Recently, the scientific community discovered the final resting place of an ancient sperm whale in the middle of the Peruvian desert of Pisco-Ica called the Leviathan melvellei. This sperm whale had teeth that are much larger than today’s sperm whales. The genus name refers to Leviathan from the Bible, while the species epithet is named
Pteranodon with its Latin name Pteranodons is one of the best known extinct reptile species. Although it looked like a terrifying dragon Pteranodon was a peaceful animal that fed only off fish. A sketch of the famoues Pteranodon When the first Pteranodon fossils were found many people were convinced that it was really a work
Indricotherium was the largest known land mammal, even though it was much smaller than its reptile contemporaries. It lived 20-35 million years ago in Central Asia – territories ranging from what is now Caucasia to Mongolia and China. The first Indricotherium fossils were discovered in 1913 by the famous Russian palanteologist Borisyak. The size of
The Diplocaulus was a peculiar reptile, whose head was boomerang-shaped. This helped the creature to maneuver through water, especially to quickly rise to the surface to catch a swimming prey. The shape of its head is so strange that some scientists, upon discovering fossils of the Diplocaulus, raised a theory that the creature had a
The fossils of Archaeopteryx were discovered in 1861 and this amazing discovery shocked the world of science at that time. Sometimes referred to by its German name – Urvogel (“The first bird”) it was the first creature that possibly creates a link in evolution between reptiles and birds. The Archaeopteryx's body structure is very close
Brontosaurus (or Apatosaurus as implied by scientists) was one of the largest animals that ever existed. It was about 23 m (75 ft) long and had a long, giraffe-like neck as well as a whip-like tail. These huge dinosaurs weighed at least 25 tons and the ground thundered under their weight (ergo their name – Brontosaurus, meaning
The Labrador Duck is a duck of many names often referred to as the ‘pied duck’ or ‘skunk duck’ because of its contrasting black and white appearance. Not a great deal is known about the now extinct Labrador Duck, however it is believed that the species died out some time in the 1870’s. The last
The Falkland Islands Wolf also known as the Antarctic Wolf was the only land mammal native to the Falkland Islands. Although the name ‘Falkland Islands Wolf’ suggests a mammal similar to a wolf, research that took place in 2009 has proven the Falkland Islands Wolf to be closer genetically to a fox and specifically the
The Javan Tiger is the middle sized tiger species that made its home in the Indonesian islands. Larger than the Bali Tiger yet smaller than the Sumatran Tiger the Javan Tiger as the name suggests lived on the island of Java up until its extinction which occurred some time in the 1980’s. The Javan Tiger
The Mariana Mallard is an extinct species of mallard that lived only on the Mariana Islands. The Mariana Mallard is classed as part of the Anas genus however its taxodermic status is open to debate. Over the years debates have ranged about the Mariana Mallard with some claiming the Mariana Mallard as a subspecies of
The Aurochs was a species of massive cattle that stood around 6.6 feet tall and was found across Asia, North Africa and Europe. Now extinct, the Aurochs is the common ancestor of today’s domestic cattle and was a prominent symbol in in range of independently diverse cultures. Depicted in cave paintings all over the world
The Tarpan which is the name in Turkish language meaning “Wild Horse” is a now extinct subspecies of wild horse that was found throughout Poland and Russia. The photograph included in this article is the only known photo of a live Tarpan. The photo was published in 1884, 15 years before the last Tarpan held
The Bali Tiger was part of the Panthera Tigris species which also included the now extinct Javan Tiger and the critically endangered Sumatran Tiger. The Bali Tiger is believed to have become extinct around 1937, although the exact date is open to debate. Some believe that there may still be a small population of the
The North African Elephant or otherwise known as the Atlas Elephant was believed to have been found all across North Africa, reaching down to the Eritrean and Sudanese coasts. Sadly these fantastic animals became extinct relatively recently in the Roman era. The North African Elephant’s which are most famous for their roles as war elephants
Schomburgk’s Deer was a species of deer native to Thailand and garnered its curious name from the British consul in Bangkok at the time, Sir Robert H. Schomburgk. This now extinct species of deer was first given a written description in 1863 by Edward Blyth. Although widely believed to be extinct and classified as such
