The Real Animals of ARK

Want to learn what the animals in ARK really were like? Read this guide.

Introduction

ARK: Survival Evolved is perhaps the most successful dinosaur game to date. It has brought dinosaurs home to people almost as much as the Jurassic Park movies. Despite this however, nobody seems to ask exactly if the creatures in ark actually were like that. Spoiler:They weren't. Despite having these animals, they are some of the most innacurate dinosaurs potrayed in the general media, even surpassing Jurassic Park in lack of accuracy. As such, if you want to learn about the real animals that are potrayed in this game, you have come to the right place.

I will go through all of ARK's animals one by one, giving the most up-to-date depiction of these animals based on current evidence, general information, as well as comparing ARK's version to the real life animal. We'll be going from from the first of these animals to appear to the last.

Disclaimer

ARK is a fantasy game, and I am fully aware of this. I have defended the game for it's lack of accuracy on several occasions. This is just for people that are curious and want to learn about the real life versions of this game's species, not to bash the game for it's lack of accuracy.

Also all the art/pictures potrayed in this guide all belong to their respective owners, I own none of them.

If you think I missed something in this guide, kindly tell me.

Fictional Species

ARK, as a fantasy game, has a buttload of fictional species which have no connection towards any real life species, even some which call themselves prehistoric animals.

Basilisk

Broodmother Lysrix

Bulbdog

Death Worm

Dire Bear

Dodorex

Dodowyvern

Dragon

Featherlight

Giant Anglerfish

Giant Crab

Giant Dung Beetle

Giant Mantis

Giant Moth

Giant Leech

Giant Snail

Giant Spider

Glowbug

Glowtail

Griffin

Jug Bug

Manticore

Megapithecus

Morellatops

Nameless










Overseer

Phoenix

Ravager

Reaper

Rock Drake

Rock Elemental

Rockwell

Roll Rat

Seeker

Shinehorn

Thorny Dragon

Wyvern

Jellyfish (Family)

Subphylum Name-Medusozoa
Discovered-Unknown
Number of Species-Unknown, but ALOT
Size-.2in-120ft/.5cm-36m long
Diet-Most Nutrients, from Plankton to Fish
Location-Worldwide
Time- Early Cambrian-Holocene, Over 500 MYA-Present

Synopsis-
Jellyfish are some of the first and most successful animals to ever exist. Ranging in sizes, diet, locality, and anatomy, jellyfish are incredibly successful and widespread. This success might be due to their simplicity. Jellyfish lack most major organs, with most species only having 3 main parts to them. First is the bell, which is the top part of the jellyfish, with acts as the main tool of locomotion and contains digestive acids within. Second is the "mouth" which is located at the bottom of the bell and takes in anything remotely edible. Finally, there are the tentacles, which are very long appendages which make up a majority of the animal's size. They are toxic organs used to stun, kill, and drag food up into the mouth. The Jellyfish's existance is incredibly simple. Lacking a brain, most simply drift in the current for their entire lives, eating whatever gets caught up in their tentacles.

Inaccuracies-
The jellyfish in ARK is a fictional species, based on the general concencous of jellyfish, so no exact inaccuracies can be determined. However, it does have one major flaw. Out of the probably millions of jellyfish species, not one can conduct electricity.

Trilobite (Family)

Meaning-Three-Lobed
Discovered-1825
Number of Species-17,000+
Size-.75in-2ft/20mm-.6m long
Diet-Nutrients in Sediment,Plankton, and Host
Location-All Continents but Antarctica
Time-Early Cambrian - Late Permian, 520-250 MYA

Synopsis-
Trilobites are one of the most defined prehistoric animals there are, being symbols for the Paleozoic Era and paleontology as a whole. They are a family of arthropods which are characterized by their armored bodies. They were one of the first animals to evolve eyesight, having compound eyes akin to modern insects. They are also perhaps the most successful animals to ever evolve, surviving for almost 300 million years, only becoming extinct with the Permian extinction event 270 MYA. Most trilobites were scavenging bottom feeders, crawling along the sea floor feeding on whatever scraps and nutrients could be found in the seabed. However, they also had some diverse forms. Some species were open-ocean filter-feeders while others were parasitic, feeding off of larger animals.

Inaccuracies-
The trilobite in ARK, while being a fictional species, fits the bill of any regular trilobite. The only issue with it is that they are capable of crawling onto land, while all trilobites were pure aquatic animals.

Ammonite (Family)

Meaning-Named After the Egyptian God Ammon
Discovered-1884
Number of Species-Unknown, but ALOT
Size-.7in-6ft/.1cm-2m long
Diet-Plankton to Fish
Location-Worldwide except Antarctica
Time-Early Devonian-Late Cretaceous, 415-66 MYA

Synopsis-
Ammonites are a group of cephalopods that are well known due to their coiled shells and prominance in the fossil record. They are easily one of the most well known extinct animals in science. The family has lived for over 300 million years as well as being common in nearly all parts of the world, easily being one of the most successful lifeforms on Earth alongside the trilobites. A majority float in the currents, having air pockets in their shells as ballasts, picking up whatever prey passes by. They are capable of swimming but the large shell they have to carry around limits their movement.

Inaccuracies-
Being a fictional species of ammonite, there is no specific innacuracies with this creature. It shares all the physical characteristics ammonites have. The only possible problem is its size, as it is 50% larger than the largest known ammonite.

Coelocanth (Family)

Meaning-Hollow Spine
Discovered-1836
Number of Species-About 25
Size-6ft/2m long
Diet-Smaller Animals
Location-Worldwide
Time-Early Devonian-Holocene, 410 MYA - Present Day

Synopsis-
Coelocanths are a family of fish found today in the abyssal zones of the Indian Ocean. They are quite primitive, being long-living members of the lobe-finned fish, which are a family of fish whose very long and robust fins eventually evolved into legs. Coelocanths as a family survived for over 400 million years up to the present, though they're currently under threat by humans due to overfishing.

Inaccuracies-
There is literally no issue I can find with the coelocanth.

Jaekelopterus

Meaning-Jaekel's Wing
Discovered-2007
Main Classification-Sea Scorpion
Size-8ft/2.5m long
Diet-Small Creatures
Location-Germany
Time-Early Devonian, 400 MYA

Synopsis-
Jaekelopterus is the largest of the famous arthropod group known as the euryperids, or sea scorpions. These close relatives of the modern scorpions were elite predators, that even though they generally weren't top predators, were extremely diverse and common. Jaekelopterus in paticular is an example of how diverse sea scorpions were. Jaekelopterus was a freshwater eurypterid, which is not common in the group.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's jaekelopterus has a few things wrong with it. First off, jaekelopterus's general appearance is not akin to what it was most likely like. Instead of being mostly bulky and armoured it's potrayed as lean and full of feelers and spikes. This makes it look more akin to megalograptus, the most famous sea scorpion, than jaekelopterus. Second, it has a stinger like a scorpion and is venomous, which, despite being called sea scorpions, weren't venomous. Finally, is that in ARK jaekelopterus is potrayed living in the deep abyss of the ocean. If they picked megalograptus instead of jaekelopterus, it would be correct. However jaekelopterus lived in rivers, not at the bottom of the ocean.

Dunkleosteus

Meaning-Dunkle's Bone
Discovered-1956
Main Classification-Placoderm Fish
Size-20ft/6m long
Diet-Anything it could catch
Location-North America, Europe, Morocco
Time-Late Devonian, 360 MYA

Synopsis-
Dunkleosteus was one of the most formidable predators to rule the seas, and the biggest animal to yet evolve at that time. The size of a great white shark, this creature was the top predator of the world's seas. It's main method of hunting involved opening it's jaws so fast, that a vacuum would form, which would lead the unfortunate prey item right into the dunkleosteus's jaws. Dunkleosteus's main weapons involved 2 shearing plates which were not teeth, but specialized bone.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's version is pretty cool. \The main problem with the creature is both its size and general appearance. ARK's dunkleosteus is nearly the size of a blue whale, around 5x larger than the real animal. The ark dunkleosteus also has way to much spikes and extra amour appendages compared to the real animal, who's armour mostly was just at the head region.

Pulmonoscorpius

Meaning-Breathing Scoprion
Discovered-1994
Main Classification-Scorpion
Size-3ft/1m long
Diet-Small Animals
Location-United Kingdom
Time-Early Carboniferous, 340 MYA

Synopsis-
Pulmonoscorpius is the largest scropion to have ever existed, nightmare fuel for a ton of people. It was almost exactly like a modern scorpion....only a ton bigger. This was the top predator of the land in the carboniferous swamps.

Inaccuracies-
There's 3 key things wrong with with ARK's pulmonscorpius. It's extremely bulky, giving it a look similar to the emperor scorpion. In reality it was alot more thin looking similar to many desert scorpions. It also for some reason has venom glands in its pincers, a trait no scorpions have. Finally, the most obvious innaccuracy, IT'S BLOODY MASSIVE. It's like 10x the size of the real animal.

Arthropleura

Meaning-Jointed Ribs
Discovered-1854
Main Classification-Millipede
Size-8ft/2.5m long
Diet-Unknown
Location-North America and United Kingdom
Time-Late Carboniferous, 300 MYA

Synopsis-
Arthropleura is the largest land invertebrate known to exist. At 8ft long it was also the largest of the massive bugs that appeared at the time. Arthropleura is mostly known from its tracks rather than actual skeletal remains. The skeletal remains we do have of it, are not its head, so the mystery remains as to whether this creature was a carnivore or a herbivore. This creature was a giant that roamed the carboniferous swamps, with its only potential predators being the large amphibians that roam the waters of arthropleura's swamp home.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's version is a fairly poor representation of the real creature. First off, the ARK's version is nearly 30ft long, a good 4x larger than the real species. Second, it most likely did not spit acid, as modern millipedes can't exactly do that either. Third, in ARK it is a cave creature, which once again arthropleura probably was not. It would have been more appropriate to make it spawn in the swamp biome.

Meganeura

Meaning-Large Nerve
Discovered-1885
Main Classification-Griffinfly
Size-3ft/1m wingspan
Diet-Smaller Animals
Location-United Kingdom and France
Time-Late Carboniferous, 300 MYA

Synopsis-
Meganeura is one of the more simple examples of carboniferous megafauna. Meganeura, despite looking like a dragonfly, was actually a griffinfly, an ancient family of insects that is thought to be the ancestors of dragonflies and damselflies. It was also almost identical to modern dragonflies, only being massive. These griffinflies were the king of the carboniferous skies before the pterosaurs or birds evolved.

Inaccuracies-
To keep it simple, it's hard to screw up a griffinfly, being very similar to a dragonfly. The only issue is, since modern dragonflies and damselflies lack venom, it's doubted meganeura was capable of being venomous.

Dimetrodon

Meaning-Two Toothed
Discovered-1878
Main Classification-Stem-Mammal
Size-10ft/3m long
Diet-Fish, Amphibians, and Reptiles
Location-North America and Europe
Time-Early Permian, 270 MYA

Synopsis-
Dimetrodon was the top predator of the early permian swamps. The species was extremely diverse, taking a variety of sizes depending on species and hunting a massive variety of prey, from small fish to reptiles its size. This large variety of prey is due to one special adaptation never seen before, differently shaped teeth. It has molars and incisors, which are used to either slice or crush prey. This characteristic is usually only seen in mammals. Dimetrodon's other fancy adaptation is its sail. It was most likely used as communication between individuals.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's dimetrodon is a bit wierd. The main problem with its appearance is the 2 small fins coming out of its sides. This is one of the few ark creatures which have these wierd appendages, giving it a "swamp monster" look. It's main use is also rather bizarre. Dimetrodon most likely did not give off hot or cold air.....unless it has the skin solidity of switz cheese or something.

