North Carolina’s fossil record spans from Ecocambrian remains 600 million years old to the Pleistocene, about 10,000 years ago. The state was submerged in a shallow sea home to Pteridinium, jellyfish, and corals about 600 million years ago. It had a terrestrial environment by the Triassic, where various marine life forms inhabited the local bodies of fresh water. Dinosaurs and other kinds of prehistoric reptiles roamed the area. Sea levels began to rise and fall after the Cretaceous and finally withdrew during the latter part of the Pleistocene epoch. This period supported the lives of numerous megafauna mammals. Read on for more information on the extinct animals in North Carolina.
7 Extinct Animals That Lived in North Carolina
North Carolina has had a varied geologic history. Early significant discoveries throughout the state include Cretaceous reptile fossils discovered in the 1850s. According to author Rufus Johnson, “almost every major river and creek east of Interstate 95 has exposures where fossils can be found.” Here are the 7 extinct animals that lived in North Carolina:
1. Carnufex
Carnufex is one of the earliest identified crocodylomorphs from the Late Triassic of North America. Based on the holotype skull and skeleton, Carnufex is estimated to have been about 9.8 feet long and 4.9 feet tall. Most paleontologists find it challenging to assess the size of the holotype specimen. Either the forelimbs were tiny, the skull was massive, or both. Carnufex remains were discovered in a red fluvial conglomerate of the Pekin Formation in North Carolina. The holotype and referred specimen were later described in more detail in 2016.
2. Hypsibema
Hypsibema is a little-known genus of dinosaurs that lived during one of the rare periods when most parts of North Carolina were covered in a shallow sea. It is the official state dinosaur of Missouri, but Hypsibema fossils were found in Sampson County, North Carolina, in 1869. It is believed that Hypsibema is a hadrosauroid, though the Missouri specimens were first thought to belong to a small sauropod. Various paleontologists concluded that this species walked particularly erect on its toes.
3. Eocetus
Eocetus is an extinct early Eocene whale discovered in North Carolina in the late 1990s. It possessed rudimentary arms and legs, a snapshot of the early stages of whale evolution before they fully adapted to aquatic existence. Unfortunately, not much is known about this protocetid early whale compared to other early whale ancestors like the Pakicetus from the Indian subcontinent.
4. Postosuchus
Postosuchus is an extinct splay-legged, half-ton archosaur that lived in North America during the Late Triassic period. It was one of the largest apex predators about 225 to 208 million years ago. This species weighed between 550 and 990 pounds. It had at least eight cervical vertebrae on its neck, followed by sixteen dorsals. Adults could grow up to 3.9 feet in height and 16 feet in length, from snout to tail tip. Postosuchus had large orbits, which aided excellent long-distant sight. Its jaws held and supported serrated teeth. Postosuchus had small hands and five toes. The first toe had a large core which this creature used as an offensive weapon. Its forelimbs were shorter than its hindlimbs. The eels and ankles of Postosuchus were similar in appearance to those of modern crocodiles.
5. Zatomus
Zatomus is a close relative of Postosuchus. It’s an extinct genus of pseudosuchian from the Late Triassic. This creature was once considered a dinosaur, but it’s now classified as a rauisuchian, a massive carnivorous thecodont archosaur. A single fossil specimen was discovered in North Carolina. Paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope gave this species the name Zatomus in the mid-19th century. Zatomus classification remains a subject of debate among many researchers.
6. Pteridinium
Pteridinium was a trilobite-like creature that is thought to have lived at the bottom of shallow lagoons. Pteridinium had a three-lobed body, typically flat such that only two lobes were visible. Each lobe had parallel ribs that extended back to the main axis, where the three lobes come together. North Carolina boasts some of the oldest Pteridinium fossils dating back to Precambrian times, over 550 million years ago. Until now, paleontologists are still unsure how this invertebrate moved or even what it ate. Based on fossil analysis, there is no sign of eyes, anus, mouth, antennae, appendages, or organs.
7. Megalodon
Megalodon is an extinct species of Lamniformes that lived from the Early Miocene to the Pliocene epochs. Paleontologists regard this species as one of the largest and most powerful predators to have lived on the planet during prehistoric times. It could grow to a maximum length of 46–47 feet and weigh between 66,000 and 143,000 pounds. Its teeth were thick and robust, an adaptation for grabbing prey and breaking bones. Megalodon played a significant role in the structure of marine communities. Fossil analysis indicates it probably targeted prey like sea turtles, seals, and whales. It used its strong jaws to break through the chest cavity and puncture the lungs and heart of the prey. There is wide speculation regarding the megalodon’s extinction. Most researchers believe that the reduction in the diversity of baleen whales may have reduced the megalodon’s primary food source.
