Underwater predators of the ocean. The largest predators in the world. River predatory fish

photo: John ‘K’

sharks

Perhaps the most dangerous predator of the ocean can be called the white shark: this animal brings great fear to people. Sharks lived in the ocean many years before the appearance of man. About 400 species of these animals are known, but the white shark is considered the most dangerous predator. Her powerful teeth, huge weight - about 3 tons and a length of about 6 meters can terrify anyone. The predator has a spindle-shaped body, large fins and a crescent-shaped tail, lives for about 27 years. There are 300 sharp teeth in the oral cavity, the upper jaw is equipped with triangular teeth, and on mandible they take on a curved shape.

photo: corwinconnect

However, a person is not a "delicacy" for these animals, they prefer to attack those inhabitants who have good fat reserves, for example, fur seals and lions. People are not too interesting for white sharks: they have a lot of muscle tissue and tendons. Sharks attack people for two reasons:

a man flounders in the water, and the predator takes him for easy prey - a sick animal;

the silhouette of a person floating on a surfboard resembles the outlines of other inhabitants of the ocean. Since sharks have poor eyesight, they can make a mistake and mistake the swimmer for simple prey. To make sure the prey is edible, the predator makes a test bite or is limited to a powerful push, but it can also tear the prey to pieces.

photo: Venson Kuchipudi

How to behave White shark, is difficult to predict. Having caught the prey, the shark shakes its head in different directions, which helps it tear the prey to pieces.

Scientists believe that thanks to this animal, the Pacific Ocean is the cleanest, since the shark eats the weakest creatures.

sea ​​anemones

These organisms belong to the class Cnidaria, distinctive feature which is the presence of stinging cells used to protect against predators and for the purpose of attack. Sea anemones lead sedentary image life, their length reaches 1 meter in height.

photo:Achim

These predators are attached to the bottom with a special foot called the basal disc or sole. The tentacles of sea anemones, which vary in number from ten to hundreds, contain special cells called cnidocytes. These cells secrete a venom composed of a mixture of toxins designed for hunting and self-defense. The venom contains substances that act on nervous system: paralyze the prey, which allows the predator to pull it closer to the mouth. With the help of venom, anemones immobilize fish and crustaceans, which make up their main diet.

For humans, the poison of stinging cells is not life-threatening, but can cause soreness and burns.

killer whales

These predators belong to the dolphin family, but do not have all the friendly features of these animals. Their nickname is the killer whale, they eat almost all the inhabitants of the oceans: mollusks, fish, mammals. If they have enough food, then killer whales exist quite peacefully with other cetaceans. But if the killer whale gets hungry, a whale, and, and a penguin can become her food.

photo: Nick Johnson

The size of the victim does not really matter: if it is a large animal, killer whales can attack with the whole herd. But, when it is not possible to kill the victim in one fell swoop, killer whales can starve it out, biting off a small piece from the body. No one will be protected from the attack of killer whales - neither a small herring, nor a large dolphin.

A flock of these animals works in a strictly debugged mode: when they notice a victim, they become very “silent”.

photo: Sean

They move in even ranks, like soldiers, and each individual has its own task. If a flock of killer whales leads a sedentary lifestyle, then fish or crustaceans are quite suitable for food. A migratory flock of killer whales can use as food large mammals such as seals and sea lions. They fully justify their nickname - "killer whales".

These are the members of the squad. cephalopods. Octopuses have excellent sense of smell, sight and touch, but they do not hear very well. Octopuses are mobile animals that, with the help of tentacles, capture the victim and immobilize it with the help of a paralyzing poison. Most often, crabs and lobsters become their prey: with the help of their tools, they split their shell and reach the body of the victim. For humans, octopus venom is also dangerous, there are problems with speech, breathing and swallowing. If help does not arrive in time, it can lead to death.

Photo: Neptune Canada

Octopuses are rather cunning creatures: when an enemy attacks, they seem to throw off their tentacles. The reclined organ wriggles frantically, and the predator focuses directly on it. At this time, the octopus safely crawls away.

