Wild animals before our era. Unseen prehistoric animals. Deinosuchus - the largest crocodile on the planet

The law of nature “Survival of the fittest” and human activity have led to the extinction of very amazing species of animals, which, unfortunately, we will never be able to see with our own eyes again.

1. Megaladapis (koala lemurs)

Koala lemurs (lat. Megaladapis Edwarsi) as a species were identified only in 1894. They lived on the island of Madagascar from the end of the Pleistocene to the Holocene. Some scientists considered megaladapis to be the closest relatives of modern lemurs. However, according to the results of the studies carried out, there is absolutely no connection between small lepilemurs and extinct koala lemurs, which had a skull the size of a gorilla.

The growth of adult megaladapis reached 1.5 meters, and their weight was approximately 75 kilograms. Their front legs were longer than their hind legs. They jumped badly because of too much weight and probably spent most of their lives on the ground.

The first people on the island of Madagascar appeared about two thousand years ago. During this period, seventeen species of lemurs became extinct, the most notable of which - due to their huge size - were megaladapis. Radiocarbon dating shows that koala lemurs became extinct almost 500 years ago.

2. Wonambi

Wonambi (lat. Wonambi Naracoortensis) lived in Australia during the Pliocene era. "Wonambi" from the language of the local aborigines is translated as "rainbow snake". Unlike more developed snakes, the jaws of the wanambi were inactive. Some scientists believe that wonambi, from an evolutionary point of view, were a cross between lizards and modern snakes.

Wonambi body length reached more than 4.5 meters. They had recurved teeth but no fangs. Most scientists agree that the Wonambi became extinct 40,000 years ago.

3. great auk

Great auks (lat. Pinguinus Impennis) are bizarre black and white birds that could not fly. The growth of flightless auks, which were nicknamed the "original penguins", reached about one meter. They had tiny wings about 15 centimeters long. Great auks lived in the northern waters of the Atlantic Ocean near countries such as Scotland, Norway, Canada, the United States and France. They only come to land to breed.

Great auks began to be highly valued in the early 18th century. Their expensive feathers, leather, meat, butter and thirteen-centimeter eggs attracted hunters and collectors. Ultimately, wingless auks were threatened with extinction, but this only increased the demand for them.

On July 3, 1844, Sigurdur Isleifsson, together with two comrades, went to the Icelandic island of Eldey, where at that time the last colony of wingless auks lived. They found a male and a female there incubating the egg. The men hired by a wealthy merchant killed the birds and crushed the egg. It was the only pair of great auks in the world.

The last representative of the wingless auk species was seen in 1852 in the waters of the Great Newfoundland Bank (Canada).

4. Deer Schomburgka

Once upon a time, hundreds of thousands of Schomburgk deer (lat. Rucervus Schomburgki) lived in Thailand. The animals were described and identified as a species in 1863. They were named after the then British Consul in Bangkok, Sir Robert Schomburgk. According to scientists, they became extinct in the 1930s. Some believe that Schomburgk deer still exist, but scientific observations, unfortunately, have not confirmed this assumption.

The Thai people believed that the antlers of the Schomburgk deer had magical and healing powers, so these animals were often hunted and sold to people practicing traditional medicine. During floods, the reindeer of Schomburgk congregated on the higher ground; for this reason, it was not difficult to kill them: in fact, there was nowhere for them to run.

The last wild Schomburgk reindeer was killed in 1932, domesticated in 1938.

Last time representatives of the Jamaican giant (or sinking) gallivasp (lat. Celestus Occiduus) were seen in 1840. The body length of the Jamaican giant gallivasps reached 60 centimeters. With their appearance, they inspired fear and horror in local residents. Their extinction appears to be related to the introduction of predators in Jamaica, such as the mongoose, for example, and to human factors.

Jamaicans believe that gallivaspas are poisonous animals. According to legend, whoever gets to the water first - the gallivasp or the person he bit - will live. However, the islanders do not need to worry about the giant gallivaspas now, as they have been extinct for over a century. Very little is known about this species. Jamaican giant gallivaspas, judging by the available information, lived in swamps, fed on fish and fruits.

6. Argentavis

The Argentavis skeleton (lat. Argentavis Magnificens, literally - "the majestic Argentine bird") was discovered in the rocks of the Miocene in Argentina; this suggests that representatives of this species lived in South America six million years ago. It is believed that these are the largest flying birds that have ever existed on Earth. The growth of Argentavis reached 1.8 meters, and the weight reached 70 kilograms; its wingspan was 6-8 meters.

Argentavis belonged to the hawk-like order. This also includes hawks and vultures. Judging by the size of the Argentavis skull, they swallowed their prey whole. Their life expectancy, according to various estimates, ranged from 50 to 100 years.

