Scary Species
Twas a long time ago, longer now than it seems, in a place that perhaps you've seen in your dreams. For the story that you are about to be told took place in the wonderful world of old. Now you've probably wondered were the scariest extinct animals come from. If you haven't, I'd say it's time you begun....
Scansoriopteryx
Some times called Epidendrosaurus (ep-ee-den-d-row-sore-us), Scansoriopteryx (scan-sore-ee-op-tear-icks) was a small dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic of China, 165-156 million years ago. What makes this dinosaur scary is its elongated third finger. Originally, it was thought that this finger would have been used to pull grubs out of trees, similar to the modern day lemur called the aye-aye. However, a fantastic fossil of Yi qi (yee chee), a close relative of Scansoriopteryx, was recently discovered(life restoration of Yi qi shown below). This fossil shows that the elongated third finger supported a bat like wing that would have allowed the animal to glide from tree to tree. Whether Scansoriopteryx also possessed these bat wings is unknown.
Xiphactinus
With a name sounding like it came out of a horror film, Xiphactinus (zi-fack-tin-us) was a monster from the late Cretaceous of North America. While it only measured 20 feet long, fossils (example shown below) indicate that Xiphactinus regularly ate fish half its size whole! However, this act would some times kill the bull dog-faced hunter, allowing it to sink to the ocean floor and fossilize, preserving its last meal with it.
Thylacoleo
With a name that translates to mean "marsupial lion", Thylacoleo (thigh-lack-oh-leo) was the leopard of Australia during the late Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs, 2 million to 46,000 years ago. Humans arriving in Australia would have kept a careful eye on the trees, in hopes that they would not be jumped on by the dangerous predator. Were a human to be pounced upon, the bizarre rodent-like teeth and hooked thumb claws of Thylacoleo would have quickly made a meal out of the unlucky prey.
Masiakasaurus
Possibly the weirdest looking dinosaur ever discovered, Masiakasaurus knopfleri (ma-seek-a-sore-us Knopfler-ee) was a 6 foot long dinosaur hailing from the island of Madagascar. With a species name honoring musician Mark Knopfler, the exact purpose of the strange jaw of Masiakasaurus is unknown. However, the rest of Masiakasaurus' skeleton shows adaptations for a fishing lifestyle. Combine this with the fact that some fossilized fish eating flying reptiles have similar jaws, and it seems highly likely that Masiakasaurus was a fish eater.
Kaprosuchus
With a name meaning "boar crocodile", Kaprosuchus (cap-row-sue-cuss) is possibly the scariest looking animal to have ever lived. Measuring 20 feet long, Kaprosuchus would have been a feared predator to dinosaurs both large and small. Kaprosuchus had legs that would have allowed it to run much faster than modern crocodiles. This would have allowed Kaprosuchus to use its armored head like a battering ram to knock over small creatures and leap on to the bodies of large animals, hanging on with its large teeth.
Image Credits
All images have had minor cropping in order to fit the space required
All images are used under Fair Use laws
Credits are listed in order of appearance: Top to Bottom and Left to Right
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Jurassic Park Pumpkin
Original photo by: Liekeze
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Epidendrosarus
Original artwork by: Román García Mora
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Yi qi
Original artwork by: Rushelle Kucala
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Xiphactinus audax
Original artwork by: ДиБгд
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Fish within a Fish
Original photo by: Spacini
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Thylacoleo
Original artwork by: Heraldo Mussolini
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Masiakasaurus
Original artwork by: Luis V. Rey
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Kaprosuchus
Original artwork owned by: The National Geographic Society