The Prehistoric Giants Hall of Fame
What were the largest species of all time? Does the Tyrannosaurus rex make the list?
- By Brian Switek
- Smithsonian magazine, April 2012
Titanoboa was one gigantic snake. It lived around 58 to 60 million years ago, a scant several million years after the mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs. It could grow 42 feet or more in length and weigh more than a ton, vastly outslithering the previous fossil record holder, a 40-million-year-old, 33-foot-long snake called Gigantophis. But Titanoboa is just one proud inductee in the Prehistoric Giants Hall of Fame. Meet the other record-holders.
(Christian Darkin / Science Photo Library)
Reconstructing fossil sharks is a difficult task. These fish have skeletons of cartilage rather than bone, and extinct species typically left only teeth and the occasional vertebra in the fossil record. The largest of these predatory fish swam the seas between about 28 and 1.5 million years ago: Carcharocles megalodon, a distant cousin of the great white shark. Calculations based on the seven-inch teeth of this giant yield maximum lengths of about 50 to 55 feet, and the prehistoric predator may have had one of the most powerful bites of all time. Estimates made in 2008 suggested that Carcharocles megalodon could bite prey with a force of more than 11 tons, several times the estimated bite force of Tyrannosaurus rex.
Comments (5)
yea but mega croc wasnt talked about you know the croc that was 40 + ft lg.. im goin to make a sci-fi movie called mega croc vs titanoboa... aND SIZE DOES MATTER CAUSE THEY ARE TALKIN ABOUT PREHISTORIC GIANTS NOT TINY JELLYFISH
Posted by Albert braved the An Ancient Dwelling quest and wants to share the rewards! on April 27,2012 | 10:34 AM
What, no largest lizard ever? How could you pass over Megalania Prisca, all 20 foot + and 2000 lbs. + of it?
Posted by Jerrold Alpern on April 16,2012 | 03:21 PM
Do any of these exceed the largest mammal? Are there any fossils of mammals bigger than the Great Blue Whale?
Posted by Jean on March 25,2012 | 08:11 PM
Size is irrelevant. The most fascinating critter is the tiny jellyfish that regenerates itself.(turntopsis nutricula)?
Posted by Herman King on March 25,2012 | 09:21 AM
Dude! How can you possibly not have a category for the biggest flying animal ever? Azhdarchid pterosaurs like Quetzalcoatlus and Hatzegopteryx dwarf the puny Argentavis and more interesting than just a bigger buzzard. It's not like these pterosaurs are so well-known that they might be left out (like the blue whale) as being universally known. Sigh. Still, any excuse to haul out some very nice paleoart, so thanks for that.
Posted by Mike from Ottawa on March 22,2012 | 02:50 PM