Paleoartist Roman Uchytel has created a gallery of size-comparison images that highlight the radical evolutionary journey that modern day animals have undergone when compared to their long-extinct ancestors.

The comparisons came to be when Uchytel — who grew up near a zoo sketching animals — sought to combine his knowledge of animal anatomy and artistic talents to “bring ancient creatures to life”. The collection is available on the artist’s website, Prehistoric Fauna, as reported by My Modern Met.

“We came up with this idea together with Alexandra Uchytel, my wife and business partner, for our children to know what the ancestors (or relatives) of the animals they see in the zoo looked like,” Uchytel explained to IGN. “Besides, I’ve been wondering how these animals would fit together. Everyone compares extinct animals to humans, but no one compares them to contemporaries (descendants).”

Uchytel chose not to focus on dinosaurs, instead opting to explore the ancestors of present-day animals dating back millions of years to a range of other prehistoric eras. The paleoartist has created size comparisons far a wide variety of the animal kingdom, ranging from the massive blue whale to the humble Virginia opossum.

“I have been cooperating for many years with museums and scientists from all over the world who have kindly provided me with scientific descriptions, photographs of skeletons and other necessary information,” explained the artist. “Although in many cases I have to rely on my own specialized biological knowledge and art education.”

The images highlight the dramatic evolutionary changes that have taken place in the animal kingdom over millions of years, while showcasing incredible specimens from the distant past, such as the Megalodon shark – a fearsome ancestor to the great white we know today.

Be sure to check out IGN’s science page to learn more about the megalodon and how researchers decoded the secrets of a two million year old ecosystem from ancient DNA.

Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer