Entertaining paleontology: extinct species and their modern relatives (22 photos)

This journey into the past was made possible by Roman Uchitel, a Ukrainian paleontologist and graphic designer. He compares the sizes of extinct species with their modern relatives, drawing them side by side, and it’s really interesting.





“My wife and business partner Alexandra Antonova and I came up with this idea together so that our children would know what the ancestors (or relatives) of the animals they see at the zoo looked like,” says Roman.



1. Modern Smooth-coated Otter (Lutrogale Perspicillata) and Extinct Sardinian Giant Otter (Megalenhydris Barbaricina)





2. Modern Red Fox (Vulpes Vulpes) and Extinct Red Fox (Vulpes Alopecoides)



3. Modern Giant Panda (Ailuropoda Melanoleuca) and Extinct Kretzoiarctos (Agriarctos) (Kretzoiarctos Beatrix)



4. Modern River Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus Amphibius) and Extinct Giant Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus Gorgops)



5. Extinct Pleistocene North American Jaguar (Panthera Onca Augusta) and Extinct South American Jaguar (Panthera Onca)



6. Extinct Crested Cariama (Cariama Cristata) and Extinct Kelenken (Kelenken Guillermoi)



7. Modern Burchell's Zebra (Equus Quagga Burchellii) and the extinct Cape Giant Zebra (Equus Capensis)



8. Modern Great Grey Owl (Strix Nebulosa) and the extinct Cuban Giant Owl (Ornimegalonyx Oteroi)



9. Modern Black Caiman (Melanosuchus Niger) and Extinct Purussaurus (Purussaurus Brasiliensis)



10. Modern Pearly Nautilus (Nautilus Pompilius Pompilius) and Extinct Giant Ammonite (Parapuzosia Seppenradensis)



11. Modern Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon Brachyurus) and Extinct Falkland Islands Wolf (Dusicyon Australis)



12. Modern Snow Leopard (Panthera Uncia) and Extinct Chinese Panther (Panthera Palaeosinensis)



13. Modern Eurasian lynx (Lynx Lynx Carpathicus) and extinct saber-toothed cat (Homotherium Latidens)



14. Modern musk ox (Ovibos Moschatus) and extinct bush ox (Euceratherium Collinum)



15. Extinct Leviathan Melvillei and Modern Sperm Whale (Physeter Macrocephalus)



16. Modern Bush Dog (Speothos Venaticus) and Extinct Protocyon Troglodytes)



17. Modern Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga Tridactyla) and Extinct Neotamandua Anteater (Neotamandua Borealis)



18. Modern Gelada (Theropithecus Gelada) and Extinct Giant Gelada (Theropithecus Oswaldi)



19. Modern Ussuri wild boar (Sus Scrofa Ussuricus) and extinct pachyena (Pachyaena gigantea)



20. Modern man (Homo Sapiens) and extinct Neanderthal (Homo Neanderthalensis)