Diplocaulus

Meaning-Double Stalk
Discovered-1882
Main Classification-Diplocaulid
Size-3ft/1m long
Diet-Smaller Animals
Location-United States and Morrocco
Time-Early Permian, 270 MYA

Synopsis-
Diplocaulus is perhaps the most bizarre amphibian of all time. While most of its body is salamander in nature, it's the head that raises the most eyebrows. The head has a pair of plane like "wings" which give the head a boomerang shape. Trace fossils of the species suggest that, unlike in most reconstructions, the head is not free. The "wings" were used to support a flap of skin which connected to the body, giving the creature a more streamline shape. The use for this is unknown, but it was most likely used to aid in swimming, allowing it to glide through the water much easier. It lived a mostly aquatic lifestyle like most amphibians, hunting small fish and other organisms in the murky water.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's diplocaulus have several issues associated with it. First off, it is oversized, being around 10ft/3m long, 3x the size of the real animal. Second, the head is free as in most popular reconstructions, instead of attached to the rest of the body via skin. Third, it is highly unlikely the thing was a living oxygen bag.

Moschops

Meaning-Calf Face
Discovered-1911
Main Classification-Stem-Mammal
Size-8ft/2.5m long
Diet-Plants
Location-South Africa
Time-Late Permian, 260 MYA

Synopsis-
Moschops is one of many fairly large herbivores that roamed across the desert and scrublands of the Late Permian landscape. They are fairly brutish looking for a mammal-like reptile, with thick skulls that were most likely used in head butting matches with one another.

Innacuracies-
ARK's moschops, aesthetically speaking, is actually one of the most accurate animals in the game, both in terms of anatomy and size. The only downfall, however, is its function in the game. Moschops is a herbivore so most likely would not eat meat, metal, or any other kind of herbivore-inedible substance.

Purlovia

Meaning-Unknown
Discovered-2011
Main Classification-Stem-Mammal
Size-Around 3ft/1m long
Diet-Unknown
Location-Russia
Time-Late Permian, 250 MYA

Synopsis-
Purlovia is an extremely obscure therapsid species that lived in Russia during the Late Permian. It's distinguished by its extrmely boxy head, which actually appears triangular when looking up above. While often depicted with fur, such therapsids having fur is purely speculation. Its diet is one of the most controversial things about the animal, as while its teeth were fairly blunt, suggesting it was a herbivore, the lack of back grinding teeth makes the idea seem not likely either.

Innacuracies-
Purlovia is one of the most obscure species in ARK, but it still has some concrete features which are not in the game. It is oversized, being larger than the smilodon, and also has an oval shaped head.

Lystrosaurus

Meaning-Shovel Lizard
Discovered-1870
Main Classifcation-Stem-Mammal
Size-3ft/1m long
Diet-Plants
Location-South Africa, Antarctica, Asia
Time-Early Triassic, 245 MYA

Synopsis-
Lystrosaurus lived during a very crucial time in Earth's history. Only a few million years later the Permian Mass Extinction occured, which wiped out 95% of all life on Earth. 245 MYA, Earth's life was still recovering, with a wide variety of niches still unchecked. Lystrosaurus was one of the animals that was most advantagous to this lack of competition. Lystrosaurus at this time literally took up half of all animal life on Earth, being one of the most widely distrubted species at this time. It was also decently sized for its time....despite only being the size of a dog. There was plenty of greenery and a suprising rarity of predators, making expansion cross the planet relatively easy.

Inaccuracies-
I could not find anything wrong with it despite the fact that the bloody thing can backflip, and that's too awesome to say anything wrong about.

Dilophosaurus

Meaning-Double Crested Lizard
Discovered-1970
Main Classification-Early Theropod
Size-20ft/6m long
Diet-FIsh
Location-North America
Time-Early Jurassic, 195 MYA

Synopsis-
Dilophosaurus has a bit of an identity crisis in the eye of the public. Many forms of media potray it as a relatively small animal with a frill similar to a frilled lizard and venomous capabilities. This, however, was not true. Dilophosaurus was actually a large (at the time really) carnivore, the size of a polar bear. It also, as far as we know, lacked frills and venom. It's exact niche in it's enviroment has been debated since its discovery. It was originally known as a fiercesome top predator, but careful looks at its skull revealed that it had a very weak jaw structure, meaning that if it tried to bite a large prey item it would most likely have its teeth ripped out of their sockets...which is not good. So it was then thought to be just a large scavenger, but that would be impractical in an environment where dilophosaurus was the largest carnivorous animal in its enviroment. Then, more looks at its skull showed the answer. It had conical teeth and a ridge just before the end of its top jaw. These are characteristics that would be perfect for a fish eating animal. Conical teeth garuntee no escape and the ridge adds that extra layer of prevention.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's dilophosaurus suffers from what I like to call "Jurassic Park Syndrome". It's half of the size of the real life animal and has the distinctive fake frill and venomous spit. Besides that the main problem with the animal is its skull, which is boxy rather than long.

Dimorphodon

Meaning-Two Formed Tooth
Discovered-1859
Main Classification-Dimorphodont
Size-3ft/1m Wingspan
Diet-Insects
Location-United Kingdom
Time-Early Jurassic, 195 MYA

Synopsis-
Dimorphodon was one of the many small pterosaurs that were quickly taking over the skies of their mesozoic home. They took on a variety of diets from eating fish to insects. Dimorphodon was in the insect category. It's beleived to live near the English coastlines feeding on insects.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's dimorphodon has two main things wrong with it. First off, it has the wierd spike on the crown of its head which would not be present in the real animal. ARK's dimorphodon also has pycnofibers on its wing membranes, which would completely screw up the wing's aerodynamic structure and make it unable to fly.

Ichthyosaurus

Meaning-Fish Lizard
Discovered-1821
Main Classification-Ichthyosaur
Size-6ft/2m long
Diet-Fish
Location-Europe
Time-Early Jurassic, 195 MYA

Synopsis-
Ichthyosaurus is the most prime example of the ichthyosaurs, a group of marine reptiles which evolved to have extremely fish-like characteristics, such as fins and a tail fluke. It was an extremely common marine predator of the Early Jurassic seas, having hundreds of specimens, including ones in the proccess of giving birth to live young. Ichthyosaurs are thought to be deep water hunters, hunting in the twilight and benthic zones for fish and squid. Ichthyosaurus is one of the few prehistoric animals that, due to well preserved tissue preservations, we know what color it was. Ichthyosaurs as a whole were almost pure black like sperm whales, which would provide camoflauge where they hunt.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's ichthyosaurus has 2 prime issues. While for an ichthyosaur its average sized, for ichthyosaurUS it's really large. Realistically it should be too small to ride. It's also anatomically speaking....kinda fat. Just a bit. Ichthyosaurus is also known to be pure black, which ARK's ichthyosaurus is not.

Pegomastax

Meaning-Strong Jaw
Discovered-2012
Main Classification-Heterodontosaur
Size-2ft/.6m long
Diet-Plants
Location-South Africa
Time-Early Jurassic, 195 MYA

Synopsis-
While Pegomastax triggered headlines in the media as this new "savage herbivore" with its very large canine teeth, it is, in reality, not that spectacular in comparison to its relatives. Pegomastax is a typical member of the heterodontosaurs, a group of small, ornithopod dinosaurs which are known for their strong jaws and extremely large, intimidating canines. The use of these canines are unknown, but its been speculated to most likely be used during in-fights between individials as well as self-defense.

Inaccuracies-
Pegomastax is a very hard species to point out inaccuracies as the only known fossil is fairly fragmentary. However, one thing that is clear is the size the animal. The pegomastax in ark is oversized, being atleast double the size of the real life counterpart, possibly even bigger.

Megalosaurus

Meaning-Big Lizard
Discovered-1824
Main Classifcation-Megalosaur
Size-30ft/9m long
Diet-Dinosaurs
Location-United Kingdom
Time-Early Jurassic, 165 MYA

Synopsis-
Megalosaurus is the first dinosaur to ever be officially recognized by science. It was also one of the most popular dinosaurs by the public, only falling off in popularity once other large carnivores such as allosaurus and tyrannosaurus took its place. Despite this well known status, however, there is still very little we know about this dinosaur. It, still to this day, has fairly fragmentary remains, with the most notable ones being the lower jaw, hip, and one of the legs. It's believed to live a live akin to most other theropods, being the top predator of its environment in Europe.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's megalosaurus, anatomy wise, is fairly accurate, with meat on its bones and lack of pronated hands. The only issues with the animal is its size and how it sleeps. The megalosaurus in ARK is around 40ft/12m long, 1/4 larger than the real animal. There's also the fact that a theropod's tail is stiff, used for balanced. So, odds are, it would not be able to curve its tail around its body when it sleeps.

Leedsichthys

Meaning-Leed's Fish
Discovered-1889
Main Classification-Ray-Finned Fish
Size-60ft/18m long
Diet-Plankton
Location-South America and Europe
Time-Late Jurassic, 160 MYA

Synopsis-
Leedsichthys was the largest bony fish to have ever lived. Around the size of the largest fish today, the whale shark, the leedsichthys also follows a similar lifestyle. It was a filterfeeder, following the currents near the surface in search of rich plankton. Also akin to a whale shark, it is doubted that it had many natural predators, with its sheer size making it very difficult to kill.

Inaccuracies-
The primary inaccuracy with leedsichthys is its sheer size. Over 100ft in length, ARK's leedsicthys is double the size of the real counterpart.

Liopleurodon

Meaning-Smooth-Sided Tooth
Discovered-1873
Main Classification-Pliosaur
Size-20ft/6m long
Diet-Anything It Can Catch
Location-Europe
Time-Late Jurassic, 160 MYA

Synopsis-
Liopleurodon is an average species of pliosaur, a family of plesiosaurs that is identified by their short necks and massive heads. Contrary to popular media, the liopleurodon was not a whale-sized leviathan, but rather had a more reasonable size at 20ft/6m. The short, stocky, and uniform flippers make it an animal that thrives on acceleration rather than long high speed cruising, making it an excellent ambush hunter. Liopleurodon ate primarily fish and squid, but would happy take any other small animal it could catch.

Inaccuracies-
If we ignore the hilarious fact that it's a living Charlie the Unicorn referance, the liopleurodon, physically, is quite accurate. The only problems is that its teeth are quite exaggerated, it lacks a tail fluke, and it is oversized, being nearly if not the size of the megalodon, which is 50ft/15m.

Allosaurus

Meaning-Different Lizard
Discovered-1877
Main Classification-Allosaur
Size-Around 30ft-40ft/9m-12m long
Diet-Various Dinosaurs, from Small Ornithopods to Sauropods
Locaiton-United States and Portgual
Time-Late Jurassic, 150 MYA

Synopsis-
Allosaurus was the most common and successful predator of the Late Jurassic period. Being one of the largest predators in its environment, it had a large size range, being from 30ft/9m to 40ft/12m. It fed on a large variety in prey, from ornithopods to stegosaurs to sauropods. One of the reasons for its prey variety is its teeth. Allosaurs are known for having extremely seratted teeth to cut and slash prey. This does extreme damage to lighter targets and can bleed out larger ones. Allosaurus's social life is one that has been explored multiple times in pop culture. Alot of media like to depict allosaurus as pack animals, however there is absolute no evidence towards or against this claim. Almost all allosaurus remains are found in natural traps such as mudpits, where allosaurs looking for easy food got stuck into the mud and died, leaving hundreds of allosaurs dead in the same area, which can confuse people for them dieing together when they all just piled on in death overtime.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's allosaurus generic problems that almost all of ark's theropods have. Practically all theropods in the game suffer from this, is pronated hands. For those who don't know, theropods were not able to fully move around their wrists like we do. They're hands were mostly restricted to the "clap" pose. So, most theropod's in this game have the palms facing the ground, which would make the theropod break its wrists. It also an unnecesary number of armour appendages and spikes that the real animal didn't have.Finally, like alot of animals in ARK, oversized. While allosaurus had a large variety in size it probably didn't get past 40ft/12m.

Archaeopteryx

Meaning-Ancient Wing
Discovered-1861
Main Clasification-Basal Bird
Size-20in/50cm long
Diet-Insects and Lizards
Location-Germany
Time-Late Jurassic, 150 MYA

Synopsis-
Archaeopteryx is the most well known extinct birds, both in the public eye and in scientific knowledge. It is one of the first true birds to ever evolve, having characteristics of both birds (flight, bird bone structure) and dinosaurs (bony tail and teeth). It's bone structure is actually almost identical to compsognathus, a close relative that it coexisted with on the European islands. Had it not been for feather preservations it may have been considered the same species. It was an aboreal species that rarely went on the ground, hunting whatever creatures were in the tree canopy. Archaeopteryx was capable of powered flight, though, due to it lacking some proper flight muscles, most likely was not a powerful flyer. Archaeopteryx is one of the few prehistoric animals that, due to well preserved tissue preservations, we know what color it was. Archaeopteryx was a deep black like a blackbird, making it able to blend in with the shadows of the trees.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's archaeopteryx is a bit inaccurate. It is once again oversized, being around 6ft long, being over 3x the size of the real animal. It is physically impossible to use it like a parachute. An 8lb/16kg (estimate based on ARK's size) bird cannot carry an 150lb/300kg human. Finally, we know archaeopteryx was pure black, which ARK's version is not.

