1 00:00:03,080 --> 00:00:05,960 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind from how Stuff 2 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey, welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind. 3 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 1: My name is Robert Lamb, my name is Julie Douglas, 4 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:18,479 Speaker 1: and this is a part two. This is In our 5 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:21,960 Speaker 1: last episode, we talked about wine mammals are amazing. Wine 6 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:26,320 Speaker 1: prehistoric mammals are so extreme in their form, and then 7 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:31,960 Speaker 1: we began to explore some of our ten favorite prehistoric mammals, 8 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:34,800 Speaker 1: ten favorite extreme prehistoric mammals, and we got through about 9 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 1: three of them. And this episode is the continuation of 10 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:41,000 Speaker 1: that list. So if you like, go back and listen 11 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:42,640 Speaker 1: to the other episodes so you'll get an idea of 12 00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:45,000 Speaker 1: how we started rolling on this. But if not, if 13 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:47,600 Speaker 1: you're you know, if your your iTunes skipped to the 14 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:50,839 Speaker 1: last episode, don't be afraid to plow forward with this one. Indeed, 15 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 1: and just to mention it, Extreme Mammals is an exhibit 16 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 1: that is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, 17 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 1: and that is what got us into all this craziness 18 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:04,040 Speaker 1: in the first place, because they have a wonderful exhibit 19 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 1: detailing these extreme mammals. All right, well, first off, in 20 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:10,240 Speaker 1: this episode, let's talk about what I assume to be 21 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:13,440 Speaker 1: your personal favorite, because you've already blogged about it once. 22 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:17,759 Speaker 1: So UH introduced us to macro Kenia. Ah, yes, macro 23 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:23,000 Speaker 1: Kenia thin legs, long neck, prehensile snout, about ten ft long, 24 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 1: and five hundred to one thousand pounds. We think, Uh. 25 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 1: Technically the macro kenya belonged to a family of ungulates, 26 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:33,160 Speaker 1: which are hooved animals, and is a distant cousin of 27 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:36,560 Speaker 1: a horse. Yeah, and it evolved independently in South America 28 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 1: and uh in the roughly equoin direction here. So now 29 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:42,560 Speaker 1: those who's I should say, those are three toad who 30 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:45,160 Speaker 1: feet which are which which are really in a way 31 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:47,039 Speaker 1: come kind of more like a rhinos. This this is 32 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:49,240 Speaker 1: one of those creatures that that kind of bleeds over 33 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: into different models because it kind of looks like a 34 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 1: camel in its basic dimensions. Then it has those three 35 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:57,080 Speaker 1: toad who feet, they're a little more like a rhino. 36 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 1: There's a certain horsiness to it. Uh, And mamoth mammothest 37 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 1: is the big thing because of course it's trunk yes, 38 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 1: or suspected trunk yes. So if you if you see 39 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:09,920 Speaker 1: this in the exhibit, um, if you're like me, you 40 00:02:10,040 --> 00:02:12,640 Speaker 1: automatically go to Sesame Street and you begin to think 41 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:15,360 Speaker 1: about stuff upogus because this is what it looks like. 42 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: In fact, I kind of wanted to pet it. I 43 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:19,960 Speaker 1: wanted to talk to it. It's amazing, and it is 44 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:23,200 Speaker 1: sort of a jigsaw puzzle of animals. It's sort of 45 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:26,560 Speaker 1: like the platypus in the sense that, um, you can 46 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:29,720 Speaker 1: see you can see the influence of different animals. Yeah, 47 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 1: it's basically the jazz funk um blues fusion of animals, 48 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:37,160 Speaker 1: I think. And certainly he really does look like snuffle 49 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:40,520 Speaker 1: up agus. The illustrations we see of in are are 50 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:44,119 Speaker 1: really cute. Yeah, that long trunk would have been used 51 00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 1: to feed on low lying leaves of