Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Thank you to Bombas for sponsoring this video! Head to bombas.yt.link/15G4WYU and use code LINDSAY20 at checkout for 20% off your first purchase.
Meet the most terrifying, mind-bending creatures nature ever cooked up. A "monster" so weird, scientists still can't agree if it's a fish or not. A five-eyed nightmare with an elephant trunk for a face. A shark with a buzzsaw for a jaw. A giant sea scorpion that ruled ancient lakes. A "mother whale" fossil frozen mid-birth. From zipper-mouthed reptiles to spiky worm freaks that look like alien urchins these are the 10+ strangest animals to ever exist, and paleontologists are STILL arguing about most of them. Prepare to question everything you thought you knew about prehistoric life.
#LindsayNikole #paleontology #prehistoriclife #extinctanimals #fossils
Listen to the podcast here! https://tr.ee/lU71OQWxaa
Oh! And I wrote a book, so definitely make sure to grab it—Epic Earth out now!
Order Here: https://a.co/d/54fdZqI
Don't miss a video! Subscribe NOW: youtube.com/@LindsayNikole?sub_confirmation=1
ABOUT LINDSAY NIKOLE
Join zoologist Lindsay Nikole for vivid stories about evolution, animal behavior, and the wonderfully weird life around (and before) us. Each video dives into creatures you’ve never met and facts you’ll never forget, blending science with humor, visuals, and memorable explanations. From viral mystery IDs and prehistoric deep dives to myth-busting and conservation context, this channel makes complex biology easy and exciting to understand.
Follow Lindsay Nikole here:
Order Lindsay’s new book: geni.us/EpicEarth?brid=yl-xFobehfULq0HItSrw1g
Instagram: instagram.com/lindsay_nikole
Facebook: facebook.com/LindsayNikoleTheZoologist
TikTok: tiktok.com/@lindsaynikole
Spotify: open.spotify.com/album/2IDSBorwoeXSD3r67kFTQH?si=Mb2Dg1fgRXWZQzfIzSqgmg&nd=1
Merch: lindsaynikole.com
Chapters
00:00 Ranking Prehistoric Nature's Weirdest Freaks
00:39 "The Tully Monster" Fish or Not?
08:16 "Opabinia" Five Eyes, One Trunk
11:57 "Atopodentatus" The Zipper-Face Reptile
14:44 "Jaekelopterus" The Giant Lake Scorpion
17:09 "Maiacetus" The Whale Caught Giving Birth
18:46 "Platybelodon" The Shovel-Mouth Giant
21:35 "Quetzalcoatlus" Biggest Flyer Ever
22:42 "Mimetaster" The Devonian Oddity
24:03 "Helicoprion" The Buzzsaw Jaw Shark
27:28 "Hallucigenia" The Spiky Worm Freak
28:59 Bonus Freak A Mystery Creature "Cothurnocystis"
Top 10 Weirdest Extinct Animals EVER (That We Know Of) | Lindsay Nikole
youtube.com/channel/UCrc2iv2-G1FZ3VscM3zu2jg
Thank you to Bombas for sponsoring this video! Head to bombas.yt.link/15G4WYU and use code LINDSAY20 at checkout for 20% off your first purchase.
Meet the most terrifying, mind-bending creatures nature ever cooked up. A "monster" so weird, scientists still can't agree if it's a fish or not. A five-eyed nightmare with an elephant trunk for a face. A shark with a buzzsaw for a jaw. A giant sea scorpion that ruled ancient lakes. A "mother whale" fossil frozen mid-birth. From zipper-mouthed reptiles to spiky worm freaks that look like alien urchins these are the 10+ strangest animals to ever exist, and paleontologists are STILL arguing about most of them. Prepare to question everything you thought you knew about prehistoric life.
#LindsayNikole #paleontology #prehistoriclife #extinctanimals #fossils
Listen to the podcast here! https://tr.ee/lU71OQWxaa
Oh! And I wrote a book, so definitely make sure to grab it—Epic Earth out now!
Order Here: https://a.co/d/54fdZqI
Don't miss a video! Subscribe NOW: youtube.com/@LindsayNikole?sub_confirmation=1
ABOUT LINDSAY NIKOLE
Join zoologist Lindsay Nikole for vivid stories about evolution, animal behavior, and the wonderfully weird life around (and before) us. Each video dives into creatures you’ve never met and facts you’ll never forget, blending science with humor, visuals, and memorable explanations. From viral mystery IDs and prehistoric deep dives to myth-busting and conservation context, this channel makes complex biology easy and exciting to understand.
Follow Lindsay Nikole here:
Order Lindsay’s new book: geni.us/EpicEarth?brid=yl-xFobehfULq0HItSrw1g
Instagram: instagram.com/lindsay_nikole
Facebook: facebook.com/LindsayNikoleTheZoologist
TikTok: tiktok.com/@lindsaynikole
Spotify: open.spotify.com/album/2IDSBorwoeXSD3r67kFTQH?si=Mb2Dg1fgRXWZQzfIzSqgmg&nd=1
Merch: lindsaynikole.com
Chapters
00:00 Ranking Prehistoric Nature's Weirdest Freaks
00:39 "The Tully Monster" Fish or Not?
08:16 "Opabinia" Five Eyes, One Trunk
11:57 "Atopodentatus" The Zipper-Face Reptile
14:44 "Jaekelopterus" The Giant Lake Scorpion
17:09 "Maiacetus" The Whale Caught Giving Birth
18:46 "Platybelodon" The Shovel-Mouth Giant
21:35 "Quetzalcoatlus" Biggest Flyer Ever
22:42 "Mimetaster" The Devonian Oddity
24:03 "Helicoprion" The Buzzsaw Jaw Shark
27:28 "Hallucigenia" The Spiky Worm Freak
28:59 Bonus Freak A Mystery Creature "Cothurnocystis"
Top 10 Weirdest Extinct Animals EVER (That We Know Of) | Lindsay Nikole
youtube.com/channel/UCrc2iv2-G1FZ3VscM3zu2jg