Brachiosaurus

Meaning-Arm Lizard
Discovered-1903
Main Classification-Macronarian Sauropod
Size-82ft/25m long
Diet-Plants
Location-United States
Time-Late Jurassic, 150 MYA

Synopsis-
Brachiosaurus is perhaps one of the most distinct sauropods of the Jurassic Period. While not the largest, it is certaintly one of the tallest dinosaurs of all time, getting up to 50ft/15m tall. It is not the tallest though, as that would go to its Early Cretaceous relative, Sauroposeidon, which would get 60ft/18m tall. Regardless, Brachiosaurus is a part of the Macronarian Sauropods, which are a sauropod family that is well known for their vertical necks, which would allow them to feed at the tops of trees.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's Brachiosaurus is probably one of the most innaccurate sauropods I have ever seen. The animal itself is oversized, it has the incredibly ugly bumps along its body, and the head is absolutely huge in comparison to its body.

Brontosaurus

Meaning-Thunder Lizard
Discovered-1879
Main Classification-Diplodocid
Size-72ft/22m long
Diet-Plants
Location-United States
Time-Late Jurassic, 150 MYA

Synopsis-
Brontosaurus for the longest time has been considered a trick of a species, with it being time and time again told to never really exist, with it really being apatosaurus. However, in May of 2015, this proposition was turned on its head with the original "brontosaurus" apatosaurus specimen becoming its own genus again. It was one of the many sauropod species that roamed Late Jurassic North America, and, despite being the size of a large whale, was only average sized for a sauropod at the time.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's brontosaurus is obviously not exactly based on the real animal, as the game itself only came out a month after Brontosaurus became a genus again. It has the look of a more generic sauropod rather than a diplodocid. The brontosaurus in ARK is absolutely massive, between 150 and 200ft long. That is over double the real size of the animal. The skull is also incorrectly shaped.

Compsognathus

Meaning-Refined Jaw
Discovered-1861
Main Classification-Compsognathid
Size-3ft/1m long
Diet-Insects and Lizards
Location-Germany and France
Time-Late Jurassic, 150 MYA

Synopsis-
Compsognathus is a prime example of a coelurosaur, the group of mostly carnivorous dinosaurs which are known to be extremely bird-like, with bird-like builds and feathers covering a majority of their bodies. Compsognathus is one of the earliest of this group known and shows alot of characteristics with birds. Infact, compsognathus and archaeopteryx (the first bird) are almost identical in terms of bone structure. It was also the smallest dinosaur known until the discoveries in China of bird-like dinosaurs and birds themselves being reclassified as dinosaurs.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's Compsognathus is a poor representation of the real animal, with 2 main problems. It sufffers the same pronated hands issue that almost all theropods face, and has the lack of feathers except for the lame hat that's on its head. It would mostly be covered in feathers.

Diplodocus

Meaning-Double Beam
Discovered-1878
Main Classification-Diplodocid
Size-100ft/30m long
Diet-Plants
Location-United States
Time-Late Jurassic, 150 MYA

Synopsis-
Diplodocus was the largest dinosaur to yet evolve. At 100ft/30m long, no other dinosaur would compete its size until the titanosaurs of the cretaceous. These massive animals were one of several sauropod species which roamed North America during the Late Jurassic, with diplodocus being the largest.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's diplodocus is...bizarre to say the least. Oddly enough, despite being the smallest of ARK's sauropods, it's the closest to its accurate size. It's still a tad oversized but it's pretty good. ARK's diplodocus is a prime example of what people call "shrink-wrapping". If you don't know what it is, it's basically the reconstructing the creature around the bones without spreading out for muscle and fat. It's especially evident in diplodocus with the neck and head. In general the diplodocus in ARK is starving to death, feed them alot more than the other dinos you have. It's neck is also completely horizontal, which is not correct as most sauropods would have their necks at a "half horizontal half vertical" position.

Kentrosaurus

Meaning-Spike Lizard
Discovered-1915
Main Classification-Stegosaur
Size-16ft/5m long
Diet-Plants
Location-Tanzania
Time-Late Jurassic, 150 MYA

Synopsis-
One of the smallest stegosaurs, kentrosaurus was an impressive stegosaur species that lived in Late Jurassic Africa. A common sight in their environment, Kentrosaurus are is well-known for its intimidating weaponry. Along with a double plates on the front half of its spine, it has a double row of large spikes down the lower half, as well as a pair of spikes on its shoulders.

Synopsis-
One of the more accurate dinosaurs ARK has offered, the only problems I can spot is the fairly large head, short neck, and over-exaggerative spikes.

Stegosaurus

Meaning-Roofed Lizard
Discovered-1877
Main Classification-Stegosaur
Size-30ft/9m long
Diet-Plants
Location-United States and Portugal
Time-Late Jurassic, 150 MYA

Synopsis-
Stegosaurus is one of the most signature dinosaurs of all time. The size of a bus, it was one of the most well defended herbivores of its late Jurassic home, having 4 one meter long spikes on its tail and bony lumps around its throat. Stegosaurus is also most well known for the 2 rows of plates running along its back. It's been speculated that the most likely use for them was display.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's stegosaurus, compared to the most of the dinosaurs, is pretty good, though it has a few problems. It's double the size of the real animal, being around 60ft/18m long. It also instead of having 2 rows of plates and 2 pairs of spikes, has 3 rows of plates and 3 pairs of spikes. It's skull is also a tad boxy in comparison to the actual animal.

Titanosaur (Family)

Meaning-Titan Lizard
Discovered-1890
Number of Species-45+
Size-20ft-100ft/6m-30m long
Diet-Plants
Location-All Continents except Antarctica
Time-Early Cretaceous-Late Cretaceous, 130-66 MYA

Synopsis-
Titanosaurs are a family of sauropods that lived throughout the cretaceous period characterised by their large size and the armor on certain species. They are perhaps the most successful group of sauropods to ever evolve. They were the longest lasting group, surviving for over 60 million years, and were also one of the largest of their kind. Certain species like argentinosaurus were the largest land animals to ever exist. They were widespread, with their main predators being animals like carcharodontosaurus and giganotosaurus, who specialised in hunting such fatty targets. They managed to outlast their old enemies though and become extinct only with the great mass extinction 66 MYA.

Inaccuracies-
As usual, with ARK's titanosaur being a fictional genus, it cannot be judged based on exact characteristics. It shares characteristics with most titanosaurs with the large size and body amor. The only main issue is its size. At over 500ft/150m long, not only is it much larger than any known titanosaur, it is also so massive that its existance is physically impossible.

Baryonyx

Meaning-Heavy Claw
Discovered-1986
Main Classification-Spinosaur
Size-23ft/7m long
Diet-Fish
Location-United Kingdom and Spain
Time-Early Cretaceous, 125 MYA

Synopsis-
Perhaps the most well known spinosaur to science, baryonyx is one of the earlier members of the family. Baryonyx is known from 2, thought to be subadult, specimens that were incredibly complete. Baryonyx has had some controversy on its scale. That's because Baryonyx is currently being debated as to whether or not the specimens are subadults. Regardless of the controversy it was still the largest carnivore in its habitat. Despite this size, however, it was not the top predator. Baryonyx was a piscivore, wading in shallow water hunting fish.

Inaccuracies-
Baryonyx is actually one of the most accurate dinosaurs in ARK, having a fairly spot on appearance. The issues arise from its size and mechanics. Not only is it oversized, having the old adult estimation of 30ft/9m, but also is semi-aquatic, which the baryonyx most likely was not despite its fish-eating lifestyle.

Cretaceous Lamprey

Scientific Name-Mesomyzon mengae
Discovered-2006
Main Classification-Jawless Fish
Size-Unknown
Diet-Fish
Location-China
Time-Early Cretaceous, 125 MYA

Synopsis-
The Cretaceous Lamprey is a species of Lamprey that lived in the rivers of China. While living in the Cretaceous, this Lamprey is no different from the Lamprey that still reside today. The anatomy is practically identical, so it most likely shared the same lifestyle lampreys have. Lamprey are unique in that they are predatory parasites: latching their mouths on the body of a fish and feeding on the blood and flesh until the fish dies.

Innacuracies-
The lamprey already has a design which looks ARK-esc, so it is no suprised the game changed very little from what real lampreys look like. The only thing they did change is the glow tip of the end of the tail, to fit with the Abberation theme. No lamprey has this special feature.

Iguanodon

Meaning-Iguana Tooth
Discovered-1825
Main Classification-Iguanodont
Size-30ft/9m long
Diet-Plants
Location-Europe
Time-Early Cretaceous, 125 MYA

Synopsis-
One of the first dinosaurs ever discovered, along with the megalosaurus, iguanodon is one of dinosaurs most well known to science. A large herbivore, it was widespread throughout a good deal of Europe, being one of the most common animals of its time period. The iguanodon's most distinguishing feature is the pair of spikes on its hands. Their primary use is unkown, but its thought to be used as both self-defense and in in-fighting between individuals.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's iguanodon has many physical inaccuracies. First off it is another animal that exhibits shrink-wrapping, being much thinner than what the body would really allow. There is also its hands. Large ornithopods are beleived to have their hands fused akin to hooves. Iguanodon having ALL of its fingers free is not correct.

Utahraptor

Meaning-Utah Thief
Discovered-1993
Main Classification-Dromaeosaur
Size-20ft/6m long
Diet-Small-Medium Sized Dinosaurs
Location-United States
Time-Early Cretaceous, 125 MYA

Synopsis-
Utahraptor is the largest and most powerful of the group of dinosaurs known as the dromaeosaurs, or "raptors". This species shares all of well known characteristics of the family. It was extremely bird-like, having hollow bones, feathers all over the body for insulation and display, and even wings for better agility. The dromaeosaurs are also known for a single massive sickle claw on each toe. This for a long time was thought to be one massive slicing mechanism for dismembering prey, but recent studies show that the claw was not used for this purpose. The most likely theory is that they attacked prey like modern eagles, latching onto prey feet-first and killing with its teeth, using its wings for balance.

Inaccuracies-
I think it's obvious what the main innacuracy for this guy is: lack of feathers. It's well known fact for alot of people that raptors were entirely covered in feathers (bout time). It also suffers the same pronated hand problem all the theropods have.

Yutyrannus

Meaning-Feathered Tyrant
Discovered-2012
Main Classification-Proceratosaur
Size-30ft/9m long
Diet-Other Dinosaurs
Location-China
Time-Early Cretaceous, 125 MYA

Synopsis-
Yutyrannus is a very primitive theropod species found in the chilly forests of Early Cretaceous China. It is the largest dinosaur confirmed to have feathers, being 9m long and a ton in weight. It is possible this species was a pack animal, as there have been multiple individuals of various ages found together.

Innacuracies-
Appearance wise, it is nearly spot-on, though it does have 2 major flaws. First off, it is oversized, being larger than a real life tyrannosaurus. There is also the pronated hands that most theropods in ARK suffer from.

Microraptor

Meaning-Small Thief
Discovered-2000
Main Classification-Dromaeosaur
Size-3ft/1m long
Diet-Small Animals
Location-China
Time-Early Cretaceous, 120 MYA

Synopsis-
The smallest of the raptors, Microraptor is an aboral dromaeosaur that lived in the forests of China. Microraptor is one of the first feathered dinosaurs ever discovered alongside other notable species like Sinornithosaurus and Sinornithopteryx. Microraptor is set apart by close relatives due to the clear second pair of wings on its legs. This greatly aids it in gliding from tree to tree and indicates on an extreme reliance on trees for general movement. It is also one of the few extinct animal species we have determined the exact coloration of. Through the examination of fossilised pigment cells, it has been concluded that microraptor was pure black, but would shine some bright blue when in certain lighting, akin to the Common Grackle.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's microraptor actually has more similarities to velociraptor than to an actual microraptor. The most obvious difference is coloration, being capable of being in several colors other than black. There's also its size, being around 6ft/2m long, double the size of the real animal. It's lifestyle is also drastically different, hunting on the ground instead of in trees akin to Archaeopteryx.

