Best Extinct

Meganeuropsis permiana was a giant dragonfly that lived during the Permian Period approximately 290 million years ago. This extinct insect boasts an impressive wingspan of around 71 centimeters making it the largest known insect fossil discovered to date. Its size and unique morphology offer valuabl...

The Rocky Mountain locust (Melanoplus spretus) was a migratory insect species native to the western half of the United States. During the 19th century, the species gathered in massive swarms that caused severe agricultural damage across the Great Plains. The insect experienced a sudden population co...

Meganeura monyi was a giant dragonfly that lived during the Carboniferous period approximately 300 million years ago. It is notable as one of the largest flying insects ever discovered, boasting a wingspan reaching nearly 65 centimeters. Fossil evidence suggests this “griffinfly” inhabited swampy en...

The Waimangu Geyser was a natural geothermal feature located in Rotorua, New Zealand. It gained prominence for its exceptionally powerful eruptions between 1900 and 1904, producing some of the largest muddy events ever recorded from a geyser. The geyser’s dramatic activity stemmed from volcanic acti...

The Southern Gastric Brooding Frog, *Rheobatrachus silus*, was a unique Australian frog species notable for its unusual reproductive behavior. It incubated eggs and raised tadpoles within its stomach cavity. This remarkable adaptation allowed the frog to protect its young from predators and harsh en...

The gastric-brooding frogs were a genus (Rheobatrachus) of extinct aquatic amphibians native to Queensland, Australia. They are most notable for their unique reproductive mechanism, in which the female would swallow her fertilized eggs and brood them in her stomach by suppressing the secretion of ga...

The Imperial Woodpecker was a massive North American woodpecker, extinct since the late 19th century. It inhabited pine forests of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains in Mexico and held the record as the largest woodpecker species ever recorded. Its immense size and unique characteristics make it...

Helicoprion is an extinct genus of shark-like cartilaginous fish that lived during the Permian period, first named in 1899. Belonging to the order Eugeneodontida, this marine predator is famous for its bizarre anatomical feature: a symphyseal tooth whorl arranged in a continuous spiral. Because thei...

Waeringoscorpio westerwaldensis is a Devonian fossil scorpion from Germany, described in 2008 and noted for preserved gill-like structures.

Ambulocetus natans is an extinct genus of early cetacean from the middle Eocene epoch, approximately 49 million years ago, with fossils discovered in Pakistan. This archaeocete is a key transitional fossil, exhibiting a mix of terrestrial and aquatic traits that illustrate whale evolution. It posses...

Eramoscorpius brucensis is a Silurian fossil scorpion from Ontario, named in 2015 and interpreted as an early semi-terrestrial form.

The Golden Toad ( *Bufo periglenes*) was a small toad species native to a restricted cloud forest region of Costa Rica. Its notable characteristic was its bright golden coloration, a rare trait among Central American toads. Sadly, the species became extinct around 2004 after disappearing from observ...

Sthenurus is an extinct genus of large, short-faced kangaroo belonging to the family Sthenuridae, which lived throughout Pleistocene-era Australia. These marsupials were heavily built, with estimates suggesting they weighed well over 100 kilograms. They are distinguished from modern macropods by the...

Basilosaurus is an extinct genus of large archaeocete whale that lived during the late Eocene epoch, between 40 and 34 million years ago. It was a dominant marine predator, possessing a long, serpentine body that could reach up to 18 meters in length. The name "Basilosaurus," meaning "king lizard,"...

Palaeophonus nuncius is an extinct species of scorpion that lived during the Silurian period. Fossils of this arachnid were discovered in Sweden and described by Thorell and Lindström in 1884. As one of the oldest known scorpion genera, Palaeophonus retains primitive features. Paleontologists classi...

Pakicetus is an extinct genus of early archaeocete whale that lived during the early Eocene epoch, approximately 50 million years ago. Fossils were first discovered in Pakistan, which the genus is named after, and it is considered one of the earliest known cetaceans, representing a transitional phas...

Livyatan melvillei is an extinct species of physeteroid whale, a relative of the modern sperm whale, that lived during the Miocene epoch, approximately 12 to 13 million years ago. Its fossilized remains, including an exceptionally large skull, were discovered in the Pisco Formation of Peru. The whal...

Melanoplus spretus, formerly called the Rocky Mountain locust, was a large grasshopper belonging to the Acrididae family. This species became notable for its massive, synchronized migrations across western North America during the late 19th century. These movements caused significant agricultural da...

Pulmonoscorpius kirktonensis is a remarkably well-preserved fossil scorpion dating back to the Carboniferous period approximately 310 million years ago. It’s notable for possessing lungs, an unusual adaptation among scorpions at this time, suggesting a more active terrestrial lifestyle than previous...

The Rocky Mountain locust (Melanoplus spretus) was a large grasshopper native to western North America, specifically the Rocky Mountains and surrounding areas. It’s notable for having once formed massive swarms, capable of consuming vast quantities of vegetation – particularly sagebrush – and causin...

The Northern Gastric Brooding Frog was an aquatic amphibian native to the rainforest streams of Eungella National Park in Queensland, Australia. Discovered in 1984, it is notable for its unique reproductive method, where females swallowed their fertilized eggs and gave birth to fully formed froglets...

The Beringian Steppe, also called the mammoth steppe, was a cold, productive grassland ecosystem that existed during the Pleistocene epoch across Alaska, eastern Siberia, and the exposed Bering land bridge connecting Asia and North America. It supported large grazing mammals such as mammoths, bison,...

Zygomaturus is an extinct genus of diprotodontid marsupial from the Pleistocene of Australia, closely related to the larger Diprotodon. It was a heavily built herbivore distinguished by a broad skull and prominent cheekbones (zygomatic arches). Fossils have been recovered primarily from sites in sou...

Rodhocetus kasranii is an extinct species of protocetid whale that lived during the middle Eocene epoch, approximately 47 million years ago. Its fossilized remains were discovered in Pakistan and first described by paleontologist Philip Gingerich in 1994. The anatomy of Rodhocetus represents a cruci...

Micraster coranguinum is an extinct species of heart urchin—a type of irregular sea urchin—from the Late Cretaceous period. The species was described by the German naturalist Nathanael Gottfried Leske in 1778. M. coranguinum is one of the most abundant and widely distributed fossils in the Upper Cha...

Cretoxyrhina mantelli, commonly known as the Ginsu shark, was a large mackerel shark that lived during the Late Cretaceous period approximately 82-73 million years ago. Growing up to 7-8 meters in length, it served as an apex predator in the Western Interior Seaway that divided North America. The sp...

The desert rat-kangaroo was a small, nocturnal marsupial native to arid regions of central Australia. Belonging to the potoroid family, it’s notable for its unique adaptations to survive in harsh conditions including large ears for heat dissipation and specialized teeth suited for eating roots and t...

Dorudon atrox is an extinct species of basilosaurid archaeocete whale that lived during the late Eocene epoch, approximately 37 million years ago. As a fully aquatic mammal, it possessed a streamlined body, flippers, and a well-developed tail fluke, evolving from earlier semi-aquatic ancestors. Its...

"Ptychodus" is an extinct genus of large durophagous shark that lived during the Late Cretaceous period. Historically known only from isolated, broad, and distinctly ridged teeth, the genus was definitively classified in 2024 following the discovery of complete fossilized skeletons in limestone depo...