The Ancient Animals Became The Beginning of Modern Animal History

Basically, we live with various creatures on this earth. there are humans, plants, and animals. When we talk about animals, some of them we have met every day, such as cats, dogs, pigs, rabbits, cows and so on. Some of them are also rarely found but live in zoos or the wildlife such as lions, crocodiles, ostriches, and others and there are more from animals that have become extinct and only become part of history in museums.

 Usually, some of the animals that no longer exist are animals from ancient times. They are like different creatures from the animals that exist in this era. However, they were the first animals to give evolution to the animals of this age. Some of them are animals that many of us don't recognize. Even when looking at the shape alone, it feels strange to look at. If you don't know some of these ancient animals, I'll explain them below.

1. Smilodon (Sabretooth)

Smilodon is a big cat or it can also be called an ancient tiger. They were fast predators and also fierce at that time. So, many animals avoided dealing with them. Their 2 front teeth are very sharp to pierce the skin of prey and their opponents. Their targets are not only small animals, they are also able to fight Mammoths (ancient elephants) which are larger in size.

 Their other targets are marsupials such as Thylacosmilus which are still ancient animals. This animal is often becomes a victim of Smilodon ferocity. In fact, they are known as one of the animals that paralyzed other ancient animals that remained. So, it was very dangerous in those days. They lived about 10,000 years ago and may have coexisted with early humans at that time. Nowadays, I think tigers and cats are animals that are currently synonymous with them.

2. Carbonemys

Carbonemys is a giant tortoise that lived about 5 million years ago after the dinosaurs went extinct. The animal itself has a length of between 8 to 10 feet and weighs about 1 ton. Although this animal is really slow, you should not underestimate its ability. This ancient animal was able to swallow modern crocodiles that lived in this era. This turtle is an omnivorous animal. They lived in South America and it is thought that they also coexisted with Titanoboa (ancient snakes) at that time.

3. The Moa

The Moa is a giant flightless and wingless bird that lives around mainland New Zealand. They have a height of about 3.6 meters and a bodyweight that reaches 300 kg. Other characteristics, this animal has a small head, blackish-brown fur. Then, they have long necks and legs. They also live in forests and grasslands. So, this animal really looks like an ostrich. 

Even so, there are still many mysteries that occur that they became extinct caused by humans. This is based on the logic of scientists because after humans arrived and lived in New Zealand, they experienced a significant population crisis in the 14th century. The cause comes from Polynesian people who like to hunt Moa aggressively.

4. Machimosaurus Rex

Machimosaurus rex was a ferocious reptile that roamed the seas and rivers of that era. This animal has a giant size of 10 meters and this is quite comparable in size to a large bus. They lived about 130 million years ago in the Tataouine region, it’s located in the south of Tunisia.

In 2014, scientists discovered the bones of a giant who suspected it was a giant reptile so they believed it was a fossil of a Machimosaurus Rex. In its history, Machimosaurus Rex was able to eat dinosaurs that were bigger than it. So it’s not surprising, crocodiles that live in modern times have also eaten larger animals on land such as deer, zebra.

5.  Megalodon

Megalodon is the ancestor of sharks that live today. Sharks have become fierce predators in the oceans, as well as Megalodon in ancient times. Compared to ordinary sharks, Megalodon has a giant size. This predatory animal has a length of about 18 meters and weighs up to 10 tons which are enough to swallow small and medium ships. They are eaters of everything in the ocean. Even so, the main prey target is a whale which also has a large size.

Whale species such as Spermaperfirst, Odobenocetops, and Cetotherium are the main food. But, when the whales ventured into colder waters, Megalodon wouldn’t follow a whale because Megalodon couldn’t survive in colder temperatures and weather. In the end, this animal became extinct about 2.6 million years ago and became the largest shark in history in the oceans. Even so, sharks in this era are still frightening to both other animals and humans.

That's a list of ancient animals that became modern animals that we see today. There might be a few more. If there's anything I missed, you can comment below.

Photo Sources :
1. Smilodon
2. Carbonemys
3. The Moa
4. Machimosaurus Rex
5. Megalodon (lead image)