Artist Shows How These Extinct Animals Might’ve Looked In Real Life In His 30 Illustrations

Velociraptor is one of the most iconic dinosaurs of all. It was a ferocious hunter that likely relied on its deadly sickle claws to pierce the vital areas of its victim's body, much like today's eagles. Velociraptors have been misunderstood ever since they were featured in Jurassic Park as giant scaly dinosaurs. In reality, Velociraptor shared many traits found in modern-day birds, most notably, feathers.

Through art, this long extinct and fascinating animal is bought back to life!

Up until about 10,000 years ago, the saber-toothed cat Smilodon was a ferocious predator that dominated the primeval landscape of the Americas. Smilodon means "knife-tooth", a perfectly fitting name given its enormous fangs, which measured up to 28 centimeters in length. This 250-kilogram feline was an apex predator and primarily hunted the large mammals it shared the land with, such as bison and camels.

Dorygnathus was a small pterosaur that lived in Europe during the Early Jurassic period approximately 180 million years ago when shallow seas flooded much of the continent. This flying reptile had a short wingspan of about 1.5 meters. The most striking feature of Dorygnathus is its incredible teeth, which were very long and sharp, ideal for catching small aquatic prey like prehistoric fish and squids.

Barbourofelis was one of the largest "false saber-tooth cats", which were carnivorous mammals that, due to convergent evolution, evolved to be very similar in appearance to cats, even though they were quite distantly related. Barbourofelis was up to 1.8 meters long and was a powerfully built predator, with a skeletal structure that is indicative of a strongly developed musculature. This hints Barbourofelis was a fierce predator, which likely hunted large prey in North America during the Pliocene.

Stegoceras was the prime example of a pachycephalosaur ("thick-headed lizard"), a family of ornithischian, plant-eating, bipedal dinosaurs, known for their extremely thick skulls. Although Stegoceras had a sleek build, it had a large dome on its head made of thick solid bone. Similarly to modern day bisons, experts believe that Stegoceras males used their very strong heads to shove and head-butt each other to win females during breeding season.

This peculiar dinosaur lived in what is now North America around 75 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous

Behold the mighty Triceratops, one of the most famous dinosaurs of all!

With its 3 iconic horns, a parrot-like beak, and a large frill, the skull of Triceratops is one of the largest and most striking of any land animal.

It is often considered the toughest of all dinosaurs, and indeed it used its sheer size, body strength, and imposing horns to fend off attacks from one of the deadliest predators to ever live, T-REX.

Arctodus simus/short-faced bear. The short-faced Ibear was the largest and most powerful land carnivore in North America during the Ice Age. Its most distinctive feature was its very short face, hence its name. It was one of the largest bears to have ever lived, reaching a total body weight of about 700 kg.

Arctodus simus was much taller than modern bears, such as the grizzly bear, but not so heavily built. Additionally, its limbs were longer and more slender compared to modern relatives, suggesting that it was a fast hunter.

Pyroraptor was a dromaeosaurid, a small, bird-like predatory theropod that possessed enlarged curved claws on the second toe of each foot. In Pyroraptor, these claws were 6.5 centimeters long and, as in other dromaeosaurids, these claws might have been used as weapons or as climbing aids. Pyroraptor lived during the Late Cretaceous, approximately 70 millions of years ago, in what is now France and Spain.

In the late Jurassic it would have been hard to believe that such a relatively small predator like Guanlong would lead to the evolution of one of the largest and most ferocious carnivorous dinosaurs of all, Tyrannosaurus rex! In fact, it is one of the first known tyrannosaurids and lived in China about 95 million years before Tyrannosaurus rex. Its name comes from the Chinese words meaning "crown" and "dragon", a clear reference to its unusual crest, one of the most distinct among known theropod dinosaurs, which was probably used for display and to intimidate rivals.

Some of you know that I really enjoy depicting pterosaurs, especially the more "extreme" ones that used to live during the Cretaceous in what is now Brazil. Recently, a new and perfectly preserved pterosaur specimen of the genus Tupandactylus was discovered and what you see is my depiction of this once fascinating animal. Hope you like it!

The Mesozoic was a time when the ground was literally shaken by the colossal sauropods, the largest land animals to ever exist. Brachiosaurus was among the largest, with a length estimated at 26 meters and a weight of over 50 metric tons. It was so large in size that it was likely immune to all predators. Brachiosaurus had a huge body, a small head and an extremely long neck that allowed it to feed on the leaves of the tall trees that once grew in its habitat of North America. Thanks to their anatomical features, sauropods thrived for almost 100 millions years and were able to inhabit almost every continent.

"With their passing, life will never again be this large".

Inostrancevia lived during the Late Permian period and was the largest of the gorgonopsid species. Inostrancevia's most striking feature was its long, saber-tooth-like canines. It had a total body length of around 3.5 m, a weight of 300 kg and a huge skull, which measured up to 60 cm in length. Inastroncevia was likely at the top of the food chain in Late Permian Russia, preying on the large herbivorous creatures it shared the land with.

