Simbakubwa

While its name in Swahili may translate to ‘great lion’, this huge predator was not a big cat, but rather a hyaenodon - a group that diverged from a shared ancestor millions of years before cats became ‘cats’.

It lived ~23 Mya in Africa and looked like a tiger, though it was significantly larger and, according to estimates, would have weighed in at 1,300kg - roughly 900kg heavier than the largest tiger ever recorded.

Simbakubwa, unlike other prehistoric animals, wasn’t found in the field. Instead, it was discovered in a long-neglected museum drawer by a student. The fossils found were several jaw bones complete with some vicious-looking, self-sharpening teeth scientists say were designed to slice effortlessly through the tough meat of its prey - likely rhinoceroses and early elephants.