grass, but it's 52 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:49,560 Speaker 1: horse like teeth point to this idea that it would 53 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:53,040 Speaker 1: have also been chomping on grass. But the weirdest thing 54 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:57,079 Speaker 1: about this this this guy, is that the nostrils are 55 00:02:57,280 --> 00:02:59,560 Speaker 1: right up on top of the head. And at first 56 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:02,920 Speaker 1: it was thought that this feature would give the macrocanias 57 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:05,160 Speaker 1: some sort of aquatic leg up. In other words, they 58 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:08,359 Speaker 1: could maybe weighed in the water. But more likely it's 59 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:12,600 Speaker 1: just the ideal position for the kind of hose nose 60 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 1: sports like. Basically, because people look at it, and you 61 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:16,560 Speaker 1: might say, well, how do we know that thing had 62 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:18,239 Speaker 1: an elephants? Now, how do we know I had a 63 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: little trunk going on up there? And it's because of 64 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:23,079 Speaker 1: the position of those nostrils. Now, I did find reference 65 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,760 Speaker 1: to an older theory that this positioning of the nostrils 66 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:31,000 Speaker 1: meant that it had its nostrils had lips, which ended 67 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:33,360 Speaker 1: up not being the theory that everyone's stuck with because 68 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:35,680 Speaker 1: I mean, you can't even find an artist illustration of 69 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:37,640 Speaker 1: what that would have looked like. And that's probably just 70 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:42,280 Speaker 1: as well, because unless maybe Picasso had had illustrated it. See, 71 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:45,520 Speaker 1: let's turn our attention now to a very very cool 72 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:49,760 Speaker 1: glyptodont and this is something that is called data chorus. Yeah, 73 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 1: data chorus is pretty pretty awesome. And I think I 74 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:55,240 Speaker 1: had a toy of this guy. So and everyone will 75 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:58,160 Speaker 1: probably recognize this one because it's certainly an outlandish example 76 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: of an extreme mammal because nothing really quite looks like 77 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 1: it today. First of all, I mean there's shades of it, 78 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 1: shadows of it in some animals, but nothing quite like this. 79 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:11,520 Speaker 1: First of all, armored suit. So I'm thinking about tortoise here, 80 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:14,120 Speaker 1: like a giant tortoise big as a car. Yeah kind 81 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 1: of yeah, very Armadilla esque in a way, except harder, 82 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 1: Like you can we have remnants to this thing, and 83 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:24,760 Speaker 1: like a child can climb underneath it. Um so for starters, Yeah, 84 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:28,080 Speaker 1: covered with armor and then bony club at the end 85 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:30,520 Speaker 1: of its tail. That looks like a medieval mace. Yes, 86 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:32,480 Speaker 1: I saw that, and I was like, that is an 87 00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:35,640 Speaker 1: amazing I mean, you look at that example in nature 88 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:39,760 Speaker 1: and to know that humans fashion tools that were similar 89 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:43,520 Speaker 1: is just amazing. Whether or not they had the reference point, Yeah, 90 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:44,960 Speaker 1: whether or not they had the reference point or not, 91 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:47,479 Speaker 1: or it just came out of their imagination. That's what 92 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:49,920 Speaker 1: I think is so cool about this guy. Um. Now, 93 00:04:50,279 --> 00:04:52,960 Speaker 1: a tale like that, of course it raises the instant 94 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:55,480 Speaker 1: question what did it use it for? Because we look 95 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:56,920 Speaker 1: at it and west I think, oh, it's a mace. 96 00:04:57,040 --> 00:04:59,599 Speaker 1: I bet he swung that thing around or she I 97 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:01,960 Speaker 1: keep you in heat. But I'm going back to my 98 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 1: old childhood. Uh you know, I imagine the mamas males, 99 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:10,320 Speaker 1: so he or she what we would think, Oh, it 100 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:12,640 Speaker 1: must have swung that make tail around and just clocked 101 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:16,039 Speaker 1: enemies left and right while the creature was trying to 102 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:19,640 Speaker 1: to eat its it. It's vegetation, but it's one of 103 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:21,880 Speaker 1: those things where we have different theories about what it 104 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:25,000 Speaker 1: consists of. Yeah, well, there's an idea that it was 105 00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:28,960 Speaker 1: used to thwart would be suitors, right, so you would 106 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:32,720 Speaker 1: wrestle with your tails and made the victor when the spoils. Right. 