Sarcosuchus

Meaning-Flesh Crocodile
Discovered-1966
Main Classification-Pholidosaur
Size-40ft/12m long
Diet-Anything it Could Catch
Location-North Africa and Brazil
Time-Early Cretaceous, 115 MYA

Synopsis-
Sarcosuchus is the largest crocodilian at all time, and is also one of the most well known. Contrary to popular belief however, it is not a crocodile. It is a pholidosaur, a different family of crocodilians. It has a really narrow skull, often being compared to a gharial. Despite looking like a gharial, however, it certainly didn't share the same diet. It had a bite force of 9 tons, over doubt the strength of Tyannosaurus. This allows it to hunt things such as large dinosaurs.

Inaccuracies-
Sarcosuchus in ARK is not that bad. It's hard to screw up a crocodile. The only main problems is that its a bit oversized and that it has some spikes on the snout that would not be visisble in life. It's skull shape also meant it was not capable of the death roll, which the one in game is capable of doing.

Tapejara

Meaning-Old Being
Discovered-1989
Main Classification-Tapejarid
Size-20ft/6m wingspan
Diet-Unknown
Location-Brazil
Time-Early Cretaceous, 110 MYA

Synopsis-
Tapejara is one of the most extravagent pterosaurs to ever live. It has this very tall but not long crest, which is thought to be used for display. The most mysterious thing about tapejara is not about its apppearance but its diet. It has long ben thought to have been a fish-eater, but recent evidence is pointing towards a completely different way of life. The beak shows some similarities to modern toucans, which has led to the hypothesis that it actually fed on fruit.

Inaccuracies-
Tapejara has all the same problems with ARK's pterosaurs, and then some. It is oversized, being around the size of a real life quetzalcoatlus, double the size of the real animal. It is also incapable of carrying a human on its back, let alone three people, as tapejara is lighter than a 5th grader. Finally, the most signature feature of ARK's tapejara is also one of the least accurate. With the exception of hummingbirds, almost all flying animals cannot fly directly backwards or most other directions besides forward, as its breaking the laws of aerodynamics.

Giganotosaurus

Meaning-Giant Southern Lizard
Discovered-1995
Main Classification-Carcharodontosaur
Size-40ft/12m long
Diet-Sauropods
Location-Argentina
Time-Late Cretaceous, 100 MYA

Synopsis-
Giganotosaurus was one of the largest land predators to ever live, only beaten in size by Carcharodontosaurus and Tyrannosaurus. A carcharodontosaur, giganotosaurus favorite prey was sauropods. It's teeth was serrated like blades, allowing it to bleed out and rip chunks out of large targets.

Inaccuracies-
I'm hoping everybody knows the godzilla sized giga isn't accurate. In real life it was only slightly larger than t-rex, not 3x its size. Besides that it also has the pronated hands and obsurd amount of spikes on the head region.

Kaprosuchus

Meaning-Boar Crocodile
Discovered-2009
Main Classification-Mahajangasuchid
Size-10ft/3m long
Diet-Anything it Could Catch
Location-♥♥♥♥♥
Time-Early Cretaceous, 95 MYA

Synopsis-
Kaprosuchus, also known as the Boar Crocodile, is an extinct species of crocodilian that lived in the swamps of Late Cretaceous North Africa. The species is given its namesake by its teeth, which are fairly long and nasty for a crocodile. Kaprosuchus's lifestyle has been explored to a considerable degree. Judging from various relatives, Kaprosuchus has been theorised to, while being a semi-aquatic animal, be quite capable of chasing prey on land as well.

Inaccuracies-
The Kaprosuchus in ARK is fairly accurate, with the only physical innacuracy being the slight elongation and thinning of the jaws. Besides that, it is also oversized, being around 25ft/8m long ingame.

Spinosaurus

Meaning-Spine Lizard
Discovered-1915
Main Classification-Spinosaur
Size-50ft/15m long
Diet-Fish
Location-North Africa
Time-Late Cretaceous, 95 MYA

Synopsis-
Spinosaurus is one of the strangest theropods to ever exist. It was a large theropod dinosaur that was semi-aquatic, a trait that is rare in non-avian dinosaurs. It a lived a lifestyle very similar to the modern gharial, having a diet almost exclusively of fish. To adapt to it's semi-aquatic lifestyle, its legs have gotten shorter in comparison to the rest of its body, making it more streamline in the water. While its limbs were shortened it seems to still be able to walk on its back legs on land, as it seems its hands were not adapted to support the spinosaur's weight. It also a large sail on its back which has been speculated to be used for a wide variety of reasons, such as thermoregulation, display, and attracting fish.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's spinosaur is not that bad compared to the real animal, but has some obvious flaws. Even though spino had short legs, they weren't short enough to where it was forced onto 4 legs and was a biped in life. It also still suffers from the same pronated hand deal that all theropods suffer from. It also is oversized at around 90ft/27m long. Finally, it has a similar problem with the dimetrodon in that it has an unneccesary amount of fins on its body, giving it a "swamp monster" look.

Pteranodon

Meaning-Winged Toothless
Discovered-1876
Main Classification-Pterodactyl
Size- 20ft/6m wingspan (males), 10ft/3m wingspan (females)
Diet-Fish
Location-United States
Time-Late Cretaceous, 85 MYA

Synopsis-
Pteranodon is one of the most well known pterosaurs, in both media and science. It flew over Wastern Interior Sea, a massive sea which, at the time, connected the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean. They were fish eaters that roosted on the rocky cliffs near the coast. This species also has a drastic case of sexual dimorphism, with males being double the size of females.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's pteranodon is one of the most innacurate of them all, with even utahraptor being more reasonable. It is oversized first of, being around 1/3 larger than the real animal. Along with the crest it also has a pair of sail-like ridges that go along the front of the head. As far as we know pteranodon didn't have those. It also for some reason has teeth, when it being toothless is literally its name. It's wings are also really messed up. It has wide but really short wings that would make flying impossible. It also has almost no meat on its bones, paticularly around the wing region where you can physically see the bones through the skin. In reality most pterosaurs had really muscular wings with rounded wingtips, not the shredded wings and pointed wingtips that ARK's pteranodon has. It would also not be ridable due to the fact that pteranodon only weighed around 45lbs, the same as you in 2nd grade.

Ichthyornis

Meaning-Fish Bird
Discovered-1872
Main Classification-Primitive Bird
Size-2ft/.66m Wingspan
Diet-Fish
Location-North America
Time-Late Cretaceous, 85 MYA

Synopsis-
The first bird ever discovered with teeth, ichthyornis was a primitive bird that lived along the coast of the western interior seaway, a large sea that split North America in half, stretching from the Artic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. In life it would have easily been mistaken for a modern seagull, and lived a life similar to them as well, roosting on cliffsides and snatching fish in the surf.

Inaccuracies-
The primary inaccuracy with ARK's ichthyornis is its size, being around double the size of a real life animal.

Elasmosaurus

Meaning-Ribbon Lizard
Discovered-1868
Main Classification-Elasmosaur
Size-40ft/12m long
Diet-Fish
Location-United States
Time-Late Cretaceous, 80 MYA

Synopsis-
Elasmosaurus is the largest and most well known of the long-necked plesiosaurs, a group of marine reptiles known for their extremely long necks. It's neck was used for a rather bizarre way of hunting. it's head was so far away from the massive body that the fish shoals would not register the head as a threat, allowing to to get fish with relative ease. Elasmosaurus's large size and wierd shape make it a slow swimmer, so it relied on sheer size as defense.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's plesiosaur only has problems in some details. Like alot of things in ark it is oversized, being double the size of the real animal. It also had unneccesary fins on its back and spikes on the head, which the real animal didn't have. It's skull is also completely incorrect. First off it's skull is almost like a basketball in terms of shape when it was in reality more elongated, and its teeth are completely out of porportion to the size of its head. It's head is like a pacman from hell. There is also the fact that all plesiosaurs are known to possess a small tail fluke, which ARK's elasmosaur lacks.

Hesperornis

Meaning-Western Bird
Discovered-1872
Main Classification-Primitive Bird
Size-6ft/2m long
Diet-Fish
Location-North America and Russia
Time-Late Cretaceous, 80 MYA

Synopsis-
Hespornis was a massive diving bird and lived in the warm cretaceous seas and some riverways. One of many toothed birds from this time period, it was primarily aquatic, only coming on to land to rest and breed. It's so adapted to water life that its legs stuck out from the sides of their body rather than underneath, making them have to haul themselves onto land liek seals rather than walk.

Inaccuracies-
The primary inaccuracy with hesperornis is its posture. Its legs are underneath its body and walks/swims like a duck, which as I said before is not the case.

Tusoteuthis

Meaning-Beaten Squid
Discovered-1898
Main Classification-Vampyromorph
Size-10ft/3m long
Diet-Small Animals
Location-United States
Time-Late Cretaceous, 80 MYA

Synopsis-
Tusoteuthis is a cephalopod that lived in the Western Interior Seaway: a shallow sea which split North America into 2 continents and connected the Arctic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. All that is known of this massive animal is the gladius, or pen. The gladius is the inner shell of cephalopods located in the body, which is the last remnant of their mollusc lineage. For ages after its discovery, the gladius was compared to that of the giant squid, and thus tusoteuthis was considered comparable to such. However, recent studies have revealed that the gladius of Tusoteuthis is much more similar to that the vampire squid, making it not a true squid, but rather a vampyromorph: a family of cephalopods closest related to octopi, but still a different family. Vampyromorphs are exceptionally rare in today's oceans, but were more diverse during the Mesozoic. Infact, Tusoteuthis looks less like a vampire squid and more like a cuttlefish, having a relatively small head and tentacles but a large body. It most likely lived similar to a cuttlefish, cruising the shallow ocean in search for smaller prey. Although very large for a squid, it was most likely on the menu for a large variety of predators, such as mosasaurs.

Inaccuracies-
Being based on the popular conception of Tusoteuthis, ARK's Tusoteuthis, nonsuprisingly, has nothing to do with the real animal. Being a vampyromorph, Teusoteuthis most likely did not look like a giant squid. Vampyromorphs, despite the name, are also not capable of vampirism. Vampyormorphs also, unlike octopi or squid, are not capable of releasing ink in self-defense. Finally, The Tusoteuthis in ARK is HUGE, being over 20x the size of the real life animal.

Oviraptor

Meaning-Egg Thief
Discovered-1924
Main Classification-Oviraptorid
Size-6ft/2m long
Diet-Anything Edible
Location-Mongolia
Time-Late Creaceous, 75 MYA

Synopsis-
Oviraptor is a dinosaur that has been debated upon since it's discovery. It was originally thought to be primarily an egg eater, stealing eggs from nests. However the evidence for this was misinterpeted and it was actually a parent that cared for its own eggs. Oviraptor's diet has always been up for debate, though the most likely idea was that its toothless beak allowed it to eat anything it could: plants, small snimals, meat, crustaceans, eggs, etc.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's oviraptor suffers from the same problems as raptor, and even more. Like raptors, oviraptorids were thought to be entirely covered in feathers like birds, making me feel sorry that the ark oviraptor is out here naked. It also has the pronated hands and has a diet primarily of eggs, which is not likely in life.

Pachyrhinosaurus

Meaning-Thick Nosed Lizard
Discovered-1950
Main Classification-Ceratopsid
Size-25ft/8m long
Diet-Plants
Location-Northwestern North America
Time-Late Cretaceous, 75 MYA

Synopsis-
Pachyrhinosaurus is one of many ceratopsids that flourished during this time in the Late Cretaceous. Pachyrhinosaurus is most distinguishable for it's horn....if you can call it that. It was an incredibly flat and thick plate rather than a sharp horn, which was most likely used to cause brute trauma do attackers rather than bloody wounds. They would also make quite effective tools in shoving matches between individuals.

