Prehistoric Animals
Vertebrate Animal Evolution - The Evolution of Vertebrate Animals, from Fish...
Vertebrate animals have come a long way since their tiny, translucent ancestors swam the world's seas over 500 million years ago. Here's a roughly chronological list of the major vertebrate animal groups, ranging from fish to amphibians to mammals, with some notable extinct reptile lineages (including archosaurs, dinosaurs and pterosaurs) in...
Prehistoric Dogs - The Story of Dog Evolution
Most people know the end of the story of dog evolution--when wolves were domesticated by early humans. The fact is, though, that prehistoric dogs roamed the plains of North America for tens of millions of years before humans appeared on the scene. Here's everything you need to know about prehistoric dogs and dog evolution.
The first vertebrates on the planet, prehistoric fish lay at the root of hundreds of millions of years of evolution. Here's everything you need to know about the evolution (and extinction) of prehistoric fish.
The first vertebrates on the planet, prehistoric fish lay at the root of hundreds of millions of years of evolution. Here's everything you need to know about the evolution (and extinction) of prehistoric fish.
Shark Evolution - The Story of Prehistoric Sharks
Sharks are among the oldest and most successful vertebrates on earth; the first species appeared about 420 million years ago and their descendants have survived down to the present day. Here's everything you need to know about the behavior and evolution of prehistoric sharks.
Prehistoric Megafauna - The Giant Mammals of the Cenozoic Era
It seems that every type of animal on earth grew to giant sizes two, 20, or even 40 million years ago--witness the Giant Wonbat, the Giant Beaver and the Giant Sloth, to name just three. Here's everything you need to know about the megafauna, mammalian and otherwise, that prospered after the age of dinosaurs.
10 Giant Mammals that Succeeded the Dinosaurs
The mammals of the Mesozoic Era were small, quivering creatures that kept well out of the way of dinosaurs by living high up in trees--but not so their successors of the Cenozoic, which were free to evolve into giant sizes and fill the ecological niches left open by the extinction of the dinosaurs. Here's a list of the 10 most notable giant...
10 Missing Links in Vertebrate Evolution
The phrase "missing link" is a bit misleading: most of the transitional forms in vertebrate evolution aren't missing, but have been conclusively identified in the fossil record, and it's impossible to pick out a single, definitive "missing link" from the broad continuum of evolution. That said, here are the 10 most important missing links in...
Prehistoric Amphibians - The Story of Amphibian Evolution
During the Carboniferous period, over 300 million years ago, the first tetrapods evolved features that allowed them to prosper on land as well as in water. For tens of millions of years, these early amphibians were the dominant terrestrial animals on earth, paving the way for the reptiles (and dinosaurs) that eventually followed.
Prehistoric Primates - The Story of Primate Evolution
The first primate ancestors appeared on earth around the time the dinosaurs went extinct--and diversified, over the next 65 million years, into monkeys, lemurs, great apes and (a relatively recent development) human beings. Here's everything you need to know about primate evolution, along with a list of important species.
Fish Out of Water - The First Tetrapods
400 million years ago, give or take a few million years, a brave fish climbed out of the water and onto dry land, armed with primitive lungs and four stumpy limbs. Here's what we know about the first tetrapods that blazed the trail for the earth's land-dwelling animals.
Snake Evolution - The Story of Prehistoric Snakes
The origin of snakes is shrouded in mystery: the first, fragmentary forms appeared about 150 million years ago, but it's unclear whether they evolved from land- or water-dwelling ancestors. Here's everything we know about snake evolution, complete with a list of the most important prehistoric snakes.
Prehistoric Whales - The Story of Cetacean Evolution
It may be hard to believe, but modern whales evolved from terrestrial, dog-sized mammals that roamed central Asia about 50 million years ago. Here's the story of cetacean evolution, along with profiles of a dozen prehistoric species.
10 Extinct Lions and Tigers - 10 Lions and Tigers that Have Gone Extinct in...
Few creatures on earth are as threatened by extinction today as the big cats--lions, tigers and cheetahs. In fact, the past 10,000 years have witnessed the demise of no less than ten species and subspecies of big cats, as well as one tiger-like marsupial. Here are the 10 most notable big cats that have gone extinct in historical times.
Prehistoric Horses - The Story of Equine Evolution
Horses have come a long way since their tiny, ferret-sized ancestors prowled the woodlands of North America, 10 million years after the extinction of the dinosaurs. Here's a look at horse evolution, along with profiles of various prehistoric horse genuses.
Prehistoric Proboscids - Mammoths, Mastodons, and Early Elephants
Modern elephants belong to a long and distinguished evolutionary line that dates back 60 million years, to shortly after the extinction of the dinosaurs. Here's a brief history of prehistoric pachyderms, along with profiles of extinct species ranging from Amebelodon to Stegomastodon.
Saber-Toothed Cats - The "Tigers" of the Prehistoric Plains
They weren't technically tigers, but the saber-toothed cats were every bit as dangerous to the grazing mammals (and early hominids) of their day. Here's a look at saber-tooth evolution and lifestyles, and profiles of various genuses of saber-toothed cats.
Prehistoric Turtles - The Story of Turtle Evolution
Turtles and tortoises branched off from the mainstream of reptile evolution hundreds of millions of years ago, and have persisted down to the present day with the same basic body plan. Here's everything you need to know about the evolution of turtles and tortoises.
Dino-WHAT? 10 Ancient Creatures That Grew to Dinosaur-Like Sizes
The Greek prefix "dino" (meaning "great" or "terrible") is extremely versatile--it can be attached to just about any kind of creature, as demonstrated by the examples below.
The First Mammals – Mammals of the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous
It's not quite true that mammals succeeded the dinosaurs--they lived right alongside these lumbering beasts, in small, quivering, furry form, all through the Mesozoic Era. Here's a look at the evolution, anatomy and survival strategies of the early mammals of the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.
Trilobites: The Dinosaurs of the Arthropod Family
Millions of years before the dinosaurs, trilobites ruled the earth's oceans. Here's a brief description of these unique creatures, and why their fossils are so important to paleontologists.
The First Animals of Their Kind
Have you ever wondered about the identity of the first dinosaur, or the first bird, or the first shark? Here's a list of important "firsts" in the animal kingdom.
The 10 Deadliest Marine Reptiles
Until the K/T Extinction, 65 million years ago, the deadliest creatures in the sea weren't sharks, but marine reptiles like pliosaurs, plesiosaurs and mosasaurs. Here's our list of the 10 deadliest marine reptiles of the Mesozoic Era.
The 10 Deadliest Prehistoric Mammals
Today, there are very few mammals alive on earth that can kill you with one well-aimed bite or swipe of its paw--but that wasn't the case millions of years ago, when the earth was ruled by giant cats, hyenas, and rhinoceroses. Here's our list of the 10 deadliest prehistoric mammals.
10 Facts About Sarcosuchus
Better known as "SuperCroc," Sarcosuchus was the largest crocodile that ever lived. Here are 10 facts you may or may not have known about this gigantic reptile.
10 Facts About Titanoboa
Titanoboa was the biggest prehistoric snake that ever lived, measuring almost 50 feet from head to tail and weighing over a ton. Here are ten facts you may (or may not) have known about Titanoboa.
10 Facts About Coelacanths
Until a live specimen was caught off the coast of Africa in 1938, coelacanths were believed to be extinct for tens of millions of years. Here's everything you need to know about these "living fossils."