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Covering our planet by 70%, the sea is home to some of the most unusual, mysterious and deadly animals on the planet. Since humans are not born or live in the ocean, this makes us easy prey for many of these creatures, though fortunately we are not part of their main menu...

Because a man who spent too much time floating on the surface of the sea, he often tried to get closer and know what was hidden below the sea level. Luckily, the statistics aren't as terrifying and it seems to be quite rare for a person to be eaten alive in the open ocean. However, do not think that the waters of the ocean are so friendly to us, we should always be on our guard.

When selecting the most dangerous sea ​​creatures in the world we will take into account the statistics of attacks, the potential for killing and aggression of these animals. This list contains a huge number of species from tropical jellyfish to killers of the Arctic.

10. Sea urchin

Photo. Toxopneustes (lat. Toxopneustes pileolus), sea urchin

Many of you have met sea urchins in your life, and some of you have known how sharp their spines are and how painful it is to feel them in your skin. However, the toxopneustes (Latin: Toxopneustes pileolus) thrives when it comes to defensive tactics. It is described in the Guinness Book of Records as "the most dangerous sea urchin in the world", this is one of the representatives of echinoderms that you definitely should not step on.

What makes this sea urchin so dangerous is its powerful venom that it is equipped with. This venom contains at least two dangerous toxins: contractin A, a neurotoxin that causes smooth muscle spasms, and peditoxin, a protein toxin that can cause convulsions, anaphylactic shock, and death. The venom enters through the pedicellaria, the flower-like structures that give this hedgehog its name. Once skin contact has occurred, pedicellariae often continue to pump venom into the prey. Obviously, the size of these pedicellaria is directly related to the effectiveness of the poison.

Toxopneustes is responsible for many of the deaths that have happened to people over the years. A hedgehog sting is very painful, resulting in paralysis, breathing problems and disorientation, all of which can contribute to drowning a person. As for pain, here is a bite story recorded by a Japanese marine biologist in the 1930s:

“Then 7 or 8 pedicellariae stuck tightly into inside middle finger right hand, separated from the stalk, they remained on the skin of my finger. I instantly felt severe pain, reminiscent of the pain caused by cnidoplast coelenterates, and I felt as if the toxin began to move rapidly through the blood vessel from the stung area to my heart. After some time, I experienced difficulty breathing, slight dizziness, paralysis of the lips, tongue and eyelids, relaxation of the muscles in the limbs, it is unlikely that in this state I could speak or control my facial expression, I felt almost as if I was about to die. .

9. Barracuda

Photo. Large barracuda (lat. Sphyraena barracuda)

The photo above should be enough to understand why the barracuda made it to our list. Reaching up to 1.8 m (6 ft) in length and armed with terrifyingly massive, super-sharp teeth, the torpedo-shaped barracuda is more than capable of inflicting serious injury on humans. In fact, there are 22 species of barracuda, but only the Greater Barracuda (lat. Sphyraena barracuda) is known to attack humans.

The barracuda's diet consists mainly of small to medium sized fish. She uses her lightning speed and ambush tactics to catch her. In many recorded attacks on people, people had shiny objects such as jewelry and even diving knives. Apparently the barracuda is attracted to this, confuses them with fish and strikes.

Such attacks can result in deep cuts, often resulting in damage to nerves and tendons, or in the worst case, rupture of blood vessels. These wounds may require hundreds of stitches.

IN rare cases barracudas have been known to jump out of the water, resulting in serious injuries to people in the boat. In one recent case in Florida in 2015, a female canoeist was injured and really had to fight for her life after suffering several broken ribs and a punctured lung during a barracuda attack.

If, however, this information does not convince you that barracuda should be on this list, then there is one more thing. Barracudas have a final argument: their flesh sometimes contains ciguatoxin, which can cause severe symptoms that last for months.

