The Size Difference Between Extinct Animals and Their Descendants

YouTube channel WTD has produced a captivating digital animation that displays the size comparisons of extinct animals and their living descendants. It’s safe to say that certain awe-inspiring creatures of today had counterparts in the distant past that were even much more intimidating.

The video starts by introducing the nuralagus, a rabbit-like creature measuring a yard in length. However, the scale rapidly intensifies from there. For instance, while contemporary beavers stand at approximately 17 inches in height, their predecessor, the castoroides, reached a towering height of over three feet and measured eight feet in length.

A similar pattern emerges with the Emperor penguin. Standing at four feet tall, they are undeniably charming, yet their ancestor, the Anthropornis Nordenskjoeldi, stood six feet high—essentially matching the height of a professional basketball player.

Similarly, the 32-foot reticulated python is joined by the 45-foot titanoboa, while the saltwater crocodile, at about 10 feet long, is four times smaller than the Rhamphosuchus, which was 39 feet long.

While some extinct animals are almost similar in size to their descendants, they had some very distinctive features. For instance, the megaloceros exhibits massive antlers that rival the proportions of a moose. Another example is the arctotherium, a bear of comparable height to the polar bear, but distinguished by its dark fur and native habitat in Central and South America.

WTD, which is dedicated to “collecting and making data comparison of all things in 3D,” has also come up with other similar amazing animations, such as this size comparison of dinosaurs.

Sources: 1, 2