News, views and top stories in your inbox. Don't miss our must-read newsletter Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Scientists have discovered an extinct species of rat which was 10 times bigger than modern day rodents.

The scary creatures would have been the size of a modern dog, with huge, terrifying jaws.

"They are what you would call mega-fauna," said Dr Julien Louys from The Australian National University, who dug up the super rodent in East Timor.

"The biggest one is about five kilos, the size of a small dog.

"Just to put that in perspective, a large modern rat would be about half a kilo."

(Image: Getty)

Humans lived alongside these rats for thousands of years and probably even ate them.

"We know they're eating the giant rats because we have found bones with cut and burn marks," he added.

"The funny thing is that they are co-existing up until about a thousand years ago.

"The reason we think they became extinct is because that was when metal tools started to be introduced in Timor, people could start to clear forests at a much larger scale."