Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
50 Of The Most Interesting Pics That Prove That “Nature Was Metal” Millions Of Years Ago
We can only guess what the future will look like. But the past? We have evidence to help us paint a picture of it. To visit it.
There's a cool subreddit called 'Nature Was Metal' and its members are like online paleontologists, digging around the internet in search of pictures of dinosaurs and other creatures that are now extinct.
Often, they find pretty good ones: photos of real uncovered skeletons or image projections, built around them.
This subreddit is like a time machine, which may not physically take us to visit the long-gone days, but it certainly allows us glimpses of it, and that can be just enough to please our burning curiosity.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
This Artist Tom Björklund Draws Neanderthals As People And Not As Biological Specimens. I Have To Say, Out Of All The Art I've Seen Of Neanderthals, This Is The One That Humanizes Them The Most
#2
Crinoid Fossils Can Be Found In Some UK Rivers And Were Once Thought To Be Fairy Coins. Sometimes Called ‘Star Stones’
Extinction has been a natural part of the planet's evolutionary history. In fact, 99% of the four billion species that have evolved on Earth are now gone.
And the process continues.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List has tried to estimate the number of extinctions over the last five centuries but unfortunately, we don't know everything about all of the world's species over this period, so it's likely that some will have disappeared without us even knowing they existed in the first place, so its numbers can be an underestimate.
Still, that's the best guess we have. The IUCN Red List estimates that 900 species have gone extinct since 1500.
#3
In 1982, The Comic Strip 'The Far Side' Jokingly Referred To The Set Of Spikes On A Stegosaurus's Tail As A "Thagomizer". A Paleontologist Who Read The Comic Realized There Wasn't Any Official Name For The Spikes And Began Using The New Word; "Thagomizer" Is Now The Generally Accepted Term
#4
“Dogor” An 18,000 Year-Old Puppy That Was Discovered In The Siberian Permafrost. He’s So Well Preserved That His Nose And Whiskers Are Still Mostly Intact
#5
Opalized Crab Claw
If a cavity has formed because a bone, shell or pinecone was buried in the sand or clay that later became rock, and conditions are right for opal formation, then the opal forms a fossil replica of the original object that was buried.
To understand the biodiversity problem we need to know how many species are under pressure; where they are; and what threats are they facing.
To do this, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species evaluates species across the world for their level of extinction risk. It does this evaluation every year and continues to expand its coverage.
But the IUCN has not evaluated all of the world's known species. In many taxonomic groups, it has assessed only a very small percentage. In 2021, for example, it analyzed only 7% of described species.
#6
This Isn’t A Dinosaur Fossil; It’s A Mummy
A 110 million-year-old Nodosaur was swept to sea by a flooding river, sank, landed on its back, and was pressed into the ocean floor. It’s so well- preserved that it still has intestines and weighs 2,500 of its original 3,000 lbs
#7
It May Not Look Like Much, But This Tiny, Billion-Year-Old Green Algae Is The Ancestor Of All Land Plants On Earth
#8
A Neanderthal Father With His Child. Reconstruction Made By The Kennis Brothers
#9
10 Million Years Ago, Turtles Could Eat You With A Single Bite
As we'd expect, animals such as birds, mammals, and amphibians have seen a much larger share of their species assessed – more than 80%. On the other hand, only 1% of insects have. And less than 1% of the world's fungi.
The lack of complete coverage of the world’s species highlights two important points we need to remember when interpreting the IUCN Red List data:
1. Changes in the number of threatened species over time do not necessarily reflect increasing extinction risks;
2. The number of threatened species is an underestimate.
#10
Outdated Reconstruction Of A Neanderthal vs. Scientifically Accurate Reconstruction Of A Neanderthal
#11
A 120-145 Million Year Old Dinosaur With Two Heads Was Found In Yixian, China
It's super rare because the chances of a two headed animal are small and for it to even fossilize are even smaller.
#12
Imagine Just How Huge And Metal This Mammoth Must Have Been... Tusk Of A Woolly Mammoth In Siberia
#13
A Comparison Between The Skull Of A Sarcosuchus And A Nile Crocodile
In total, the IUCN Red List has evaluated 40,084 species across all taxonomic groups to be threatened with extinction in 2021.
But as noted before, since birds, mammals, and amphibians are the most well-studied groups, their numbers are the most accurate reflection of the true number (and therefore, understudied groups such as insects, plants, and fungi will be a large underestimate).
#14
The Last Photo Taken Of A Wild Barbary Lion. Taken In 1924
#15
The Giant Monster That Was Argentinosaurus
#16
Megalodon & Human Size Comparison
Nathaniel 2 years ago
Huge a*s shark, do do, do do do do. Huge a*s shark, do do, do do do do. Huge a*s shark, do do, do do do do. Huge a*s shark.
