Megafauna

After the dinosaurs disappeared, huge animals known as megafauna roamed the Earth. While many of them were wiped out in a mass extinction, some of their descendants remain with us today.

Woolly mammoth

Woolly mammoths most likely used their tusks to dig up plants and strip bark from trees.

Asian elephant

Unlike their extinct relatives and African cousins, only the males have tusks.

Sabre-toothed cat

Scientists think saber-toothed cats used their fangs to deliver fatal bites to prey.

African Lion

The saber-toothed cats probably lived in social groups, much like today’s lions.

Giant ape

Once the largest apes in the world, giant apes foraged for fruits, leaves and tubers on the forest floor.

Orangutan

Orangutans are most comfortable in the tree canopy, unlike their giant relatives. They eat fruits and pass out seeds in their poop as they travel through the treetops. This helps seeds grow better.

Shiva’s beast

The Shiva’s beast was the largest member of the giraffe family. It had a tongue that was probably long enough to lick its own ears clean!

Giraffe

Giraffes use their long, agile tongue to reach for leaves from the top of thorny acacia trees.

Giant Siberian rhino

Also called the ‘Siberian unicorn’ for its extraordinary horn, thought to be 1m or longer.

White rhino

The white rhino has two horns. The front horn is the longer one, averaging 60cm in length.

Extinction on a behemoth scale

66 million years ago, mammals took over from the dinosaurs as the largest land animals.

Hornless rhinos weighing at least 10 times more than any living rhino once roamed the Earth. Giant wombats as tall as an adult human. Armadillos with clubs for tails.

But around 125,000 years ago, these megafauna started disappearing. Today, none of them are left.

Journey back to the past to meet some of these extinct behemoths and rediscover modern-day megafauna.

Let’s pledge to end extinction

Some scientists believe humans caused the extinction of megafauna of days gone by. We are now in the middle of the sixth mass extinction. If we don’t take action to protect the megafauna of today, they, too, may soon die out. Will you join us in saving modern-day megafauna?

#pledgeforwildlife

Say and share this #pledgeforwildlife with your family and friends

We, the protectors of wildlife,

pledge ourselves as one united community.

Regardless of species, family or class,

we’ll support conservation projects and say no to illegal wildlife trade and products,

So as to co-exist, in harmony, with all the animals on our planet.

Megafauna

Woolly mammoth

Asian elephant

Sabre-toothed cat

African Lion

Giant ape

Orangutan

Shiva’s beast

Giraffe

Giant Siberian rhino

White rhino

Extinction on a behemoth scale

Let’s pledge to end extinction

#pledgeforwildlife

Say and share this #pledgeforwildlife with your family and friends

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Megafauna

Woolly mammoth

Asian elephant

Sabre-toothed cat

African Lion

Giant ape

Orangutan

Shiva’s beast

Giraffe

Giant Siberian rhino

White rhino

Extinction on a behemoth scale

Let’s pledge to end extinction

#pledgeforwildlife

Say and share this #pledgeforwildlife with your family and friends

Visit us

You might also like

Need help?

About us

Events and Venues

Get involved

Careers

Press

Opening hours

Address

Follow us