Anteosaurus magnificus

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Anteosaurus dominated the Middle Permian period as a gigantic predatory force, roaming the Earth about 265 million years ago. Fossils of this behemoth are discovered in South Africa's Karoo basin, renowned for its vast collection of ancient fossils. Despite its reptilian features, Anteosaurus was a therapsid, indicating it belonged to a lineage that would eventually give rise to mammals. Among the diverse array of therapsids living in South Africa at the time, including numerous large herbivores, Anteosaurus stood out as the largest by far. Its skull measures at least 80cm long, suggesting it rivaled the size of a rhino and possibly even held the title of the largest land animal to have existed up until that point. As a formidable carnivore, Anteosaurus likely used its crushing jaws to hunt down Tapinocephalids (herbivores roughly the size of cows, closely related to Anteosaurus) and Parareptiles (heavy, armoured reptiles with no living relatives).