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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
Ozymandias73 2 years ago
Looked up the Demon Duck, it was approx. 6.5ft tall and 400lbs!! (2m/200kgs)
PunnyPanda 2 years ago
How tf did that thing evolve wings like that? What purpose could they have possibly served?
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
Peppy 2 years ago
Wouldn’t it be great if giant pangolins came back and kicked the poachers butts
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Caitlin Burt 2 years ago
Pangolins are such underrated creatures! They're actually one of the most poached animals, which is really sad. We need to save them! I know that there's someone who runs a Pangolin sanctuary somewhere!
#3
The Modern Grevy's Zebra And The Extinct Macrauchenia
Marvin HeartofGold (she/them) 2 years ago
This will become were-horse and will be worked into my next campaign.
"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)
Calin Rusti 2 years ago
Because we happen to run across Nicobar pigeons ever so often to understand the size comparison.
Sleepy Panda 2 years ago
That’s what I was thinking. I’ve never even heard of the nicobar pigeon, let alone seen one, so it’s impossible to make a comparison! If it’s the size of a standard pigeon, then the dodo can’t be that big, but who knows.
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Avani Gupta 2 years ago
Only found in the Nicobar Islands in India. And even there, extremely hard to spot in the wild. Strangely enough, I didn't see a single normal rock pigeon when I went there
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Kathryn Baylis 2 years ago (edited)
Wrong. The dodo only went extinct at the end of the 17th century, so not ancient. It’s a cousin of the Nicobar Pigeon, so is not an ancestor. However, because they’re closely related (it’s been discovered they share DNA) they have prehistoric ancestors in common, such as the extinct flightless solitaire, which is what should be pictured here instead of the dodo. Here’s a link to a picture of the solitaire: https://prehistoric-fauna.com/Rodrigues-solitaire
Ash 2 years ago
i mean, these are comparisons of modern animals with extinct animals that are related to them (not necessarily direct ancestors), so it isn't wrong to include the dodo. there's a tasmanian wolf farther down, and they went extinct in the 20th century.
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#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.
Little Johnny...and Laura 2 years ago
A worker at the OKC zoo, got too close to the baby tapir. She paid for it ,when the momma,tore her arm off. They are WILD , animals.
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
Robecca 2 years ago
Whhhhat shire horses aren't THAT big! Was that thing really the size of a cat?
Lemon Beans 2 years ago
They were closer to the size of small dog, like a mini schnauzer :) Still very tiny!
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Ozymandias73 2 years ago (edited)
That's quite the evolution! The Eohippus was only 10 -17inches tall! Google searched: Living during the Eocene era approximately 55 to 58 million years ago, Eohippus, the “dawn horse” or more correctly called Hyracotherium, is the most ancient ancestor of today's horse.
The Original Bruno 2 years ago
Fun fact: Any swallow actually could have carried coconuts large enough to mimic the eohippus trotting.
#7
The Modern African Lion And The Extinct Simbakubwa
Anon Yymi 2 years ago
Simba means lion in swahili so the connection isn't random.
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janey nimu 2 years ago
Simba kubwa actually means big lion in Swahili. Simba = lion, kubwa = big
PunnyPanda 2 years ago
Kinda feel like these mock ups may have neglected to consider the existence of cartilage....
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
glowworm2 2 years ago
Andrewsarchus? Sounds like someone's name. Andrew Sarchus! You get over here right now and brush your teeth!
Kim Sikoryak 2 years ago
Named for Roy Chapman Andrews. This far-roaming paleontologist was a sort of Indiana Jones hero to us kids in the 1950s.
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Hippopotamuses 2 years ago (edited)
The hippopotamus amphibius looks like it’s getting sick of the Andrewsarchus bragging about something.
Erick L. 2 years ago
Interesting. How a carnivore evolved into an herbivore. Their digestive systems aren't the same.
Monday 2 years ago
Hippos are omnivores. They will absolutely devour meat should the opportunity arise. They even indulge in the occasional bit of cannibalism.
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Bi Emo 007 (he/him) ️🇨🇦🇺🇦️🇯🇵 2 years ago (edited)
The hippopotamus is giving him mad side eye
Lyop 2 years ago
Well, thank goodness it's it's extinct!! Imagine bumping into that at a watering hole during a safari!!
Becky Samuel 2 years ago
As hippos are already the most dangerous mammals in Africa I don't think it would make much difference. Carnivores don't tend to attack unless threatened, protecting youngsters, or hungry. Hippos are just jerks.
Load More Replies... TheGoodBoi 2 years ago
I believe they were on a documentary I watched. Apparently they were pretty fearsome predators.
Ozymandias73 2 years ago
Hippos today are considered the most dangerous animal
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The Modern Cougar And The Extinct American Cheetah
Seabeast 2 years ago (edited)
They originated here, then some crossed over to Eurasia, then they became extinct here. Same as horses, they also originated here.
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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?!
Xenon 2 years ago
I was gonna say good luck getting that sucker into your oven.
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David Paterson 2 years ago
When was Sylviornis? Check web. Very recent, it was still around in New Caledonia when humans arrived circa 1500 BC.
Milady Blue 2 years ago
That would be a scary thing to hunt for Thanksgiving - "Gobble, gobble motherf***er!"
#11
The Modern Koala And The Extinct Marsupial Lion
David Paterson 2 years ago
Convergent evolution. The marsupial lion had the same predator role in Australia as the lion still does in Africa.
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Mimi La Souris 2 years ago
beware ! beware of the terrifying koala, the terror of autralian lands ! :D:D:D
Ken Beattie 2 years ago
if you're a "there's something nasty in the woods killing people" horror fan check out Carnifex. It's a mild spoiler but the monster is this guy. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18252340/ Movie is ok, but has some seriously dumb decisions from people who should be smarter. CGI effects are a little cheap, but bearable (hehehe).