8. Textile cone

Photo. textile cone

Cones have been a favorite with collectors for centuries for their shells, but don't be fooled by their beauty. appearance, these clams are killers! Equipped with tiny harpoons fashioned from modified teeth, these creatures can fire a hollow harpoon filled with deadly neurotoxins in any direction. Harpoon for some large species The cones are very large and strong enough to not only pierce human flesh, but also gloves and even a wetsuit.

One drop of the cone's venom is enough to kill 20 people, making it one of the most venomous creatures on earth. Known as a conotoxin, the poison can only affect certain types nerves. Medically, a cone sting usually causes intense localized pain with life-threatening symptoms that does not go away for several days. On the other hand, from the moment this mollusk stings you, paralysis can occur very quickly. respiratory system and subsequent death. In fact, one type of cone is very well known as the "cigarette snail" all because you don't even have time to smoke a cigarette before you die!

Despite being a deadly poison, cones are responsible for only a handful of deaths over the years, which is why they come in at number 8 on our list.

7. Leopard seal

Photo. Sea leopard

The leopard seal (lat. Hydrurga leptonyx) is actually named after its spotted skin although this may explain his violent nature. Being at the top the food chain in Antarctica, this leopard is one of the largest seals in southern waters. Reaching up to 4 m (13 ft) in length and weighing up to 600 kg (1,320 lb), the leopard seal is a formidable predator. In addition to its size and speed, these seals are also armed with a huge mouth (big enough to fit your head!), studded with large, pointed teeth, making it look more like a reptile than a seal.

The leopard seal's menu includes other seal species, seabirds, penguins and fish, although they are also known for sifting krill and small crustaceans. These seals usually hunt from ambush, just below the level of the ice, when seals or penguins jump into the water, it is at this moment that they pounce on their prey.

Given that the leopard seal is found only in the cold waters of distant southern oceans they don't often come into contact with humans at all. However, due to the fact that the sea leopard has already killed people, this makes it very terrible in our eyes.

Back in 1914, during the expedition of Ernest Shackleton, it was necessary to shoot a leopard seal as it was chasing crew member Thomas Ord-Lees. At first, the seal pursued Ord-Fox on the ice, after which it plunged under the ice cover and followed him from below. After the leopard seal jumped ahead of the Ord Fox, another member of the team managed to kill him.

In 2003, a British scientist was less fortunate. Kirsty Brown, a 28-year-old marine biologist working with the British Antarctic Survey, was snorkeling off the Antarctic Peninsula when she was attacked by a large leopard seal. The seal dragged the woman deep into the water, where she suffocated.

While there are many stories of leopard seals harassing people in boats, this incident is the first recorded death.

6. Wart

Photo. warty

This grumpy-looking comrade doesn't seem too happy to be on her own. poisonous fish on the planet. Armed with 13 needle-like sharp spines running along its back, the rockfish blends in perfectly with the surrounding background, it just waits for the unfortunate person to step on it. Another feature of the wart that is always worth mentioning is that it is able to survive outside the sea for up to 24 hours. It's really hard to spot her. seabed. The neurotoxic venom of the wart is not only dangerous, but also incredibly painful. In fact, the sting of this fish is reportedly so excruciating that the victims asked to have their limbs cut off. The quote below clearly shows how painful it is:

“In Australia, I got a prick in my finger from a rockfish… not to mention bee venom. ... Imagine that every wrist, knuckle, elbow and shoulder was hit by a sledgehammer for about an hour. About an hour later, you were allegedly kicked in both kidneys for about 45 minutes, so much so that you could not just stand or straighten up. I was in my early 20s, physically fit, and still have a small scar. In the next few days, my finger remained sore, but also for several years after that, there were intermittent pains in the kidneys.

For obvious reasons, many people received a wart injection in the leg. Although such incidents may simply redefine pain, they nevertheless led to great trouble. Such venom injections are potentially fatal, causing respiratory paralysis and possibly heart failure. In serious cases, urgent health care and the victim must be treated with an antidote. In fact, it is the second most commonly administered antidote in Australia and has resulted in no one dying from a wart sting there for almost 100 years.