RafCo (he/him) 2 years ago
Needs a banana for scale. How am I supposed to know how big those people were.
Ele V 2 years ago
I think it's a comparison between Megalodon and modern era ppl since the person is underwater with modern era gear
Load More Replies...
madbakes 2 years ago
I'd like to see a blue whale in the same scale to really get a size comparison
2econdSelf 2 years ago
An adult blue whale averages about 32 meters in length; a megalodon 20 meters. I'm not a marine biologist, just a bored guy at the airport with a smartphone and you piqued my curiosity.
Load More Replies...
Patti Vance 2 years ago
given the fact that we do not have the tech to investigate the really deep deep parts of the ocean it makes me wonder if there are still marine animals of this magnitude lurking somewhere out there. when i scuba there is always a part of my mind that makes me wonder if i am going to turn and see a shark. you know, just a 'regular' shark. but, if i turned and saw this i would immediately pollute the water.
Terran 2 years ago
It's very unlikely. A predator of this size needs a huge amount of food and it would highly impact the eco system. The numbers of many species are declining, so a Megalodon couldn't simply hide unnoticed in the deep sea. It would have to come out to feed eventually.
Load More Replies...
erica joi 2 years ago
My favorite shark fact is how unfathomably ancient they are. Before there were trees, there were sharks. Before Saturn had rings, there were sharks.
Salty RI 2 years ago
So sharks have always been sharks? But whales used to be land mammals? My questions have questions! Loving this thread.
Load More Replies...
Arizona 2 years ago
There was recently a video posted from a cruise of a bunch of passengers looking over the edge at a massive shark saying it was a meg. It’s just a basking shark! People keep re uploading and re uploading this vid with different fake captions abt megladons and it’s annoying lol.
iblewsheep 2 years ago
If these things still existed, there would be tons of videos of Dudebros on youtube fishing for them with a rod and reel..... Assuming we hadn't wiped them out from fear prior to that.
Isidien Gudmundsdottir 2 years ago
Do not be mistaken, the human is by far the most destructive out of these two.
Holly Hobby 2 years ago
Just think, this is probably the typical size of one. I wonder what one of the big ones looked like!
Ann McNeil 2 years ago
Ear worm .... thanks a lot, Nathaniel- now I have to sing this to rid myself of the infection......
Jackie Reed 2 years ago
*Slurp*Huh.Too crunchy.Not enough meat.*sniff sniff*Here,whale...here,whale..."
Louise Stange-Wahl 2 years ago
Here are a couple of our Megalodon teeth...and they come even bigger! Carcaridon...cd12c0.jpg 
Eliza Osenbaugh-Stewart 2 years ago
It looks way smaller than I imagined. I saw a megalodon jaw fossil recreation once and several adults could easily fit inside.
Emmy Dumont 2 years ago
My husband just s**t is pants when I showed him this picture. He's so afraid of shark.
SupernaturalPanda 2 years ago
I would die on spot...of a heart attack if I saw that giant a*s shark coming my way
Nazda Pokmov 2 years ago
Megladons are nothing to fool around with....one bite and you're history....quick.
Almondein 2 years ago
Their size is often overstated based on outdated information or clickbait YouTube thumbnails. 🙂
Load More Replies...
Chris Liu 2 years ago
🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌
Load More Replies...
#17
Indohyus - The Earliest Known Ancestor Of The Whale
Many think that humans are also doomed to disappear. Paleontologist Henry Gee thinks the most insidious threat to humankind is the so-called extinction debt.
"There comes a time in the progress of any species, even ones that seem to be thriving, when extinction will be inevitable, no matter what they might do to avert it," Gee wrote in Scientific American.
"The cause of extinction is usually a delayed reaction to habitat loss. The species most at risk are those that dominate particular habitat patches at the expense of others, who tend to migrate elsewhere, and are therefore spread more thinly. Humans occupy more or less the whole planet, and with our sequestration of a large wedge of the productivity of this planetwide habitat patch, we are dominant within it. H. sapiens might therefore already be a dead species walking."
#18
Around 26000 Years Ago This Lion Cub Was Abandoned In A Siberian Cave By Her Mother Who Either Went Hunting, Or Was Killed Never To Return
Unable to feed herself, the cub dubbed Sparta starved and has been perfectly preserved since.
#19
Reconstruction Of Sue, The T. Rex, In The Field Museum In Chicago
Notice the eyes and the snout, to this day I never saw a reconstruction that looked terrifying and cute at the same time. Blue Rhino Studio made the model for this exhibition. Photo taken from their Facebook page.