107 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:37,280 Speaker 1: So it's a little bit just like elk locking horns. Right. Um. 108 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:39,320 Speaker 1: But then there's also the idea that it was used 109 00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:42,800 Speaker 1: as a weapon to try to defend itself and then demolition. 110 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:47,039 Speaker 1: I'm just kidding. Well, um, I guess I do like 111 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:49,559 Speaker 1: the idea that is weird as this creature creature looked, 112 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:53,200 Speaker 1: it was so sexy that it had to literally fight 113 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:56,440 Speaker 1: suitors off with a spiked club. Well, yeah, so that's 114 00:05:56,480 --> 00:05:59,520 Speaker 1: my interpretation. I like that. Okay. The name actually means 115 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:03,400 Speaker 1: pestle tail, referring to how if the spikes were removed, 116 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:06,480 Speaker 1: then the tail would resemble a pistel. So you just 117 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:08,280 Speaker 1: have to hook it up with a little mortar and 118 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:11,120 Speaker 1: they can just grind some ancient herbs. Yeah, there you go. 119 00:06:11,279 --> 00:06:14,880 Speaker 1: Oh it's stumping grounds were modern day South America, as 120 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:17,400 Speaker 1: were most of these ambles. By the way, South America 121 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:20,320 Speaker 1: seems to be the epicenter of it. Pakistan's got some 122 00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:23,240 Speaker 1: winnerds as well. Mr lived as recently as ten thousand 123 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 1: years ago, and that's why we have some really great 124 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:29,520 Speaker 1: fossilized remains of its shell al right. Next on the 125 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:32,760 Speaker 1: list is is one that I was really amazed, amazed 126 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:34,520 Speaker 1: by when I was looking at the pictures. There are 127 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:37,200 Speaker 1: a number of crazy elephants that pop up in your 128 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:41,080 Speaker 1: in anyone's exploration of prehistoric mammals, and we're gonna get 129 00:06:41,080 --> 00:06:43,240 Speaker 1: to some other crazy ones as well, But this one, 130 00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:47,400 Speaker 1: uh is in a way, it's not that crazy because 131 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:50,000 Speaker 1: it basically it looks like a modern elephant, but with 132 00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:53,200 Speaker 1: shorter legs, and it would have been a woodland packaderm 133 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:55,880 Speaker 1: roaming through Europe and Asia. It's about ten feet tall 134 00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:01,159 Speaker 1: three meters. But the Ananochists was really the It could 135 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:03,600 Speaker 1: have been the ultimate war elephant. Like you just look 136 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:05,359 Speaker 1: at this thing and you're like, that is a that 137 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:09,600 Speaker 1: is a born war machine, the Ananarchist, because uh, it 138 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:13,320 Speaker 1: had ten to thirteen foot long tusks that's three or 139 00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:15,560 Speaker 1: four meters and that is nearly as long as the 140 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:19,200 Speaker 1: rest of the creatures. So imagine an elephant with just 141 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:23,240 Speaker 1: enormous tuss tusks that they go out straight, uh, the 142 00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:26,480 Speaker 1: length of its own body. Just javelins of tuts. That's 143 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:29,040 Speaker 1: what I initially thought of as javelins, and I sort 144 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:31,760 Speaker 1: of imagined it running and trying to do its little 145 00:07:31,760 --> 00:07:34,440 Speaker 1: Olympic sport or you think it would just like at 146 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:36,080 Speaker 1: the end of the day, the ananarchists would just have 147 00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:38,440 Speaker 1: to set aside an hour or two just to unskewer 148 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:42,840 Speaker 1: the creatures. That's the other thing as I imagined, Yeah, 149 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:46,840 Speaker 1: shish kebab of enemies piled up on these tusks um 150 00:07:46,880 --> 00:07:50,240 Speaker 1: And obviously it would would have been great for sort 151 00:07:50,280 --> 00:07:54,840 Speaker 1: of warfare or fending off other animals, but