10 Terrifying Prehistoric Animals — That Weren’t Dinosaurs

Published February 19, 2015
Updated November 7, 2023

Gorgonops

Gorgonops

Image Source: Wikia

Clearly, our planet was full of fearsome prehistoric creatures before the dinosaurs ever came along. Another prime example is gorgonops, an animal that lived 260 million years ago, way before dinosaurs became the dominant predators.

At around six to 10 feet in length, gorgonops was a fast and vicious predator, allowing it to rise to the top of the food chain. Of course, it also helped that gorgonops had massive canines so large that they nearly protruded beyond its lower jaw.

Next up: The “terror bird”…

author
John Kuroski
author
John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of interest include modern history and true crime.
editor
Savannah Cox
editor
Savannah Cox holds a Master's in International Affairs from The New School as well as a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, and now serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Sheffield. Her work as a writer has also appeared on DNAinfo.