5. Blue-ringed octopus

Photo. blue ringed octopus

Instantly recognizable by their iridescent blue rings, these little octopuses spend most of their time hiding in cracks or camouflaging themselves in coral reefs Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Only when they feel threatened do blue ringed octopuses really live up to their name and show their true colors. At that moment, his skin becomes a bright yellow, and the blue rings are even brighter, they almost shimmer. This beautiful display can also be a warning as it is one of the most dangerous animals in the ocean.

What makes this octopus especially dangerous is its venom. Not all octopuses have venom, but the blue-ringed octopus is in the big leagues. Known as TDT (tetrodotoxin), it is an incredibly potent neurotoxin, similar to the one found in poison dart frogs and wart frogs. It is about 1200 times stronger than cyanide, one small sting can be enough to kill you. In fact, as many victims claim, they did not even feel the injection itself.

An average sample weighing about 30 grams is reported to contain enough poison to kill more than 10 adults.

Video. What is dangerous blue-ringed octopus

There is no effective antidote for blue-ringed octopus venom, its neurotoxin aims to paralyze the victim. In effect, it is similar to medical curare, which is used to immobilize patients during surgery; under its influence, a person is not able to speak and move. Main danger is that it paralyzes the lungs, causing the victim to suffocate. IN severe cases prompt treatment is essential and this involves putting the victim on life support until the effect of the poison wears off and breathing is restored.

4. Box jellyfish

Photo. sea ​​wasp

There are many types of box jellyfish that get their name from their cuboid bodies. Many box jellyfish are especially poisonous, like the large sea wasp (lat. Chironex fleckeri), it has the strongest poison. Found along the northern coasts of Australia and tropical Southeast Asia, the sea wasp is often regarded as the "world's deadliest jellyfish", having killed more than 60 people in Australia alone. Apparently, in other regions of the world, the death toll is much higher, especially where antivenom is not always available.

The venom of the sea wasp is second in strength among all creatures on Earth, more poisonous only in the geographic cone. Calculations show that each animal contains enough venom to kill 60 adult humans and very few animals can kill so quickly. In extreme cases, death occurs from cardiac arrest, known to take less than five minutes after a person has been stung. The bite itself causes excruciating pain along with a burning sensation that is similar to the touch of a hot iron. Good news is that, contrary to popular belief, urinating on the bite will not cause any noticeable effect! In most cases, the tentacles remain on the victim's body, and they are able to continue to sting even after you have left the sea, which often results in scarring.

Video. Box jellyfish - Sea wasp

But there are also tiny jellyfish, the Irukandji. They are widespread and this small jellyfish has a strong venom that can lead to Irukandji syndrome, which gradually appears after the sting itself. The bite of the Irukandji is also reported to be potentially fatal, as well as incredibly painful. One of the victims said that it was even worse than childbirth and more intense.

3. Sea snakes

Photo. Sea snake

There are many species of sea snakes that mainly live in tropical waters Indian and Pacific Oceans. They are believed to have evolved from land snakes in Australia and adapted to life in shallow coastal waters by developing an enormous left lung and stretching out in length. They are closely related to terrestrial cobras and kraits, which is a little surprising since many sea snakes are highly venomous. What is actually surprising is that their venom is much stronger than that of their terrestrial relatives. The reason for being so venomous is that they eat fish, which means that they must immobilize their prey as quickly as possible to prevent it from escaping and getting hurt.

Apparently, most of you have heard that despite their deadly venom, sea snakes are harmless because they have tiny mouths. This is complete nonsense! Real sea snakes have small fangs and don't have huge mouths, however they are capable of swallowing fish whole and can easily bite a person, even through a wetsuit.

There are actually two reasons why sea snakes are considered much less dangerous than land snakes A: First, they tend to be shy and much less aggressive. In addition, they tend to make a "dry" bite, i.e. poison is not injected. It is very unlikely that poison can be injected into a person and the good news is that there are certain antidotes.

