Interesting Names
These animals have some of the more evocative or unique names among prehistoric wildlife.
(Mammals with a * are featured on the BBC's "Walking with Beasts")

Shortfaced bear (Arctodus simus) Height: 5.5ft (1.7m) Lived: 800,000 years ago - 10,000 years ago   Also called "Bulldog Bears", these long-legged lithe animals were taller but lighter   than their modern cousins. Links: [ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5] Dire Wolf (Canis dirus) Height: 5ft (1.5m) Lived: 1 million years ago - 10,000 years ago   Huge cousins of the modern wolf and coyote. Once ranged over the entire   western hemisphere. Links: [ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ] Sabertooth Cat (Smilodon fatalis)* Height: 4ft (1.2m) Lived: 1.5 million years ago - 10,000 years ago   Wonderfully named giant cat. One of several species cats during this time with   massive canines. Its jaw open very wide, allowing it to literally stab its prey   with 7-inch teeth. Sabretooths ranged throughout North and South America Links: [ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7] American Scimitar Cat (Homotherium serum) Height: 3.3ft (1m) Lived: 1.5 million years ago - 10,000 years ago   The Scimitar cat, a smaller and rarer cousin to the Sabretooth lived in the northern   regions of of North America, and fed on young and sick Mammoths and Mastodons. Links: [ 1, 2, 3, 4 ] Giant Beaver (Castoroides ohioensis) Height: 3.3ft (1m) Lived: 1.5 million years ago - 10,000 years ago   Not much different from modern beavers, except in size. Castroides was a   massive rodent, weighing up to 450 pounds. Ranged widely, but exclusively   throughout North America. Links: [ 1, 2 ] Beautiful Armadillo (Dasypus bellus) Height: 3.3ft (1m) Lived: 1 million years ago - 10,000 years ago   Like Castroides, this armadillo is not all that different from its modern   cousins, except in size, and of course its lyrical name. Links: [ 1 ] Bone-crushing Dog (Osteoborus cynoides) Height: 3ft (.9m) Lived: 8 million years a go - 1.5 million years ago   Small powerful primitive dog, built to do as its name implies,   to crush and devour bones. Links: [ 1 ] American Camel (Camelops hesternus) Height: 12ft (3.6m) Lived: 1 million years ago - 10,000 years ago -   Found in Alaska and the Yukon, Camelops is one of many camel   species from this era - all of which originated in North   America, which has no camels today outside of zoos. Links: [ 1, 2 ] Giraffe Camel (Aepycamelus) Height: 10ft (3m) Lived: 10-5 million years ago   Another member of the Camel Family. Aepycamelus sports a very long   neck, looking much like a giraffe and inspiring an earlier name of   Alticamelus - literally 'Tall Camel'. Links: [ 1 ] Giant Irish Elk (Megalocerous giganteus)* Height: 7ft (2.1m) Lived: 500k- 10,000 years ago   Megalocerous' impressive rack of antlers has been a collecters item   for humans. Some can be found mounted in ancient European castles -   falsely implying the owner had killed the long-extinct animal. Links: [ 1, 2, 3 ] Four-tusked Elephant (Gomphotheres) Height: 8ft (2.4m) Lived: 15-5 million years ago   Mother Nature experimented heavily with elephant species and the arrangement   of their tusks during this age. Gomphotheres ended up with both uppers and lowers. Links: [ 1, 2, 3]

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