Leviathan(01 of17)
Open Image ModalA 36-foot-long Pliosaurus attacks the plesiosaur Cryptoclidus, a marine reptile from the Late Jurassic Period. Also shown: the fish Pachycormus, a shoal of the belemnite Belemnoteuthis, and the ammonite Pectinatites.Acrylic Painting, 2008. (credit:Robert Nicholls)
Rugops Primus Environmental Scene(02 of17)
Open Image ModalThe scavenger Rugops, a dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous that lived in what is now Africa, driving a trio of the pterosaur Tupuxuara from the corpse of the sail-backed iguanadontid Ouranosaurus. The crocodylomorphs, relatives of the modern crocodile, are the 'boar-croc' Kaprosuchus. (credit:© Todd Marshall)
Double Death(03 of17)
Open Image ModalWorking together, a pair of Carcharodontosaurus saharicus, one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs, steal away a juvenile Paralititan stromeri from its family herd. Paralititans were swamp-dwellers that grew to be one of the largest creatures to ever roam the Earth.Mixed media, 2011. (credit: © Robert Nicholls)
Ammonite Graveyard(04 of17)
Open Image ModalAmmonites, so called after the Egyptian god Ammon, were carnivorous squidlike animals that could be over 3 feet in diameter. Here, several ammonites decay on the sea floor.Material: Gouache, 2011. Based on a prepared slab in Ulster Museum. Courtesy of A. Cowap. (credit: © John Sibbick)
Reaper In Paradise(05 of17)
Open Image ModalThe giant crocodile, Deinosuchus riograndensis, attacks an Albertosaurs, a smaller relative of the Tyrannosaurus, in Late Cretaceous North America, 75 million years ago.Acrylic painting, 2003. (credit: © Robert Nicholls)
Mammoths And Saber-Toothed Cats(06 of17)
Open Image ModalA pride of Smilodon fatalis, often called a saber-toothed cat, attacks a calf belonging to a herd of mammoths while the mother moves to protect her offspring. Digital painting (credit: © Mauricio Anton)
Aucasaurus Attacking Titanosaur Nests(07 of17)
Open Image ModalDuring the Late Cretaceous (85 million years ago) Aucasaurus, a pack-hunting dinosaur, attacks a group of startled titanosaurs in Argentina. Pushing past the adults guarding their nests, the Aucasauruses snap up the babies as they hatch.From National Geographic, March 2003, 'Dinosaurs - Flesh & Bone' (credit: © John Sibbick)
Gallimimus Bullatus & Tarbosaurus Bataarm(08 of17)
Open Image ModalTarbosaurus, a predatory reptile that lived 70 million years ago in parts of Asia, chases two Gallimimuses, ostrich-like dinosaurs that could grow nearly 30 feet long.Digital Art, 2010. (credit: © John Conway)
One Split Second: Triceratops Vs. Tyrannosaurus Rex(09 of17)
Open Image ModalThe T-Rex probably preyed on Triceratops, because their territories overlapped 65 million years ago. While the T-Rex had its famous bite to use for a weapon, triceratops' powerful horns were a formidable defense. Digital Painting/photographic composite. 2011. From the Golden Book of Dinosaurs, by Robert Baker/Rey. (credit: © Luis Rey)
Ambush In The Late Miocene Of Florida(10 of17)
Open Image ModalThis scene shows a prehistoric rhino struggling to escape the sharp claws of two saber-toothed cats.From left to right: Aelurodon, Teleoceras (rhino), Barbourofelis (saber-tooth), Neohipparion (horse), Aepycamelus (giraffe-like camels), Synthetoceras. (credit: © Mauricio Anton)
Smilodon & Paramylodon (11 of17)
Open Image ModalA Smilodon, or saber-toothed cat, dispatches a ground sloth trapped in tar during the Ice Age in North America.Digital painting. (credit:© Mauricio Anton)
Beelzebufo Ampinga(12 of17)
Open Image ModalA huge toad from the late Cretaceous of Madagascar that may have grown to over 16 inches long and could have weighed up to 9 pounds. It was certainly big enough to eat baby dinosaurs. Acrylics on illustration board, 2007. (credit:© Todd Marshall)
Cretaceous Rodeo (Aka T-Rex Family Life)(13 of17)
Open Image ModalThe Tyrannosaurus rex was one of the most formidable predators of all the dinosaurs. The 40-foot-long carnivore had teeth up to twelve inches long. However, there is a debate among paleontologists over whether the T-Rex was an apex predator or a scavenger.Acrylics & ink on cardboard, 2004. (credit:© Luis Rey)
Devourer Of Giants(14 of17)
Open Image ModalFive million years ago, several Anacus - a straight-tusked member of the elephant family - have been caught in a flash flood and drowned. Washed out to sea, they attract two adult and a juvenile mega-shark named Carcharodon megalodon - at around 60 feet, probably the largest shark known.Acrylic painting, 2000. (credit:© RObert Nicholls)
Pristichampsus Attacking Early Horses(15 of17)
Open Image ModalPristichampsus is an extinct crocodile relative that could grow up to 10 feet long. The armored reptile lived mostly on land, and fed on land mammals like these early horses.Detail from composite scene for the TV show Animal Planet.Gouache (credit:© John Sibbick)
Megantereon Attacking Bushbuck(16 of17)
Open Image ModalMegantereon, an early saber-toothed cat, may have eaten young rhinos, elephants, and horses. The felines probably bit their prey on the neck to kill them, and then let them bleed to death, like the bushbuck pictured here.Kromdraai A, Early Pleistocene of South Africa. Colored pencils, from Evolving Eden (Columbia University Press) (credit:© Mauricio Anton)
(17 of17)
Open Image ModalPhotos courtesy Titan Books