What does the average person dream of? About wealth, fame, career or as a last resort about the ideal life partner. At the same time, all people have one common dream. We wish live forever!
Who among us would not like to stop the aging process somewhere between 25 and 35 years of our life? The alchemists of the Middle Ages speculated on this desire, the swindlers of our time also speculate, and serious scientists no, no, will mention yet another theory of eternal life. And any scientific discovery in this area is received with great enthusiasm and hope.
ETERNAL MEDUSA
Among a very short list of living creatures whose life spans a surprisingly long time, only the jellyfish Turritopsis Nutricula has the possibility of true immortality. It turned out that this organism can die solely from external influences. Moreover, this mysterious species of jellyfish not only can live forever, but also does not age!
If biologists find a way to convey the most important qualities immortal jellyfish to people, passionate natures will be most delighted, since Turritopsis Nutricula jellyfish become younger immediately after the mating process, simply put, an act of love in the human understanding.
Rejuvenating sexual intercourse in this species of jellyfish can occur as many times as desired. It is surprising that, according to the observations of the same scientists, absolutely all other species of jellyfish die after mating.
A thorough study of Turritopsis Nutricula led to the understanding that there is nothing supernatural in their organisms. The thing is that jellyfish cells have the ability to transform, since by their nature they are stem cells. Humans also have these cells in small quantities, and modern medicine has been successfully using them in cosmetic procedures for a long time.
Despite the small size of this unique species of jellyfish (4-5 mm in diameter), scientists are seriously concerned about the huge increase in the population of these creatures. Thus, Dr. Maria Migilietta from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute believes that immortal jellyfish have already begun to capture the waters of the World Ocean, thereby disturbing the balance of the biosphere.
COLLEAGUES IN IMMORTALITY
Despite the fact that only Turritopsis Nutricula are officially recognized as immortal creatures, there are other contenders for this honorary title in the world.
Next come the ever-young Hydras. It is noteworthy that while humanity learned about the immortality of jellyfish relatively recently, scientists started talking about the fact that hydras are unique in life expectancy back in the 19th century. At the end of the 20th century, scientists experimentally proved that hydras never age.
They die either from disease or from simply being eaten. One more interesting feature Hydra is a method of reproduction. This is probably the only creatures in the world, which can reproduce either independently or with the help of a partner. At the same time, scientists also know both heterosexual hydras and hermaphrodite hydras.
The next contender for eternity is one of the favorite delicacies of the richest people in the world - lobster. And few of the gourmets who deftly cut up these inhabitants of the sea with tongs know that lobsters have self-healing DNA. This actually means that they could live forever if not for people, diseases and accidents.
Scientists searched for internal causes in the lobsters' bodies that could lead to their death, but in vain. With age, their excellent appetite does not decrease, their reproductive function works well, and there is no loss of strength or deterioration in health. Eventually, biologists recognized that the only reason there can only be a certain death for the lobster external factor, which 99% of people become fishermen.
Another long-liver among the inhabitants of the sea depths is the sea urchin. Scientists from the University of Oregon discovered fantastic features in sea urchins. After lengthy research, it turned out that the sea urchin, like the lobster, not only does not age, but, for example, at the age of a hundred it has the same abilities as at ten years old.
The cause of his death is also not natural death during the aging process, but exclusively illness, sea predators and fishermen! Interestingly, for a long time it was believed that sea urchins live on average no more than 10-15 years.
However, later, in the 1950s, it became clear that the age of sea urchins can be determined not by the state of the body, but only by the size of the urchin itself. The larger the sea urchin, the older it is, and it does not stop growing throughout its life! For example, sea urchins with a diameter of 20 cm have lived for two hundred years.
Skeptics may argue that lobsters are a popular delicacy, so their population, despite being immortal, is small, but why have sea urchins, having an endless life and excellent reproductive function, not yet completely taken over the seas and oceans? The answer is simple - it’s all about the value of their caviar.
The Japanese, who annually consume more than 500 tons of sea urchin caviar, are ready to buy it in any quantity.
In fact, these are not exactly caviar, these are his gonads. Residents of the Land of the Rising Sun became addicted to them many centuries ago and eat them raw, fried, boiled and even pickled.
But the main thing is that this is not at all taste qualities. Connoisseurs call these glands “sea ginseng.” And studies have proven that they contain the most valuable biologically active substances, which have a beneficial effect on blood pressure, cardiovascular activity, cure thyroid diseases, increase the potency and resistance of the body to various types of infections and even remove radionuclides from the body!
Moreover, a number of scientists believe that the world's highest average life expectancy of the Japanese - 89 years - is associated precisely with their addiction to this product.