#20
This Brachiosaurus Skeleton
#21
The Diversity Among Homo Erectus Around The World. Homo Erectus Existed For 1.9 Million Years And Was The Most Successful Human Species
Lesley Christie 2 years ago
I really love what they have done with Java Man. You feel like you could mid conversation with them.
"The signs are already there for those willing to see them," Gee said. "When the habitat becomes degraded such that there are fewer resources to go around; when fertility starts to decline; when the birth rate sinks below the death rate; and when genetic resources are limited—the only way is down. The question is 'How fast?'"
The paleontologist suspects that the human population is set not just for shrinkage but collapse. I guess, time will show.
#22
Quetzalcoatlus, The Biggest Flying Animal Ever!
Naughty panda 2 years ago (edited)
How could something so big get off the ground and fly. The size of the neck and head makes it seem impossible. Not saying it wasn't possible.
#23
These Starfishes Embedded In Stone As A Fossil
#24
These 250-Million Year Old Detailed Crinoid Fossils
#25
Titanoboa Skeleton
#26
23 Million Year Old Lizard Found In Fossil
#27
Tail Of A 99m Yo Dinosaur, The First One Ever Discovered. Perfectly Preserved, Still Covered In Feathers
#28
Had To Drive 14 Hours To Get Her, But I Finally Have My Little Own Coelophysis
#29
Sue Is The Largest T.Rex To Be Found So Far, At 90% Of The Body Complete
#30
A Megalodon Tooth Compared To A Great White Shark!
#31
A Raptor And Protoceratops’ Fight Preserved In The Sand
#32
An Incredibly Intact Crinoid Specimen Fossil Dating Back To About 345 Million Years Ago!
#33
The World’s Only Intact Fossil Of An Early Whale - The Basilosaurus Dating About 40 Million Years Ago - Has Been Uncovered During A Excavation At Wadi Al-Hitan In Egypt
#34
Cretan Dwarf Mammoth. It's Possible Its Skull Was The Origin Of The Myths About Cyclops In Ancient Times. (Not My Photo)
#35
The Licking Bison Of La Madeleine Was Carved On A Reindeer Antler Fragment In Upper Paleolithic France Sometime Between 20,000 And 12,000 Years Ago. It Depicts The Now Extinct Steppe Bison
#36
A Preserved Foot Of The Giant Moa Bird. An Extinct Species Native To New Zealand. It Grew To Be 12 Feet Tall
#37
When Breeding, Australian Gastric-Brooding Frogs (Rheobatrachus) Would Stop Producing Gastric Acid, Swallow Their Eggs, And Carry Them In Their Stomachs Past Metamorphosis. Extinct Since 1985
#38
100,000 Years Ago, A Group Of Neanderthals In Spain Walked Down To The Beach
#39
An Argentinian Farmer Recently Found 20,000 Years Old Fossilized Glyptodons
#40
The Evolution Of Our Face
#41
A Rare Fossil: The Shell Of A Tortoise Stuck In The Jaw Of An Ancient Elephant
BakedKahuna 2 years ago
That would be the beginning of a apocalypse scenario in Pratchett's disc world
#42
I See Your Various Well-Preserved Animals And Raise To You A Smushed Baby Mammoth (Credit Ruth Hartnup)
#43
Prehistoric 'Hell Ant' Stuck In Amber Biting It's Prey For 99 Million Years
#44
Livyatan Is An Extinct Genus Of Sperm Whale And Is Most Notable For Being A Member Of The Raptorial Sperm Whales (Hyper-Predatory Sperm Whales) And Having The Strongest Bite Of Any Tetrapod
#45
This Was Toughie, The Last Known Living Rabbs' Fringe-Limbed Treefrog. He Was Captured As An Adult In Panama In 2005 And Died In Captivity On September 26, 2016
Octavia Hansen 2 years ago
We destroy ourselves most efficiently. Animals just catch the fall out.
#46
Skeleton Of Archelon Ischyros
LittleWombat 2 years ago
The shell looks like lace or big snowflakes... very beautiful animal!
#47
Triceratops Femur (Left) vs. Elephant Femur
#48
This Spinosaurus Skeleton
#49
Giant Chinese Paddlefish Now Officially Extinct
![This Woolly Rhino Specimen Fell Into An Oil Well And Was Perfectly Preserved For Tens Of Thousands Of Years. [museum Of National History, Lviv]](https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/62cfe7f061de5_S28MDmU__700.jpg "This Woolly Rhino Specimen Fell Into An Oil Well And Was Perfectly Preserved For Tens Of Thousands Of Years. [museum Of National History, Lviv]")
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Charlie Spring Heartstopper 2 years ago
I enjoyed this list! Because I'm a huge dinosaur enthusiast and expert, my favourite dinosaur is obviously the most well known, Tyrannosaurus Rex, aka T-Rex!