Of all the species of sea snakes, there are two that deserve mention. Nosy enhydrina (lat. Enhydrina schistosa) is one of the most poisonous snakes on the ground. Its poison is almost 8 times stronger than that of a cobra, one drop is enough to kill three people. It is also considered more aggressive than most other sea snakes. Nosed Enhydrin venom contains both neurotoxins and myotoxins, while the former will kill you through respiratory paralysis, the latter will begin to split muscles, causing excruciating pain.

Despite these signs, there have been a few known deaths that this snake is responsible for, but it is more common in deeper waters. Most of the bites were given to fishermen while checking their nets.

The second sea snake worth mentioning is the Belcher sea snake (lat. Hydrophis belcheri), only because it is often referred to as the snake with the most strong poison. It is often claimed that its venom is 100 times stronger than even that of the inland taipan. This is a bit of an exaggeration, but the poison is definitely like that of the taipan. The good news is that Belcher's sea snake is often described as having a "friendly" personality!

2. Salted crocodile

Photo. combed crocodile

Saltwater or saltwater crocodile is no stranger to the pages of In Animal Jaws. This animal is deadly both on land and water, and this crocodile is the most large reptile handed down to us from the time of the dinosaurs. The largest specimens that have been recorded and described measured up to 7 meters (25 feet) in length and weighed about 2 tons, although in the 1950s one crocodile reached a length of 8.5 meters (30 feet) and was allegedly caught around city ​​of Darwin in Australia.

Along with his size, he also has incredible strength, the saltwater crocodile has the most powerful bite on Earth, 10 times stronger than that of the great white shark. They are also fast swimmers in water, reaching speeds of up to 27 km/h (18 mph). On land, they are not as fast, but urban legends assure us that they are capable of explosive action, they are allegedly faster than you can react.

Although most people associate the saltwater crocodile with Australia, it is widespread and wreaks havoc elsewhere. combed crocodile can be found throughout Southeast Asia and even as far west as India. These crocodiles are also known to be able to swim long distances alone and have been seen as far away as Fijah and New Caledonia.

Australia has an average of two fatal attacks by saltwater crocodiles per year. In other places, the number of attacks is difficult to estimate, but studies show that there are many more, up to 30 per year.

Perhaps the most infamous attack by combed crocodiles occurred on Ramri Island (Myanmar) during World War II. After a fierce battle, the Japanese soldiers refused to surrender and retreated into the crocodile-infested swamp, which was surrounded by British marines. According to reports, about 400 Japanese soldiers were killed by crocodiles that night. An eyewitness, Bruce Stanley Wright, wrote of the events of that night:

Video. Crocodile slaughter. Crocodile attacks on Ramri Island

“Scattered rifle shots in the black haze of the swamp were interrupted by the screams of wounded men being eaten by the jaws of huge reptiles, and the blurry alarm sound of spinning crocodiles was like a sound from hell, which is rarely heard on earth ...

Of about a thousand Japanese soldiers who entered the Ramri swamps, only about twenty were found alive."

1 Sharks

Photo. Great white shark

Not too many surprises here, right? As predators, sharks are dominant ocean predators, they are very well equipped to inflict serious injury: large, fast and powerful jaws, armed with several rows of razor-sharp teeth, these fish are polished killing machines. However, despite the existence of about 400 species, it is possible to select only a few that pose at least some real danger to humans. We have already described in another article, but we still believe that it is worth choosing only four of them.

On the one hand, the great white shark is the most capable killer of all living sharks. Reaching a length of almost 8 meters (25 feet) and 3 tons in weight, great white sharks have earned their name in their lifetime. Their favorite tactic is to swim under their prey and then on top speed(55 km/h, 35 mph) climb up with your mouth open, sink your teeth into unsuspecting prey.

Statistics partly support the status of the great white shark as a deadly ocean creature for humans, of about 400 recorded unprovoked attacks, approximately 20% were fatal. However, with a closer look at some other types of sharks, one can understand that great white sharks are not as dangerous to humans as compared to other species.