Inaccuracies-
Pachyrhinosaurus in ark has some issues, both in appearance and function. Pachyrhinosaurus, unlike the heavy build the living animal most likely had, is fairly lean and long, lacking alot of fat and muscle the living animal most likely had. There's also the fact that its horn most likely did not support a sac that would emit pheromones that would change animal behavior. That stuff is merely speculation.

Parasaurolophus

Meaning-Near Crested Lizard
Discovered-1922
Main Classification-Hadrosaur
Size-30ft/9m long
Diet-Plants
Location-North America
Time-Late Cretaceous, 75 MYA

Synopsis-
Parasaurolophus is the most recognizable and well known hadrosaur. It was just one of many species which have fancy crests used for communication. Reconstuctions of skull were able to replicate the sounds it made in life, which are a series of thumpeting and deep humming sounds.

Inaccuracies-
The innacuracies with ARK's parasaurolophus are pretty minor. The biggest issue is that it is entirely a biped, when in life it was mostly a quadroped. Besides that it has some unneeded spikes and a small ridge coming odwn its back which were not on the real animal.

Stenonychosaurus

Meaning-Narrow Claw Lizard
Discovered-1932
Main Classification-Troodont
Size-6ft/2m long
Diet-Anything Edible
Location-Canada
Time-Late Cretaceous, 75 MYA

Synopsis-
Stenonychosaurus, once under the name "Troodon", belongs to a family of dinosaurs known as troodonts, which are very close relatives of raptors and birds. However, they do have some distinctions from their dromaeosaur relatives. Troodonts can be destinguished by their light build, supressed sickle claws, massive eyes, and even more bird-like features. It's eyes allowed it to hunt at night quite a bit more effectively than other dinosaurs, and it also had a varied diet, being mostly carnivorous but was capable of eating plant matter when necessary. It is also, perhaps, the most intelligent non-avian dinosaur known to exist.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's Stenonychosaurus is dubbed as "Troodon", which cannot really be criticized, as Troodon was a valid genus at the time of it's edition, although it is worth pointing out. While it's appearance is fairly accurate, having feathers and similar build to the real animal, it still has some inaccuracies. It has pronated hands like most theropods in ARK, as well as a venomous bite, which Stenonychosaurus has no evidence of possessing. Also, while it does have feathers, it is lacking with current estimates, having a naked underbelly and lack of actual wings on the arms.

Styracosaurus

Meaning-Spiked Lizard
Discovered-1913
Main Classification-Ceratopsid
Size-18ft/5.5m long
Diet-Plants
Location-Canada
Time-Late Cretaceous, 75 MYA

Synopsis-
Styracosaurus is a medium-sized Ceratopsid that is famous for its incredibly long nose horn and wide array of spikes on its frill. This wide array of horns, while useful on the defense, might not have been its main purpose. If it purely for defense, then one would assume it and its relatives would look relatively the same, as a "meta" would form over what horn structures are the best defensively. Hence, this array of horns would most likely have been used more for display and communication, and it would allow the species to differentiate itself from the many other ceratopsids that it coexisted with.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's styracosaurus is quite already, but it does have a few problems. First is its size, which is closer to Triceratops than it is to Styracosaurus. It's also got some of the same morphological issues the Triceratops does, such as its tail being parralel to its body rather than traveling down its rear.

Beezlebufo

Meaning-Devil Toad
Discovered-2008
Main Classification-Frog
Size-1ft/.3m long
Diet-Anything it Could Catch
Location-Madagascar
Time-Late Cretaceous, 70 MYA

Synopsis-
Beezlebufo was the largest frog to ever live. The size of a basketball, it hopped along the forest floor of prehistoric madagascar. Being very similar to modern bullfrogs, it wouldn't hesitate to anything any that moves, including small dinosaurs.

Inaccuracies-
The beezlebufo is one of the more accurate animals in ark, being that you can't exactly screw up a bullfrog. The only issue is it's size. While in real life it was the size of a basketball, ingame its the size of a buggy. It wouldn't be rideable.

Carnotaurus

Meaning-Meat Eating Bull
Discovered-1985
Main Classification-Abelisaur
Size-30ft/9m long
Diet-Small Dinosaurs
Location-Argentina
Time-Late Cretaceous, 70 MYA

Synopsis-
Carnotaurus is perhaps one of the most unique theropods we know of. Almost everything about this animal in terms of physeek is extremely bizarre. At 30ft/9m long, it was no small dinosaur, but at the same time, it was incredibly lean. The animal was remarkably skinny and lightweight, making it one of the fastest carnivorous non-avian theropods of all time. Despite this speed however it was not at all agile. Studies of the tail show that the tail was so full of muscle for running that it was incredibly stiff, making sharp turns nearly impossible. The skull also has many bizarre traits. The pair of horns in paticular are iconic to carnotaurus and are what give this species it's easily recognizable image. What they were used for is not known, but it was most likely for either display or competition with other individuals. The head is also remarkably small and its bulldog-like face make it have a fairly weak bite force for how large the animal is. This speed and lack of serious power imply that it was a fast ambush hunter of smaller prey.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's carnotaurus is actually one of the most accurate theropods in ark, not having any issues with feathers or pronated hands. It only has 2, albiet slight, innacuracies. It's slightly oversized, being around the size of a trex (I only say slightly cause most animals are double the size of the real life animal or larger). It's horns are also slightly exaggerated to be more bulllike, when the horns were more like large bumps rather than sharp horns.

Gallimimus

Meaning-Chicken Mimic
Discovered-1972
Main Classification-Ornithomimid
Size-25ft/8m long
Diet-Plants
Location-Mongolia
Time-Late Cretaceous, 70 MYA

Synopsis-
Gallimimus is a fairly large member of the family of dinosaurs known as ornithomimids. These ostrich-like dinosaurs were some of the fastest non-avian dinosaurs to ever roam, some, like gallimimus, potentially being as fast as modern gazelles.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's gallimimus has the 2 prime innacuracies that all theropods have. Lack of feathers covering the body and pronated hands. Das it.

Therizinosaurus

Meaning-Scythe Lizard
Discovered-1954
Main Classification-Therizinosaur
Size-35ft/11m long
Diet-Plants
Location-Mongolia
Time-Late Cretaceous, 70 MYA

Synopsis-
Therizinosaurus is a member of the therizinosaurs: a group of theropod dinosaurs that are known for the small heads, long necks, extremely long claws, and herbivorous habits. Therizinosaurus itself is the largest and most famous of the group, being similar in size to tyrannosaurus. The claws themselves are the largest of any dinosaur, up to 3ft/1m in length. The use for such claws is disputed, but its beleived to be used as both a gathering tool and a self-defense weapon.

Inaccuracies-
The main issue with therizinosaurus is not its size or function, but its general body shape. Not only does it have pronated hands, but it's porportions are fairly off, with its neck and head being fairly short and robust compared to the real animal's.

Ankylosaurus

Meaning-Fused Lizard
Discovered-1908
Main Classification-Ankylosaur
Size-25ft/8m long
Diet-Plants
Location-North America
Time-Late Cretaceous, 66 MYA

Synopsis-
Ankylosaurus is one of the most well known of the ankylosaur family. This group is known for their extreme armor, with ankylosaurus in paticular being so heavily armored that even it's eyelids were armored. This species is also known for its heavy club tail, which can club any predator that gets close.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's ankylosaurus is highly exaggerated in terms of its armor. It is covered in a wide variety of spikes, including on the tail and legs. In reality the only spikes were 2 pairs on the head. The rest of the armor was all uniform and smooth. ARK anky's body porportions are also a bit out of wack.

Mosasaurus

Meaning-Meuse Lizard
Discovered-1822
Main Classification-Mosasaur
Size-40ft/12m long
Diet-Anything It Can Swallow
Location-North America and Europe
Time-Late Cretaceous, 66 MYA

Synopsis-
Mosasaurus was the largest in the family of mosasaurs, large marine reptiles that descended from lizards. The apex predator of the waters it lived in, mosasaurus ate prey incredibly similar to modern snakes. They had fish-hook like teeth used for gripping onto slippery prey. They swallowed prey whole, with their jaws able to stretch like a snake to swallow prey larger than its head. It even had a tongue-like organ on the roof of its mouth with a row of teeth, used to aid the process of sliding prey down its throat. Mosasaurus tissue preservations reveal that mosasaurs had a color scheme known as countershading:dark on top, light on bottom. This is a method of camoflauge which keeps it remarkably hidden from both above and below.

Inaccuracies-
There's 2 main issues with the ARK mosasaur. One is it being oversized, being 4x larger than the real animal. It also has an issue commonly seen with mosasaurs in media:the tail. It has often been thought that it had a tail fluke like an eel, but more recent discoveries reveal their tail fluke has 2 fins like a fish.

Pachycephalosaurus (& Stygimoloch)

Meaning-Thick Headed Lizard (Demon of the River Styx)
Discovered-1943 (1983)
Main Classification-Pachycephalosaur
Size-16ft/5m long
Diet-Plants
Location-United States
Time-Late Cretaceous, 66 MYA

Synopsis-
Pachycephalosaurus is one of the more obscure species seen in media. All of the mystery surrounding this species comes from its skull. Exactly what it was used for has been up for debate, whether it be for violence or display. Recent discoveries point to it being used in headbutting competitions between individuals, making it also a great defense against predators. Stygimoloch is another type of Pachycephalosaur which is currently under dispution. It lived in the same time and place as Pachycephalosaurus, and morphologically was very similar, aside from the distinct giant spikes that stick out of the back of its head. Stygimoloch is currently disputed to potentially be a subadult pachycephalosaurus, but this debate has yet to be concluded.

Inaccuracies-
Due to only finding the skull, pachycephalosaurus is very vague and thus it isn't hard to make it accurate. The only issue is its posture. It is far more upright than it should be, with its spine being at an angle rather than parralel to the ground.

Quetzalcoatlus

Meaning-Named after the Aztec God Quetzalcoatl
Discovered-1975
Main Classification-Azhdarchid
Size-40ft/12m wingspan
Diet-Anything it Can Swallow
Location-United States
Time-Late Cretaceous, 66 MYA

Synopsis-
Quetzalcoatlus was one the largest flying animals known to exist. At 40ft/12m wide, it's the size of a small airplane. Unlike pteranodon, who was a passive fish eater who lived by the coast, quetzalcoatlus was a fearsome predator that lived inland, eating any animal it is capable of swallowing.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's quetzal has 3 main issues. It's another oversized species, having a nearly 100ft/30m wingspan. It also has the same same problem with its wings as pteranodon, being too short for such a large species. Finally, the very nature of quetzalcoatlus is bizarre. A quetzalcoatlus of ark's porportions would be attacking and eating things as large as sabers and raptors, but it instead of scared of everything.

Triceratops

Meaning-Three Horned Face
Discovered-1889
Main Classification-Ceratopsid
Size-30ft/9m long
Diet-Plants
Location-North America
Time-Late Cretaceous, 66 MYA

Synopsis-
Triceratops is one of the most famous dinosaurs of all times, known for the signature Three Horned Face that gives it its name. One of the largest of the ceratopsids, this species is often thought to live in great herds being hunted by T. rex. While the latter was definitly true, the former does not have much evidence behind it. While alot of other ceratopsid species are known to live in large herds, triceratops in paticular is known from hundreds of specimens, but are rarely found together. This makes triceratops more likely to live alone or in small groups rather than in herds.

Inaccuracies-
The triceratops in ARK, lore-wise, is meant to be a crossbreed between triceratops and styracosaurus. However, the fact the genus is still called triceratops and not "Tricerasaurus", "Styracops", or anything similar will make me judge it by triceratops alone. It obviously has the obsurdly long spikes on its frill which are clearly from the styracosaurus part of the deign. Its tail is also wierd, as ceratopsid tails did not stay parralel to the ground like in other dinosaurs.