it also 152 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:57,880 Speaker 1: would have been really helpful in digging, digging roots up, 153 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:01,560 Speaker 1: digging plants up. Exactly. Although I feel like, if you're 154 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:05,120 Speaker 1: this animal, you feel great about everything head on right, 155 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:07,720 Speaker 1: you feel really protected, but everything else and because it's 156 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:11,080 Speaker 1: gotta be unwieldy to try to move these tusks around, 157 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:14,200 Speaker 1: so I would feel very vulnerable in the back. Yeah, 158 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:16,120 Speaker 1: I realized that with all these I cannot look at 159 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:20,240 Speaker 1: pictures of prehistoric mammals or dinosaurs without falling back into 160 00:08:20,240 --> 00:08:23,200 Speaker 1: this childhood thinking where I'm like, oh, how would that 161 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:27,560 Speaker 1: one fight that one I'm playing playing like battle matchmaker 162 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:29,520 Speaker 1: of each of these, like, oh, what would the what 163 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:31,960 Speaker 1: would it be like of an an anarchist were to 164 00:08:32,160 --> 00:08:37,000 Speaker 1: actually square off with a triceratops. You know, so, well, 165 00:08:37,040 --> 00:08:38,720 Speaker 1: let's let's go through the other animals and if the 166 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:40,280 Speaker 1: end of the podcast, let's try to figure out what 167 00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:43,040 Speaker 1: the fantasy square off would be. Although that's pretty good 168 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:46,439 Speaker 1: right there. Yeah, alright, So the next one I want 169 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:50,440 Speaker 1: to talk about is a giant giant rodent. Yeah, if 170 00:08:50,440 --> 00:08:53,079 Speaker 1: there is ever a rodent of unusual size or r 171 00:08:53,080 --> 00:08:58,600 Speaker 1: o us, this is the guy. Yeah, telecomus giganticisms. It 172 00:08:58,679 --> 00:09:03,760 Speaker 1: comes from the Late miles An epic about eleven million 173 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:07,960 Speaker 1: years ago to five million years um Argentina the size 174 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:13,439 Speaker 1: of a small rhinoceros and could weigh up to pounds. Yeah, 175 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:17,240 Speaker 1: seven ft long roadent, the largest of the Dino Mayads 176 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:20,640 Speaker 1: would be terrible mice. Probably the largest rodent ever to 177 00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:24,280 Speaker 1: walk the Earth's I mean the size of a small brhino, 178 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:27,880 Speaker 1: like like a big hairy hippopotamus. Yeah that is six 179 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:32,120 Speaker 1: ft long, okay, well six point six inches right, two 180 00:09:32,160 --> 00:09:36,880 Speaker 1: meters long. I mean again, I know that it's a 181 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:41,400 Speaker 1: sort of anthropomorphosizing that I'm doing, but not really. But really, 182 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:43,520 Speaker 1: if you look at the rodents that exist right now 183 00:09:43,520 --> 00:09:46,520 Speaker 1: and you try to imagine them, you know, six ft 184 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:50,360 Speaker 1: six inches long. Yeah, this was just a broot of 185 00:09:50,360 --> 00:09:52,560 Speaker 1: a rodent and uh and one of the more extreme 186 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:55,920 Speaker 1: examples you can find. And it's a testament to rodents 187 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:57,960 Speaker 1: that two of them made the list. We have both 188 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:02,559 Speaker 1: a horned wrath and a giant rat. So there you go. Alright, 189 00:10:02,559 --> 00:10:04,199 Speaker 1: we're gonna take a quick break and when we come 190 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:06,360 Speaker 1: back we will finish this list. We have some some 191 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:09,480 Speaker 1: more amazing creatures to run through before it's all said 192 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:21,800 Speaker 1: and done, so stick with us. All right, we're back, 193 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:23,840 Speaker 1: and we are now moving on to one of my 194 00:10:24,040 --> 00:10:27,640 Speaker 1: all time favorites, just in terms of just sheer weirdness 195 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:30,200 Speaker 1: that you encounter the first time you crack open up 196 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:33,679 Speaker 1: an illustrated book of ka stark mammals. I'm talking, of course, 197 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:38,600 Speaker 1: about old platty flatty belladon uh ten foot high three 198 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:44,640 Speaker 1: ms um packaderm roamed Europe, Asia Africa, known for his 199 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:49,040 Speaker 1: shoveled teeth. These are flattened tusks that form a shovel 200 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:52,440 Speaker 1: like projection from the bottom of their their mouth in 201 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:56,360 Speaker 1: a way it looks like weird um inverted buck teeth 202 00:10:56,480 --> 00:10:58,880 Speaker 1: coming out and