Why Giant Prehistoric Insects Ruled Earth Before the Dinosaurs. Think: eight-foot-long millipedes and dragonflies with two-foot wingspans. By Tim Newcomb Published: Jul 06, 2022 9:42 AM EDT.

This was a period when giant insects reigned. M. permiana is one of many examples of Permian insects that outweigh their contemporaries. Other invertebrates reached giant proportions in the past ...

Among the most iconic of these ancient insects was Meganeura, a giant dragonfly-like insect. Fossils of Meganeura have been discovered in locations such as France and the United Kingdom, revealing ...

What it eats: Fruit, seeds, fungi, insects, snails, fish, frogs, small birds, small mammals and carrion Why it's awesome: The southern cassowary is one of the most prehistoric-looking birds on ...

A 99-million-year-old fly encased in amber shows infection with a prehistoric zombifying fungus. Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, NIGPAS Scientists have ...

SAO PAULO (AP) — Sloths weren’t always slow-moving, furry tree-dwellers. Their prehistoric ancestors were huge — up to 4 tons (3.6 metric tons) — and when startled, they brandished immense ...

While we won’t see giant dragonflies swooping down on us today, the fossil evidence of these enormous insects reminds us of a time when Earth was very different.

Scientists have revealed fossils of a giant salamander-like beast with sharp fangs that ruled waters before the first dinosaurs arrived. The animal, researchers say, is roughly 272-million-year-old.

Prehistoric giant marine turtles were once thought to have existed only in waters surrounding North America. With a newly discovered species found in Europe, scientists believe giant turtles may ...

Before dinosaurs evolved, back when the world was swampy and green 300 million years ago, giant dragonfly-like insects called griffinflies filled the skies. ... Our Evolution Garden features brass ...

One hypothesis for how the insects of the Permian grew so large is that atmospheric oxygen levels were higher than they are today (they were as high as 30% in the Permian, compared to today's 21%).

What it eats: Fruit, seeds, fungi, insects, snails, fish, frogs, small birds, small mammals and carrion Why it's awesome: The southern cassowary is one of the most prehistoric-looking birds on Earth.