5 extinct species we hope science never brings back

Yahoo

08-04-2025

(NEXSTAR) — This week, a Texas-based biosciences company, which aims to 'de-extinct' animal species of the past (and ones that will go extinct in the future), said it managed to engineer three dire wolves — which have been extinct for over 10,000 years.
Though Colossal Biosciences has described the scientific feat as 'bringing back the first animal from extinction,' there are others in the community who disagree with the viability of the concept. This includes University of Buffalo biologist Vincent Lynch, who told the Associated Press that current technology can only 'make something look superficially like something else.'
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Scientific disputes aside, the possibility of the return of the dire wolf has set the internet aflutter with more talk about the idea of a real 'Jurassic Park.' With that in mind, here are a few extinct species we hope scientists never revive.
The ancient crocodiles of the Deinosuchus genus grew as large as a school bus and are notably believed to prey on large dinosaurs — like the T-rex — by ambushing them near prehistoric shores. These 'super croc' apex predators had six-inch teeth and were, at one time, the largest predator in North America, according to the Western Australian Museum. They weighed up to 7 tons and scientists note that fossils of other apex predators even show bite marks believed to be exacted by this ancient monster.
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These giant predatory dragonfly-like insects are one of the largest-known flying insect species of all-time (if not the) with a wingspan of up to 2.5 feet, according to Furman University. If a mega flying insect isn't scary enough for you, it's also a carnivore, though Meganeura mostly ate only other insects and small animals.
Well, the name pretty much says it all.
The largest snake known to have existed, Titanoboa grew roughly 50 feet long and three feet wide, according to Florida Museum of Natural History. For comparison, the average school bus is about 35-45 long.
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At one point, Titanoboa was the largest known predator on the planet, the museum explains, and likely weighed at least one ton. Of Titanoboa's size and heft, Smithsonian Magazine says 'the thickest part of its body would be nearly as high as a man's waist.' The creature (which is just begging to be the subject of an action-thriller) was known to lurk in swampy waters, where it preyed on crocodiles and other aquatic predators.
The flightless, carnivorous birds of the Phorusrhacidae family were truly the stuff of nightmares. 'Terror birds,' as they're most commonly referred to, stood at up to 10 feet, weighed up to 300 pounds, and had the ability to run up to 30 mph after its prey, according to University of Maryland. These sharp-taloned and aggressive birds likely crushed their prey with their slightly hook-ended beaks and were able to kill both big and small targets with ease.
It's a shark with a saw for a jaw (kind of).
Helicoprion was a genus of shark-like fish most known for their odd lower-jaw 'tooth whorls,' which looked like the blade of a buzzsaw and were equipped with 14 or so serrated teeth, Western Australian Museum explains.
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Again, though the creature resembles a shark, research shows it's closer in relation to ratfish. University of Idaho explains that some helicoprion grew to over 30 feet (the average modern-day male great white shark only grows to around 13 feet) and ate squids, sharks and other fish.
Finally, there were a slew of other extinct creatures we wanted to highlight but just couldn't find the perfect pictures for. For next steps, do a Google search of gigantopithecus blacki (a 10-foot tall ape) and the giant short-faced bears of the Arctodus family, which also grew up to about 10 feet tall.
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