The bull shark has slightly higher kill rates, around 25%, and many attacks are thought to have either been misattributed or not recorded. The trump card of the bull shark is its ability to survive in fresh water. These sharks have been found around the world thousands of miles from the ocean in estuaries where no one expected to see them. They have even been found in lakes that have only seasonal access to the sea.

Also, bull sharks, like tiger sharks, are much less picky about what they eat. While most great white shark attacks seem to mistakenly misidentify their prey, bull sharks deliberately attack humans.

Another type of shark worth mentioning is the long-winged shark. Although the statistics do not indicate their danger, the legendary naturalist Jacques Cousteau described them as "the most dangerous of all sharks." It is these sharks that are blamed for hundreds of deaths during air and sea disasters. The most famous cases date back to World War II, when the Nova Scotia ships sank off the coast of South Africa and Indianapolis in the Philippines. Although no exact figures are available, the total death toll from these two disasters is believed to be around 1,000 as a result of shark attacks.

The seas and oceans form a joint unique ecosystem that becomes a habitat for millions of amazing creatures. Some inhabitants of the deep are the largest living organisms on the planet, others can be seen using unusually powerful microscopes.

In the course of evolution, each Living being ocean has developed a unique strategy that allows each individual and the species as a whole to survive in the depths of the waters.

However, not all the inhabitants of the ocean have chosen a defensive form of behavior, some of the representatives of the underwater fauna have become real predators, aggressive, cunning, insidious and deadly.

This article will name the most deadly inhabitants of the deep sea.

"Dumb Shark"

She hunts in shallow water, where people bathe so often, and is deservedly considered one of the most insidious and dangerous sharks that live in the ocean.

Sharks of this species are called "blunt-nosed" due to their massive, solid body, and a certain shape of the mouth, resembling the face of a square. The aggressive reputation of blunt-nosed sharks is confirmed by the frequency of attacks and killings of people. An adult reaches four meters and moves under water with amazing speed. She literally hunts in the waters of all oceans, eating everything in her path.

Scientists have recently found that the shark practically does not use its eyes during the hunt, it relies on more "subtle" senses. Developed sense of smell allows her to catch the smell of the victim at a distance of up to two kilometers.

A special organ on her head picks up the slightest fluctuations in the water, which helps her track the victim. After the predator has decided on the prey, it rapidly rushes towards it, accelerating up to 20 kilometers per hour, which is twice as fast as an Olympic swimmer.

The blunt-nosed shark is armed with teeth, the edge of which resembles small saw blades. Indeed, evolution has created a ruthless killer. It is almost impossible for a person to escape from her mouth.

"Big Barracuda"

Sharks are not the only creatures that have been created by evolution as ruthless predators. There are many creatures in the ocean that can boast of their lethality.

There are approximately 26 species of barracuda in the world, but the "Great Barracuda" is the largest, most aggressive and dangerous. Its structure is similar to a torpedo. An adult individual reaches 2 meters and at the same time weighs 45-50 kilograms. She can pursue her prey at depths of up to 100 meters. The hunter determines the exact location of the victim thanks to excellent vision. The great barracuda is an excellent strategist, scientists have determined that this predator uses two methods of catching prey, catching up with the victim, reaching a speed of 55 km / h, or waiting for prey in ambush. Fortunately, this predator rarely attacks a person, only two cases are officially known when a barracuda killed a person.

"Sperm whale"

Length adult reaches 25 meters, and the weight can reach up to 50 tons. Every day, this giant carnivore eats a ton of food. The throat of a sperm whale is large enough for it to swallow an adult male. According to the official scientific paradigm, this sea ​​monster not to hunt people, but is content with octopuses and fish, which he eats thanks to his teeth, sharp as daggers. Although some scientists suggest that the sperm whale can eat a person as an alternative to the same octopus.

"Electric Stingray"

large disc-shaped body electric ramp can weigh more than 40 kilograms. This is one of the 24 types of stingrays, which is able to strike with force. electric shock. This blow is able to “turn off” a person for a long time, and in individual cases even kill. Often lone scuba divers die because of that creature, stunned by his blow, they simply do not have time to surface when the oxygen in the cylinders runs out.

