Evolution is a serious thing. At each stage of the formation of our planet in a certain period of time, these or those animals existed, which, of course, were the elite of their era. Such have long been considered prehistoric predators. We’ll talk about them.
Vertebrate animals have inhabited the Earth for more than 500 million years! Almost half of this period on our planet was dominated by prehistoric predators - dinosaurs! Just think about these numbers! No other group of animals could survive in the history of the formation of the Earth as long as it happened with the ancient dinosaurs. They were real rulers!
Prehistoric predators - the crown of creation of nature!
At one time, the ancient reptiles were the pinnacle of development of all terrestrial organisms that inhabited our planet. Dinosaurs remained lords of sushi for over 100 million years! These were numerous and varied monsters. No other creature could compare with them in strength and perfection! Today, prehistoric reptile predators do not cease to excite scientists and philistine minds: the process of their existence and the drama of extinction have been of interest to man from the moment he learned about the Great Reptile Era! Dinosaurs are studied in a very thorough manner, no other species of extinct animals is so popular in scientific circles than the ancient dinosaurs!
Prehistoric marine predators
Over time, it became too crowded on land, and some reptiles began to develop water. Scientists experimentally observed that reptiles throughout the history of their development from time to time returned to the water. This happened when more abundant food and security of existence awaited them there.
For them, this was not difficult, since life in the seas and oceans does not require absolutely any drastic changes in the body and physiology from reptiles.
The very first prehistoric predators that mastered the water were anapsids - Mesosaurs of the Permian period. Following them, primitive diapsids - tangosaurs, talatosaurs, claudiosaurs and hovasaurus - went into the water. The most recent group of aquatic reptiles is the well-known ichthyosaurs. These marine predators were simply perfectly adapted to life in any waters of our planet. In their shape, ichthyosaurs very much resembled the most common fish or dolphins: a triangular head with long jaws stretched forward, a body flattened at the sides, the tail fin lobe is vertical, and the legs are transformed into four ventral fins.
Lord of the seas and oceans
The largest reptile ever living in the water was someone called lyopleurodon. All other marine prehistoric predators simply faded before him ... The time of its existence fell on the Jurassic period. The size of this gigantic creature is still subject to scientific debate. Four huge fins, a short and laterally compressed tail, and also a very large and narrow head with huge teeth (about 30 cm in length) made him the unconditional ruler of all the seas and oceans of the ancient planet!