Tyrannosaurus

Meaning-Tyrant Lizard
Discovered-1905
Main Classifcation-Tyrannosaur
Size-40ft/12m long
Diet-Ceratopsids and Hadrosaurs
Location-North America
Time-Late Cretaceous, 66 MYA

Synopsis-
Tyrannosaurus, the king of the dinosaurs, is one of the most recognizable dinosaur species in the world. A very large, tough, and powerful predator, compared to other theropods of similar in size to tyrannosaurus it was extremely powerful. It was extremely bulky and filled with muscle, paticularly around the head region. Tyrannosaurus has the strongest bite force of any land animal, having a bite force of 4 TSI, enough to crush a car. This powerful bite allowed it to ambush and kill prey in a single blow. Tyrannosaurus's senses are also incredible, with it having one of the best senses of smell and sight in the animal kingdom, being able to see and smell prey for miles. Tyrannosaurus is also well known for its drastic growth stage. The young were lean fast predators with a narrow skull and blade-like teeth, but as it matures the animal bulks up, being alot more muscular with a heavy-duty skull.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's tyrannosaurus is one of the more disapointing species. It, first off, is oversized, being almost 90ft/27m long. It also suffers the same problem of pronated hands and lack of feathers of some description, with instead of feathers it has these wierd rocky tomours that make it look diseased.

Carbonemys

Meaning-Carbon Turtle
Discovered-2012
Main Classification-Turtle
Size-10ft/3m long
Diet-Small Animals
Location-Columbia
Time-Paleocene, 60 MYA

Synopsis-
The paleocene was a time in Earth's history where the Earth was just recovering from the asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs. Many new species evolved to fill in the void the dinosaurs left. In Columbia, this was the reptiles. Carbonemys is a normal river turtle, only on a larger scale. The size of a boat, this turtle was a giant predator that hunted lizards and fish in its river home.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's carbonemys is an extremely poor representative of the real thing. The only thing it does correct is that ARK's carbonemys is also semi-aquatic, but besides that completely different. It, first off, is a tortoise in appearance, while the real animal was more like a giant terrapin. Second, in ARK it's a fairly peaceful herbivore, while irl it was a carnivore.

Phorusrhacid (Family)

Meaning-Rage Thief
Discovered-1891
Number of Species-17
Size-3ft-10ft/1m-3m tall
Diet-Smaller Animals
Location-North and South America
Time-Paleocene-Pliocene, 60-2 MYA

Synopsis-
Phorusrhacids, better known under the infamous moniker of "terror birds", are a family of fairly large, flightless, carnivorous birds that lived during the Cenozoic Era. Although they can found elsewhere, their main domain is South America. There, for 50 million years, they were the unrivaled, apex predators, hunting all manners of prey from small rodents to giant sloths. It was only around 3 million years ago that they started to decline, from a combination of pressure from the influx of predators coming in from North America and climate change starting to occur due to upcoming arrival of the Ice Age.

Inaccuracies-
The phorusrhacid in ARK is a fictional genus, but still has the characteristics of currently existing phorusrhacids in terms of appearance and size. The only problem with ARK's phorusrhacid is the glide mechanic. Phorusrhacids were not capable of any form of flight and it would be impossible for them to do such due to the tiny wings.

Titanoboa

Meaning-Titan Boa
Discovered-2009
Main Classification-Boa Snake
Size-40ft/12m long
Diet-Anything it Could Swallow
Location-Columbia
Time-Paleocene, 60 MYA

Synopsis-
The paleocene was a time in Earth's history where the Earth was just recovering from the asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs. Many new species evolved to vill in the void the dinosaurs left. In columbia, this was the reptiles. Titanoboa is the portrait example of reptile supremacy. It looked and lived like a modern anaconda, only on a much larger scale.

Inaccuracies-
It's hard to screw it up a snake, right? Well they kinda did with the titanoboa. First off, titanoboa has these wierd frills around its neck which would not have been in the real animal (funnily enough at first only the males had these wierd frills, which was a nice touch imo, then the devs ruined it in some random patch by making both genders have it). They also did the very worst thing they could have done to this animal. They made it venomous. They made a BOA venomous.

Onychonycteris

Meaning-Clawed Bat
Discovered-2008
Main Classification-Bat
Size-2ft/.6m wingspan
Diet-Insects
Location-United States
Time-Eocene, 52 MYA

Synopsis-
Onychonycteris is one of the very first bats to ever evolve. Yet, even in this early stage it is almost identical to modern bats in terms of general appearance. It has even been theorized that echolocation has already evolved at this time with Onychonycteris.

Innacuracies-
I don't know much about this species so I'll only go based off the obvious. It is oversized, around 5x larger than the real animal. The Onychonycteris is also a cave animal, while in real life it lived in forests.

Titanomyrma

Meaning-Titan Ant
Discovered-1986
Main Classification-Ant
Size-4in/10cm long
Diet-Unknown
Location-North America and Europe
Time-Eocene, 50 MYA

Synopsis-
Titanomyrma is one of the largest ants to ever exist, being the size of a human finger. Ant evolution was a very gradual process, with the earliest forms being incredibly different from the modern forms, so exactly what this species shared with its modern descendants, such as diet, are not known. We do know some things however. Fossilized winged queen ants suggest that they had a colony structure similar to today's ants. They also seemed to lack a stinger, which alot of ants today have.

Innacuracies-
ARK's titanomyrma has alot of issues surrounding how it works. First off the solder ants can fly, when, like with today's ants, only the queens are capable of flight. The species is also venomous, which the real animal was not in any way shape or form. It is also DRASTICALLY oversized. While irl it was the size of a human finger, in ARK it's the size of a dog.

Hyaenodon

Meaning-Hyena Tooth
Discovered-1838
Main Classification-Creodont
Size-6ft/2m long
Diet-Anything It Can Catch
Location-North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa
Time-Eocene-Miocene, 42-15 MYA

Synopsis-
Despite the name hinting at a relation to hyenas, they are actually part of an entirely seperate family called creodonts, a family of carnivorous mammals which were the top predators before modern carnivores such as cats and dogs took their place. Hyaenodon in paticular is perhaps the most successful of all creodonts, living on 4 different continents over the span of 25 million years. Despite being such a successful and powerful predator, compared to modern predators it was quite unintelligent, having a small brain for its body size.

Inaccuracies-
Although canine or hyena-like in appearance, it had many difference anatomically, making the general hyena/dog appearance and vibe the ARK one has inaccurate.

Basilosaurus

Meaning-Regal Lizard
Discovered-1847
Main Classification-Cetacean
Size-60ft/18m long
Diet-Anything it Can Swallow
Location-North American, Africa, and Asia
Time-Eocene, 36 MYA

Synopsis-
Initially mistaken for some type of marine reptile, basilosaurus was actually one of the first large species of whale. Basilosaurus was the top predator of its envrionement, having long teeth in the front of its jaw for grabbing prey and short ragged teeth in the back for shearing flesh. Being a fairly primitive whale species, it has yet to evolve a blowhole, having 2 nostrils halfway up the snout, showing the blowhole's gradual evolution. Basilosaurus also does have a pair of back fins, which show its land ancestry. Living in the warm seas near the equator, basilosaurus lacked a majority of the blubber that is known from large whales, giving it a very streamline shape. Observations in the skeleton has shown that basilosaurus was a fairly lethargic animal. Its muscles did not allow it to go to remotely deep depths or cruise for long periods of time. This suggests that it hunted akin to a shark, waiting for weakness in prey before attacking in a quick burst of speed.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's basilosaurus is actually one of the most accurate marine animals outside of the megalodon, right down to appearance and mechanics. The ONLY thing innacurate about the basilosaurus is it being shock resistant.

Phiomia

Meaning-Named after Faiyum, a city in Egypt
Discovered-1902
Main Classification-Elephant
Size-16ft/5m long
Diet-Branches
Location-North Africa
Time-Eocene, 36 MYA

Synopsis-
Phiomia is one of the first members of the elephant family to ever appear. One of many infact, as phiomia did infact share his environment with 2 other elephantine speces:moerotherium and arsinoitherium. All three of these species co-existed in the same environment by eating different things. Arsinoitherium ate fruit, phiomia was a browser who ate branches, and moerotherium was semi-aquatic, feeding on water plants.

Comparison-
The only issue I can spot with ARK's phiomia is its size. It is actually undersized. It was around 1/3 smaller than the real life animal.

Daeodon

Meaning-Hostile Tooth
Discovered-1879
Main Classification-Entelodont
Size-10ft/3m long
Diet-Anything Edible
Location-North America
Time-Oligocene-Miocene, 30-20 MYA

Synopsis-
Daeodon was the last of the family known as the entelodonts. It was also the largest, being nearly the size of a rhino. Despite having the monicker of "terminator pigs" and often being referred to as pigs, they are not pigs and are not related to them at all. Daeodon's diet is perhaps the most fascinating thing about the animal. Its jaws indicate that it was perfectly capable of browsing on plants and hunting prey, but other adaptations suggest one of its favorite food sources is carrion. Massive in size and power along with excellant smell, the daeodon would have no problem tracking down and dominating the kill site and eating a majority of the corpse, including bones.

Inaccuracies-
Ignoring the obviously fictional heal buff, ARK's daeodon is actually quite accurate physically. The only inaccuracy I can spot is the fact it lives in a tundra environment when daeodon lived in savannah and scrubland areas.

Kairuku

Meaning-Diver Who Returns With Food
Discovered-2012
Main Classification-Penguin
Size-4ft/1.3m tall
Diet-Fish
Location-New Zealand
Time-Oligocene, 25 MYA

Synopsis-
Kairuku was a very large penguin species, being larger than today's penguins. It is special anatomically speaking from other species due to the fact that it was an incredibly lean penguin despite it's massive size. It hunted for fish on New Zealand shoreline, back when New Zealand was only a bunch of small islands.

Innacuracies-
There's 2 main issues. First off, one of kairuku's special traits was that it was paticular lean for a penguin. In ARK it's alot chubbier than it should be so it can fill in the general penguin niche they wanted from Kairuku in this game. It also, to fit with the penguin niche they wanted, lived in polar environments. While New Zealand is not far from Antarctica and definitly and not warm all-year round, Kairuku definitly wasn't a polar penguin regardless.

Paraceratherium

Meaning-Near Horned Beast
Discovered-1911
Main Classification-Indricothere
Size-25ft/8m long
Diet-Plants
Location-Asia
Time-Oligocene, 25 MYA

Synopsis-
Paraceratherium is the second largest land mammal to ever exist. It was so massive it is even comparable to some sauropods. Despite it almost looking like a bulky giraffe, it's closest modern relatives are the rhinos.

Innacuracies-
This animal was actually done quite well in ARK, though like many species it is oversized, around double the size of the real animal.

Pelagornis

Meaning-Pelagic Bird
Discovered-1857
Main Classification-False-Tooth Birds
Size-16ft/5m wingspan
Diet-Fish
Location-North America, Europe, and Africa
Time- Oligocene-Pliocene, 25-3 MYA

Synopsis-
Pelagornis is a member of extinct shorebirds called the false-tooth birds. This family of seabirds, closest related to ducks and geese today, are given their name by ridges on their beaks which are the shape of and function the same as actual teeth. These birds are also known for being really large, with pelagornis in paticular being the largest and most successful of the group.

Inaccuracies-
I will just make this clear, there is not a single fying bird species that is capable of carrying an adult person. They are simply too light. To add, I'm not sure if pelagornis is capable of resting on the surface of the water either. It was more like an albatross in terms of behavior than a pelican.

Chalicotherium

Meaning-Pebble Beast
Discovered-1833
Main Classification-Chalicothere
Size-8ft/2.5m long
Diet-Plants
Location-Europe and Asia
Time-Miocene-Pliocene, 15-4 MYA

Synopsis-
Chalicotherium is a prime example of a chalicothere. Chalicotheres were a group of mammals which have characteristics seen from various other animals, such as giant ground sloths, apes, and bears, walking on its knuckles through the undergrowth and grabbing branches with its long claws to feed. Despite its appearance, the chalicotheres closest living relatives are robust hooved mammals such as rhinos, horses, and tapirs.

Inaccuracies-
The chalicotherium in ARK is one of the most accurate animals in the game, having remarkably spot on anatomy and features. Its only issue is being slightly oversized, around double the size of the real animal.

