Post by dinosauria101 on May 6, 2019 16:13:39 GMT 5
European Hippopotamus - Hippopotamus antiquus
Hippopotamus antiquus, sometimes called the European hippopotamus, was a species of hippopotamus that ranged across Europe, becoming extinct some time before the last ice age at the end of the Pleistocene epoch. H. antiquus ranged from the Iberian Peninsula to the British Isles to the Rhine River to Greece. Similar in size and form to Hippopotamus gorgops, H. antiquus on average was larger than the modern common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius). H. antiquus is believed to have first appeared around 1.8 million years ago, compared to 2 million years ago for H. amphibius. Beginning in the Middle Pleistocene, H. amphibius migrated into Europe and may have competed with this hippopotamus species for food. The Cretan Dwarf Hippopotamus (H. creutzburgi) is believed to have evolved from H. antiquus through the process of insular dwarfism on the island of Crete. Martínez-Navarro et al. (2004) estimated a body mass for H. antiquus between 2.500-4000 Kg, which is more than two times heavier than the mean weight of its extant relative.
Ginsu Shark - Cretoxyrhina mantelli
Cretoxyrhina mantelli, the "Jaws of the Cretaceous", was a shark that lived in the Cretaceous period in the in the Western Interior Sea, about 100 million years ago. C. mantelli grew up to 24 feet (7 meters) long, and is known from several nearly complete skeletal fossils. Its name means "Mantell's chalk-sharp-nose".According to Shimada, associated fossil remains with evidence of digestive damage suggest that probable fish prey of C. mantelli included the massively jawed, 14-foot (4.25-metre) long Xiphactinus, which resembled a dagger-toothed tarpon and was a powerful predator in its own right. Based on a few tooth-scarred, associated mosasaur vertebrae, Shimada suggests that C. mantelli also tackled these 10- to 40-foot (3- to 12- metre) long marine reptiles of the late Cretaceous. While it is tempting to imagine titanic undersea battles between a giant shark and a sea dragon, it seems far more likely that Cretoxyrhina more commonly fed on large pelagic bony fishes, taking juvenile mosasaurs when the opportunity arose, and perhaps even dining on the occasional long-necked plesiosaur. Shimada concluded that Cretoxyrhina mantelli occupied a top predatory niche comparable to that of the modern White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias). Despite its fearsome size and armament, C. mantelli did not long survive, becoming extinct by about 90 million years ago. Known specimens of the Ginsu Shark are about the same size as the largest recorded Great Whites Sharks.
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Credit to Wikipedia
Hippopotamus antiquus, sometimes called the European hippopotamus, was a species of hippopotamus that ranged across Europe, becoming extinct some time before the last ice age at the end of the Pleistocene epoch. H. antiquus ranged from the Iberian Peninsula to the British Isles to the Rhine River to Greece. Similar in size and form to Hippopotamus gorgops, H. antiquus on average was larger than the modern common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius). H. antiquus is believed to have first appeared around 1.8 million years ago, compared to 2 million years ago for H. amphibius. Beginning in the Middle Pleistocene, H. amphibius migrated into Europe and may have competed with this hippopotamus species for food. The Cretan Dwarf Hippopotamus (H. creutzburgi) is believed to have evolved from H. antiquus through the process of insular dwarfism on the island of Crete. Martínez-Navarro et al. (2004) estimated a body mass for H. antiquus between 2.500-4000 Kg, which is more than two times heavier than the mean weight of its extant relative.
Ginsu Shark - Cretoxyrhina mantelli
Cretoxyrhina mantelli, the "Jaws of the Cretaceous", was a shark that lived in the Cretaceous period in the in the Western Interior Sea, about 100 million years ago. C. mantelli grew up to 24 feet (7 meters) long, and is known from several nearly complete skeletal fossils. Its name means "Mantell's chalk-sharp-nose".According to Shimada, associated fossil remains with evidence of digestive damage suggest that probable fish prey of C. mantelli included the massively jawed, 14-foot (4.25-metre) long Xiphactinus, which resembled a dagger-toothed tarpon and was a powerful predator in its own right. Based on a few tooth-scarred, associated mosasaur vertebrae, Shimada suggests that C. mantelli also tackled these 10- to 40-foot (3- to 12- metre) long marine reptiles of the late Cretaceous. While it is tempting to imagine titanic undersea battles between a giant shark and a sea dragon, it seems far more likely that Cretoxyrhina more commonly fed on large pelagic bony fishes, taking juvenile mosasaurs when the opportunity arose, and perhaps even dining on the occasional long-necked plesiosaur. Shimada concluded that Cretoxyrhina mantelli occupied a top predatory niche comparable to that of the modern White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias). Despite its fearsome size and armament, C. mantelli did not long survive, becoming extinct by about 90 million years ago. Known specimens of the Ginsu Shark are about the same size as the largest recorded Great Whites Sharks.
Credit to Wikipedia