7 Barbary Lion

Barbary lions (lat. Panthera Leo Leo) lived in North Africa. They roamed not in packs, but in pairs or small family groups. The Barbary lion was fairly easy to recognize by characteristic form head and mane.

The last wild Barbary lion was killed in Morocco in 1927. The Moroccan sultan had several domesticated Barbary lions in captivity. They have been transferred to local and European zoos for further breeding.

Barbary lions are known to have participated in gladiator fights during Roman times.

8. Laughing owl

Laughing owls (lat. Sceloglaux Albifacies) lived in New Zealand. They became endangered in the middle of the 19th century. The last laughing owl was seen on the island in 1914. According to unconfirmed reports, this species existed until the early 1930s. The cry of a laughing owl was like a terrible laughter or the laughter of a distraught person. It was comparable in volume to the barking of a dog.

Laughing owls nested on rocks within the forest boundary or in open country. There were people who tried to domesticate these birds, and in principle they did quite well. Laughing owls, even living in captivity, laid eggs without stimulation. Habitat destruction has forced laughing owls to change their diet. From birds of fairly decent size (for example, ducks) and lizards, they switched to mammals. Apparently, this, along with factors such as grazing and slash-and-burn agriculture, led to their extinction.

9. Blue Antelope

The name of this antelope was given by the bluish reflection of its black and yellow coat. Blue antelopes (lat. Hippotragus Leucophaeus) once lived in the territory South Africa. They ate grass, as well as the bark of trees and shrubs. Blue antelopes were social and most likely nomadic animals. Before the appearance of people, they were hunted by African lions, hyenas and leopards.

The population of blue antelopes began to noticeably decline about 2000 years ago. In the XVIII century, they were already considered an endangered species. Predators, climate change, hunters, diseases and even proximity to animals such as sheep are the main factors that led to the extinction of blue antelopes. The last representative of the species was killed by hunters in 1799.

10 Woolly Rhino

The remains of a woolly rhinoceros (lat. Coelodonta Antiquitatis), who lived 3.6 million years ago, were found in Asia, Europe and North Africa. The huge horn of one woolly rhinoceros was initially mistaken by scientists for the claw of a prehistoric bird.

Woolly rhinos lived in the same territory as woolly mammoths. In France, archaeologists have discovered caves on the walls of which were depicted drawings of woolly rhinos, made 30 thousand years ago. Primitive people hunted woolly mammoths, so these animals became the subject of cave art. In 2014, a spear was found in Siberia, made from the horn of an adult woolly rhinoceros more than 13,000 years ago. Woolly rhinoceros is believed to have become extinct at the end of the last ice age about 11 thousand years ago.

11. Quagga - half zebra - half horse, completely extinct in 1883

The quagga is one of the most famous extinct animals of South Africa, which was one of the subspecies of zebras. Quaggas were very trusting and easy to train, which means they were instantly tamed by humans and got their name from the word "Koi-Koi", with which the owner called his animal.

In addition to being extremely friendly, quaggs were also very tasty, and their skin was worth its weight in gold. It was these reasons that caused the complete extermination of these animals. By 1880, there was only one Quagga in the world, which died in captivity on August 12, 1883 at the Artis Magistra Zoo in Amsterdam. Due to a lot of confusion between different species of zebra, the Quagga became extinct before it was clear that it was a separate species. By the way, Quagga became the first extinct animal whose DNA was studied.

12. Steller's cow, completely died out in 1768

This kind sea ​​cows lived near the Asian coast of the Bering Sea. These unusual animals were discovered by the traveler and naturalist Georg Steller in 1741. The gigantic creatures immediately struck Steller with their size: adults reached 10 meters in length and weighed up to 4 tons. The animals looked like huge seals and had massive forelimbs and a tail. According to Steller, the animal never left the water on the shore.

These animals had dark, almost black skin, which looked like the bark of a cracked oak trunk, the neck was completely absent, and the head, planted directly on the torso, was very small in comparison with the rest of the body. Steller's cow mainly fed on plankton and small fish, which she swallowed whole, due to the fact that she had no teeth.

People valued this animal because of its fat. Because of him, the entire population of this unusual animal was exterminated.

13. Irish Deer - a giant deer, extinct 7,700 years ago

The Irish Deer is the largest artiodactyl that has ever existed on planet Earth. These animals lived in huge numbers in Eurasia. The last found remains of a giant deer date back to 5700 BC.

These deer reached 2.1 meters in length and had huge antlers, which in adult males reached 3.65 meters in width. These animals lived in the forest, where, due to the size of their horns, they were easy prey for both any small predator and humans.