Giant Bee

Scientific Name-Apis lilthohermaea
Discovered-2006
Main Classification-Bee
Size-18mm/.7in long
Diet-Honey
Location-Japan
Time-Miocene, 15 MYA

Synopsis-
Apis lilthohermaea is a large bee species that lived in Japan during the Miocene epoch. Despite being called the "Giant Bee" in ARK, it is not that large by bee standards, with some modern species growing larger. Apis lilthohermaea is assumed to live a life identical to modern bees, with the same pollination and hive habits.

Inaccuracies-
The inaccuracies for this one are obvious. The real life giant bee was less than an inch long while these are gigantic and highly exaggerative in features. There is also the fact that bee drones are not simply the queen's minions. There are workers who work for and defend the hive, while drones are male bees whose sole purpose are to breed. Drones also cannot sting.

Megalodon

Scientific Name-Caracharocles megalodon
Discovered-1843
Main Classification-Modern Shark
Size-60ft/18m long
Diet-Whales
Location-Worldwide
Time- Miocence-Pliocene, 15-3 MYA

Synopsis-
Megalodon was the largest and most successful predatory fish to rule the seas. These giant sharks were the apex predators, ruling the tropical seas that it lived in. Megalodon's primary prey was whales, having a bite force of 18 TSI, it can easily break the bones of its massive prey. It was a primarily tropical species which was widespread throughtout all oceans, though being tropical and feeding primarily on whales became its downfall when it became extinct due to whales moving to more polar regions.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's megalodon cannot really be that critisized due to the fact it's diffcult to get wrong what you only know the jaws for. The only possible critisism I can give it is that it's based too much on a Great White Shark, when in reality it most likely was not just an oversized great white clone.

Sabertooth Salmon

Scientific Name-Oncorhynchus rastrosus
Discovered-1972
Main Classification-Salmon
Size-10ft/3m long
Diet-Plankton
Location-North America
Time-Miocene-Pliocene, 13-4 MYA

Synopsis-
The sabertooth salmon is the largest species of salmon to ever exist. It is a mostly saltwater fish species, though, like modern salmon, they go into freshwater rivers to spawn. While most salmon feed on shrimp, squid, and other fish, the sabertooth salmon has much larger gill rakers which made it more likely to feed on plankton. Perhaps the most bizarre feature of this salmon is the teeth which give it its name. The sabertooth salmon have the same tooth appendages that modern salmon have, but are arranged differently. While most salmon have small fangs on the roof of their top jaw, sabertooth salmon have much larger ones that stick out sideways like tusks (couldn't find an accurate sabertooth salmon picture cause of this). Despite the difference in shape they are still believed to have the same use as modern salmon in attracting females and fending off rival males during spawning.

Inaccuracies-
The main inaccuracy around ARK's sabertooth salmon is around the saberteeth and what they are used for. The sabertooth salmon in ARK has fangs like modern salmon, which as we know was not the case. Sabertooth salmon was also not a predator that exhibits vampirism. Teeth aside, the main issue is one that is often misconstrewed among all salmon, and not just the sabertooth, Salmon as a whole are almost entirely saltwater species, so making them pure freshwater species in ARK is inaccurate.

Megapiranha

Meaning-Big Piranha
Discovered-2009
Main Classification-Piranha
Size-3ft/1m long
Diet-Mostly Fish
Location-Argentina
Time-Miocene, 10 MYA

Synopsis-
Megapiranha is EXACTLY what it sounds like:a giant piranha. This species lived in the Southern Amazon during the Miocene period. It most likely looked and acted just like an ordinary piranha, only it was much larger.

Inaccuracies-
Megapiranha in the game has some small inaccuracies associated with it. It is once again oversized with the largest individuals in ARK being larger than humans, when in reality the largest only got half the size of a person. It is also unecessary monster looking, always showing its teeth and having an unneeded amount of spikes and fins.

Gigantopithecus

Meaning-Giant Ape
Discovered-1935
Main Classification-Ape
Size-10ft/3m tall
Diet-Plants
Location-Asia
Time-Miocene-Pliestocene, 9 MYA - 100 TYA

Synopsis-
Gigantopithecus is the largest primate to ever exist. It was also one of the most successful, surviving for over 8 million years in the Asian jungles. It's closest living relative is the Orangutan, and it likely bore a resemblance to the ape, with the prime things setting them apart being that the Gigantopithecus is much bigger and lives on the ground rather than the treetops. It became extinct due to the Ice Age replacing its rainforest home with savannah.

Inaccuracies-
Due to most of the remains of this creature being only teeth and skull fragments, calling anything from this creature inaccurate wouldn't be proper. However, we do know that it's closest modern relative is the Orangutan, so it's extremely unlikely that it'd bear a striking resemblance to Bigfoot.

Argentavis

Meaning-Argentina Bird
Discovered-1980
Main Classification-Teratorn
Size-23ft/7m Wingspan
Diet-Carrion
Location-Argentina
Time-Miocene, 5 MYA

Synopsis-
Argentavis, at 23ft/7m wide, was the largest flying bird to have ever existed. It looked and behaved in exactly the same way as a modern vulture, soaring thousands of miles in the air in search of carcasses.

Inaccuracies-
The only prime inaccuracy I can find with ARK's argentavis is its size. The ARK version is around twice of the size of the real life counterpart. This once again means the argentavis would not be able to carry an adult human on its back, though in argentavis's case it would probably be able to carry a small child.

Mammoth

Genus Name-Mammuthus
Discovered-1799
Number of Species-10
Size-3ft-16ft/1m-5m long
Diet-Plants
Location-North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia
Time-Pliocene-Holocene, 5 MYA - 4 TYA

Synopsis-
The very symbol of the Ice Age, mammoths are a genus of elephants which spam throughout the entire Northern Hemisphere. They varied incredibly in size and appearance, from the small hairless Channel Islands Mammoth to the large Woolly Mammoth. They evolved in Africa during the Pliocene epoch, and when the Ice Age arrived around 1 million years ago they thrived across the North Hemisphere. When the Ice Age ended around 10 thousand years ago they couldn't adapt as the climate change caused by the retreat of the ice sheets occured.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's mammoth is a fictional species, but still does share the characteristics of the mammothus genus. The only problem is its size, being that the animal itself is around 40ft/12m tall, almost 4x larger than the largest true mammoths.

Megatherium

Meaning-Big Beast
Discovered-1796
Main Classification-Sloth
Size-20ft/6m long
Diet-Plants
Location-South America
Time-Pliocene-Pliestocene, 5 MYA - 10 TYA

Synopsis-
One of many megafauna during the Ice Age, Megatherium was a giant sloth that lived in South America. This giant herbivore lived its days browsing on trees, using their long sharp claws to drag food to their mouths. They most likely had no natural predators fully grown, and for good reason. The size of an elephant, having sharp claws, and small bones under the skin that act similar to chainmail, megatherium would be a force to be reconded with when provoked.

Inaccuracies-
The two primary inaccuracies revolving around megatherium is its size and diet. The megatherium in ARK is both oversized, being around 3x the size of the real animal, and is an insect eater, which as far as we know is not correct.

Mesopithecus

Meaning-Middle Ape
Discovered-1999
Main Classification-Monkey
Size-2ft/.66m long
Diet-Soft Leaves and Fruit
Location-Europe and Asia
Time-Miocene, 5 MYA

Synopsis-
Mesopithecus is an old-world monkey species that lived during the Miocene period. Monkeys look really similar during this time period, resembling most modern-day tree-dwelling monkeys.

Inaccuracies-
While physically there doesn't seem to be any problem with mesopithecus, the fact that it iiterally grabs its ass, poops, and throws the poop is not exactly what real life monkeys do.

Woolly Rhino

Scientific Name-Coelodonta antiquitatis
Discovered-1831
Main Classification-Rhino
Size-10ft/3m long
Diet-Plants
Location-Europe and Asia
Time-Pliocene-Pliestocene, 4 MYA - 10 TYA

Synopsis-
The famous woolly rhino is a large rhino species that is famous for living during the ice age with its thick coat of fur. It is known from many specimens almost entirely preserved, frozen in ice. This makes it one of the more popular targets for cloning along with the woolly mammoth.

Inaccuracies-
The number one issue with the wooly rhino in ark is its size:it's HUGE! Realistically speaing it would actually be around the same size as ARK's phiomia.

Castoroides

Meaning-Beavers (?)
Discovered-1838
Main Classification-Rodent
Size-6ft/2m long
Diet-Plant Material
Location-North America
Time-Pliocene-Pliestocene, 3 MYA - 10 TYA

Synopsis-
Castoroides was on of the largest rodents to ever exist, and is without a doubt the largest beaver we know of. The size of a sheep, it is another example of Ice Age Megafauna. Despite looking like a giant beaer, exactly what qualities it shares with its modern cousins is uncertain. Castoroides is less intelligent and has broader teeth, which suggest that it either made less complex dams or did not build dams at all.

Inaccuracies-
The Castoroides in ARK has one prime issue: its size. Like many megafauna in ARK it is overexaggerated in terms of scale. Castoroides was big, but not large enough to be reliably ridden on.

Megaloceros

Meaning-Large Horn
Discovered-1799
Main Classification-Deer
Size-10ft/3m long
Location-Europe and Asia
Time-Pliocene-Pliestocene, 3 MYA - 10 TYA

Synopsis-
Also known as the Irish Elk, is a large deer species characterized by the male's massive rack of antlers. These antlers are actually not abnormally large, but only seem massive due to the deer already being really gigantic. Besides its massive size it is no different from any other deer species.

Inaccuracies-
This is another species in ARK that is actually pretty accurate. The only issue I do see I the neck/head perhaps being too bulky or high up. But that is just an assumption and may not be true.

Smilodon

Meaning-Knife Tooth
Discovered-1842
Main Classification-Cat
Size-6ft/2m long
Diet-Bison, Deer, and other Similar Sized Mammals
Location-North and South America
Time-Pliocene-Pliestocene, 3 MYA - 10 TYA

Synopsis-
Smilodon is the most famous example of the group known as saber-tooth cats. This group is most destinguished by massive upper canine teeth, used for suffocating and bleeding out prey. Smilodon is paticular is also known under the alias "Sabertooth Tiger". This is a pretty misleading disomer as smilodon's environment could not possibly support it having stripes like a tiger. Smilodon's famous saber teeth could not allow it to successfully use its jaws as a weapon, as the teeth are fairly fragile and will break upon serious struggle. As such, despite smilodon being the size of a lion, it is way more compact and muscular, reliant on short bursts of speed to catch and quickly overpower targets. The sabers would be drawn once the prey is successfully pinned. Smilodon was one of America's most common predators, and as such smilodon's social habits have been explored. The La Brea tar pits in paticular preserved many complete specimens. Alot of them show signs of serious injuries that have healed, which suggest that smilodons might have lived in prides like modern lions to back each other up. Clear evidence, however, is still inconclusive.

Inaccuracies-
The main inaccuracies surrounding smilodon involve it having characteristics to fit its "Sabertooth Tiger" title. The smilodon in ARK has a long panther-like tail and stripes going along the sides of its body, which we know it did not have either. The species is also oversized in ark, as in real life it would be very troublesome to ride a smilodon.

Megalania

Scientific Name-Varanus pricus
Discovered-1820
Main Classification-Moniter Lizard
Size-20ft/6m long
Diet-Marsupials
Location-Australia
Time-Pliestocene, 2 MYA - 50 TYA

Synopsis-
The largest known land lizard to ever exist, Megalania was certainly the king of its world. It was the top predator of its home-continent Australia, making it the only continent at the time to be dominated by a reptile rather than mammals. They are believed to hunt practically identically to the modern komodo dragon, ambushing and tearing their prey apart. Oddly enough, there is dispute on exactly what the closest modern relative of Megalania is. Common sense would dictate the Komodo Dragon, however the Lace and Perentie Moniters of Australia have turned out to be contenders for that title.

Inaccuracies-
Oddly enough, the Megalania is quite accurate, having the proper size and general appearance. However, the climbing abilitty as well as the head crest are things megalania didn't possess. There is also the fact that it lives in caves when the real animal lived in a Savannah environment. Finally, there is the misconception about monitor lizard venom. Monitor Lizard venom, including the Komodo Dragon's, is very docile compared to venomous snakes, and they don't actually use it as a hunting strategy like snakes do. It is unknown exactly what the purpose of the venom is, but it is most likely a security system in the event the prey escapes, as the venom has agents that prevent blood clotting to some extent. However, its venom on its own isn't lethal at all, and would certaintly not be powerful enough to cause a massive killer disease or anything close to it.