CaptainDinosaur 2 years ago
T. Rex is cool and all, but have you seen T. Rex... in an F-14!?!
Load More Replies...
Isabella 2 years ago
Initially I thought that the title "..Nature Is “Metal”" has a spelling error. Than I saw "How Huge And Metal This Mammoth Must Have Been... " and I said that maybe it would be a good idea to search on google what means if something "is metal". This is too much for me, I just want to see words to be used with their normal meaning, I am too old for this. 😅
Ritch James 2 years ago (edited)
Language is fluid. Shakespeare made some words up as he wrote. Even Gary Larson helped (see #46) 😉
Load More Replies...
Katherine Boag 2 years ago
Remember humanity does a lot to PRESERVE species as well. Look up the Kakapo for an example
Susan Mercurio 2 years ago
I can't wait until the human species goes extinct. Maybe we can achieve this before we destroy everything else on our dear planet, and then the planet itself. And before we metastasize into space.
Emmydearest 2 years ago
So, those fundamentalist Christians who don't believe dinosaurs existed because they are not mentioned in the Bible and because for them the world is just a few thousands years old, how can they explain all those finds? Seriously... No proof God exists=I'm sure God exists. Hundreds of archeological items=naah it's all fake. 🤦
Janis Wise 2 years ago
Oh they had to change their stories on dinos. First they claimed those bones were not real, science was just trying to discredit the Bible. After awhile they had to let go of that excuse when anthropologists started bring these finds into your living room via tv and coming internet. Now they claim that yes, there were certainly dinosaurs but they lived on the planet at the same time as humans and are not older than 6 thousand years old. Yes you read correctly. Not 65 million, but 6,000. (*See links below). Soooo, Jesus rode on dinosaurs. But my favorite part? Finally, we now have proof that YES VIRGINIA, THE FLINTSTONES WERE REAL AFTER ALL! I knew it! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creation_Museum https://www.google.com/search?q=hovid+ken+dinosaurs&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari
Load More Replies...
Charlie Spring Heartstopper 2 years ago
I enjoyed this list! Because I'm a huge dinosaur enthusiast and expert, my favourite dinosaur is obviously the most well known, Tyrannosaurus Rex, aka T-Rex!
CaptainDinosaur 2 years ago
T. Rex is cool and all, but have you seen T. Rex... in an F-14!?!
Load More Replies... Isabella 2 years ago
Initially I thought that the title "..Nature Is “Metal”" has a spelling error. Than I saw "How Huge And Metal This Mammoth Must Have Been... " and I said that maybe it would be a good idea to search on google what means if something "is metal". This is too much for me, I just want to see words to be used with their normal meaning, I am too old for this. 😅
Ritch James 2 years ago (edited)
Language is fluid. Shakespeare made some words up as he wrote. Even Gary Larson helped (see #46) 😉
Load More Replies... Katherine Boag 2 years ago
Remember humanity does a lot to PRESERVE species as well. Look up the Kakapo for an example
Susan Mercurio 2 years ago
I can't wait until the human species goes extinct. Maybe we can achieve this before we destroy everything else on our dear planet, and then the planet itself. And before we metastasize into space.
Emmydearest 2 years ago
So, those fundamentalist Christians who don't believe dinosaurs existed because they are not mentioned in the Bible and because for them the world is just a few thousands years old, how can they explain all those finds? Seriously... No proof God exists=I'm sure God exists. Hundreds of archeological items=naah it's all fake. 🤦
Janis Wise 2 years ago
Oh they had to change their stories on dinos. First they claimed those bones were not real, science was just trying to discredit the Bible. After awhile they had to let go of that excuse when anthropologists started bring these finds into your living room via tv and coming internet. Now they claim that yes, there were certainly dinosaurs but they lived on the planet at the same time as humans and are not older than 6 thousand years old. Yes you read correctly. Not 65 million, but 6,000. (*See links below). Soooo, Jesus rode on dinosaurs. But my favorite part? Finally, we now have proof that YES VIRGINIA, THE FLINTSTONES WERE REAL AFTER ALL! I knew it! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creation_Museum https://www.google.com/search?q=hovid+ken+dinosaurs&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari
Load More Replies... You May Like 30 Times People Took A Pic Of A Dog And Got A Blurry But Hilarious Result 61 Strangest Animals On Earth That You Probably Don't Know Of Rarest Animal In The World And Other 62 Species Near Extinction
Indrė Lukošiūtė
Giedrė Vaičiulaitytė
Linas Simonaitis
Related on Bored Panda
