There were many herbivorous prehistoric animals. We can no longer see these amazing creatures, but we can still see other animals that resemble them.
Woolly mammoths are relatives of elephants we see today. Mammoths lived in matriarchal groups that were led by a female, elephants today have similar practices. They both look similar with their heavyset bodies, but mammoths had smaller ears. These smaller ears were perfect for the cold climate. Since the ears were closer to their heads, they were kept warmer.
Mammoths had tusks just like elephants. The mammoth's tusks were longer, and they were curved. It used its tusks to fight and to dig in the deep snow. Mammoths had long and thick brown hair, which was perfect for keeping them warm in the cold climate.
Woolly mammoths roamed Earth during the last ice age, and they coexisted with early humans. Why can't we see them anymore? Some people think it’s because of changes in the climate. As Earth got warmer, its food supply changed. It could also be due to humans overhunting them.
We can see slow-moving sloths up in trees, but they weren't always like that. Giant sloths used to be huge, and they lived on the ground. The largest ground sloths weighed up to 2,205 lbs! Modern sloths can weigh up to 17 lbs, which is the size of a small dog. Compared to the giant sloths in the past, there is a lot of shrinkage in size.
Giant sloths had long and curved claws. This was perfect for grabbing branches and pulling leaves from trees. They also allowed them to protect themselves from predators. Their robust hind legs helped to support their bodies while they stretched up to reach vegetation.
The Triceratops (try-SEH-rah-tops) is a plant-eating dinosaur. Its name means 'three-horned face' in Greek but it actually only had two real horns. The third, much shorter bump on its face was actually much softer and not really a horn at all. Paleontologists aren't sure exactly what the horns were used for. They might have been used by males to attract female mates. They might have served as a form of defense against large predators.
The horns were a significant part of the Triceratops's body. The Triceratops's skull was one-third the length of its entire body! Including the length of the frill, the skull of a Triceratops could measure over 2 metres!
The Albertadromeus (al-BERT-ah-DRO-may-us) was a nimble and speedy dinosaur. It lived 83.6 million years ago to 72.1 million years ago. It is the smallest herbivorous dinosaur to be found in Canada. It was a biped running dinosaur. This dinosaur weighed up to 30 lbs. It is difficult to find more of its fossils because of its small size and carnivores damaging their remains.
The Gigantopithecus (jai-gan-tow-pi-thuh-kuhs) was a huge primate that lived 1.8 million to 10,000 years ago. It was a quadruped and walked with its knuckles. If it stood up on its hind legs, it could be up to 10 feet tall. It is much larger than the gorillas we see today. It weighed up to 1200 lbs and the modern-day gorilla only weighs about 300 - 400 lbs.
This animal had jaws and teeth that were perfect for eating large amounts of plants. They were not very selective and ate different foods like bamboo, vegetables, seeds, and fruits. It is difficult to know more about this giant creature because many of its fossils are incomplete.