then on top of that a very 203 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:04,360 Speaker 1: flat trunk. So it's just about the weirdest like drug 204 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:08,720 Speaker 1: induced idea of an elephant you could possibly think of. Uh, 205 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:12,960 Speaker 1: And of course it already existed. Um yeah, it's You 206 00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:15,480 Speaker 1: know what is amazing is if you look at a 207 00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:17,600 Speaker 1: picture of a shovel and you look at a picture 208 00:11:17,679 --> 00:11:20,680 Speaker 1: of its mouth and the lower jaw, you see the 209 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:24,160 Speaker 1: same exact design narrow at the top and then fluting 210 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:26,400 Speaker 1: out at the bottom and then capped off by two 211 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:30,880 Speaker 1: squared off insize or teeth. It's amazing. It's like a sport. 212 00:11:31,120 --> 00:11:32,360 Speaker 1: So you look at this guy, you look at these 213 00:11:32,360 --> 00:11:36,200 Speaker 1: shovel teeth tusk rather and you wonder, how does this 214 00:11:36,240 --> 00:11:39,560 Speaker 1: guy live his life? What is this adaptation gaining him? 215 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:41,920 Speaker 1: And to understand that, you have to realize what kind 216 00:11:41,920 --> 00:11:45,640 Speaker 1: of world, uh platty would have lived in a world 217 00:11:45,679 --> 00:11:49,199 Speaker 1: of grasslands and winding shallow rivers full of plant life. 218 00:11:49,440 --> 00:11:52,360 Speaker 1: So the theory is that the platty would grip the 219 00:11:52,400 --> 00:11:57,000 Speaker 1: plant life between his flattened trunk and those flattened tusks 220 00:11:57,280 --> 00:11:59,760 Speaker 1: after shoveling into it and then then rearing up with 221 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:03,559 Speaker 1: rip the plants away from the mud and then use 222 00:12:03,679 --> 00:12:06,719 Speaker 1: the trunk to pull it into the mouth. Yeah, there 223 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:09,400 Speaker 1: was this idea that it was just there just to 224 00:12:09,440 --> 00:12:11,520 Speaker 1: shovel things up. Right, after all, we're talking about a 225 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:13,840 Speaker 1: creature that's two tons um a lot of food that 226 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:17,440 Speaker 1: has to be shoveled into it. But those teeth, those 227 00:12:17,520 --> 00:12:20,960 Speaker 1: teeth may have been used as a saw because they're 228 00:12:21,040 --> 00:12:23,080 Speaker 1: they're split down the middle, right. If you look at 229 00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:25,120 Speaker 1: the picture, that's what makes it looks like two teeth. 230 00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:28,120 Speaker 1: The idea is that that's uh, that's where the plant 231 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:31,400 Speaker 1: material could be captured and then sort of the friction 232 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:36,360 Speaker 1: of those teeth could then saw it. Yeah. Now this creature, though, 233 00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:40,359 Speaker 1: is again highly specialized, so that also makes them incredibly 234 00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:43,440 Speaker 1: vulnerable to environmental change. I think in the last episode 235 00:12:43,440 --> 00:12:47,360 Speaker 1: of Maybe the Business, example of a shop opens up 236 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:50,439 Speaker 1: during the height of the bacon baked goods craze and 237 00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:55,160 Speaker 1: is selling bacon flavored doughnuts literally like hotcakes, I guess, 238 00:12:55,600 --> 00:12:58,320 Speaker 1: um selling these like crazy and as long as is 239 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:01,000 Speaker 1: the fad is really let's baked and flavor everything and 240 00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:03,760 Speaker 1: let's eat bacon flavor donuts. They're gonna make just lots 241 00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:05,640 Speaker 1: and lots of money. But then when that falls out 242 00:13:05,679 --> 00:13:08,200 Speaker 1: of out of favor, when people realize that that's a 243 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:11,240 Speaker 1: gross way to live your life. Then knowing that business 244 00:13:11,280 --> 00:13:14,800 Speaker 1: is going to fail. Likewise with these guys with platty uh, 245 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:17,400 Speaker 1: there comes to time when this uh there is just 246 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:20,640 Speaker 1: not abundant winding shallow rivers full of plant life uh 247 00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:24,560 Speaker 1: too to feast upon, and so the form dies out. 248 00:13:24,880 --> 00:13:27,240 Speaker 1: It's true. So, as we had talked about in in 249 00:13:27,360 --> 00:13:30,880 Speaker 1: the first episode Maths, extinction can happen for a number 250 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:33,440 Speaker 1: of reasons. It could be and we have seen instances 251 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:36,520 Speaker 1: of human hunting uh knocking out quite a few creatures, 252 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:40,760 Speaker 1: but also atmospheric changes. As you just discussed a comment 253 00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:43,160 Speaker 1: hitting there are all sorts of things that an animal 254 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:45,040 Speaker 1: must be able to adjust you and probably can't do 255 00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:47,199 