10 crazy prehistoric monsters

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.

Purussaurus

Purussaurus was a gigantic caiman (a relative to alligators) that lived in what is today known as the Amazonian rainforest. Back in Purussaurus’ days, 8 million years ago, that region was actually a vast inland sea teaming with crocodiles, gharials, fresh water whales, giant rodents and enormous turtles. Purussaurus was the top predator in that sea, and with good reason; at 12-15 meters long, maybe more, it was one of the largest crocodilians ever to have existed.

Entelodon

the Entelodon, a prehistoric pig relative, was a full time carnivore and possibly one of the most monstrous-looking mammals ever. Standing on all fours, this beast was as tall as a man, and had an immense head armed with powerful jaws and sharp teeth. Scientists believe that it was able to hunt live prey

Azhdarchid

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.

Xenosmilus

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.

Spinosaurus

The remains of this enormous predator where found in Egypt in 1915, and the paleontologist who studied them was already convinced that it was bigger than T-Rex. However, this couldn’t be proved as the fossils were sadly destroyed in a bombing during WWII. Recently, however, new fossils have been found, and Spinosaurus was finally declared to be the largest carnivorous dinosaur of all times. This beastie could grow up to 17 or 18 meters long, weigh up to 10 tons and had a sail on its back taller than an adult man.

Gorgonopsid

Gorgonopsids had a set of deadly saber-teeth (some species had two sets of them) which came handy when hunting some of the largest Permian herbivores, often the size of rhinos or bigger.
They were quite agile and could probably run quite fast, unlike the predators that came before them. Despite their reptilian appearance, gorgonopsids were actually closely related to mammals, and it is even possible that they were covered in fur

Edestus

Edestus was about seven meters long and was one of the top predators of the Carboniferous seas. However, scientists still don’t know how it used its extraordinary teeth; instead of constantly losing the worn out teeth and replacing them with the new ones growing in rows behind, as modern day sharks do, Edestus didn’t lose its teeth at all; instead, the new teeth pushed the old teeth out of the mouth and, eventually, the gums and teeth would protrude out of the mouth like a pair of monstrous scissors.

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

Estemmenosuchus

Estemmenosuchus is one of the most bizarre-looking prehistoric monsters; it belonged to the group of the dinocephalians, and despite their dinosaur-like appearance, they were actually more closely related to mammals. Estemmenosuchus was the size of a rhinoceros, and it too had a horn on its nose, but it also had antler-like horns on the top of its head, and strange, bony protrusions coming out of its cheeks; no one knows what they were used for.