The stingray, attacking its prey, inflicts a crushing electric shock on it, which destroys its nervous system and leads to muscle spasm. This predator can attack its prey at depths of up to 200 meters, but prefers to hunt in shallow water.

"Sailboat"

This type of fish does not have teeth as long as a blade, but a sharp outgrowth protruding forward can be used by them as a deadly weapon. Often people die in the process of fishing for this ocean dweller. The sailboat grows up to four meters and can weigh 100 kilograms. This predator is the fastest of all hunters in the ocean, its baked body shape allows it to accelerate to a speed of 120 km / h.

"Sea leopard"

This species of seal feeds mainly on warm-blooded prey. His hunting grounds are the cold arctic waters. Its main dish is penguins, which the sea leopard ruthlessly pursues and eats. On average, a predator kills 5-6 penguins per day. Penguins can only hide on ice floes. In the process of hunting, the sea leopard develops a speed of up to 40 km / h. Its weight is 500 kilograms.

"Spine cushion sea urchin"

Sea urchins are small creatures, usually hard-shelled and covered in sharp spines. In addition, one of the types of sea urchins can also bite.

However, we will talk about a completely harmless, at first glance, representative of this species. It does not have sharp thorns and at the same time looks bright and festive.

Needle-cushioned sea urchin, despite the festive, bright color deadly and ruthless, the poison in its needles can easily end the life of an adult. A pouch on each needle contains a potent toxin that enters the victim's body as soon as the needle breaks the skin.

However, this is not the entire arsenal of this creature. In addition to the poison needles, the hedgehog has many tiny jaws that contain small fangs. A particularly dangerous toxin accumulates at the end of the teeth, which, when it enters the bloodstream, paralyzes the nervous system.

The ocean is fraught with a huge number of dangers, at first glance, harmless creatures are capable of causing significant harm to a person, what can we say then about the creatures that were presented on this list.

A person needs to understand for a long time that he is not such a master wildlife, in the face of real predators, all the achievements of civilization fade.

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A fragment of a three-meter petrified skull was found in sedimentary rocks on the coast of Peru giant sperm whale. The discovery was made in the desert 35 km southwest of the city of Ika (already known to many paleontologists for its artifacts) by paleontologist Klaas Post from the Rotterdam Natural History Museum on the last day of the expedition of a team of paleontologists led by Dr. Muizon (Christian de Muizon), director of the Natural History Museum in Paris (Natural History Museum in Paris).

The expedition also included paleontologists Olivier Lambert from the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels, Giovanni di Bianucci from the University of Pisa (Università di Pisa) in Italy, Rodolfo Salas -Gismondi (Rodolfo Salas-Gismondi) and Mario Urbino (Mario Urbina) from the Natural History Museum National University San Marcos (Lima, Peru) (Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima) and Jelle Reumer from the Rotterdam Natural History Museum.

The fossil was placed in the collection of the Museum of Natural History in Lima, Peru.

The researchers, as discoverers, named the newly described species of sperm whale Leviathan melvillei:

- the first component of the name is the mythological monster Leviathan, mentioned in the Old Testament;

- the second part is given in honor of Herman Melville, author of the novel about the white whale "Moby Dick".

According to the reconstruction carried out by scientists, Leviathan melvillei had a jaw length of three meters, and from the tip of the muzzle to the tail was 16-18 meters.

The most amazing feature of this animal is its huge teeth up to 30 centimeters long and up to 12 centimeters wide. These are the largest teeth that any of the terrestrial predatory animals possessed.

Teeth of the absolute champion

Of modern predators, only sperm whales, reaching 20 meters in length, can be compared in size with L. melvillei. However, the modern sperm whale has functional teeth only on the lower jaw (on the upper jaw, there are practically no protruding rudimentary teeth), while in the ancient sperm whale-leviathan, both the lower and upper jaws are equally developed. The presence of teeth both above and below suggests a predatory hunting strategy: probably Leviathan melvillei attacked his prey powerful jaws and tore it apart with giant teeth.

