16. Thylacoleo Carnifex : The Marsupial Lion
Australia’s prehistoric horrors don’t stop with the Megalania. The Thylacoleo carnifex, an extinct marsupial lion, dominated the Australian wilderness between 2 and 1.6 million years ago. About 5 feet long and weighing around 220 pounds, these monstrous marsupials had two pairs of giant incisors that they used to stab and pierce the flesh of their prey.
Their bite force was comparable to that of a 500-pound African lion, and their enormous jaw muscles turned every tooth in their mouth into a deadly weapon. With huge retractable thumb claws used for disemboweling, these marsupial lions could kill their prey in less than a minute, 15 times faster than an African lion. Climate changes that reduced their habitat and food supply eventually led to their extinction.
