Pictures of Animals that are Now Extinct

Rinchenia, an oviraptorosaur (”egg thief lizard”) from the Cretaceous period with an impressive head-helmet.

Mankind, like nature, is full of surprises.

Zanabazar, a dinosaur from the Cretaceous that was discovered in Mongolia.  It was named after the first spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolia, Zanabazar, who has a much longer Wikipedia article than the dinosaur, and probably rightly so.

Also these things were around like FOREVER, appearing during the Cambrian and not going extinct until the end of the Triassic.  I wonder how many other animals have remained around for so long...  (I guess they’ve got nothing on sponges though, those things are never going away.)

Carodnia, an ungulate from South America, heavily built and about the size of a tapir.  From the Paleocene and Eocene.

Mixosaurus, the most common genus of ichthyosaur during the Triassic period.  It appears to be a transitional form between earlier eel-like ichthyosaurs and the later dolphin-like ones.

Gerrothorax, an amphibian with a flat body and very strangely shaped head.  It also retained its gills as an adult, like the axolotl.  Apparently it lifted its head to catch prey rather than dropping its jaw, leading to comparisons to toilet seats – which just seems rude.  I mean, you really couldn’t think of any other hinged lidded container that opens in this way?  From the Triassic.

Dorcatherium, an adorable little mouse-deer from the Miocene and Pliocene.  So pleasingly plump and spotted.

Beipiaosaurus, a feathered dinosaur from the early Cretaceous with some crazy-looking claws.  The first fossil was found by a Chinese peasant in 1996, and it is named after the city nearest its discovery, Beipiao.

Not to diminish the awesomeness of Rodhocetus and the evolution of whales, but Russian desmans seem pretty awesome too.

(image credit)

Cavenderichthys talbragarensis (top), whose Latin name alone takes up about 1/3 of its Wikipedia article, and its friend Uarbryichthys (bottom).  From the Jurassic.

Hallopus, originally thought to be a dinosaur, but in reality probably a crocodilian.  It seems to have stood much more erectly than current crocodiles though; something about its posture here reminds me of a rather lanky dog.  From the late Jurassic.

Normally only the bullet-shaped back of the internal shell is found fossilized; these were known as thunderstones because they were believed to be the result of lightning strikes.

Callobatrachus, a prehistoric frog from the early Cretaceous.  Apparently good frog specimens are hard to come by in the fossil record, so this guy has been quite illuminating in the study of their evolution.

Alxasaurus, one of a type of dinosaur called therizinosaurs.  It displayed several typical characteristics such as the long neck, short tail, and large hand claws.  Also its name starts with one of my nicknames for my boyfriend (hi Alx!).  From the Cretaceous.