The animal kingdom is full of a mixture of animals living on land, in water bodies, and in the sky. But millions of years ago, massive creatures called Earth their home, yet have since gone extinct.
Some of them, like the giant sloths, were generally mild. Others, like saber-toothed tigers, dominated their environment with their size and fearsome fangs. And there are so many more whispers to tell.
Below are some fascinating animals that once dominated the earth as their home.
1. Livyatan Melvillei
Comparable to a whale, this is another dreadful animal that inhabited the planet millions of years ago. It lived approximately 13 million years ago, during the Miocene epoch. Fossils were discovered in 2008 in Peru.
2. Mammoths
The woolly mammoth went extinct 4,500 years ago. It settled in cooler territories of the planet. Fossils have been found in Europe, northern Asia (specifically Siberia), and North America.
Mammoths lived up until the last Ice Age and served as food for humans living in the Neolithic period.
3. Smilodon
The Smilodon was also referred to as the cyber-tooth tiger, this creature lived between 2.5 and 10 million years ago.
They have a visual similarity of a leopard in appearance, this giant cat is believed to have emerged in North America and gone extinct in South America
4. Canis Dirus
Having lived during the Pleistocene epoch, the Ominous wolf is believed to have gone extinct 10,000 years ago. This big predator was about the same length as the modern grey wolf, but it weighed quite a bit more, at around 175 pounds (79 kg). They also had stronger bones than today’s grey wolves.
5. Purgatorius
Similar to the rat, this prehistoric mammal lived approximately 65 million years ago in modern-day North America. It was an omnivore and lived in trees.
