E
S
T
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S
T
S
T
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S
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A
E
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G B G B
SNAKE TURTLE 3
Not many animals can prey on Archelon ischyros was a two-tonne
crocodiles, but the giant snake turtle that cruised the Cretaceous
Titanoboa cerrejonensis was one seas. The car-sized carnivore had a
ARA
such beast. It grew to colossal powerful hooked beak to squash
O L
proportions, often reaching 13m in squid and crunch through the
ABL
length and weighing more than shells of crustaceans. The largest
1100kg, with a body so thick it specimen ever found was over 4m
SEUM, P
would reach up to a man’s waist. long and 5m wide.
D MU
Where: Colombia Where: North America
When: 58-60 million years ago When: 74 million years
, THE FIEL
WICZ
GREATEST
FROG CROCODILE n
Lurking in the Cretaceous They call it super croc, and it’s not hard to see why. The jaws alone were
undergrowth, Beelzebufo bigger than a man and tipped with stout backward-pointing teeth. Once
ampinga was an amphibian not to Sarcosuchus imperator had snared a victim, the unfortunate prey would be
be trifl ed with if you were an unable to escape as the 10-tonne crocodile dragged it back into the water
TEPHANIE ABRAMO
insect, lizard or even small where it would be drowned and consumed. Inhabiting the waterways of the
S
, S EVER BEASTS
dinosaur. At 40cm long and Cretaceous, the 12m-long croc was large enough to not only compete with,
GE
MA
Thank God they’re extinct! These colossal creatures could crush today’s
weighing 4kg, it dwarfed even the but also prey upon, the dominant animals of the time – the dinosaurs. Crocs
largest frogs alive today. are still impressively nasty pieces of work, but thankfully smaller nowadays.
titans with ease. Peter Hurrell encounters the fi ercest animals of all time
Where: Madagascar Where: Sub-Saharan Africa
OGRAPHIC I
When: 70 million years ago When: 110 million years ago
AL GE
Z APE
A
TION
FISH J MILLIPEDE
From the Yeti to Hollywood’s King Kong, myths and stories have always
T
T
/N
A giant 10m-long fi sh with an One of the largest bugs to ever
surrounded gigantic apes. Gigantopithecus blacki, the largest ape that ever
armour-plated head, the crawl the Earth, Arthropleura
lived, stood 3m tall and weighed over 500kg. Its enormous bulk and brute
Dunkleosteus terrelli could bite resembled a 2m millipede with
, BOB PRA
strength kept Gigantopithecus safe from the predators it lived alongside –
down with a force of 5000 Newtons. 30 pairs of legs. This creepiest of
EY including tigers, leopards and black bears. Despite its great size, the huge
It could open its jaws (lined with crawlies had a wide, fl attened
knuckle-walker was a herbivore, using its heavy and muscular jaws to chew
self-sharpening teeth) in 1/15th of and heavily armoured body and
the tough grasses found in the South East Asian forests where it lived. Still,
a second, creating a current to draw fed on rotting leaves and any
you wouldn’t get between this ape and its salad, would you?
THUR WEASL
smaller victims into its gaping maw. small animals it could catch.
A, AR Where: China, India, ViVietetnanamm
Where: worldwide Where: Scotland, North America
ORID
When: 300,000-1 millllion ion years ago
When: 400 million years ago When: 280-340 million years ago
PIG 3
BEAR R 3 BIRD 3
Daeodon shoshonensis was one
Early hummaanns s hhadad t too The largest carnivorous bird ever, the 3m tall,
tonne of angry, carnivorous hog.
competee w with manyy 400kg Brontornis burmeisteri was equipped
Its metre-long skull housed
fi erce preeddators, ands, and Arctodctoduuss with a massive beak and enormous claws. As
QUE/UNIVERSITY OF FL
formidable jaws fi lled with teeth
simus was as amonamong g tthe he grgreateatest. quick as a cheetah, it could also kick hard
perfectly adapted for splintering
Bigger thhan any bebear alive today, it enough to shatter bone. This bird needed to be
bone and slicing fl esh. A
stood 4m m ttalall, wl, weigeigheed ud up to a strong too, as its prey included ancient
ASON BOUR
formidable hunter, it preyed on
tonne and cnd could d brinbring down wn bbison. relatives of the armadillo, which were heavily
early horses and camels.
NH, J
armoured and grew to the size of a small car.
/
AM
Where: NorNorth America
Where: North America
When: 12,500-800,000 Where: South America
When: 18-25 million years ago
years aggoo When: 23-25 million years ago
D FINNIN
7
6
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Turtle
Fish
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e
4
t

(
m
Ape
3
Pig
H
e
i
g
h
Millipede
Bird
Bear
2
1 Frog
0
60 October 2009 www.bbcfocusmagazine.com www.bbcfocusmagazine.com October 2009 61
Focus_208_greatest_beasts_10jo.indd 60 9/4/09 4:00:13 PM Focus_208_greatest_beasts_10jo.indd 61 9/4/09 4:00:16 PM
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