14. Dodo, completely extinct in the 17th century

The Dodo (or Dodo) was a type of flightless bird that lived on the island of Mauritius. The dodo belonged to the pigeon-like, but differed in its huge size: adults reached up to 1.2 meters in height and weighed up to 50 kg. Dodos ate mainly fruits that fell from trees and built nests on the ground, and taking into account the fact that their meat was tender and juicy from fruit diet they became a real delicacy for anyone who could get their hands on them. But, fortunately for the Dodos, there were no predators on the island of Mauritius. This idyll continued until the 17th century, when Europeans landed on the island. Dodo hunting has become the main source of replenishment of ship supplies. With people, dogs, cats and rats were brought to the island, which gladly ate the eggs of helpless birds.

Dodos were helpless in the truest sense of the word: they did not know how to fly, they ran slowly, and hunting for them was reduced to chasing a fleeing bird with a leisurely gait and hitting it on the head with a stick. In addition to everything, the Dodo was trusting like a child and as soon as people beckoned him with fruit, the bird itself approached the most dangerous predator on planet Earth.

15. Thylacine - Marsupial Wolf, completely extinct in 1936

The thylacine was the largest carnivorous marsupial. It is commonly known as the Tasmanian Tiger (because of its striped back) and also as the Wolf of Tasmania. The marsupial wolf was extirpated from the Australian mainland thousands of years before the Europeans settled the continent, but survived in Tasmania, along with other marsupials (such as like the famous Tasmanian Devil).

Thylacines had disgusting meat, but excellent skin. Clothing made from the skin of this animal could warm a person in the most severe frost, so the hunt for this wolf did not stop until 1936, when it turned out that all individuals had already been exterminated.

16.Passenger pigeon

One example of human-caused disappearance is passenger pigeon. Once multimillion flocks of these birds flew in the sky North America. Seeing the food, the pigeons rushed down like a huge locust, and when they were satisfied, they flew away, completely destroying fruits, berries, nuts, and insects. Such gluttony irritated the colonists. In addition, the pigeons tasted very good. In one of the novels by Fenimore Cooper, it is described how, when a flock of pigeons approached, the entire population of cities and towns poured into the streets, armed with slingshots, guns, and sometimes even cannons. They killed as many pigeons as they could. Pigeons were laid in glacier cellars, cooked immediately, fed to dogs, or simply thrown away. Even pigeon shooting competitions were organized, and towards the end of the 19th century, machine guns were also used.

The last passenger pigeon, named Martha, died at the zoo in 1914.

16.Tour

It was a powerful animal with a muscular, slender body, about 170-180 cm high at the withers and weighing up to 800 kg. The high set head was crowned with long sharp horns. The coloration of adult males was black, with a narrow white “belt” along the back, while females and young animals were reddish-brown. Although the last tours lived out their days in the forests, earlier these bulls kept mainly in the forest-steppe, and often entered the steppe. In the forests, they probably migrated only in winter. They fed on grass, shoots and leaves of trees and shrubs. Their rut was in the fall, and the calves appeared in the spring. They lived in small groups or alone, and for the winter they united in larger herds. The aurochs had few natural enemies: these strong and aggressive animals easily coped with any predator.

In historical times, the tour was found almost throughout Europe, as well as in North Africa, Asia Minor and the Caucasus. In Africa, this beast was exterminated in the third millennium BC. e., in Mesopotamia - by about 600 BC. e. In Central Europe, tours survived much longer. Their disappearance here coincided with intensive deforestation in the 9th-11th centuries. In the XII century, tours were still found in the Dnieper basin. At that time they were actively exterminated. Records of uneasy and dangerous hunting on wild bulls left by Vladimir Monomakh.

By 1400, aurochs lived only in relatively sparsely populated and hard-to-reach forests on the territory of modern Poland, Belarus and Lithuania. Here they were taken under the protection of the law and lived like park animals in the royal lands. In 1599, a small herd of aurochs, 24 individuals, still lived in the royal forest 50 km from Warsaw. By 1602, only 4 animals remained in this herd, and in 1627 the last tour on Earth died.

17. Moa

Moa is a flightless bird that looks like an ostrich. Lived in the islands of New Zealand. It reached a height of 3.6 m. After the arrival of the first Polynesian settlers on the islands, the number of Moa began to decline rapidly. Too large, slow birds could not hide from hunters, and by about the 18th century Moa completely disappeared from the face of the earth.

18.Epiornis

Epiornis were birds very similar to Moa, with only one difference - they lived in Madagascar. Over 3 meters tall and weighing over 500 kilograms, they were real giants. Epiornis lived in Madagascar quite safely until the moment when people did not begin to inhabit it. Before people, they had only one natural enemy - the crocodile. By about the 16th century, the Epiornis, they are also Elephant birds, were completely exterminated.