ETERNAL DIGGER
But not only the abyss of the seas and oceans can grant eternal life. In Africa, there are also land animals that do not age. The most studied African underground rodent is the naked mole rat. Isn’t it a wonderful nickname for a creature that is essentially reminiscent of our native mole in central Russia?
According to scientists from the University of Rochester, this amazing animal never ages and does not get cancer! Naked mole rats live in savannas and semi-deserts of countries such as Somalia, Ethiopia or Kenya. They are usually no larger than an average mouse. True, unlike mice, which live only about 2-3 years, they sometimes reach an age of 30 years or more.
In appearance, naked mole rats fully live up to their name, since they look like newly born little rats. The only difference is that, even when they become adults, mole rats never become covered with hair.
Having studied adult naked mole rats, scientists were surprised to note that they completely lacked such signs of aging as sagging muscles, impaired reproductive function or bone disease.
It turned out that it's all about telomeres - the end sections of chromosomes. Due to their presence, naked mole rats do not undergo cellular aging. Moreover, interestingly, in ordinary mice and a number of other animals, the presence of this enzyme causes cancer and premature death, but in naked mole rats, on the contrary, it helps preserve eternal youth.
During long-term experiments, it turned out that the naked mole rat’s body also contains hyaluronic acid, which, despite active cell division, protects the animal from cancer. This acid is also found in the human body.
The difference is that in the naked mole rat it is high molecular weight, while in humans it is low molecular weight. It turned out that when high molecular weight hyaluronic acid is added to human cells, the aging process slows down and the risk of cancer is significantly reduced!
Today, scientists continue research into the naked mole rat and high molecular weight hyaluronic acid, hoping that very soon, based on these studies, a drug will be created that will give a person not only eternal youth, but also a life without cancer.
Dmitry SOKOLOV
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Vampires
Witches
Dragons
Demons
Almost all the mythical creatures about which we know anything are collected here.
It's no secret that in ancient times, to explain this or that natural phenomenon, people referred to the will of the Gods. Thus, thunder and lightning were an indicator of Odin's rage. While the storm and the death of the sailors was an expression of Poseidon's wrath. The Egyptians believed that the sun was controlled by God Ra. In addition to explaining certain phenomena associated with the favor of the pantheon of Gods of a certain nationality, people often described their assistants as mythical creatures.
Myths and legends
Many epics, tales, legends and myths have survived to this day, which describe amazing creatures. They can be good and evil, help and harm people. The only one common feature Each of the mythical characters has magical abilities.
Regardless of their size or habitat of mythical creatures, in various legends a person could turn to them for help. On the other hand, there are many stories about how people fight “creatures” that intimidate residents of villages, cities and even countries. Interestingly, the presence of mythical creatures is described in the treatises of almost all nationalities inhabiting planet Earth.
Fact or fiction?
Each of us in childhood heard fairy tales about Baba Yaga, the Serpent Gorynych or Koshchei the Immortal. These characters are typical of the legends that arose in Rus'. At the same time, stories about gnomes, trolls, elves and mermaids will be closer to Europeans. However, almost anywhere globe Have you heard at least once the legends about vampires, werewolves and witches?
Is it possible to say that all these fables are a figment of human imagination or reliable confirmation that mythical creatures previously lived on our planet? It is impossible to reliably answer this question. However, many legends or events described in them are confirmed by the facts that scientists discover.
What is this section about?
The mysteries of the existence of fairies, unicorns, griffins, and harpies have been attracting people for many centuries. In this section of the site you can familiarize yourself with information that will lift the curtain on the mystery of the origin of magic and answer the most popular questions about mythical creatures.
Historical facts are presented here and various versions of legends are described. After reading the articles, for yourself, everyone will be able to answer the question of whether these races actually existed or whether they are a figment of the imagination of people who were afraid of every rustle.
Ancient Greece is considered the cradle of European civilization, which gave modernity many cultural riches and inspired scientists and artists. The myths of Ancient Greece hospitably open the doors to a world inhabited by gods, heroes and monsters. The intricacies of relationships, the insidiousness of nature, divine or human, unimaginable fantasies plunge us into the abyss of passions, making us shudder with horror, empathy and admiration for the harmony of that reality that existed many centuries ago, but so relevant at all times!