Analyzing the details of the skull, and in view of the fact that the jaws of the found animal were equipped with large powerful muscles, scientists suggest that Leviathan melvillei could easily deal with even whales up to 7-10 meters long.

At one time and in the same waters, along with Leviathan melvillei, another monster lived - Carcharocles megalodon - giant shark, reaching 15 meters in. Could these giants predatory world compete or fight - scientists are still unknown, since there are no facts indicating the meetings of these monsters.

In addition, scientists will have to answer the question about the reasons for the disproportionate torso of the animal. This will make it possible to study the skeleton of a prehistoric sperm whale.

Initially, it was believed that a large head allows these marine mammals to dive to a considerable depth in search of food. But the latest data obtained refute this theory, since the animals hunted by giant hunters lived in upper layers ocean.

Based on the size of the skull, the researchers argue that the ancient monster whale had a large spermaceti organ (spermaceti organs), the purpose of which modern sperm whales have no consensus on.

By modern ideas this large cavity in the forehead, filled with a waxy substance called spermaceti, helps the whale in several tasks:

- the first (controversial) is the facilitation of diving and ascent due to a consistent change in the density of this substance. It hardens and contracts on contact with cold water and melts from the heat of the blood;

- this cavity, apparently, plays some role in echolocation;

- a large head can serve as a percussion weapon in the struggle of males for a female.

Maybe she helped the Leviathan in the attack on the prey. Such a ram could damage the victim no less than the subsequent capture by strong jaws. At least two 19th-century whaling ships were sunk after being struck on the side by the massive head of large male sperm whales. Similar cases later formed the basis of the plot of the novel "Moby Dick".

Since the "Leviathan" did not dive deep for its victims, but preferred to eat near the surface of the sea, it did not need "assistance in diving".

From this it may follow that such a large organ in the course of the evolution of whales appeared precisely as an echo sounder and a ram, and long before sperm whales began to make their amazing dives to great depths.

Scientists still can not answer the question of what led to extinction Leviathan melvillei, but suggest that this could be due to changes in environment(cooling), as well as in the abundance and size of available prey.

Lambert is sure: Leviathan melvillei is the largest known to science sperm whale. His descendants shredded, lost their teeth, and instead of actively hunting mammals switched to sucking on mollusks such as squid.

Sperm whales that feed on deep-sea squid today are much less vulnerable to climate change than active predators that live near the surface of the water. Modern sperm whales specialize in a completely different food niche: they are excellent divers hunting deep-sea squids. And the teeth of sperm whales are not particularly needed to capture squid.

This was not at all the case with Leviathan melvillei, he knew perfectly well how to use such an impressive weapon. Well, millions of years after the disappearance of the monster, the vacated niche of an aggressive predator was filled by "killer whales" - killer whales, significantly inferior to the "Leviathan" in size, but using similar hunting tactics.

And two more important findings recent years concerning the evolution of whales.

Last year, the remains of two whales of the Archaeoceti group of the species Maiacetus inuus, about 48 million years old, were found in Pakistan. Analysis of the fossilized skeletons of a male and a pregnant female showed that the females of primitive whales gave birth on the ground. In addition, their find provided new data to determine how the whales migrated from land to water. Scientists believe that the first land creatures appeared in the Devonian - about 360-380 million years ago. After 300 million years, some species of mammals decided to return back to the water. Their paws began to turn back into fins. The discovery in Pakistan showed an important link in the evolution of whales. The presence of teeth in the fetus suggests that newborn whales of this species were not completely helpless in their first years of life.

In 2007, a group of American scientists found that the ancestors of modern whales were deer-like creatures without horns and smaller. New evidence suggests that the ancestors of whales were artiodactyls that lived in South Asia about 50 million years ago and hid in the water when danger approached. Previously, it was assumed that the closest relatives of marine mammals are hippos.