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Bored Panda

Justinas Keturka

50 Interesting Pics That Show That “Nature Was Metal” Thousands And Millions Of Years Ago (New Pics)

The history of the Earth spans about 4.5 billion years, during which countless creatures have appeared and gone extinct thanks to evolution. The only evidence we have that they existed is their remains, such as bones, teeth, and footprints, among other things. Many of them are shared on the ‘Nature Was Metal’ community, where curious minds gather to get a look at how different our planet was long before humans came into existence.

We can bet our dear Pandas are curious too, so we compiled a list of the most fascinating photos and illustrations of creatures that became extinct millions of years ago. Scroll down to check them out for yourself, and don’t forget to upvote the ones you can’t believe are real.

While you're at it, make sure to check out a conversation with Dr. Jingmai O'Connor, associate curator of fossil reptiles, Bethany Burke, vertebrate paleontologist and CEO of BKBONES, and Mattison Shreero, paleontologist, geologist, and science communicator at Geosplore, who kindly agreed to tell us all about extinct creatures.

#1 Just Saw Black Beauty - One Of The Most Complete T. Rex Skeletons Ever Found! In Classic 'Death Pose', Her Bones Are Black From A Specific Mineral Exposure During Fossilisation. Excited 5'5" Primate For Scale

Image credits: ramence

#2 Blue Babe, A Mummified Bison Priscus (Museum Is In Alaska)

Image credits: BaseNice3520

#3 The Skull Of A Deinosuchus, Which As A Genus Are The Front-Runner To Be The Largest Known Crocodilian Of All Time

Image credits: aquilasr

In a general sense, a species is considered officially extinct when the last individual has passed away in the wild or captivity, says Mattison Shreero, paleontologist, geologist, and science communicator at Geosplore.

But when looking deeper, there are several types of extinction, Bethany Burke, vertebrate paleontologist and CEO of BKBONES, explains.

"We have extinct in the wild, or "EW," meaning that there are no longer any populations of an animal/plant to be found outside of captivity of curation. This might mean that there are many (or lone) animals of the species being cared for by humans in a facility, likely with the intention of reintroduction into a habitat."

#4 The Skull Of Torosaurus, A Late Cretaceous North American Ceratopsian

Image credits: ExoticShock

#5 Xiphactinus, A Beautiful Specimen Of A Terrifying Sea Monster

Image credits: Jedi-master-dragon

#6 Suncor Nodosaur, One Of The Best Preserved Dinosaurs. It Even Has Some Pigmets Left

Image credits: Snoo-25929

Then there's functional extinction, which also falls under extinction in the wild, says Burke.

"Think of Northern White Rhinos. There were members of the species alive until recently, but they were both aging females. With no male DNA available to continue the species, the Northern White Rhino was considered extinct before the last rhino passed away."

Another type is extinction in the historical range, which means that there are still wild individuals of an animal, but the places they can be found have been drastically reduced.

"Jaguars once had a historical range that included American states like Arizona! Unfortunately, this is no longer the case, and the jaguar population of the United States is extinct, with no reported sightings deep into the Southwestern region since the mid-20th century," Burke further explains.

"Finally, we have the big one! 'True' extinction or 'EX.' A better term to use is 'total extinction.' This is classified by the death of the last living member of a species."

#7 Skeletal Mount Of Velociraptor Mongoliensis Next To A 27 Kg Greyhound (Photo By Mark Witton)

Image credits: Random_Username9105

#8 The Femur Of A Patagotitan, One Of The Biggest Dinosaurs Known To Have Existed, Next To A 1.75 M Tall Paleontologist

Image credits: aquilasr

#9 The Size Of A Sarcosuchus Mount

Image credits: aquilasr

How certain creatures go extinct varies, but the main reason for it is a change in their environment/habitat loss, experts say.

"First, it's important to recognize that extinction is a normal process (what we call background extinction), just like death is a normal process. However, human activity has caused the rate of extinction to be 100-10000x higher than it should be (yes, up to TEN THOUSAND times the normal rate)," Dr. Jingmai O'Connor, associate curator of fossil reptiles, explains.

"Extinction happens when change occurs so fast that species cannot adapt/evolve to handle the new circumstances. All causes can be summarized into a single factor—human overconsumption. Humans consume (and waste) so much, and it has a huge impact on the environment as we destroy natural ecosystems for mines, logging, agriculture, housing, and more."

#10 A Tylosaurus Hunting A Xiphactinus In A Long-Time Display At My Local Natural History Museum (The Academy Of Natural Sciences)

Image credits: aquilasr

#11 The Skull Of Megaladapis Aka The Koala Lemur Compared To The Gray Mouse Lemur

Image credits: ExoticShock

#12 Dsungaripterus (Oc)

Image credits: 00zxcvbnmnbvcxz

Our overconsumption results in pollution and climate change, too, which toxifies environments and destroys delicate temperature-dependent ecosystems like coral reefs, notes Dr. O'Connor.

"It's also k*****g us, by the way. Infertility and cancer rates are ever-increasing because this toxicity isn't just bad for other species, it's bad for us, as is destroying ecosystems and causing rampant extinction. No species can survive alone."

#13 The Massive Skull Of Megachoerus, A Giant Entelodont

Image credits: UrsusArctosDoosemus

#14 Constance Kite, A Fossil Preparator At Harvard Seen 60 Years Apart With The Kronosaurus She Helped Put Together; This Specimen Was Est At 34 Feet, Over 15 Tons

Image credits: aquilasr

#15 The Size Of The Skull And Horns Of A Bison Latifrons, The Giant Long-Horned Bison

Image credits: aquilasr

Burke and Shreero agree that the most devastating mass extinction event in Earth's history was the Permian–Triassic extinction that happened around 252 million years ago.

