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30 New Size Comparisons Of Extinct Species And Their Modern Relatives By Roman Uchytel
Interview With Artist
Roman Uchytel is a Ukrainian paleontologist and graphic designer who recreates prehistoric fauna, providing an interesting scale comparison of our ancestors' features. He contrasts the sizes of extinct species with their modern relatives, placing them side by side and the result is fascinating!
"My wife and business partner Alexandra Antonova (Uchytel) and I came up with this idea together, for our children to know what the ancestors (or relatives) of the animals they see in the zoo looked like," Uchytel shared with Bored Panda.
Scroll down and take a glimpse into the past! For more captivating comparisons, check out our previous articles here and here.
More info: Instagram | prehistoric-fauna.com | flickr.com | Facebook | twitter.com
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
The Modern Trumpeter Swan And The Extinct Demon Duck
Growing up, Roman lived near a zoo, and he spent nearly all of his time there. "I dreamt of becoming a zoologist and often sketched animals. I eventually graduated from art school and university. You could say that I am an artist by training and a naturalist at heart," the artist writes on his website.
But before diving into Paleoart, Roman worked as a designer on television. His hobby was extinct animals and dinosaurs. the artist shared that when 'Walks with Monsters' came out, he was inspired because no one had ever made such a film before. "The thing is, I was educated as an artist, and I studied anatomy, so I decided to draw these animals for myself based on their skeletons. So the end result was put on a zoo forum and shown to other people. It turns out that I’m not the only one interested in this kind of reconstruction. Besides, when I was a kid, I had books about ancient animals with illustrations of Burian and Flerov. And the family lived near the zoo, so I practically grew up there."
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#2
The Modern Sunda Pangolin And The Extinct Giant Asian Pangolin
#3
The Modern Grevy's Zebra And The Extinct Macrauchenia
"My knowledge of animal anatomy makes it much easier to accurately draw all sorts of beasts and birds. My childhood fascination with animals is stronger than ever. Using only their skeletons, I bring creatures to life that roamed the same routes that take you to and from work hundreds of thousands of years ago. What was once a hobby is now my life’s calling. You won’t find any dinosaurs here. In my drawings, I recreate the world that surrounded them, the long-extinct animals that you may never have seen."
#4
The Modern Nicobar Pigeon And The Extinct Dodo
Nicole Weymann 2 years ago
Now THAT is one fabulous pidgeon! 🤩 (left, though the dodo's nice, too. Just can't compete. From now on "dodo in a pigeon pageant" will be my new go-to phrase for being sadly outclassed and looking it)
#5
The Modern Asian Tapir And The Extinct Moropus
Sleepy Panda 2 years ago
So Drowzee is based off a tapir then? Huh. I didn’t even know a tapir was a thing until this moment, so that’s cool.
We wanted to know how Roman ensures the accuracy of his size comparisons. The artist explained that he relies on bone measurements and data from scientific papers.
However, Roman encounters certain challenges in his work. "Very often found remains of extinct animals are scarce and fragmentary, so when I’m working on reconstructions, I have to focus on related species."
#6
The Modern Shire Horse And The Extinct Eohippus
#7
The Modern African Lion And The Extinct Simbakubwa
When dealing with prehistoric animal data, Roman frequently comes across new information. "Science does not stand still, so I have to monitor the paleontological news and make adjustments to previously created reconstructions. Sometimes I even have to completely remake an ancient animal," the artist shared.
#8
The Modern Great Hippopotamus And The Extinct Andrewsarchus
#9
The Modern Cougar And The Extinct American Cheetah
When asked about prehistoric animals he'd like to explore in the future, Roman replied that there are so many fascinating creatures that it could take a hundred years of work to cover them all. "You cannot embrace boundlessness," he added.
However, there's something more crucial that Roman wanted to talk about. "Today, my main task and the goal of all Ukrainians is to win the war that Russia has unreasonably started. And we still need the support of the entire civilized world!" If you have the means to help, you can do so here!
#10
The Modern Wild Turkey And The Extinct Sylviornis
Ozymandias73 2 years ago
Could you imagine trying to carve one of those Sylviornis' for Thanksgiving dinner?!
#11
The Modern Koala And The Extinct Marsupial Lion
#12
The Modern Tasmanian Devil And The Extinct Whollydooleya
Ozymandias73 2 years ago
Sometimes I wonder just how they come up with these names. LOL It's like with this one, first time they so it someone was like "Whoaaaa Nelly! Hmm...."
#13
The Modern Grevy's Zebra And The Extinct Embolotherium
#14
The Modern Bengal Tiger And The Extinct Sarkastodon
#15
The Modern African Forest Elephant And The Extinct Arsinoitherium
#16
The Modern African Wild Dog And The Extinct Xenocyon
#17
The Modern African Savanna Elephant And The Extinct Deinotherium
Let’s roll 2 years ago
You ever wonder if these fossils or bones got mixed up somewhere. Those tusks really don’t look right. Like, what are they used for? Can’t be fighting/defending oneself, not practical for eating and as a display/attract a mate type thing, I’m still not convinced. Now I’m no elephant/deinotherium but yeah, I’m not digging it. Hang on, digging? I don’t know.