19. Tarpan

Tarpan was the ancestor of the modern horse. It is hard to believe it, but back in the 18-19 centuries it was widely distributed in the steppes of the European part of Russia, a number of European countries and in the territory of Western Kazakhstan. Unfortunately, tarpan meat was very tasty and people exterminated them for this very reason. The main culprits for the disappearance of tarpans are Catholic monks, who, being horse-eaters, exterminated them in large numbers. Eyewitnesses of these events wrote that the monks mounted fast horses and simply drove the herds of horses. As a result, it was possible to catch only colts that could not endure a long race.

20.Japanese Hondos wolf

The Japanese wolf was distributed on the islands of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu of the Japanese archipelago. He was the smallest among all wolves. An epidemic of rabies and extermination by people brought the wolf to extinction. The last Hondo wolf died in 1905.

21. Falkland fox (Falkland wolf)

The Falkland fox was tawny in color with black ears, a black tail tip, and a white belly. The fox barked like a dog and was the only predator in the Falkland Islands. Nothing foreshadowed her disappearance, since she had plenty of food. Even then, in 1833, Charles Darwin, describing this wonderful animal, predicted its disappearance, as it was uncontrollably shot by hunters because of its thick and valuable fur. In addition, the fox was poisoned, allegedly it posed a great threat to sheep and other domestic animals.

The Falkland wolf had no natural enemies and he naively trusted people, not even imagining that they were the worst enemy. As a result, in 1876 the last fox was killed.

22. Baiji- Chinese river dolphin.

The Chinese river dolphin, which lived in the Yangtze rivers of Asia, was not hunted by people, but was indirectly involved in its extinction. The waters of the river were overflowing with merchant and cargo ships, which simply polluted the river. In 2006, a special expedition confirmed the fact that Baiji no longer exists on earth as a species.

Reminds me of a penguin. Sailors hunted them, as their meat was tasty, and the production of this bird was not difficult. As a result, in 1912, the latest information about Steller's Cormorant was received.

The modern world with its inhabitants is so familiar to a person that the events of a century ago are perceived as beautiful. fantasy story. However, evidence found by scientists leads to believe that prehistoric predators really existed.

Terrible predator: short-faced bear

Millions of years ago, the current places with built houses, highways, amusement parks were deserted and not people walked along them, but huge prehistoric predators, one of which was a gigantic short-faced bear. Its height when standing on two legs reached 4 meters, and its weight was about 500 kilograms. There was an outward resemblance to modern counterparts, but unlike them, the giant could easily develop the speed of a horse when running (about 50 km / h).

Like all prehistoric predators, the bear possessed incredible strength and could destroy almost any animal with one blow. Having powerful jaws, this monster was able to bite even the strongest bones. When analyzing the found remains of the ancient giant, it was found that he ate everything that moved: horses, bison and even mammoths. The daily food allowance was approximately 16 kilograms of meat; this is 2-3 times more than a lion needs. The search for food in such quantities was facilitated by enlarged nasal cavities, allowing you to smell the prey within a radius of 9 kilometers. Latest Representatives short-faced bears, according to scientists, became extinct about 20 thousand years ago, and most likely this happened due to their inability to adapt to strong changes environment.

Prehistoric Predators: The American Lion

The prehistoric American lion is one of the most bloodthirsty predators on the planet. Unlike his modern descendants, he weighed almost half a ton. The body length of this animal was almost 4 meters. The habitat of the largest cat in history was North and South America.

Saber-toothed tiger

Also, such prehistoric predators as saber-toothed tigers have not survived to this day, powerful weapon which had giant 20-centimeter fangs, menacingly sticking out even with their mouths closed. They were similar to dagger-shaped blades and resembled sabers (hence the name of the predator). In combination with huge force and lightning-fast reaction, these animals, who lived about 20 million years ago on the territory of Eurasia, North America, Africa, terrified their potential victims. A powerful torso, short massive legs, frightening fangs - an appearance that is best seen in the pictures. The richest source of fossils of these animals are located in the heart of Los Angeles. It was here that in prehistoric times there were tar lakes - deadly traps that killed thousands of animals. Topped with foliage that stuck to their surface, they misled careless herbivores and predators into a sticky morass.

Prehistoric Predators: Bear Dog

Dog bears (otherwise - amphicyonids) are active predators that were widespread in Turkey and Europe from 17 to 9 million years ago. These prehistoric predators got their name for the mixed features of a bear and a dog during appearance, so scientists hesitated for a long time as to which group to attribute strange animals to. As a result, they were isolated in a completely separate family. Dog bears were stocky animals with short legs, a long body (about 3.5 meters), a huge head (the length of the skull was 83 cm), a one and a half meter tail and a weight of about 1 ton. Their approximate height was approximately 1.8 meters.

