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Having seen James' articles on extinct monsters we're glad aren't alive today I thought I'd add some too as they're creepy and exciting to research! Like James’ articles I found that again all the creatures are spectacularly large and imposing, but perhaps that’s what led to their extinction in part, as climates changed their organs could not adapt to run their huge bodies in new environments and different air consistencies. Without further ado, let’s get started!

Spinosaurus:

The largest carnivoraus dinosaur to have ever lived, this beast dwarfed the more popularly known Tyrannosaurus Rex and was some 14 metres long, that's over 7 times the average adult male! Making it the complete Apex Predator it had spines on its back that allowed it to dive into water and hunt just as proficiently there as on land. No matter what creature you were you did not want to run in to one of these! 

Gigantopithecus:

Turns out even our own ancestors were bigger and scarier millions of years ago as this mouthful of a name would be better titled giant ape. Living as recently as 100,000 years ago in modern Asia it was the largest ape ever on Earth. Some 10 feet tall, (that’s double some small people) and weighing an astonishing 1,200 pounds (that’s significantly more than a person!) it must have been a wonder to behold but, much like today’s silverback gorilla, not something you would want to anger. Like today’s apes it was primarily a herbivore but it could cause a lot of damage even without intending to due to its sheer size and strength. A final note, scientists argue over whether the great ape walked on all fours or on 2 legs like mankind, if the latter, we truly did have humongous ancestors!

IMAGE SOURCE: https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/

Andrewsarchus:

No it’s not your sarcastic friend Andrew, the strangely named Andrewsarchus was a giant predator that lived some 40 million years ago. Based on scientific studies of fossils it seems the Andrewsarchus could even have been the largest land mammal predator ever weighing a whopping 4,000 pounds! An odd mix of a big cat and a warthog this creature looks truly formidable. Ironically, based on its teeth some scientists argue that it may even have been an omnivore eating plants also and only scavenging on meat left by other predators. It does certainly look a little like a hyena so is reflective of their scavenging methods, perhaps a hyena ancestor?

Hallucigenia:

As the name suggests, these creatures are very unusual indeed and almost dreamlike as though the observer is having a hallucination. Shaped almost like a worm this bizarre creature consists of a head with no eyes or nose, seven sharp tentacles along its back and a further 3 on the end of its body. Scientists aren’t even sure if it had a spine, and it could probably be most compared to some of the most unusual creatures in the deep abyss of the ocean today, but in truth no one really knows what they are.

IMAGE SOURCE: https://www.thoughtco.com/andrewsarchus-the-worlds-largest-predatory-mammal-1093356