Legacy of predators

For millions of years, apex predators have dominated the planet, influencing ecosystems from ancient landscapes to the modern oceans. Join Anwesha Sinha, AGS Gurugram, XI (IBDP) to explore fierce hunters sitting atop the food chain.

Smilodon
Era: Pleistocene epoch
(2.6 million-11,700 years ago)
Appearance: The largest species of Saber tooth tigers, weighing up to 400kg.
Habitat: Grassland, North America, Europe.
Interesting traits: Strong limbs and canine teeth, measuring up to 14cm, they were able to open their mouth up to 130 degrees wide.
Art of hunting: Grabbed prey with powerful front legs and killed them with teeth, serrated along the front and back edges.
Diet: Large herbivores like bison and camels.

Postosuchus
Era: Triassic period (252-201 million years ago)
Appearance: A crocodile-like predator on long legs.
Habitat: Tropical regions, near Texas USA.
Interesting traits: Powerful legs and sharp teeth, making it fast and lethal. It had osteoderms (bony plates) embedded in its skin, providing protection against threats.
Art of hunting: Sharp, serrated teeth along with sharp claws were used for seizing food. An ambush predator, it relied on its stealth and surprise to capture prey.
Diet: Smaller reptiles and early dinosaurs.

Tyrannosaurus Rex
Era: Cretaceous period (145-66 million years ago)
Appearance: Largest land predators, famous for its massive size and strength.
Habitat: Forest areas, near Montana USA.
Interesting traits: Strongest bites of any land animal and large teeth. They had great vision—able to see UV light along with excellent sense of smells.
Art of hunting: It had shards of rotten, bacteria-infested meat lodged in its tightly packed teeth which gave it a ‘septic bite’ that infected and eventually killed its wounded prey.
Diet: Large herbivores.

Anomalocaris
Era: Cambrian period (541-485 million years ago)
Appearance: Largest predators of its time, reaching up to 1 meter in length.
Habitat: Pacific Ocean.
Interesting traits: A circular mouth with hardened plates with a characteristic vision due to its large, stalked compound eyes.
Art of hunting: Unique spiked appendages to grab prey and a square, tooth-laden mouth delivered the final bite.
Diet: Fed on early marine life, including trilobites.

Dunkleosteus
Era: Devonian period (419-359 million years ago)
Appearance: A giant, heavily armoured fish up to 10 meters.
Habitat: Pacific Ocean near USA.
Interesting traits: Sharp jaws capable of slicing through bone and had an extremely powerful bite, able to generate forces over 8000 psi.
Art of hunting: A razor-sharp mouth plates and an interior muscle design created a unique suction effect that would bring its victims closer.
Diet: Other fish, including smaller sharks.