''Prehistoric Predators'' is a 2007

National Geographic Channel National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by the National Geographic Global Networks unit of Disney Enter ...

program based on different predators that lived in the Cenozoic era, including ''

Smilodon ''Smilodon'' is an extinct genus of Felidae, felids. It is one of the best known saber-toothed predators and prehistoric mammals. Although commonly known as the saber-toothed tiger, it was not closely related to the tiger or other modern cats ...

'' and '' C. megalodon''. The series investigated how such beasts hunted and fought other creatures, and what drove them to extinction.

Featured animals

*Pleistocene: 1.8 million-10,000 years ago :North America: :''

Smilodon fatalis ''Smilodon'' is an extinct genus of felids. It is one of the best known saber-toothed predators and prehistoric mammals. Although commonly known as the saber-toothed tiger, it was not closely related to the tiger or other modern cats, belon ...

'',

dire wolf The dire wolf (''Aenocyon dirus'' ) is an Extinction, extinct species of Caninae, canine which was native to the Americas during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene epochs (125,000–10,000 years ago). The species was named in 1858, four y ...

, short-faced bear,

American lion The American lion (''Panthera atrox'' (), with the species name meaning "savage" or "cruel", also called the North American lion) is an extinct pantherine cat native to North America during the Late Pleistocene from around 129,000 to 12,800 y ...

, ''

Bison antiquus ''Bison antiquus'' is an extinct species of bison that lived in North America during the Late Pleistocene from over 60,000 years ago until around 10,000 years ago. ''Bison antiquus'' was one of the most common large herbivores in North America d ...

'', Mexican horse, Columbian mammoth, ''

Megalonyx ''Megalonyx'' (Greek, "great-claw") is an extinct genus of ground sloths of the family Megalonychidae, native to North America. It evolved during the Pliocene Epoch and became extinct at the end of the Late Pleistocene, living from ~5 million ...

'',

gray wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gr ...

(cameo),

grizzly bear The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America. In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horr ...

(cameo), early humans *Miocene-Pliocene: 15-3 million years ago :South America, North America: :''

Kelenken ''Kelenken'' is a genus of phorusrhacid ("terror bird"), an extinct group of large, predatory birds, which lived in what is now Argentina in the middle Miocene about 15 million years ago. The only known specimen was discovered by high school stu ...

'', ''

Parapropalaehoplophorus ''Parapropalaehoplophorus'' is an Extinction, extinct genus of comparatively small (compared to ''Glyptodon'') species of glyptodont, extinct relatives of the modern armadillo. The sole species, ''P. septentrionalis'', identified in 2007 from the ...

'', ''

Homalodotherium ''Homalodotherium'' is an extinct genus of South American native ungulates in the order Notoungulata. Fossils of ''Homalodotherium'' have been found in the Middle Miocene ( Friasian in the SALMA classification) Santa Cruz Formation of Argentina ...

'', ''

Titanis ''Titanis'' (meaning "Titan" for the Titans of Greek mythology) is a genus of phorusrhacid ("terror birds", a group originating in South America), an extinct family of large, predatory birds, in the order Cariamiformes that inhabited the Uni ...

'', ''

Canis edwardii ''Canis edwardii'', also known as Edward's wolf, is an extinct species of wolf in the genus ''Canis'' which was endemic to North America three million years ago from the Late Blancan stage of the Pliocene epoch and was extinct by the end of the I ...

'', '' Smilodon gracilis'', ''

Neohipparion ''Neohipparion'' (Greek: "new" (neos), "pony" (hipparion)) is an extinction, extinct genus of equid, from the Neogene (Miocene to Pliocene) of North America and Central America. Fossils of this horse have been found in Texas, Florida, Kansas, ...

'' *Miocene-Pleistocene: 20-2 million years ago :

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

: :'' C. megalodon'', ''

Cetotherium ''Cetotherium'' ("whale beast") is an extinct genus of baleen whales from the family Cetotheriidae. Taxonomy The family Cetotheriidae and the genus ''Cetotherium'' (sensu lato) have been used as wastebaskets for all kinds of baleen whales, mo ...

'', '' Squalodon'',

dugong The dugong (; ''Dugong dugon'') is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest ...

great white shark The great white shark (''Carcharodon carcharias''), also known as the white shark, white pointer, or simply great white, is a species of large Lamniformes, mackerel shark which can be found in the coastal surface waters of all the major ocea ...

(cameo),

green sea turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exte ...

(cameo) *Oligocene-Miocene: 32-19 million years ago :North America: :'' Archaeotherium'', ''

Hyaenodon ''Hyaenodon'' ("hyena-tooth") is an Extinction (biology), extinct genus of Carnivore, carnivorous Placentalia, placental mammals from extinct tribe Hyaenodontini within extinct subfamily Hyaenodontinae (in extinct Family (biology), family Hyaenod ...

'', '' Dinictis'', ''

Mesohippus ''Mesohippus'' (Greek language, Greek: / meaning "middle" and / meaning "horse") is an extinct genus of early horse. It lived 37 to 32 million years ago in the Early Oligocene. Like many fossil horses, ''Mesohippus'' was common in North America. ...

'', ''

Poebrotherium ''Poebrotherium'' ( ) is an extinct genus of camelid, endemic to North America. They lived from the Eocene to Miocene epochs, 46.3—13.6 mya, existing for approximately . Discovery and history ''Poebrotherium'' was first named by scientist J ...

'', '' Subhyracodon'', ''

Moropus ''Moropus'' (meaning "slow foot") is an extinct genus of large perissodactyl mammal in the chalicothere family. They were endemic to North America during the Miocene from ~20.4–13.6 Mya (unit), Mya, existing for approximately . ''Moropus'' belo ...

'', '' Merycoidodon'', ''

Daeodon ''Daeodon'' is an extinct genus of entelodont even-toed ungulates that inhabited North America about 29 to 15.97 million years ago from the early Oligocene to late early Miocene. The type species is ''Daeodon shoshonensis'', described from a ve ...

'', ''

Amphicyon ''Amphicyon'' is an extinct genus of large carnivorans belonging to the family Amphicyonidae (known colloquially as "bear-dogs"), subfamily Amphicyoninae, from the Miocene epoch. Members of this family received their vernacular name for possessin ...

Episodes

Related series

When Dinosaurs Roamed America ''When Dinosaurs Roamed America'' (sometimes shortened to ''When Dinosaurs Roamed'' outside of the United States) is a two-hour American television program (produced in the style of a traditional nature documentary) that first aired on the Disco ...

Monsters Resurrected ''Monsters Resurrected'' is an American edutainment television series that premiered on September 13, 2009, on the Discovery Channel. The program reconstructs extinct animals of both Mesozoic and Cenozoic. It is also called ''Mega Beasts''. Epi ...

* Monsters We Met

References

External links

* {{National Geographic TV National Geographic (American TV channel) original programming Documentary films about prehistoric life