Thylacoleo

Meaning-Pouch Lion
Discovered-1859
Main Classification-Diprotodont
Size-4ft/1.3m long
Diet-Other Marsupials
Location-Australia
Time-Pliestocene, 2 MYA - 45 TYA

Synopsis-
Thylacoleo is one of the most unique mammalian predators to ever exist. Around the size of a large dog, Tylacoleo despite its appearance was not a cat, but rather a marsupial like Wombats and Kangaroos, which were its prime food source. Thylacoleo is one of the most specialised predators to ever exist, having a killing method not seen in any other predator. Thylacoleo, as seen by its odd body poportions was not built to run long distances. Along with that, it had incredible flexibility in its wrists and fingers, as well as teeth that seemed more like plates rather than actual teeth. Both of these characteristics created the conclusion that it was a tree-climber, akin to a leopard. However, other features of its anatomy made such a lifestyle unlikely. The more likely hypothesis is that unlike almost any other predator, the jaws were not the main killing tool. It would ambush prey, properly pin it using the its teeth to keep it in its grip, and disemblowel the victum with its claws.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's thylacoleo has two main inaccuracies. The first is its tree-climbing nature, which, as said, is most likely not how it lived. There is also its size, being around the size of a bear, 3-4x its actual size.

Doedicurus

Meaning-Pestle Tail
Discovered-1874
Main Classification-Glyptodont
Size-12ft/3.5m long
Diet-Plants
Location-Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil
Time-Pliestocene, 1 MYA - 10 TYA

Synopsis-
Doedicurus is the largest and most signature member of the group of mammals called glyptodonts, a group of armored mammals closesly related to armadillos (though they are not armadillos themselves). Doedicurus has a large dome of protective armor that makes it relatively immune to attack. It also has a long tail with a club at the end, extremely similar to a mace. This tail is believed to be used as a defensive measure as doedicurus's vision and movement limit it to what happens at its rear.

Inaccuracies-
The only issue i see is that it goes too close towards its armadillo relatives. It's armor was not segmented like an armadillo, making rolling up into a ball and/or rolling impossible.

Procoptodon

Meaning-Forward Hill Tooth
Discovered-1874
Main Classification-Kangaroo
Size-6ft/2m tall
Diet-Plants
Location-Australia
Time-Pliestocene, 1 MYA - 300 TYA

Synopsis-
Procoptodon is another example of classic megafauna. It is the largest kangaroo to every live, standing as tall as a person. Similar to other cases of megafauna, it behaves exactly the same as any other kangaroo, only on a much larger scale. Procoptodon also has a distinctive short face, which has gave it the nickname "Short-Faced Kangaroo".

Inaccuracies-
The main issue with Procoptodon is its size. It is once again oversized, up to 4x larger than the real animal. Realistically it would have issues even carrying an adult person on its back, let alone its pouch. ARK's procoptodon also lives in the mountains and tundra. While it lived in during the Ice Age it did not live in a cold environment, but rather lived in warm grasslands.

Dire Wolf

Scientific Name-Canis dirus
Discovered-1858
Main Classification-Dog
Size-3ft/1m long
Diet-Animals of Various Sizes
Location-North and South America
Time-Pliestocene, 250-10 TYA

Synopsis-
The direwolf is a wolf species that is closesly related to the modern gray wolf, only much more muscular and powerful. This species was incredibly common during the Ice Age, with many of its fossils found in the La Brea Tar Pits. They behaved similar to modern wolves, living and hunting in very large packs to take down large prey.

Inaccuracies-
The number one issue ARK's dire wolf is once again it being oversized. It is around 4x larger than the real animal, with ARK's dire wolf being around the size of a rhino.

Dodo Bird

Scientific Name-Raphus cucullatus
Discovered-1598
Main Classification-Pigeon
Size-3ft/1m long
Diet-Fruit
Location-Island of Maritius
Time-Holocene, Extinct by 1662

Synopsis-
The Dodo Bird is an extremely large specialised pigeon species that lived on the Island of Maritius off the coast of Africa. This is species is extremely famous as the very symbol of extinction and is known for being supposedly very stupid. That is a misconception as the dodo bird did not lackluster intelligence, but rather lacked a fear response to predators, as the Island of Maritious was entirely predator-free. The Dodo Bird's extinction also seems to not be derived from it being hunted, as habitat destruction and the invasion of rats eating the Dodo's eggs played a much larger role in its extinction.

Inaccuracies-
The dodo bird is another species in ARK which it is not that inaccurate due to the fact that it's hard to screw up a dodo bird. The only issue I can think of is the fact that its potrayed in ARK being as dumb as bricks, which we know dodo birds were not.

Domestic Sheep

Scientific Name-Ovis aries
Discovered-1758
Main Classification-Bovid
Size-4ft/1.3m long
Diet-Plants
Location-Worldwide except Antarctica
Time-Holocone, Present Day

Synopsis-
A descendant of the Mouflon, the Domestic Sheep is a species created by humans over thousands of years for meet and wool, and are still raised by humans for the same purpose. There are over 1,000 different breeds of sheep, each with their own specific traits. Despite domestication some individuals do escape into the wild and become a threat to the local ecosystems.

Inaccuracies-
It's a sheep. Das all it is. There's no problems with it, moving on.

Electric Eel

Scientific Name-Electrophorus electricus
Discovered-1766
Main Classification-Knifefish
Size-6ft/2m long
Diet-Small Fish
Location-South America
Time-Holocene, Present Day

Synopsis-
One of the amazon's most infamous residents, the Electric Eel is one of the most popular fish species in the world, often depicted as an example of a dangerous marine animal other than sharks. Despite the name, the Electric Eel is not actually an eel, but a knifefish, a family of fish closer related to catfish than actual eels. The electric eel is a fairly slow swimmer, propelling itself through the water by waving the fin on the underside of its body rather than tail pulpusion. To compensate, the electric eel has the extremely unique ability to conduct electricity as both a hunting and self-defense weapon. Capable of conducting up to 600 volts, such electric power is enough to stun a human. This strong voltage is use to fatally shock fish for consumption as well as discourage would be predators.

Inaccuracies-
ARK's electric eel shares nothing with the real animal except for the body shape and electrical abilities. It is much larger than the real animal, being up to 20ft/6m, 3x larger. It is also an oceanbound species when the real animal is a river dweller. Movement is also different, with ARK's electric eel moving like a true eel rather than like an electric eel. Finally, the head is tall, narrow, and filled with teeth, while in reality the head was short, wide, and toothless: the exact opposite.

Horse (Family)

Scientific Name-Equus
Discovered-1758
Number of Species-7
Size-2-6ft/.6-2m tall
Diet-Plants
Location-Worldwide except Antarctica
Time-Holocene, Present Day

Synopsis-
Horses are a family of hooved mammals found all over the world. From the zebras of Africa, the Wild Ass of the Middle East, to the wild horses of Asia, the family was quite successful prior to the arrival of humans. Asian wild horses were domesticated around 6,000 years ago for both human and item transportation. It is also thanks to humans that they have expanded to 6 of the 7 continents on Earth.

Inaccuracies-
There's nothing inaccurate about this animal. It is just a fictional horse species and nothing more.

Jerboa (Family)

Family Name-Dipodidae
Discovered-1817
Number of Species-33
Size-Around 6in/150mm long
Diet-Plants and Insects
Location-Africa and Asia
Time-Holocene, Present Day

Synopsis-
Jerboas are a family of rodents that live in the deserts and scrublands of Africa and Asia. Especially common in deserts, they have adapted to sandy environment hopping across the sand akin to kangaroos. They are mostly nocturnal, avoiding the hot daylight, foraging for insects and plants in the desert shrubs.

Inaccuracies-
There are 2 main issues with ARk's jerboa. It is much larger than any jerboa known today, atleast twice the size of any living jerboa. There's also the fact it's more like a fox in anatomy than a rodent, making it seem like a very specialised fox that adapted to the desert than a rodent.

Lappet-Faced Vulture

Scientific Name-Torgos tracheliotos
Discovered-1791
Main Classification-Vulture
Size-8ft/2.5m wingspan
Diet-Carrion
Location-Africa and Middle East
Time-Holocene, Present Day

Synopsis-
The Lappet-Faced Vulture is one of the largest vultures on the African plains. As such it is often the top dog at any carrion it comes across, with the smaller and more common griffin vultures being ones that step aside for this giant. It is a mostly solitary species that tends to soar in the air over carrion, only meeting with others of its kind during the mating season or at a corpse.

Inaccuracies-
The only possible issue I see with ARK's vulture is the fact that it actually dislikes fresh meat, when vultures are known to take any bit of meat they come across.

Manta Ray

Scientific Name-Manta birostris/alfredi
Discovered-1829
Main Classification-Ray
Size-30ft/9m wingspan
Diet-Plankton
Location-Worldwide
Time-Holocene, Present Day

Synopsis-
The Manta Ray is the largest and most graceful of all the ray species. With a massive 30ft/9m wingspan, it is a gentle giant of the sea, being a mostly slow filter-feeder. It is rarely seen by humans except for a few coastal regions which are prime feeding areas. The species is occasionally known to breach, or leap out of the water, which is believed to serve many functions, from removal of parasites, to display, to even aid in giving birth.

Inaccuracies-
The manta ray has a bit of a bizarre standing in ARK. It has a pair of long feelers on the head region, which are not exhibited in manta rays or any other related species. The ARK manta also aggressive with an extremely bony tail with a venomous stringer. Manta Rays in real life are harmless and lack a serious tail with venom.

Otter

Genus Name- Lutra
Discovered- 1771
Main Classification- Mustelid
Size- 5ft/1.6m long
Diet- Smaller Animals
Location- North Africa, Europe, and Asia
Time- Holocene, Present Day

Synopsis-
Lutra is a genus of otter that lives through a majority of the old world. There are three main species. There is the common European River Otter, which is native throughout a majority of Europe and Asia as well as parts of North Africa. Then there is the elusive Hairy-Nosed Otter which is an endangered species found in some areas of Southeast Asia. Finally, there is the Japanese River Otter, which is now extinct. All 3 of these species vary in size, appearance, and behavior, but all 3 are smaller muselid species that are semi-aquatic, swimming among the waterways for their favorite food: fish. Though they are not afraid to eat other smaller animals.

Inaccuracies-
It's an otter. Das all their is to it. It's an otter. They didn't screw up an otter. Move on.

[jxy.overall_]

Dire bear is an arctodus genome buddy

[Atcera95]

The more I read the more you're exaggerating about the inaccuracies. And idk about your math skills but 150lb is not 300kg, it's the other way around more like 70kg is 150lb

[Atcera95]

You're right for the most part. We all know Ark's animals are larger than their real life counterparts but you're exaggerating too much. Like the Dunkleosteus in Ark isn't the size of a blue whale, I've seen a blue whale, unless the humans in Ark are like 10ft tall. Another example is the Arthropleura, again if the humans in Ark were 10ft tall you're statement would be correct. I'm all for teaching people about what's real and what's not, what I don't like is replacing false information with partially false information.

[KlarVyvern]

Gonna copy OP's earlier comment; "The main reason why I consider it fictional is because it's blatantly obvious that ARK's version is not a "shortfaced bear". All they did was make the bear and found a random prehistoric bear genus to encompass the dossier"

[SylveJon]

Ark’s Dire Bear is Arctodus, and doesn’t it exist in real life?

[King Doom]

Awesome guide, really well presented. I love it!

[TheWorldWonders]

Why is the Direbear considered a fictional creature? It's the same genus as the Short Faced Bear.

[mr.firefox]

Giant snail was one of the only ones i kinda fell for, i mean, sure it's massive, but seeing the devs made ants into giant insane venomous green shit shooting killing machines, it seems about right if it was a lot smaller

[Rizky_iwak123]

I don't see how Brachiosaurus wouldn't use its tail for defense. It just has a smaller range of tail whip compared to another sauropods.

[Lakeee]

Would be cool to have mod that makes dinos realistic.