In terms of sheer power and predatory skills the prehistoric creatures were by far the best of the bunch, they had everything a predator would need to survive and be the top of the food chain, heres a list of some of the best.
Also something i have come to find is that for every species of what we consider an Apex Predator, some million years ago there lived a similar Apex predator which was ultimately better in every way.
Tyrannosaurus.
Well known as the most dominant Apex Predator in the Cretaceous period the 'T-rex' has many attributes clearly giving it this position in the higherarchy, hunting almost any other (big enough) dinosaur.
It was among the last non-avian dinosaurs to exist before the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event.
- Measuring up to 12.8 m (42 ft) in length.
- Up to 6.8 metric tons (7.5 short tons) in weight.
- Lived for roughly 20 million years.
- It took less than 5 years to increase its body mass from 1,000kg - 5,000kg.
Smilidon.
Better known as the 'Saber tooth tiger' due to its relatively long canines, which are the longest found in the saber-toothed cats, at about 28 cm (11 in) long in the largest species.
Although Smilodon is not a tiger; the latter belongs to subfamily Pantherinae, whereas Smilodon belongs to subfamily Machairodontinae.
This creature dominated the lands from the early Pleistocene to late Pleistocene which is around 2.5 million years ago to just 10,000 years ago.
- A fully-grown Smilodon weighed approximately 55 to 470 kg.
- Extreme length of their maxillary canines roughly 12in.
- Extinct due to human hunting.
Titanis.
Better known as the 'terror bird' this 'bird' could not fly at all, as we find with most big birds.
Lived during the Blancan stage of the Pliocene living 4.9—1.8 Ma, and died out during the Gelasian Age of the earliest Pleistocene, existing approximately 3.1 million years.
- It was 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in).
- Weighed approximately 150 kilograms.
- Titanis could run at speeds of 65 km/h.
- Huge, axe-like beak.
Arctodus.
Known as the bulldog bear was roughly twice the size of today's bear and known to defeat Smilidon and most other predators around that period, it lived 11,000 years ago, existing for approximately three million years.
- Weighing an estimated 1,600 kg.
- At least 3.4 m (11 ft) tall.
- Similar shoulder size to an Elephant.
- Became extinct due to prey dieing out.
Megaladon.
Was a giant shark, measuring up to 52ft long this beast of a sea creature lived roughly from 28 - 1 million years ago.
Megaladon is recorded as one of the largest and most powerful vertebrate predators in history.
Living in the late Oligocene to the early Pleistocene period so roughly ruling the seas for 28 million years .
- Measuring 16 meters long.
- Exerting a bite force estimated at 182,201 newtons (40,960 lb).
- 2 meter (7ft) jaw diameter.
- 276 teeth in its jaws, spanning 5 rows.
Azhdarchidae.
A giant pterodactyl bird standing around 15 metres tall feeding on various different dinosaurs and lived around the late cretaceous period.
Azhdarchids included some of the largest known flying animals of all time.
- Relatively large heads and long, spear-like jaws.
- Wingspan of 15 meters.
Basilasaurus.
Basilosaurus ("King Lizard") is a genus of cetacean that lived from 40 to 34 million years ago in the Late Eocene.
Basilosaurus averaged about 18 meters (60 ft) in length, and is believed to have been the largest animal to have lived in its time.
The whale also possessed small, 0.6 meter (2 ft) hind limbs, which clearly cannot aid locomotion on a 15-22 meter (50-72 foot) animal.
- 18 meters in length.
- Lived for 10 million years.
- It is believed that Basilosaurus had some sort of armor plating.
Spinosaurus.
Spinosaurus (meaning "spine lizard") is a genus of theropod dinosaur which lived in what is now North Africa, from the lower Albian to lower Cenomanian stages of the Cretaceous period, about 112 to 97 million years ago.
It was 12.6 to 18 metres (41 to 59 ft) in length and 7 to 20.9 tonnes (7.7 to 23.0 short tons) in weight.
Known to defeat the most aggresive and top of the foodchain predators in the Cretaceous period.
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