"This event, known as 'the Great Dying,' resulted in the loss of 90-96% of all species on a global scale and was likely caused by intense volcanism in Siberia and subsequent effects of that volcanism (ocean acidification, rising temperatures, and such—sound familiar?)," Shreero explains.

"Humanity has already begun walking down the path towards another extinction event such as this, except we're progressing these effects at an even faster rate than they occurred at the end of the Permian—and if that doesn't scare you, I don't know what will."

#16 Torosaurus, The Largest Skulled Species Of Dinosaur With A Head Measuring Up To About 10 Feet Including A Massive Frill

Image credits: aquilasr

#17 Deinocheirus Juvenile (Oc)

Image credits: 00zxcvbnmnbvcxz

#18 "That's Me" (Art By Everydaylouie)

Image credits: Mamboo07

Meanwhile, Dr. O'Connor believes that the most devastating mass extinction event in Earth's history is happening right now.

"I would say that this current, 6th mass extinction is the worst. While we will never know its full extent (meaning what percentage of terrestrial and marine macro-organisms are wiped out), since we will likely be victims of our own short-sightedness, this is the only mass extinction caused by a non-geologic or extraterrestrial event (the 5th mass extinction was caused by an asteroid)," Dr. O'Connor says.

"It is the only mass extinction that can be blamed on a single species, and one that claims to be intelligent and conscious to boot. It is a real tragedy, but in an evolutionary sense, you could say that our high level of intelligence and consciousness are evolutionary traits that don't lend themselves to long-term survival, since we are the first to have these traits to such a degree, and we have done the worst possible things with them and will very likely drive ourselves to extinction."

#19 My Freshwater Stingray (Heliobatis Radians)

Image credits: Rolopig_24-24

#20 Chalicotherium (Oc)

Image credits: 00zxcvbnmnbvcxz

#21 David Attenborough With A Titanosaur Femur

Image credits: aquilasr

Scientists are taking countless measures every day to help species avoid extinction, but each one of us can also do our part and contribute to it, Shreero says.

"Everyone can help by fighting to protect natural habitats, volunteering to restore damaged ecosystems, adopting eco-friendly living practices, donating to organizations working towards a sustainable future, fighting for policy changes in the private sector and at every level of government to force these entities to protect our planet, educating others on how to do all of the same, and SO more!

There are endless ways to protect our planet and the beautiful diversity of life on it, and by working together, we can make real and lasting change towards a sustainable future!"

#22 Amphicyon Ingens, The Giant Bear-Dog. At 2.5m In Length And Weighing Over 550kgs, It Is One Of The Biggest Mammalian Land Carnivores Ever

Image credits: UrsusArctosDoosemus

#23 Two Giant Bird Species That Both Went Extinct Less Than 1000 Years Ago. The Giant Moa And The Elephant Bird

Image credits: Upstairs-Nerve4242

#24 Very Early Description Of A Woolly Mammoth From 1805 Based On A Frozen Carcass Found In Siberian Permafrost

Image credits: WorriedAmoeba2

Dr. O'Connor provides a few more examples of what everyone can do to prevent animal extinction, ones that she does personally to reduce her environmental impact.

Avoid single-use plastics (I will never ever buy bottled water, I use shampoo bars, toothpaste that comes in a glass jar, etc.).
Bring my own to-go containers when I eat out, and don't order food for delivery (lots of plastic waste there).
Ride a bike and use public transportation.
Thrift, try to avoid synthetic clothing, don't waste water (short showers, hand-wash dishes, etc.).
Eat organic or sustainably farmed foods, consume small amounts of meat, avoid processed foods, don't waste food.
Avoid using heating/AC (dress for the temperature), try to reduce consumption of electricity by turning off lights (I also hang dry my clothes), etc.

"These are easy things to do. Reducing and reusing are key (recycling is almost pointless). I live in an apartment, but if you have a house, you can also set up a greywater system and compost. This is our planet and our future, and we should stand up for it and for ourselves. We should not wait for the government to make laws to change things. We can say no to plastic straws, we don't need them to be made illegal, etc."

#25 Arthropleura, The Largest Known Arthropod To Ever Exist At An Estimated 2.5 Metres Long, Walks Slowly Along An Ancient Carboniferous Coastline Looking For Food (Render By Prehistorica_cm)

Image credits: Mamboo07

#26 Purussaurus Is One Of The Largest Known Of The Giant Crocodilians, Perhaps Even Surpassing Sarcosuchus In Size. It Reigned Supreme In Central South America In The Miocene Period, 8 Million Years Ago

Image credits: No_Emu_1332

#27 The Sheer Size Of The Dire Wolf

Image credits: Mophandel

Lastly, before we go, Burke wanted to address a topic that has recently been hot on the news.

"I need to add that there is no way to bring back long-extinct animals, even with their DNA. These companies that claim to be doing so are creating hybrids of ancient and modern animals. We won't be getting a Woolly Mammoth. We will be getting an Asian Elephant/Mammoth hybrid, carried and raised by an Asian Elephant mother. That is still an incredible breakthrough!

Conversation is what's important. We need to start focusing on living species we very much can save still, instead of throwing billions of dollars at a science project to make fluffy elephants. That being said, I am very interested in how these companies can use their incredible technologies in conservation!" Burke concludes.