There is an opinion that the bear dog led a semi-aquatic lifestyle and could live on sea ​​coasts. The skull of a predator was remotely similar to the skull of a crocodile, and powerful jaws could crack through the bones and shell of a turtle. Its diet was varied: from small living creatures to large individuals. The dog-bear, of course, was a hunter, but most often he was satisfied with the role of a scavenger. He could easily eat a wounded, but still alive victim.

Deinosuchus - the largest crocodile on the planet

About 60 million years ago, a Deinosuchus (from Greek - “terrible crocodile”) lived on the planet, whose length was about 12 meters, height - 1.5 meters, and weight - about 10 tons. The streamlined shape of the body provided him with high speed of movement in the water and excellent maneuverability. On land, Deinosuchus became clumsy and earth's surface moved jerkily on curved thick legs.

With a huge head (about 1.5 meters), massive wide jaws, large teeth designed for crushing, a back covered with armored bone plates and a thick tail, it fed on fish and large dinosaurs.

Haast eagle - winged monster

Prehistoric birds of prey were also impressive in size. For example, the haast eagle, which lived in New Zealand, weighed 16 kg, and its wingspan was 3 meters. This predator was able to reach speeds of 60-80 km / h, which allowed him to successfully hunt flightless moa birds that weighed 10 times more and were unable to defend themselves against a sudden powerful impact force.

The predator was able to grab and hold prey in flight, and the latter could be an order of magnitude larger than it. According to the legends of the inhabitants of New Zealand, these monsters with a red crest on their heads abducted even small children and killed people. Nests of winged prehistoric predators have been found 2 kilometers above the ground. The extinction of the eagles caused destruction natural environment habitat and disappearance of moa birds, which have become the subject of hunting by the settlers of New Zealand.

Terrestrial prehistoric bird fororakos

Of the flightless winged birds of the prehistoric period, the interest of scientists is the so-called terrorist bird (fororakos), which was the most large predator South America and lived more than 23 million years ago. Her height ranged from 1 to 3 meters, and her favorite food was small mammals as well as horses. The predator killed prey in two ways: it lifted it into the air and hit it on the ground, or delivered precise blows with a massive beak to important and vulnerable parts of the body.

The beak and massive skull of a three-meter giant weighing about 300 kilograms distinguished him from other winged creatures. Powerful legs allowed him to develop considerable speed when running, and a curved 46-centimeter beak was ideal for tearing apart the extracted meat. In an instant, the predator swallowed the caught prey.

Megalodon - a huge shark

Millions of years ago, huge prehistoric predators also existed in the water element. Megalodon ("big tooth") - a giant shark that had 5 rows of huge 20-centimeter teeth in the amount of about 300 pieces. The total length of this monster was about 20 meters, and the weight was supposedly 45 tons. What can we say about modern sharks eating seals if megalodon hunted whales.

For many years, the teeth of this giant shark mistaken for the remains of dragons. According to scientists, this animal died out due to oceanic hypothermia, falling sea levels and the depletion of food sources.

One of the largest predators of centuries ago was the mosasaurus. Its length was more than 15 meters, and the head was similar to a crocodile. Hundreds of razor-sharp teeth killed even the most protected opponents.

Millions of years ago the world was different. It was inhabited by prehistoric animals, beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Dinosaurs, marine predators of monstrous size, giant birds, mammoths and saber-toothed tigers - they have long disappeared, but interest in them does not fade away.

The first inhabitants of the planet

When did the first living beings appear on Earth? More than three and a half billion years ago, unicellular organisms arose.

As much as two billion years passed before multicellular living organisms appeared. Approximately 635 million years ago, the Earth was inhabited and at the beginning of the Cambrian period - vertebrates.

The oldest remains of living organisms found to date belong to the late Neoproterozoic.

In the Cambrian period, life existed only in the seas. Trilobites were prominent representatives of prehistoric animals of that time.

Due to frequent underwater landslides, many living organisms were buried in the silt and survived to this day. Thanks to this, scientists have a fairly complete picture of the structure and lifestyle of trilobites and other ancient marine life.

The prehistoric animals are actively developing on land and in the sea. The first inhabitants of wet places on the Earth's surface are arthropods and centipedes. In the middle of the Devonian, amphibians joined them.

ancient insects

Having appeared in the early Devonian period, insects successfully developed. Many species have disappeared over time. Some of them were gigantic.

Meganeura - belonged to the genus of dragonfly-like insects. Its wingspan was up to 75 centimeters. She was a predator.

They are perfectly preserved in their original transparent sarcophagi to this day. Thanks to amber, into which petrified resin has turned, today anyone can admire the ancient inhabitants of our planet.

