What Animals Today Lived Alongside Dinosaurs?
When we talk about the Mesozoic Era, dinosaurs are often the animals at the center of the conversation. These prehistoric reptiles lived on nearly every corner of the globe and were one dominant clade, a group of organisms coming from a common ancestor. However, dinosaurs weren’t the only animals living during this prehistoric era. Learn about which animals from today lived alongside dinosaurs.
Sharks
While dinosaurs were walking the land, other creatures ruled the depths below. The oldest shark fossils indicate that the species first lived over 450 million years ago, making them older than dinosaurs.
During the Mesozoic Era, sharks looked quite different from the ones we see today. Some sharks, such as the Ptychodus, had flat teeth that they used to eat mollusks, while others had rows of sharp teeth to devour prey in the ocean. The sharks that lived during the Mesozoic Era were also much larger than what we see today. For instance, some species, such as the Cretoxyrhina, were around twenty-five feet long, making them over ten feet longer than the typical great white shark.
Crocodilians
Crocodiles and alligators look similar to dinosaurs, and while they’re not directly related, their ancestors shared the Earth at the same time. This animal group first lived roughly 240 million years ago.
Some of the early crocodilians, such as the Sarcosuchus, Dryosaurus, and Shieldcroc, were massive compared to the ones we see nowadays. More specifically, the Sarcosuchus was between thirty-seven and forty feet long and weighed 19,290 pounds. On the other hand, the Crocodylus porosus (also known as a saltwater crocodile) is today’s largest species. It grows up to twenty feet long and weighs around 2,200 pounds.
Sea Turtles
Sea turtles are another modern animal that lived alongside dinosaurs. Like crocodiles, this reptile group lived in fresh and saltwater and shared a family tree with dinosaurs.
Similar to other animals on this list, prehistoric turtles were quite large by today’s standards. The Archelon ischyros—an ancient turtle living during the late Cretaceous period—measured in at over fifteen feet long. Other species, such as the Protostega gigas, weighed over 2,000 pounds, making them some of the largest turtles ever living on Earth.
Platypuses
While various mammals lived alongside the dinosaurs, the platypus family is one of the few still living today. The platypus is interesting because it’s one of two mammals that lay eggs, the other being the echidna. Fossil records of ancient platypuses indicate that the species lived during the Cretaceous period.
Live Alongside Dinosaurs
Although dinosaurs aren’t around anymore, you can add high-quality action figures of them to your home. Creative Beast Studio’s Beasts of the Mesozoic Ceratopsian Series includes several members of the Ceratopsian family with historically accurate detailing. Collect your favorite figures to bring prehistoric life to your space today.