Speaker 1: so within the limited amount of time that they are 256 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:52,360 Speaker 1: you know, present, or that particular uh subspecies is present. Yes, 257 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:56,760 Speaker 1: now we have basically one creature left on our top ten, 258 00:13:56,920 --> 00:14:00,400 Speaker 1: but we have another one that was included as a 259 00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:02,680 Speaker 1: as kind of an honorary mentioned. So we want to 260 00:14:02,720 --> 00:14:05,760 Speaker 1: we want to talk about this creature first we're of 261 00:14:05,760 --> 00:14:10,280 Speaker 1: course talking about the giant sloth. The megathereum, twenty ft 262 00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:13,960 Speaker 1: high six meters, roamed around Bolivian Peru and weighed as 263 00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:16,920 Speaker 1: much as three tons. Yeah. So I mean, can you 264 00:14:16,920 --> 00:14:21,000 Speaker 1: imagine six thousand pounds coming at you, covered in dark hair, 265 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:26,280 Speaker 1: huge claws, and it could walk on its him legs 266 00:14:26,280 --> 00:14:28,560 Speaker 1: like a bear. Yeah, and he would eat you alive 267 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:31,320 Speaker 1: if you were a treat swallow you hold you were 268 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:33,800 Speaker 1: a vegetation on the top of the tree, because this yeah, 269 00:14:33,840 --> 00:14:35,840 Speaker 1: this guy could rear up on those hind legs, use 270 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:39,520 Speaker 1: those three cloud four ft to grab onto some tree 271 00:14:39,520 --> 00:14:42,720 Speaker 1: limbs and then just start grazing the tree tops if 272 00:14:42,720 --> 00:14:44,960 Speaker 1: they were in the in reach. Yeah, lived as recently 273 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:48,160 Speaker 1: as eight thousand years ago. In ground slots are members 274 00:14:48,160 --> 00:14:52,000 Speaker 1: of the South American group that Zen Arthur, which contains 275 00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:54,520 Speaker 1: modern tree sloughs, which we've talked about quite a bit, 276 00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:58,520 Speaker 1: and eaters and armadillos. Yeah, it's an incredible specimen. And 277 00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:02,000 Speaker 1: I understand basically just would poop and caves like crazy too. Well, 278 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:05,600 Speaker 1: you know, poop was quite a topic, you know, when 279 00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:08,680 Speaker 1: we discussed tree slots modern day ones, because as you know, 280 00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:10,840 Speaker 1: they spend about a week up in the tree tops 281 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:13,640 Speaker 1: and then they come down once week to defecate. It's 282 00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:16,600 Speaker 1: a It's an interesting creature because in in basic form 283 00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:18,400 Speaker 1: and the illustrations that we have with them, based on 284 00:15:18,400 --> 00:15:21,360 Speaker 1: the scut of the skulltal even it's uh, it essentially 285 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:23,600 Speaker 1: looks like a giant sloth. If you were you were 286 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:25,680 Speaker 1: to say, hey, I wonder what a giant relative of 287 00:15:25,680 --> 00:15:27,720 Speaker 1: of the modern day slot would look like. This is 288 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:30,520 Speaker 1: what you would draw. But the way it lived its 289 00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:33,080 Speaker 1: life was was probably rather different. You know. Again, it's 290 00:15:33,120 --> 00:15:38,120 Speaker 1: not climbing up, it's not our boreal obviously, but does 291 00:15:38,280 --> 00:15:41,440 Speaker 1: clause those curled claws, which are sort of a benchmark 292 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:46,440 Speaker 1: of of sloth are just amazing there. So that's an 293 00:15:46,440 --> 00:15:49,760 Speaker 1: amazing creature. But the final one we're gonna get to 294 00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:52,720 Speaker 1: on this list is is really even more amazing, and 295 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:56,160 Speaker 1: is is definitely one of like the top examples of 296 00:15:56,240 --> 00:15:59,800 Speaker 1: you know, browsing through illustrations of prehistoric mammals, you see 297 00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:02,760 Speaker 1: this thing and you just you almost cannot believe it. 298 00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:04,920 Speaker 1: Like and when I even when I look at images 299 00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:08,560 Speaker 1: of this creature today, I can understand a little bit 300 00:16:08,640 --> 00:16:10,960 Speaker 1: the mindset of a person that would just completely reject 301 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:13,320 Speaker 1: all of this science and say there's no way that 302 00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:15,480 Speaker 1: could exist. This is you're just making all this up 303 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:21,000 Speaker 1: because we're of course talking about the enormous injuries. Otherium, 304 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:29,240 Speaker 1: which is a rhino like hornless giant horse looking just behemoth. 