After the dinosaurs disappeared, the world continued to undergo changes in the environment and what was living at the time. For example, when Antarctica started to freeze over, the climate of the oceans began to cool. During this time, 25% of life on Earth also dies. The beasts that start to evolve are pretty interesting , all of which no longer exist. This article highlights some of these creatures, including the saber-toothed cat and mammoth.
Largest Saber-Toothed Cat
The now-extinct saber-toothed cat lived during the Eocene-Pleistocene epochs, which were 42 million to 11,000 years ago. The distinct feature of these cats were their large, saber-like canine teeth that came out of their mouths even when it was closed. While their name suggests that they have close ties to modern felines, not all of the animals share in this link. The creatures could become rather large, but it was the Similodon populator that is known as the largest of the species. This animal lived about 1 million to 10,000 years ago in a region that is now known as South America. At the shoulder, the cat stood 5 feet 5 inches. Each of its serrated saber-like canine teeth measured up to 12 inches long.
Largest Sloth
The sloth of today is known for its slow movement and tree-hanging skills. However, during the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs, there was a giant ground sloth that possessed an imposing presence during prehistoric times. The Megatherium lived in what we now call South America about 5.3 million years ago. When the sloth stood on its hind legs, it was 16 feet and 8 inches tall. The creature could reach an estimated weigh of up to nearly 5 tons.
Largest Mammal that Lays Eggs
Fossil remains found in Western Australia indicate that the Hackett’s long-beaked echidna was the largest mammal to lay eggs in history. This creature is the much larger ancestor of the modern spiny anteater. In the past, the creature weighed up to 220 pounds and was about the same size as a sheep. The animal lived about 2.6 million to 12,000 years ago.
A Really Large Mammoth Skeleton
The largest complete mammoth skeleton found to date belongs to a creature called the West Runton elephant, which was uncovered in Cromer, Norfolk, United Kingdom in 1990. The skeleton measured to stand 13 feet at the shoulder.
Birds Rule
When the mass extinction that took place 60 million years ago during the Paleogene Period, only animals smaller than a crocodile remained on the earth. At this time, birds were the largest creatures to thrive. They were also the biggest predators. It wasn’t until 55 years ago that the population of mammalian life increased. The world started to see the likes of elephants, primates, rodents, and whales.