On a peaceful day, after finishing teaching for the day. Twilight heads into her castle to do a little reading.
She then pulls out of the books in the Mammal Chest, and starts to read.
As she reads, she found a section that got her interest.
"What's that?" She wondered.
She reads the section as it explains that Mammals first appeared the same time with the Dinosaurs. But Dinosaurs quickly soon took over, and for 165 million years, the Mammals were hiding in the shadows as small Shrew like animals.
But when the meteor slammed into the Earth, 65 million years ago and wipe out the Dinosaurs. Mammals survived for their small size and hiding underground. Soon after the dust cleared, and the planet fully recovered. That Mammals started to diverse and multiple, into a different range of animals.
And soon, they got bigger and larger. And soon rival the Dinosaurs in size and ferocity.
But one group, took a remarkable step into Mammal evolution.
Some Mammals, took to the water. And started to grow bigger, and soon became the largest animals on Earth.
The Whales.
Whales are proof, of the true success of Mammals.
And soon, Bats appeared and became the only the Mammals to evolved powered flight.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Equestria, in a landscape of forest and savannah, lived a different number of ancient Mammals.
A group of 3 ponies were out enjoying themselves, and over at a small pond. They were looking at and taking pictures of a small group of Mammals called Ancylotherium.
An ancient type of animal, and was once widespread. But the last survivors lived in Africa around 3 million years ago.
Luckily for the ponies, Ancylotheriums are harmless creatures.
But is more than you can say for the group of arriving large Elephants.
But they weren't Elephants today, they were Deinotherium. The biggest animals of their African home of their time. Unlike their modern relatives, Deinotherium has a shorter trunk, and has downward curved fang like tusks. Which were used to scrap bark from trees, since Elephants can eat just about any type of plants.
They can get 13 feet high, and weigh over 8 tons.
And then, the 3 ponies were driven off by a young Deinotherium.
After getting to a safe distance from the Deinotheriums, the ponies went exploring an area of grassland.
They went different way as they explored.
But for one pony, his death warrant is about to be singed.
20 feet behind him, and stalking every closer. Was a Sabertooth Cat the size of a Jaguar, is slowly approaching him from behind.
And then, once close enough. The Cat lunges and delivers a fatal blow to the neck, and the 2 ponies were forced to flee from the area.
And soon, the Cat begins to drag it's meal to an area to feed.
It was Dinofelis, meaning Terrible Cat.
And 3 million years ago, as the dawn of ponies that Unicorns and Pegasuses were appearing. They were the killer of Ponies, but these Cats don't have the speed to bring down fast running herbivores. But stalking from behind has done the trick with these one. And are better at slower prey, where they can killed easily, and eat quickly.
Ponies now are the dominant species, and are no longer easy targets.
But long ago, their relatives, are prey.
And soon, the Dinofelis climbs up a tree to feed. To avoid attracting larger predators, and which Leopards do.
In a different section of the grassland, the 2 ponies came to a stop to breath.
But then, they saw a very odd creature.
It was Platybelodon, a species of Elephant. But it has one of the weirdest head designs, it's lower jaw is shaped like a shovel and it's trunk was shaped with it.
Platybelodons possibly used them to feed off reeds and other water plants. And the jaw to act as a shovel to scoop a huge amount of food.
And nearby, at the edge of the lake was 2 large Birds with long necks. They were Moas, extinct species from New Zealand.
Moas were once thought to have held their necks more upright, but it's now believe they held them more horizontal. When they're heads are held up they can be 10 feet tall.
But even though Moas are the largest land Birds, they're not completely safe, from their worse predator.
Flying overhead, was an Eagle. But it's unlike any Eagle, alive today.
It was Harpagornis or the Haast's Eagle.
With a wingspan of over 9 feet, and talons like grappling hooks. This is the largest Eagle ever.
The Haast's Eagle is the top predator of New Zealand, Moas are one of it's prey, and it was thought they were big enough to see Humans as prey.
The giant Eagle watches overhead of the Moas, and even sees the 2 ponies below. But luckily, the Eagle has recently eaten and flies off to rest.
Haast's Eagles hunting Moas as prey is actually proven as some Moa bones were found with puncture holes in the backbone and ribs. Meaning that the Eagle would jab their talons to stun them.
The reason Haast's Eagles became extinct is due to competition with Humans as they were hunting their main food source. The Moas, they even took Moa eggs, and once they were gone, the Eagles followed.
In over hunting animals to extinction, some most cases, it makes Humans the real monsters than the ones they met.
Back in Twilight's castle, she continues to read and even though most extinct species were unrecognizable.
Some species were seen that ponies have actually dug up bones of. Like the fangs of Cats, skulls of Elephants. And in some areas, even teeth of Sharks.
"I wonder how big our world is?" Twilight wondered.
What Twilight barely realized, she that the world is getting a whole lot even bigger.
Next Time:
The lost continent, of South America.
A world of strange, exotic giants.
And a legendary killer.
Smilodon, the largest of all the Sabertooth Cats.
Author's Note:
I apologize for the absence yesterday, my place with no internet, and then the power went out.
Species Shown:
Ancylotherium
Deinotherium
Dinofelis
Platybelodon
Moa
Harpagornis/Haast's Eagle