Prehistoric sea animals - dangerous giants

IN Triassic period the first marine reptiles appeared. They could not, like fish, live completely underwater. They needed oxygen, and they periodically rose to the surface. Outwardly, they looked like land dinosaurs, but differed in limbs - the marine inhabitants had fins or webbed feet.

Nothosaurs were the first to appear, reaching a size of 3 to 6 meters, and placoduses, which had three types of teeth. Plakodus were small in size (about 2 meters) and lived close to the coast. Their main food was shellfish. Nothosaurs ate fish.

The Jurassic period is the era of the giants. Plesiosaurs lived during this time. Their largest species reached a length of 15 meters. These include the Elasmosaurus, which possessed surprisingly long neck(8 meters). The head, in comparison with the massive body, was small. Elasmosaurus had a wide mouth armed with sharp teeth.

Ichthyosaurs - large reptiles, reaching an average of 2-4 meters in length, were similar to modern dolphins. Their feature is huge eyes, which indicates a nocturnal lifestyle. They, unlike dinosaurs, had skin without scales. It is assumed that ichthyosaurs were excellent deep-sea divers.

More than forty million years ago lived Basilosaurus - an ancient whale of enormous size. The length of a male individual could reach 21 meters. He was the largest predator of his time and could attack other whales. Basilosaurus had a very long skeleton and moved with the help of curvature of the spine, like a snake. He had vestigial hind limbs 60 centimeters long.

Marine prehistoric animals were very diverse. Among them are the ancestors of modern sharks and crocodiles. most famous marine predator ancient world is a megalodon, reaching 16-20 meters in length. This giant weighed about 50 tons. Since the skeleton of this shark consisted of cartilage, nothing survived except for the animal's enameled teeth. It is assumed that the distance between the open jaws of megalodon reached two meters. It could easily accommodate two people.

Not less than dangerous predators There were also prehistoric crocodiles.

Purussaurus is an extinct relative of modern caimans that lived about eight million years ago. Length - up to 15 meters.

Deinosuchus - an alligator crocodile, lived at the end Cretaceous. Outwardly, it differed little from modern representatives kind. The length of the body reached 15 meters.

Worst: Ancient Lizards

Dinosaurs and other prehistoric sizes continue to amaze It's hard to imagine that such giants once reigned on the planet.

The Mesozoic era is the time of the dinosaurs. Appearing at the end of the Triassic, they became the main form of life in the Jurassic and suddenly disappeared at the end of the Cretaceous.

The species diversity of these ancient lizards is striking. Among them were land and aquatic individuals, flying species, herbivores and predators. They also differed in size. Most dinosaurs were huge, but there were also very small dinosaurs. Among predators, Spinosaurus stood out for its size. The length of his body was from 14 to 18 meters, height - eight meters. With outstretched jaws, it looked like modern crocodiles. Therefore, it is assumed that he led an amphibious lifestyle. Spinosaurus was characterized by the presence of a spine that resembled a sail. It made him look taller. Paleontologists believe that the sail was used by the animal for thermoregulation.

ancient birds

Prehistoric animals (photo can be seen in the article) were also represented by flying lizards and birds.

In the Mesozoic, pterosaurs appeared. Presumably, the largest of them was ornithocheirus, which had wings, the span of which was up to 15 meters. He lived in the Cretaceous period, was a predator and preferred to hunt large fish. Pteranodon is another large flying predatory pangolin from the Cretaceous period.

Among prehistoric birds, gastornis struck with its size. Two meters tall, individuals had a beak that easily broke bones. It is not clear whether this extinct bird was a predator or a plant eater.

Extinct animals of the Cenozoic era

It began 66 million years ago. During this time, thousands of species of living beings appeared and disappeared on Earth. Which extinct prehistoric animals of that time were the most interesting?

Megatherium - largest mammal that era, it is assumed that he was a herbivore, but it is possible that Megatherium could kill other animals or eat carrion.

Woolly rhinoceros - was covered with thick reddish-brown hair.

The mammoth is the most famous extinct genus of elephants. Animals lived two million years ago and were twice as large as modern representatives of their species. Many remains of mammoths have been found, very well preserved due to permafrost. By historical standards, these majestic giants died out quite recently - about 10 thousand years ago.

Of the predatory prehistoric animals, the most interesting is Smilodon, or Saber-toothed tiger. It did not exceed Amur tiger, but it had incredibly long fangs, reaching 28 centimeters. Another feature of Smilodon was a short tail.

Titanoboa - extinct giant snake. Close relative modern boa constrictor. The length of the animal could reach 13 meters.

