An ancient hippo-sized reptile may have been surprisingly agile

Anteosaurus’ skull suggests it was speedier than other beasts alive at the same time

illustration of an anteosaur chasing a Moschognathus

With banana-sized fangs capable of crushing bones, anteosaurs (one illustrated chasing a Moschognathus) reigned as top predators and went extinct before dinosaurs evolved.

Alex Bernardini

Some 260 million years ago, before the rise of dinosaurs, bone-crushing anteosaurs reigned as land’s largest predators.