Lemon Beans 2 years ago
The tusks are attached to the skull, so we know they definitely belonged there. But this recreation doesn't depict them quite right, hey weren't so inwardly curved (poor guy would be stabbing himself in the neck). There's several theories about their purpose, but the most accepted is that the tusks were used to scrape of bark and forage through brush! I personally like the old theory that they were used basically as a giant head rest while the animal slept in the water, simply because the visual of that is very cute :)
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Let’s roll 2 years ago
And… the elephant looks like he’s getting a right telling off from his grandad 😂
Charlie Simpson 2 years ago
Did they go extinct because every time they looked at their feet they killed themselves?
Bad Alchemy 2 years ago
It's interesting to see how, over time, the tusks of modern elephants migrated from other places and settled where they are today.
Madster 2 years ago
Because repeatedly stabbing oneself in the legs is not it.
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Living Example 2 years ago
I wonder how long it took for the tusks to evolve from lower jaw to upper jaw as they are now.
#18
The Modern Giant River Otter And The Extinct Giant Ethiopian Otter
Srinivasan Somasundaram 2 years ago
As someone who don't know the size of these animals, I expected the author to include bananas for scale.
#19
The Modern Indian Rhinoceros And The Extinct Siberian Unicorn
#20
The Modern Polar Bear And The Extinct Giant Amphicyon
#21
The Modern Moonrat And The Extinct Gargano Giant Gymnure
#22
The Modern Great Grey Owl And The Extinct Cuban Giant Owl
#23
The Modern Fossa And The Extinct Giant Fossa
#24
The Modern Kākāpō And The Extinct Heracles
#25
The Modern Numbat And The Extinct Tasmanian Wolf
#26
The Modern African Civet And The Extinct Leakey's Giant Civet
#27
The Modern Wandering Albatross And The Extinct Pelagornis
#28
The Modern Indian Rhinoceros And The Extinct Granastrapotherium
#29
The Modern Central American Tapir And The Extinct Eobasileus
#30
The Modern Indian Crested Porcupine And The Extinct European Large Porcupine
Kathryn Baylis 2 years ago (edited)
Looks like the biggest “evolution” for these guys was in hair gel. (jk)
#31
The Modern African Palm Civet And The Extinct Hoplophoneus
#32
The Modern Little Eagle And The Extinct Haast's Eagle
Penguin Panda Pop 2 years ago
Just looked this one up. The Haast's eagle lived on the south island of New Zealand. It had an 8ft wingspan and became extinct about 500-600 years ago. It's generally considered that the extinction of its primary food source (a big emu type bird called a moa) resulted in its demise. The moa likely became extinct after people first populated the island. https://allthatsinteresting.com/haasts-eagle
#33
The Modern Western Long-Beaked Echidna And The Extinct Giant Long-Beaked Echidna
Helen Rohrlach 2 years ago
This is the Papua echidna species not the Australian species so not in the desert.
#34
The Modern Marabou Stork And The Extinct Giant Marabou
Upstaged75 2 years ago
Marabou storks freak me the heck out! They always look like they're plotting your death.
#35
The Modern Chacoan Peccary Or Tagua And The Extinct Long-Nosed Peccary
#36
The Modern Giant Forest Hog And The Extinct Notochoerus
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What do you think ?
Tuesday's child 2 years ago
The sad thing is that most of these modern animals are also facing extinction 😔
Apatheist Account2 2 years ago
Generally speaking, animals were larger in the past due to a higher concentration of oxygen, and the number of animals around.
Jayne 2 years ago
They either look like they are arguing over something silly, or complaining about something and I love it!
Chewie Baron 2 years ago
Or in some cases “I died out and that’s what we’re left with?”
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Pinkpanda 2 years ago (edited)
Given the point was to show these animals to scale of their ancestors, a lot of them were incredibly misleading with the chosen backgrounds not being at the correct perspective or angle to show the smaller animals. Some additional scale is needed, I don't know half the animals that are used for reference. Fun concept.
Tyranamar Seuss 2 years ago
Modern banana. I need a modern banana for scale.
Load More Replies... Tuesday's child 2 years ago
The sad thing is that most of these modern animals are also facing extinction 😔
Apatheist Account2 2 years ago
Generally speaking, animals were larger in the past due to a higher concentration of oxygen, and the number of animals around.
Jayne 2 years ago
They either look like they are arguing over something silly, or complaining about something and I love it!
Chewie Baron 2 years ago
Or in some cases “I died out and that’s what we’re left with?”
Load More Replies... Pinkpanda 2 years ago (edited)
Given the point was to show these animals to scale of their ancestors, a lot of them were incredibly misleading with the chosen backgrounds not being at the correct perspective or angle to show the smaller animals. Some additional scale is needed, I don't know half the animals that are used for reference. Fun concept.
Tyranamar Seuss 2 years ago
Modern banana. I need a modern banana for scale.
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