Documentaries about prehistoric animals

Among them are such as " Marine dinosaurs: Journey to the prehistoric world", "Land of the mammoths", " Last days Dinosaurs", "Prehistoric Chronicles", "Walking with Dinosaurs". There are a lot of good documentaries created about the life of ancient animals.

"The Ballad of Big Al" - the amazing story of one allosaurus

This film is part of the famous TV series Walking with Dinosaurs. He talks about how a perfectly preserved skeleton of an allosaurus was found in the USA, which received the name Big Al from scientists. The bones showed how many fractures and injuries the dinosaur suffered, and this made it possible to recreate the history of his life.

Conclusion

Prehistoric animals (dinosaurs, mammoths, cave bears, sea giants) that lived in the distant past still amaze the human imagination. They are clear evidence of how amazing the past of the Earth was.

What animals of antiquity have survived to this day, and what do we know about them? The pages of our site have already talked about dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals that once inhabited our planet, but have already become extinct by now.

Is there really among the contemporaries of dinosaurs those who could survive to this day ?! Today we will present to your attention 25 of the most real "living fossils".

shield

A freshwater crustacean similar to a small horseshoe crab. Over the past 70 million years, its prehistoric morphology has hardly changed, almost no different from the ancestors of the shieldfish that inhabited the earth about 220 million years ago.

24. Lamprey

Jawless fish. It has a funnel-like sucker mouth. Occasionally they burrow their teeth into the bodies of other fish, sucking out blood, but the bulk of 38 species of this fish do not do this.

The most ancient remains of this fish date back to 360 million years ago.

23. Sandhill crane

Endemic to northeastern Siberia and North America, severe and big bird, weighing up to 4.5 kilograms. Presumably the most ancient representative of this species, the fossils of which could be found, lived 10 million years ago in Nebraska.

22. Sturgeon

Living in lakes, rivers and coastal waters, the subarctic, temperate and subtropical sturgeon is sometimes called "primitive fish". The reason for this is that the morphological characteristics of the sturgeon have not changed much. In any case, the most ancient fossils of the sturgeon are practically indistinguishable from its modern descendants, despite the passage of 220 million years.

It is true, regrettable as it may seem, but environmental pollution, excessive trapping have put these unique fish before complete extinction, and some species of sturgeon are practically not subject to restoration.

21. Giant Chinese salamander

The largest amphibian, the length of which can reach 1.8 m. It represents the family of cryptogills that appeared 170 million years ago. Like the sturgeon, it is on the verge of extinction.

The reason is habitat loss, overfishing and pollution. Like many others rare species used by the Chinese for food and goes to dubious needs Chinese medicine.

20. Martian ant

Dwells in tropical forests Brazil and the Amazon. Belongs to the oldest genus of ants and has an age of about 120 million years.

19. Goblin shark

The body length of this fish can reach 4 meters. A very rare and poorly studied species of deep-sea shark. Creepy and unusual appearance indicates prehistoric roots. Apparently, her first ancestors lived on Earth already 125 million years ago. Despite the frightening appearance and size, it is absolutely safe for people.

18. horseshoe crab

A marine arthropod that lives primarily in shallow ocean waters on soft, muddy or sandy bottoms. It is considered the closest relative of the trilobite and is one of the most famous living fossils that has not changed much over 450 million years.

17. Echidna

Like the platypus, the echidna remains the only oviparous mammals. Its ancestors diverged from the platypus about 48-19 million years ago. The common ancestor of both led an aquatic lifestyle, but echidnas adapted to life on land. Thanks to his appearance was named after the "Mother of Monsters" from ancient Greek mythology.

16. Hatteria

Endemic tuatara from New Zealand can reach a length of 80 cm, distinguished by a spiny ridge along the back, which is especially pronounced in males. However, despite the clear resemblance to modern reptiles and lizards, the body structure of the tuatara has remained unchanged for two hundred million years. In this regard, tuatara are extremely important for science, as they can help in the study of the evolution of both snakes and lizards.

15. Frilled Shark

Frilled sharks live in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans at a depth of fifty to two hundred meters. Like the goblin shark, the frilled shark has an extremely intimidating appearance.

This line has existed for at least 95 million years (since the end of the Cretaceous). It is possible that the age of frilled sharks may be 150 million years (end jurassic).

14. Vulture Turtle

The vulture turtle lives mostly in the waters adjacent to the southeastern territories of the United States. Belongs to one of the two surviving families of Cayman tortoises.

This prehistoric tortoise family has a centuries-long fossil history dating back to the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous (72-66 million years ago). The weight of the vulture turtle can reach up to 180 kilograms, which makes it the heaviest freshwater turtle in the world.

13. Coelacanth

Endemic to the coastal waters of Indonesia, a genus of fish that includes two living species of the coelacanth family. Until 1938, coelacanths were considered extinct until they were rediscovered.

