinct animals. The earth has been a battleground between
predator and prey for hundreds of millions of years, leading to the evolution of some
truly astonishing, and terrifying, animals. This ongoing arms between predator weapons
and prey defenses continues to this day, and theres no telling what amazing animals may
evolve in our future. Which of these fearsome predators would you
have liked to see in real life? Want to hear about more of history's greatest
predators? Let us know in the comments. Also, be sure to check out our other video
What To Do If You Are Attacked By A Wild Animals. Thanks for watching, and as always, please
don’t forget to like, share and subscribe.