Ken Beattie 2 years ago
Because they're either asleep or bloody noisy. They make some truly horrid grunting and squalling noises.
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#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...."
Ash 2 years ago
so i had to look it up, and... "The site of discovery and the genus are named for a location known as Wholly Dooley hill, which itself is was named for a volunteer working at Riversleigh, Genevieve Dooley." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whollydooleya
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David Paterson 2 years ago
The paleontologists at Riversleigh have an Enormous sense of humour.
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Hugh Cookson 2 years ago
The Whollydooleya looks astonishingly like the extinct Tasmanian Wolf or Thylacine.
V33 Namkrow 2 years ago
Whollydooleya? How bout Tasmanian tiger,which actually went extinct in the early 1900s
#13
The Modern Grevy's Zebra And The Extinct Embolotherium
Malfar 2 years ago (edited)
Tapir's great-grandfather. Or at least it looks like one, before I am corrected that they aren't even related.
Michael Sauerwein 2 years ago
Even though they don't look much alike, the zebra, tapir, and Embolotherium are actually related. They are all odd-toed ungulates, which include horses and zebras, rhinoceroses, and tapirs. It is hard to tell because Embolotherium has 4 toes on their front feet, but three on the rear feet. That part on their nose is not flexible like a tapir but is solid bone. The nostrils should be at the bottom and not the top.
Load More Replies... Danish Susanne 2 years ago (edited)
And when you remember that the Grevy's zebra is the biggest of the zebras.
David Paterson 2 years ago
That's a bit of a cheat. Most people compare the size of Embolotherium to that of an elephant.
#14
The Modern Bengal Tiger And The Extinct Sarkastodon
HungryPanda 2 years ago
Sarkastodon?! Can this be brought back as a term for people who utilize and celebrate sarcasm please?
#15
The Modern African Forest Elephant And The Extinct Arsinoitherium
Sleepy Panda 2 years ago
Ah, a great tusker! (The elephant!) They’re some of the most magnificent creatures to roam the earth! Sadly, their numbers are decreasing due to ivory poachers. :(
Marek Čtrnáct 2 years ago
I can just imagine warriors riding that animal, using the horns as a slingshot.
#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 😂
#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
Ash 2 years ago
i just love that we have a genuine, honest-to-god real animal called a unicorn.
#20
The Modern Polar Bear And The Extinct Giant Amphicyon
XenoMurph 2 years ago
I'd be amazed if there were many left in a few decades. Just not enough sea ice.
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#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
Ken Beattie 2 years ago
I feel like, based on that photo, it should have been named "The slightly larger fossa" 0_o
#24
The Modern Kākāpō And The Extinct Heracles
David Paterson 2 years ago
That's interesting. I thought the kakapo was bigger than all its ancestors. It is most closely related to the ground parrots of Australia, but the kakapo is much larger than Australian ground parrots.
Heather Vandegrift 2 years ago
I LOVE the Kākāpō! There's a documentary video of one climbing on a guy's head and trying to mate with it! 😂 I really hope they survive and the population recovers
#25
The Modern Numbat And The Extinct Tasmanian Wolf
Aria Whitaker 2 years ago
They have a grainy, black and white video of one of the last remaining ones...they were fascinating looking creatures. Acted like a cross between a cougar and a wolf....
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Linda R 2 years ago
I saw an article a couple of months ago that said there were reports of Tasmanian Wolves spotted in remote areas. I hope they make a comeback, if so.
Upstaged75 2 years ago
Today I learned there's an animal called a numbat in Australia. It kind of looks like a stripy squirrel to me.
Mariele Scherzinger 2 years ago
They were rare to begin with, but when European sheep farmers moved to Tasmania, they were hunted down, as they kept killing lambs.
PeepPeep the duck 2 years ago
Fun fact : you can see paintings of them in kakadu NT - a long way away from where they roamed
#26
The Modern African Civet And The Extinct Leakey's Giant Civet
RedMarbles 2 years ago
Pretty disgusting how they treat the modern civets to get that coffee
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cartoon ghosts 2 years ago
I feel like i recognize civets from some kids book someone please help me
#27
The Modern Wandering Albatross And The Extinct Pelagornis
Jungle Empress 85 2 years ago
Don't albatrosses have the largest wingspans of all birds?
Load More Replies... jacqueline 2 years ago
What if, hear me out, Dinosaurs didn't all die in a huge ball of fire from a comet, but just evolved into these smaller animal versions of themselves ... and the bigger ones become extinct due to under population etc, like some of the other animals on the planet?
geezeronthehill 2 years ago
All living birds are indeed the only surviving dinosaurs.
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#28
The Modern Indian Rhinoceros And The Extinct Granastrapotherium
Nick Dempsey 2 years ago
Thank goodness these are all extinct, they're just too hard to pronounce
#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)
imsouravmitra 2 years ago
And the white streaks in their spikes before using said hair (spike?) gel...
Load More Replies... Lemon Beans 2 years ago
Both H refossa and H indica lived during the Pleistocene, about 2.58 million to 11,700 years ago, but the oldest H indica fossil is dated to 3.6 million years ago :)
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#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.
David Paterson 2 years ago
Well spotted! Yes. The Papua echidna is bigger than the Australian echidna.
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RageHivewing 2 years ago
One of my classmates called an echidna a porcupine, I got a bit mad lmao
#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
Linda R 2 years ago
Must be pretty sturdy to hold up under all that weight!
Load More Replies... #36
The Modern Giant Forest Hog And The Extinct Notochoerus
Ash 2 years ago
he found his aroma lacked a certain appeal--- he could clear the forest after every meal!
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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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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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