305 00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:35,920 Speaker 1: It is twenty tons about towns. Uh. It's horse like 306 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:38,000 Speaker 1: in the neck, I think, and somewhat in the face, 307 00:16:38,480 --> 00:16:40,800 Speaker 1: although it's got a lot of rhino in it and 308 00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:44,040 Speaker 1: evolved from an earlier five ft tall relative called a 309 00:16:44,120 --> 00:16:47,240 Speaker 1: hierro code on which which again and and just in 310 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:50,400 Speaker 1: when you start looking at all these these evolutionary examples 311 00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:54,000 Speaker 1: and how they tie together, uh, it's always really difficult 312 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:57,480 Speaker 1: to wrap them our our minds around the periods of 313 00:16:57,520 --> 00:17:01,280 Speaker 1: time that are that are transpiring between these forms. But 314 00:17:01,320 --> 00:17:04,080 Speaker 1: it's it's it's just blows my mind to think that this, 315 00:17:04,080 --> 00:17:08,119 Speaker 1: this enormous giant, this titan, uh, evolved from something that 316 00:17:08,200 --> 00:17:10,520 Speaker 1: was just five ft tall. Well, yeah, and you know 317 00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:14,080 Speaker 1: you're familiar with what we know as the largest land 318 00:17:14,119 --> 00:17:17,560 Speaker 1: mammal now an elephant, Right, that doesn't really blow our mind. 319 00:17:17,600 --> 00:17:20,199 Speaker 1: But if you were to, you know, bundle four of 320 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:23,879 Speaker 1: those together and come up with this creature, it is 321 00:17:24,080 --> 00:17:28,159 Speaker 1: just enormous elephant vult. This creature it is um. It 322 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:30,760 Speaker 1: was an herbivore and it lived in the forest of 323 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:35,359 Speaker 1: Central Asia between thirty four and twenty three million years ago. Yeah, 324 00:17:35,359 --> 00:17:37,480 Speaker 1: it's teeth are really cool too. Um. I mean you 325 00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:39,080 Speaker 1: look at it and you barely even notice it as 326 00:17:39,080 --> 00:17:41,000 Speaker 1: the mouth, it's so enormous. But if you were just 327 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:42,720 Speaker 1: to take a look at its teeth. Uh, it only 328 00:17:42,760 --> 00:17:45,600 Speaker 1: had two front teeth on the top and two below 329 00:17:45,880 --> 00:17:49,040 Speaker 1: in the upper pair pointing down like tusks, and the 330 00:17:49,080 --> 00:17:52,000 Speaker 1: lower pair we're pointing forwards. And it probably also had 331 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:55,160 Speaker 1: a long, flexible upper lip which allowed it to graze 332 00:17:55,160 --> 00:18:00,520 Speaker 1: twenty six foot treetops. Now, I mean you probably thinking, okay, 333 00:18:00,600 --> 00:18:03,680 Speaker 1: it's huge. It's you know, it's twenty towns forty pounds. 334 00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:07,040 Speaker 1: It's got to shovel a ton of vegetation into it. 335 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:11,240 Speaker 1: It's an herbivore, so most likely when the environment changed 336 00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:14,320 Speaker 1: and when it didn't have enough to forage, it went 337 00:18:14,359 --> 00:18:16,200 Speaker 1: by the wayside. Um. I mean, you look at a 338 00:18:16,200 --> 00:18:18,080 Speaker 1: creature like that, and that's pretty obvious that that might 339 00:18:18,080 --> 00:18:21,200 Speaker 1: have been the circumstance. Yeah, and this creature lived in 340 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:24,600 Speaker 1: the Pakistan also China, well, when I go to China 341 00:18:24,680 --> 00:18:26,360 Speaker 1: later this year, I'm going to keep an eye out 342 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:30,600 Speaker 1: just in case I see one. Um. Well, you've stood 343 00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:33,680 Speaker 1: under a replica of one, so now you're pretty familiar 344 00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:37,359 Speaker 1: with it. And um, you know, anytime I think about 345 00:18:37,359 --> 00:18:39,040 Speaker 1: this creature too, I can't help but think of Stephen 346 00:18:39,119 --> 00:18:42,040 Speaker 1: King's The Mist, which is an awesome novella that he 347 00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:44,119 Speaker 1: did about like this mist rolling in and has all 348 00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:47,560 Speaker 1: these strange creatures roaming about in it. And uh, at 349 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:51,480 Speaker 1: one point they drive a vehicle under this enormous quadruped. 350 00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:54,400 Speaker 1: It's at least I think it was a quadruped stalking 351 00:18:54,440 --> 00:18:58,080 Speaker 1: across the than the night land here and uh and 352 00:18:58,080 --> 00:19:01,320 Speaker 1: and that one always reminds me of this particular creature. Also, 353 00:19:01,400 --> 00:19:03,600 Speaker 1: the add Ats and Empire strikes Back, the big four 354 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:07,359 Speaker 1: legged waters, those were supposedly based on this creature as well. Uh, 355 00:19:08,119 --> 00:19:10,359 Speaker 1: that's interesting. I'm trying to think about whether or not 356 00:19:10,359 --> 00:19:13,399 Speaker 1: you could drive a car underneath it. Um, but I 357 00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:16,240 Speaker 1: remember maybe a smart car. Yeah, yeah, I think you 358 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:19,280 Speaker 1: could because because there are some some illustrations out there 359 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:24,200 Speaker 1: of like paleontologists standing next to it, as one possibly 360 00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:26,560 Speaker 1: could what that would look like. And