The Amphimachairodus, an early member of the cat family, was 1.3m in length and weighed an estimated 490kg. (Photo by Sky TV/The Guardian)





The ice age giant ground sloth (Megatherium) stood a colossal 5.5m high. Meanwhile the Glyptodon is a prehistoric relative of the modern armadillo – albeit one the size of a VW Beetle. While the terror bird from the Cenozoic era was a truly terrifying 3m high. (Photo by Sky TV/The Guardian)





This giant snake, Titanoboa, lived around 58 to 60 million years ago. (Photo by Sky TV/The Guardian)





The Gigantopithecus Blacki, a giant ape from nine million years ago, was 3m tall. (Photo by Sky TV/The Guardian)





Canis Dirus translates to “fearsome dog” and the creature is also known as a “dire wolf”. It lived in the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene epochs. (Photo by Sky TV/The Guardian)





This prehistoric sperm whale was 16m long from nose to tail. (Photo by Sky TV/The Guardian)





The D einotherium, a prehistoric relative of the elephant, was 4.1m high. (Photo by Sky TV/The Guardian)





This Megalodon (big tooth) lived between 23 and 2.6m years ago. It is an early relative of the great white shark and palaeontologists believe it was a staggering 20m in length. (Photo by Sky TV/The Guardian)





The A mphimachairodus giganeus and the D inocrcuta gigantea where both 1.3m high with truly fearsome teeth and powerful jaws. (Photo by Sky TV/The Guardian)





This enormous prehistoric relative of the brown bear, Arctotherium angustidens, was the height of a grown man when walking on all four paws. (Photo by Sky TV/The Guardian)





Fossil records indicate that this early lizard, Megalina prisca, was a whopping seven metres in length. (Photo by Sky TV/The Guardian)