10 Most Terrifying Creatures That Once Lived

The animal kingdom has always surprised us with some pretty formidable creatures but these extinct animals are something out of our worst nightmares. They were larger and more vicious than the scary animals we know today and it might be hard to believe that they actually existed. We might not have the chance to see them today but we should know them, just in case they ever return.

1. Carbonemys

Image courtesy: Gloucester

The name Carbonemys means “carbon turtle”. It was a carnivorous the size of a Volkswagen. Its head was bigger than a football and its beak razor sharp which made it easy to slice through other animals with ease.(source)

2. Arthropleura



Image Source: www.paleoworld.ucoz.ru

 It’s perhaps one of the well known nopes in history. The Arthropleura was a giant millipede that was the size of a car. It could be found mostly in carboniferous forests but was mostly vegetarian and fed on rotting matter.(source)

3. Brontoscorpio



Image Source: www.walkingwith.wikia.com

 Scorpions have existed in different forms for over 400 million years and were the true definition of badass because they could grow large. Like really LARGE. Massive would be a better word for it. The Brontoscorpio had a lightbulb size stinger and was a meter long. It was a sea scorpion but with gills and was one of the first animals to crawl out of the sea!(source)

4. Jaekelopterus



Image Source: www.imgur.com

 The Jaekelopterus makes the Brontoscorpio look like a small puppy. It was the size of a crocodile and with an appetite to match. The Jaekelopterus ravaged sea scorpions, ammonites, ancient fish…. Basically, anything in its wake was on the menu. It was in fact one of the largest scorpions in history.(source)

5. Anomalocaris



Image Source: www.walkingwith.wikia.com

 Anomalocaris means “abnormal shrimp”, which is rather creepy. It’s the smallest on this list but don’t be fooled- it grew to the size of an arm! It was also the largest of the anomalocarids species.(source)

6. Pulmonoscorpius



Image Source: www.prehistoricpark.wikia.com

 This is another giant scorpion. It grew to the size of the Brontoscorpio but with a smaller stinger and every bit as voracious. The Plumonoscorpius was terrestrial.(source)

7. Cameroceras



Image Source: www.walkingwith.wikia.com

 You could call the Cameroceras, the ancient ancestor of octopi and squids. It had a 12 meter shell that made it move slower but it was powerful enough to take down ancient predatory fish and sea scorpions.(source)

8. Kaprosuchus



Image Source: www.photobucket.com

 No one ever wants to come face to face with a crocodile, especially a hungry one. They are pretty scary. They have mastered the art of hunting and like to stay in the shallows of rivers and lakes where they grab prey from the shores. They rarely venture far from water and that’s a good thing. 

The Kaprosuchus however is an all terrain animal. Its name means “boar crocodile’ due to its long chompers. This six meter long killing machine could do what a crocodile can do but better. It could wait in water and attack but could also run on land. No luck for any living thing whether in water or on land. Oh, and dinosaurs presented no challenge- it could kill them too!(source)

9. Titanoboa



Image Source: www.museum.unl.edu

 These days snakes are pretty small. The green anaconda is the largest so far and the reticulated python is the longest. The Tinatoboa would have feasted on them so fast. It measured over 12 meters lengthwise and was the size of a T.rex. It ate mostly giant crocodiles and turtles and lived right after the extinction of dinosaurs but ruled the earth just like they did.(source)

10. Livyatan melvillei



Image Source: www.balcsika.deviantart.com

 You've heard of the megalodon. The giant shark everyone is scared of because it has teeth the size of a hand. Well, this whale trumps it.

The Livyatan got its name from the biblical monster, you know, the one God had to kill? (It’s also in ‘Moby Dick’.) Its teeth were a foot long, grew larger than the megalodon and hunted anything in its wake. Beaked whales, baleen whales, porpoises, dolphins, sea turtles, sharks, sea birds and seals were all part of its diet.(source)