Paleontologists view Archaeopteryx as a transitional fossil between dinosaurs and modern birds. With its blend of avian and reptilian features, it was long viewed as the earliest known bird. Discovered in 1860 in Germany, it's sometimes referred to as the "first bird". Its name is in fact a combination of two ancient Greek words: archaīos, meaning "ancient," and préryx, meaning "feather" or "wing." Archaeopteryx lived about 150 million years ago, during the late Jurassic Period in what is now southern Germany. At the time, most of Europe was an archipelago and was much closer to the equator than it is today, with latitude similar to Florida, providing this basal bird with a fairly warm climate. With an estimated weight of 0.8 kg, Archaeopteryx was about the size of the common raven. It also had well-developed wings and a long feathered tail. Based on these anatomical features, paleontologists believe that Archaeopteryx likely had some aerodynamic abilities, and could, therefore, fly.

Ambulocetus was an early amphibious cetacean from Pakistan that lived roughly 48 million years ago during the Early Eocene. The name Ambulocetus means in fact “walking whale,” suggesting that this ancient mammal looked very different from modern whales and more like a dog-like animal. It likely lived both on land and in water, such as lakes and rivers.

The unusual and distinctive feature of Pachycephalosaurus is the high, domelike skull formed by a thick mass of solid bone, which safely cushioned its tiny brain. Abundant bony knobs at the front and sides of the skull further added to the unusual appearance. It has been suggested that these animals were head butters like living rams. Pachycephalosaurus lived during the Late Cretaceous Period of what is now North America.

The considerable size of the skull of Stenonychosaurus contains one of the largest brain for its body size of any dinosaur, comparable to that of a modern emu. The teeth were sharp, curved, and serrated. The legs were particularly long and each foot was armed with a large killer claw, like that of the Velociraptor. Its large eyes suggest that Stenonychosaurus had keen eyesight and most likely hunted small prey, such as mammals, birds, and reptiles, at night or at dusk.

Bambiraptor is a Late Cretaceous, bird-like dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur, which lived in North America. Although only juvenile specimens have been described, it is estimated that a fully grown Bambiraptor would have reached up to 1.5 meters in total length, and perhaps weighed only 5 kilograms. Bambiraptor was likely covered in feathers, and its skeleton shared many similarities with that of a modern bird. Based on analysis of the skull, experts suggest that this species had a brain nearly as large and complex as that of some modern birds. Bambiraptor was also a fast runner and a fierce hunter that may have preyed on small Cretaceous mammals and reptiles.

Pterodactylus is an iconic pterosaur that lived during the Late Jurassic in Germany. It was relatively small for a pterosaur, with a wingspan ranging from 50 centimeters to about 1 meter.

It most likely hunted fish and had many long and narrow conical-shaped teeth.
Like other pterosaurs, Pterodactylus had a crest on its skull composed mainly of soft tissues. However, solid crests have been found on larger, fully grown specimens, indicating that this was a display structure that became larger and more well developed as individuals reached maturity.

Parasaruolophus was a truly bizarre herbivorous dinosaur. Its most striking feature was the long bony crest projecting from the back of the skull. It was hollow and contained a series of tubes that elongated the nasal passages. Perhaps it was used to produce calls in order to keep in touch with its herd in the heart of thick forests. Other theories propose that the crest was used for display or as a means of thermoregulation.

It was a docile herbivore but of considerable size, in fact, its body length is estimated at 9.5 meters, for a weight of over 2 tons.

Parasaruolophus belonged to the hadrosaur family, a group of large herbivorous dinosaurs that is part of to the order of the Ornithischians, which lived during the Cretaceous period.

Bambiraptor is a Late Cretaceous, bird-like dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur, which lived in North America.

Although only juvenile specimens have been described, it is estimated that a fully grown Bambiraptor would have reached up to 1.5 meters in total length, and perhaps weighed only 5 kilograms. Bambiraptor was likely covered in feathers, and its skeleton shared many similarities with that of a modern bird. Based on analysis of the skull, experts suggest that this species had a brain nearly as large as that of some modern birds. Bambiraptor was also a fast runner and a fierce hunter that may have preyed on small Cretaceous mammals and reptiles.

Microraptor was a feathered dinosaur, an early ancestor to the birds. Incredibly well-preserved fossil remains found in China, have allowed paleontologists to piece together a better picture of the evolution of dinosaurs, from feathered ground dwelling creatures, to those that took to the skies, leading to the evolution of birds.

At less than one meter in average length, Microraptor was one of the smallest dromaeosaurs or raptors of its time, hence its name, but still remains a specimen of much importance.

Microraptor was unable to efficiently fly through the forests where it once lived during the early Cretaceous, instead it used not two, but four, feathered limbs to glide from tree to tree, likely to hunt its prey or evade from predators. These feathers were also used for maintaining body temperature and for show but, most importantly, their shape created the ideal aerodynamic surface.

