Animals · Science

Extra Large, Long Ago

We ordered a little pet. A prehistoric giant arrived.

A song. A few new discoveries.

Meet Megatherium, Glyptodon, giant beavers, woolly mammoths, Irish elk, Smilodon, Megalodon and more in a wildly oversized pet-catalog adventure. Discover ancient relatives and giant animals from different times in Earth’s history.

These animals did not all live together. Size comparisons are approximate; the pet catalog is make-believe. The giant flying insect is a prehistoric dragonfly relative.

Made for curious kids around ages 6–12 and the grown-ups watching with them. Music and animation created with AI tools under Mike Sego’s direction. YouTube’s video description includes the release notes and credits.

Read the sing-along lyrics

Smarty Party! I found a pet catalog from a really, really long time ago. Ooh! It says "Extra large"! I ordered a sloth, just a sleepy little guy— Megatherium came, as big as an elephant! Hi! I ordered an armadillo, cute and small— A Glyptodon rolled in the size of a car, shell and all! I ordered a beaver to chew on a stick— A giant beaver came, bear-sized and thick! I asked for an elephant—okay, that's big— I got a woolly mammoth in a shaggy wig! Extra large, long ago! Lots of animals you know Had a giant cousin—whoa! Extra large, long ago! Too big! Too big! Where'd I put the door? Extra large, long ago— They don't make 'em like that anymore! I ordered a deer with some antlers on top— The Irish elk's antlers were twelve feet wide! Stop! I ordered a kangaroo, bouncy and sweet— A short-faced kangaroo stood nearly seven feet! I ordered a kitty with a whisker or two— Smilodon's saber teeth came smiling at you! I ordered a shark for my fishy tank— Megalodon arrived... and the whole tank sank! Extra large, long ago! Lots of animals you know Had a giant cousin—whoa! Extra large, long ago! Too big! Too big! Where'd I put the door? Extra large, long ago— They don't make 'em like that anymore! Then I flipped to the very back, before the dinosaurs: A dragonfly with wings as wide as a skateboard soars; A millipede longer than your bed! I'm gonna need a bigger shed. Titanoboa—a snake as long as a school bus, hiss! Argentavis—a bird with wings wider than a van, like this! Too tall, too long, too wide, too wild— Somebody call the catalog people, I'm just a child! Extra large, long ago! Lots of animals you know Had a giant cousin—whoa! Extra large, long ago! Too big! Too big! Where'd I put the door? Extra large, long ago— They don't make 'em like that anymore! Okay. Next time, I'm ordering from this century. Smarty Party Songs! Like, subscribe, PARTY!

Lyrics from the published video’s caption file.