Oddly enough, but coelacanths are more closely related to mammals, reptiles and lungfish than with other ray-finned fish. Presumably, the coelacanth acquired its current form about 400 million years ago.

12. Giant freshwater stingray

The giant freshwater stingray is one of the largest freshwater fish world, growing in its diameter to almost two meters. Its weight can reach up to six hundred kilograms. According to research, its oval disc pectoral fin formed about 100 million years ago.

Like most of the representatives of the animal kingdom mentioned in this article, the giant freshwater stingray is on the verge of extinction due to excessive capture for the purpose of display in aquariums, sale for meat, and due to pollution of the living conditions of this animal.

11. Nautilus

A pelagic mollusk that lives in the central-western region of the Pacific and the Indian Ocean.

Prefers deep slopes of coral reefs. Judging by the fossil remains, nautilus managed to survive five hundred million years, during which several eras changed on earth and several mass extinctions. Of course, nautiluses, too, having existed for half a billion years and survived the most severe cataclysms, may not withstand the most terrible (and this is not an exaggeration) of the evils that our planet has ever faced - with a person. It is on the verge of extinction due to overfishing and human pollution.

10. Medusa

Live in all oceans sea ​​depths up to the surface. Presumably, they appeared in the seas about 700 million years ago. In view of this, jellyfish can be called the most ancient polyorganic animals. This is probably the only animal included in this list, the number of which can increase significantly due to overcapture. natural enemies jellyfish At the same time, some species of jellyfish are also on the verge of extinction.

9. Platypus

An oviparous mammal with otter legs, a beaver tail and a duck bill. Very often it is called the most bizarre animal in the world. In light of this, there is nothing surprising in the fact that the roots of the platypus go into the prehistoric wilds.

On the one hand, the oldest platypus fossil is only 100,000 years old, but the first platypus ancestor roamed the expanses of the Gondwana supercontinent about 170 million years ago.

8. Long-eared jumper

This small four-legged mammal is widespread throughout the African continent and looks like opossums or some kind of small rodents. However, oddly enough, they are much closer to elephants than to opossums. The first ancestors of the long-eared jumper lived on earth already in the Paleogene period (about 66-23 million years ago).

7. Pelican

Oddly enough, but this large waterfowl with a long, heavy beak is one of the living fossils that have hardly changed since the prehistoric period. The genus of these birds has existed for at least 30 million years.

The most ancient fossilized skeleton of a pelican was found in France in the deposits of the early Oligocene. Outwardly, it is almost indistinguishable from modern pelicans, and its beak is morphologically completely identical to the beaks. modern birds of this kind.

6 Mississippi Carapace

One of the largest North American freshwater fish. It is often called a living fossil or "primitive fish" because of the preservation of a number of morphological characteristics of its most ancient ancestors. In particular, among these characteristics we can mention the ability to breathe both in water and air, as well as a spiral valve. Paleontologists trace the existence of the shell for 100 million years back into the centuries.

5. Sponge

Duration of existence sea ​​sponges on our planet, it is quite difficult to trace, since estimates of their age vary widely, but today the oldest fossil is about 60 million years old.

4. Slittooth

Nocturnal venomous burrowing mammal. It is endemic to several countries at once Caribbean and is often referred to as a living fossil, which is not at all surprising, since over the past 76 million years it has hardly undergone any changes.

3. Crocodiles

Unlike most animals on this list, the crocodile actually looks like a dinosaur. In addition to crocodiles, mention should be made of gharial crocodiles, gharials, caimans and alligators. This group appeared on our planet about 250 million years ago. It happened in the early Triassic period, and the descendants of these creatures to this day carry a lot morphological features formed by their distant ancestors.

2. Pygmy whale

Until 2012, the pygmy whale was considered extinct, but since it did survive, it is still considered the smallest representative of baleen whales. Since this animal is very rare, and about its population, and about its social behavior very little is known. But it is known for sure that the dwarf whale is a descendant of the cetotherium family, which is included in the suborder of baleen whales and which existed from the late Oligocene until the late Pleistocene (28-1 million years ago).

1. Black-bellied disc-tongued frog

As it turned out, living fossils can also be found among, it would seem, such a completely prosaic creature as a frog. Like the aforementioned dwarf whale, this black-bellied frog was thought to be extinct, but was rediscovered in 2011.

At first it was believed that the black-bellied disc-tonguing frog existed for only 15 thousand years, but resorting to phylogenetic analysis, scientists were able to calculate that the last direct ancestor of this unique animal jumped on the earth's surface about 32 million years ago. This makes the black-bellied disc-tonguing frog not only a living fossil, but also the only representative of its kind that has survived to this day.

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