Spinosaurus is probably the most enigmatic dinosaur of all. For decades, this colossal theropod has been the subject of much controversy in the scientific community and many have wondered how this predatory giant from the Cretaceous period could live and hunt. Spinosaurus was huge, in fact it is considered the longest known carnivorous dinosaur and measured about 15 meters in length. It also had an extravagant "sail" on its back, which measured more than a man's height. The function of this peculiar back structure is not known with certainty. One hypothesis suggests that the sail was used to regulate body temperature.

When the animal had its sail turned sideways towards the sun's rays, its large surface, covered with blood vessels, would quickly absorb the heat, thus heating the whole body. An alternative hypothesis suggests that the sail was decorated with bright colors, and was therefore used by males for sexual displays to attract the attention of females. Recent studies suggest that Spinosaurus spent most of its time in the water and swam using its powerful, fin-like tail. This lifestyle is apparently unique among dinosaurs. There were already several clues that suggested an adaptation of this animal to an aquatic lifestyle: the teeth were similar to those of crocodiles and perfect for catching fish, the front legs were equipped with strong curved claws to hold the most slippery prey, the hind legs were short and the foot bones were broad, suggesting that this dinosaur possessed webbed feet, like those of seabirds.

Thylacosmilus is an extinct genus of saber-toothed mammals that roamed South America between 9 and 3 million years ago. Though Thylacosmilus looks remarkably similar to the "saber-toothed cats", it was not a felid, like the well-known North American Smilodon, but a sparassodont, a group related to marsupials, and only superficially resembled other saber-toothed mammals due to convergent evolution.

Utahraptor, meaning Utah's predator, was one of the largest dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaurs or raptors to ever exist. It lived in North America during the Early Cretaceous period. Unlike most dromaeosaurids, it was much more heavy-built, comparable to a polar bear in weight, and estimated to have reached up to 7 meters in length. Like most of its kind, it possessed a large sickle claw, perfectly adapted to dispatch its prey. Although feathers have never been found in association with Utahraptor specimens, there is strong phylogenetic evidence suggesting that all dromaeosaurids possessed them.

Psittacosaurus is a genus of extinct ceratopsian dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of what is now Asia, existing around 115 million years ago.

The skull of Psittacosaurus is highly modified compared to other ornithischian dinosaurs of its time. It is very tall in height and short in length, and both upper and lower jaws sport a pronounced beak. The bony core of the beak may have been sheathed in keratin to provide a sharp cutting surface for cropping plantmaterial. Additionally, in some species, bony horns protrude from the skull.

Scutellosaurus was a small ornithischian dinosaur that lived approximately 196 million years ago during the Early Jurassic in what is now Arizona, USA. Scutellosaurus was lightly built and was around 1.2 metres long and 50 centimeters tall. One of the more striking features of this small herbivorous dinosaur was the large number of osteoderms that ran along its neck to its back and as far down as its tail. These formed parallel rows, with as many as five rows on each side.

Titanis was a giant flightless terror bird that inhabited in North America during the early Pliocene to early Pleistocene epochs. Titanis was a large fearsome predator, that was almost 2 meters tall and weighed around 150 kilograms. It had long and powerful legs and it could run at high speeds when hunting its prey. Although its skull has not been discovered yet, it is likely that it had a large, axe-like beak, like its relatives.

Chilotherium is a genus of prehistoric rhinoceros that lived during the Miocene and Pliocene in Asia and Eastern Europe. At the shoulders, it was as tall as a fully grown man and weighed between 1 to 2.5 tons.

Its most notable feature is its two large upward-curving tusks, formed from enlarged incisor teeth, which rose up from the lower jaw. Although these peculiar tusks were present in both males and females, they seem to have been larger in the males, suggesting that they might have been used for display. ‬They were also likely used for species recognition as well as possible practical applications.

As one of the most abundant large predators in the Jurassic, Allosaurus was at the top of the food chain, likely preying on the large herbivorous dinosaurs and, perhaps, also other predators it shared the land with. It averaged 9.5 meters in length, though fragmentary remains suggest it could have reached over 12 meters, making it one of the largest predatory dinosaurs of its time. The skull had a pair of horns above and in front of the eyes. They were likely covered in a keratin sheath and may have had a variety of functions, including: acting as sunshades for the eyes and being used for display, as they probably possessed a distinct and bright coloration.

Hamipterus was an early Cretaceous pterosaur that once lived in northwestern China. Its skull was relatively long and narrow, and on the top it had a long, bony crest running from near the tip of the snout to the rear of the skull. The teeth were thin, widely spaced and conical, and the tooth row extended for almost the entire length of the upper and lower jaws. It also estimated that Hamipterus would have grown to have a wingspan of up to 3.5 m, making it a medium-sized pterosaur.