Andrewsarchus: Largest Mammalian Carnivore Ever

Andrewsarchus was a predatory ungulate (hoofed mammal) that lived during the late Eocene Epoch of the Cenozoic Era. This group constituted the only segment of the ungulates that was carnivorous, and the largest, andrewsarchus mongoliensis was the largest mammalian predator ever to walk on land. Oddly enough, andrewsarchus was most closely related to hippos and pigs rather than to more familiar groups of predators like big cats or dogs. Fossils of this giant have been uncovered in Central Asia, primarily Mongolia.

Andrewsarchus is not known from a complete skeleton, but rather a preserved fossilized find of a gigantic three foot skull. Other fragments of bone suggest that the beast had a long body like a wolf that could have reached lengths of up to eighteen feet. This would give it a comfortable lead in the position of largest terrestrial mammalian predator. Its enormous jaws would have been extremely powerful, enough to bite through bone and tough armor and hides of animals like brontotherium living at the same time. Weighing in at nearly a ton, it must have been a fearsome sight indeed and dwarfed even the largest grizzly bear.

Due to the well-preserved nature of the uncovered skull in Mongolia, the evidence for andrewsarchus being an active predator is dubious. Although it had rows of large, curved teeth, they were rather blunt, which would be unsuited for attacking living prey. Also, its large size and heavy weight might have made it unsuited to chase down swift-moving prey. It is legitimate to say that andrewsarchus was actually a scavenger, using its giant size to scare away smaller scavengers and even apex predators in order to steal carcasses. Yet, the size of andresarchus' jaws makes the idea of it being a scavenger feeding on washed up carrion on the Asian coastal areas unfitting as well. Furthermore, an endothermic animal that size would have needed an enormous amount of food in order to keep it going. As with most large, carnivorous animals, it is likely that andrewsarchus was an opportunistic carnivore. This means that it could have either attacked live prey or scavenged according to what was most available or feasible at the time.

Andrewsarchus went extinct due to a number of factors. The gradual shift in climate at the end of the Eocene could have affected the numbers of prey items in Asia at the time. If it was a scavenger, andrewsarchus could have profited from these hard times for herbivores, but only for a limited time. Furthermore, competition from smaller, faster predators called creodonts drove giants like andrewsarchus out of existence.