Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Could you survive the deadliest prehistoric time periods? Prehistoric Earth was incredibly dangerous, but which prehistoric time period had the deadliest combination of animals and environment, and how could you find food, shelter, and weapons in each one? From Cretaceous bone-crushing tyrannosaurs to Ordovician global ice ages to Silurian gigantic sea scorpions, prehistoric times were full of dangers. We use cutting-edge paleontological science to rank the deadliest prehistoric time periods based on their survivability rate, looking at food, weapons, shelter, and faunal threats. From the Cretaceous to the Cambrian, each prehistoric time period had its unique challenges to overcome. How could you survive ancient Earth?

Thumbnail art by Joschua Knuppe, Literally Miguel and Heitoresco

00:00: Which Prehistoric Time Period Was The Most Dangerous?
01:16: The Cambrian
05:11: The Ordovician
08:07: The Silurian
11:40: The Devonian
16:28: The Carboniferous
21:27: The Permian
28:45: The Triassic
35:04: The Jurassic
40:47: The Cretaceous
48:55: The Paleogene
51:14: The Neogene
53:53: The Quaternary