570 vanished lives

01Cenozoic

They lived not on endless ice, but in a wind-shaped grassland ecosystem.

02Cenozoic

Its enormous canines were only part of the weapon; the real power lay in exceptionally strong forelimbs.

03Recently extinct

Flightlessness was not a failure, but the result of evolving on an island without large predators.

04Paleozoic

They occupied seafloors for nearly 300 million years, and their compound eyes preserve secrets of early vision.

05Mesozoic

A deep skull, bone-crushing bite and keen senses made it one of the last giant theropods.

06Mesozoic

Three horns and a broad frill formed a formidable display and defense system.

07Mesozoic

Tall back plates and a four-spiked tail made this low-browsing herbivore unmistakable.

08Mesozoic

This turkey-sized feathered predator carried a raised sickle claw on each foot.

09Mesozoic

A sail-backed predator with dense bones and a paddle-like tail, adapted to life around water.

10Mesozoic

Body armor and a heavy tail club turned a plant-eater into a walking fortress.

11Mesozoic

Its long hollow crest may have carried low calls across forests and floodplains.

12Mesozoic

Feathers, wings, teeth and a long bony tail capture a mosaic of dinosaur and bird traits.

13Mesozoic

One of the largest known flying animals stood as tall as a giraffe on the ground.

14Mesozoic

A giant marine lizard propelled by a deep tail fin patrolled Late Cretaceous seas.

15Paleozoic

Sharpened jaw plates replaced teeth in this heavily armored apex fish.

16Cenozoic

Its hand-sized teeth belonged to a giant shark specialized in hunting marine mammals.

17Paleozoic

This many-segmented arthropod grew longer than a person in coal-swamp forests.

18Paleozoic

This sail-backed predator was closer to mammals than to dinosaurs.

19Paleozoic

A beaked, tusked survivor became extraordinarily common after Earth’s greatest mass extinction.

20Cenozoic

Standing on its hind legs, this elephant-sized sloth could reach high branches with huge claws.

21Cenozoic

A domed shell of fused armor protected this car-sized relative of armadillos.

22Cenozoic

The largest deer antlers known were seasonal structures for display and competition.

23Cenozoic

A heavy-jawed canid hunted the large herbivores of Ice Age America.

24Recently extinct

Australia’s striped marsupial predator survived longest in Tasmania.