it's again just towering, 361 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:29,560 Speaker 1: just dwarfs us and and really just is just a 362 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:32,080 Speaker 1: mind blowing thing to think about that these creatures wants 363 00:19:32,640 --> 00:19:35,480 Speaker 1: roam the earth in small, close knit families and now 364 00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:39,120 Speaker 1: they are just part of a n But hey, we're 365 00:19:39,119 --> 00:19:42,040 Speaker 1: the one percent. We're still were still alive, we are 366 00:19:42,119 --> 00:19:46,920 Speaker 1: still a species on this earth. We haven't quite seen 367 00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:50,000 Speaker 1: an end of that yet. So, fellow humans, if you 368 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:53,200 Speaker 1: have some thoughts on this excellent list that we've put together, 369 00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:55,440 Speaker 1: I'm gonna go and stay it's excellent since I think 370 00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:58,240 Speaker 1: it is. Oh we did? Did you decide on a matchup? 371 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:04,080 Speaker 1: Are you going with anachus versus t Rex? Well? Um, well, anachis, 372 00:20:04,359 --> 00:20:06,960 Speaker 1: let's see anarchist versus another mammal on our list? That 373 00:20:06,960 --> 00:20:11,200 Speaker 1: would be that that would be ideal, wouldn't I guess 374 00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:14,880 Speaker 1: I might go with mm hmm. This is a tough one. 375 00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:17,760 Speaker 1: You know. I'm not going to put my crania anything 376 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:19,560 Speaker 1: we have in spiders on this list. And then we 377 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:21,639 Speaker 1: have some lovers on this list, you know, like like 378 00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:24,040 Speaker 1: old Platty Belladon. I think he was more of a 379 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:25,560 Speaker 1: lover and I'm not going to put him in there 380 00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:29,640 Speaker 1: against anarchist. So um, I don't know. I think that 381 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:33,560 Speaker 1: I'm my epigolis a horn to dent. I think that 382 00:20:33,560 --> 00:20:37,920 Speaker 1: that's a smaller, scrappier, yes, extreme mammal, and perhaps it 383 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:41,719 Speaker 1: could do some damage. Okay, all right, I'd see that. 384 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:45,440 Speaker 1: I'd play that out with a pair of plastic creatures 385 00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:51,240 Speaker 1: on the living room floor. So, fellow humans, fellow one 386 00:20:51,280 --> 00:20:55,679 Speaker 1: per centers of the mammalian existence, um, let us know 387 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:58,239 Speaker 1: what you think about this. Uh. Granted, these were our 388 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:00,679 Speaker 1: personal picks, are the ones that called out to us 389 00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:03,840 Speaker 1: the most. So there are many, many, many so there, Yeah, 390 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:05,840 Speaker 1: there are many, many more, and there's some that almost 391 00:21:05,840 --> 00:21:08,040 Speaker 1: made the list, especially when you get into the weird 392 00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:10,159 Speaker 1: packet germs. And oh there are a whole bunch of 393 00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:13,919 Speaker 1: Rhinocera Risks relatives that had crazy horns as well, and 394 00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:16,560 Speaker 1: I would have loved to included some of those, but 395 00:21:16,560 --> 00:21:18,159 Speaker 1: but we had to leave him off. So let us 396 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:21,640 Speaker 1: know what your favorite extreme prehistoric mammal is. We would 397 00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:23,720 Speaker 1: love to hear from you. You can find us online 398 00:21:23,720 --> 00:21:26,400 Speaker 1: in a number of places, because we basically exist online 399 00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:29,159 Speaker 1: for all you know, we don't even exist in the flesh. 400 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:31,400 Speaker 1: But you can find us at stuff to bow your mind, 401 00:21:31,400 --> 00:21:33,720 Speaker 1: dot com. That's the mothership. That's the main page. You 402 00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:35,879 Speaker 1: can also find us on Facebook, where we are stuff 403 00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:37,840 Speaker 1: to blow your mind. You can find us on Twitter 404 00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:39,320 Speaker 1: where we blow the mind. You can find us on 405 00:21:39,359 --> 00:21:41,440 Speaker 1: Tumbler where we are we are also stuff to bow 406 00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:43,760 Speaker 1: your mind. And finally, you can find us on YouTube 407 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:47,480 Speaker 1: our video series which everyone seems to be enjoying. Our 408 00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:51,240 Speaker 1: handle there is mind Stuff Show. You can always drop 409 00:21:51,320 --> 00:21:52,680 Speaker 1: us a line, and we love it when you do. 410 00:21:53,000 --> 00:22:01,000 Speaker 1: Below the mind at Discovery dot com. For more on 411 00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:03,800 Speaker 1: this and thousands of other topics, visit how staff works 412 00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:09,760 Speaker 1: dot com.