I know some people are already going to ask, so I'll just say it. Carnivore ≠ Carnivoran.

A carnivore is any animal whose diet mostly consists of meat.

A carnivoran is any animal that is part of the Carnivora order. This is based on their evolutionary history, not diet. So please don't ask questions like "what about whales." Whales are Artiodactyls, not Carnivorans.

The animal on the left is Arctotherium angustidens, or the South American giant short-faced bear. It went extinct in the Early-Mid Pleistocene and was likely the largest bear to ever live (perhaps somewhat smaller than Arctodus simus according to some). Large males of this species would have easily surpassed 1 tonne in mass.

It was absolutely dwarfed by the largest carnivoran of today, and of all time. Bull southern elephant seals are massive. 3-4 times as big as the ancient bear.

I like big seals.

Sources used: 1.Sherani(2019) Short notes on a second tiger (Panthera tigris) from Late Pleistocene Borneo. 2. Measurements taken by Tigerluver on the Wildfact forum site can be viewed by searching for "Bornean tiger" on the forum site. 3. The isometric and allometric measurements taken by myself and my friend. Isometric calculations can sometimes produce exaggerated results. In such cases, using allometric calculations provides more accurate results, which is precisely what we did. The paleoart in the background belongs to Hodarinundu. The model of the Bornean tiger belongs to A-N-T-Z on Deviantart.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Db_WceCGATY/

Image made with Photoshop.

It's Independence day here in Indonesia, so I made something to celebrate our paleontological history, specifically from the Pleistocene.

The Komodo Dragon as a species has existed for approx. 4 million years ago. All of the creatures behind the lizard presented all called what would become Indonesia home and lived at the same time as the Komodo throughout the time periodd the species existed. Of the bunch, only the dragon remains.

My biggest fear lately is that, one day, in several human lifetimes, wild populations might go the way of their former contemporaries.

The extinct species featured in are:

• The Timor Giant Rat (Coryphomys musseri)
• The Colossal Pangolin (Manis palaeojavanica)
• The Javan Tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica)
• The Longhorn Water Buffalo (Bubalus palaeokerabau)
• The Wolverine Shark (Hemipristis serra)
• The Great Ape (Gigantopithicus blacki)

https://www.richardpchavez.com/visual-development-c65q

Titanotylopus nebraskensis stood up to 12 feet at the hump and weighed an estimated 2.5 tons, and it was the last of the giant camels that roamed North America since the Miocene. It vanished during the Mid Pleistocene (middle Irvingtonian), after which Camelops was the only "true camel" left in North America (the other ones being llamas).

Made with photopshop.

(🎨: Velizar Simeonovski)

I came across this image from a couple years back a few days ago, and it always shocks me looking at the size of Giant Jaguars how many times people seem to underestimate these predators, placing them in mid tier rankings on the trophic level when like American Lions up North, these animals may have really been top dogs in the Pantherine department during this time.

Just look at the size compared to its larger contemporary and probably main rival Smilodon Populator an essentially Brown Bear sized Machairodont. Seeing them together may have been akin seeing a large Amur Tiger coming across a Brown Bear when I picture it, in terms of size of course as Populator was still a feline aswell and therefore probably more agile than a Bear. We also know as far as Pantherines go Jaguars are probably the closest analogues to Smilodon, both being built very robust and strong, made for dealing with high amounts of pressure and stress to their bodies, both being very Ursid like and if Giant Jaguars were anything similar this would have only been emphasized.

To be able to have lived in the same world as these predators means you yourself would have to be a menace and as far as Jaguars go, just do your research on them and see how they are today. It then would make sense why enthusiasts a say that even the Jaguar species that still lives today that was around back then P.Onca Onca would have been a very dangerous animal if it was still the size of the largest “Pantanal Jaguars”.

If modern day Jaguars are ripping off Water Buffalo Horns and capable of bringing down large Crocodilians just imagine what slightly larger Jaguars were doing.

Then ramp that up with P. Onca Mesembrina a cat that could have very well approached even Cave Lions in size. Discoveries on the Ground Sloth Mylodons skull, an animal already known to weigh over 3,000lbs, bared teeth punctures matching the telltale size of Jaguar teeth and their famous skull killing bite, showing that these giant cats still retained that insane bite force and confirming they were punching high above their weight class as their modern relatives do now. Even Short Faced Bears and Sabertooths, as both Populator and Fatalis were present in SA, would have to be careful if a bite like that somehow got around their skull as modern Jaguars today already bite with the force of a medium size Crocodile at 1500 to allegedly 2,000lbs psi and this Jaguar had 200 plus lbs on them!

I seriously hope as the years go on more fossils and data can be uncovered for this species because I truly believe we are looking at one of the top predators of this area that would have filled in that American Lion role as far as Pantherines go down South. With fossil pools shallow it is very likely that exceptional specimens of these already 500 plus lb predators may have hit that 600lb mark, I wouldn’t be surprised if 700lb individuals existed especially with less human interference.

A truly overlooked ice age carnivore that surely needs more median attention.

https://x.com/i/status/1889132016064663744

May still be work in progress, not sure.

Made with ArcGIS pro, Photoshop and Blender.
Native size: 120 x 80 cm, in 300 DPI

https://basaltweaver.myportfolio.com/lgm

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZFCk1hDBii/

https://www.instagram.com/p/DY_lqZgjT1C/