Giant Kangaroos
Giant Kangaroos, Procoptodon goliah, as large
as 500 lbs once lived in Australia during the Pleistocene epoch as recently
as 20,000 to 40,000 years ago before going extinct, possibly due to human
influence.
Giant Australian Marsupial
Diprotodon
The Giant Australian Marsupial, Diprotodon, looked like
and sometimes referred to as a giant Wombat and lived from 1,600,000 to 40,000 years ago
during the Pleistocene. It was the largest marsupial that
ever lived, the size of a hippopotamus, 9 feet long and 6 feet high at the
shoulders. It probably ate
tree leaves, shrubs and grasses.
Giant Ground Sloth
The Giant Ground Sloth, Megatherium
americanum, was 18 feet long, as big as an elephant, and lived in South
America during the Pleistocene until just a few thousand years ago.
Other species from the size of a cat to that of the the giant ground sloth
lived from the Arctic to Antarctica. They were hunted by humans
and some believe humans may even have farmed them.
Phororhacos
These extinct 9 ft Tall, 280 lb flightless, carnivorous
"Terror Birds" lived In Patagonia during the Pleistocene era. Phororhacos
longissimus, one of the largest carnivorous birds to have ever to have
lived, had claws like meat hooks and a massive hooked beak for ripping flesh
from its prey while holding them down with sharp talons.
Iguanodons
One of the first dinosaur fossils to be discovered and one
of the most popular. Iguanodons lived in North America, Europe and Asia from
the late Jurassic Period to the late Cretaceous Period between 140 and 110
million years ago. They grew as large as 40 feet long and weighed up to 4
tons. Iguanodons were herbivores. They had bony beaks, toothless in the
front to nip off plants and teeth for chewing similar to sloths. They had
fingers! Scientists call them "digits". Iguanadon laid eggs and probably
cared for their young.
This dinosaur ran on two legs. Bipedal dinosaurs (motivating
on two legs), is not a recent theory. This sketch of an Iguanodon was
published in 1921. However, Iguanodons became more quadrupedal as they
became older and heavier, so this illustration may be inaccurate in that
respect. The Iguanodon thumb spike was originally thought to belong on the
animal's snout, similar to a rhinoceros. It was likely used to break seeds
and other foods and as a weapon against predators like Tyrannosaurus Rex, or
Megalosaurus.
Mastodonsaurus giganteus
Mastodonsaurus giganteus was an amphibian from the Middle
Triassic that lived in Europe from about 245 to 228 million years ago. It
was one of three species in the genus Mastodonsaurus.
M. giganteus could grow up to 20 feet long and its huge head was 4 feet
long. Two upward pointing tusks prodruded through holes in the top of M.
giganteus's snout. It was mostly aquatic and may have been unable to leave
water as large numbers of fossil remains have been discovered together in
what may have been pools which dried during droughts.
It lived in swamps and ate fish, which have been found in its fossil
remains. Other amphibians' fossil remains have been discovered with tooth
marks which may have come from Mastodonsaurus.

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