1) Typhon
The most powerful and terrifying creature of all those generated by Gaia, the personification of the fiery forces of the earth and its vapors, with their destructive actions. The monster has incredible strength and has 100 dragon heads on the back of its head, with black tongues and fiery eyes. From his mouth comes the ordinary voice of the gods, the roar of a terrible bull, the roar of a lion, the howl of a dog, or a sharp whistle echoing in the mountains. Typhon was the father mythical monsters from Echidna: Orphus, Cerberus, Hydra, Colchis Dragon and others, who on earth and underground threatened the human race until the hero Hercules destroyed them, except for the Sphinx, Cerberus and Chimera. All the empty winds came from Typhon, except Notus, Boreas and Zephyr. Typhon, crossing the Aegean Sea, scattered the islands of the Cyclades, which had previously been closely located. The fiery breath of the monster reached the island of Fer and destroyed its entire western half, and the rest was turned into a scorched desert. The island has since taken on a crescent shape. Giant waves raised by Typhon reached the island of Crete and destroyed the kingdom of Minos. Typhon was so terrifying and powerful that the Olympian gods fled from their monastery, refusing to fight him. Only Zeus, the bravest of the young gods, decided to fight Typhon. The duel lasted a long time; in the heat of battle, the opponents moved from Greece to Syria. Here Typhon plowed the earth with his gigantic body; subsequently, these traces of the battle filled with water and became rivers. Zeus pushed Typhon north and threw him into the Ionian Sea, near the Italian coast. The Thunderer incinerated the monster with lightning and cast him into Tartarus under Mount Etna on the island of Sicily. In ancient times, it was believed that the numerous eruptions of Etna occur due to the fact that lightning, previously thrown by Zeus, erupts from the crater of the volcano. Typhon served as the personification of the destructive forces of nature, such as hurricanes, volcanoes, and tornadoes. From the English version of this Greek name and the word “typhoon” came about.
2) Dracaines
They are a female snake or dragon, often with human features. Dracains include, in particular, Lamia and Echidna.
The name "lamia" etymologically comes from Assyria and Babylon, where it was the name given to demons who kill infants. Lamia, daughter of Poseidon, was the queen of Libya, beloved of Zeus and gave birth to children from him. The extraordinary beauty of Lamia herself ignited the fire of revenge in Hera’s heart, and Hera, out of jealousy, killed Lamia’s children, turned her beauty into ugliness and deprived her beloved husband of sleep. Lamia was forced to take refuge in a cave and, at the behest of Hera, turned into a bloody monster, in desperation and madness, kidnapping and devouring other people's children. Since Hera deprived her of sleep, Lamia wandered tirelessly at night. Zeus, who took pity on her, gave her the opportunity to take out her eyes to fall asleep, and only then could she become harmless. Having become in a new form half woman, half snake, she gave birth to eerie offspring called lamias. Lamia have polymorphic abilities and can act in various forms, usually as animal-human hybrids. However, more often they are likened to beautiful girls, since it is easier to charm unwary men. They also attack sleeping people and deprive them of their vitality. These night ghosts, disguised as beautiful maidens and youths, suck the blood of young people. Lamia in ancient times was also called ghouls and vampires, who, according to the popular belief of the modern Greeks, hypnotically lured young men and virgins and then killed them by drinking their blood. With some skill, a lamia can be easily exposed; to do this, it is enough to make it give a voice. Since lamias have a forked tongue, they are deprived of the ability to speak, but they can whistle melodiously. In later legends of European peoples, Lamia was depicted in the guise of a snake with the head and chest of a beautiful woman. She was also associated with a nightmare - Mara.
The daughter of Forkis and Keto, the granddaughter of Gaia-Earth and the god of the sea Pontus, she was depicted as a gigantic woman with a beautiful face and a spotted snake body, less often a lizard, combining beauty with an insidious and evil disposition. From Typhon she gave birth to a whole host of monsters, different in appearance, but disgusting in their essence. When she attacked the Olympians, Zeus drove her and Typhon away. After the victory, the Thunderer imprisoned Typhon under Mount Etna, but allowed Echidna and her children to live as a challenge to future heroes. She was immortal and ageless and lived in a dark cave underground, far from people and gods. Crawling out to hunt, she lay in wait and lured travelers, then mercilessly devouring them. The mistress of snakes, Echidna, had an unusually hypnotic gaze, which not only people, but also animals were unable to resist. In various versions of the myths, Echidna was killed by Hercules, Bellerophon or Oedipus during her tranquil sleep. Echidna is by nature a chthonic deity, whose power, embodied in his descendants, was destroyed by the heroes, marking the victory of ancient Greek heroic mythology over primitive teratomorphism. The ancient Greek legend about Echidna formed the basis of medieval legends about the monstrous reptile as the most vile of all creatures and the absolute enemy of humanity, and also served as an explanation for the origin of dragons. An egg-laying mammal covered with spines that lives in Australia and the islands is named after Echidna. Pacific Ocean, as well as the Australian snake, the largest venomous snake in the world. Echidna is also called an evil, sarcastic, treacherous person.
3) Gorgons
These monsters were the daughters of the sea deity Forkis and his sister Keto. There is also a version that they were the daughters of Typhon and Echidna. There were three sisters: Euryale, Stheno and Medusa Gorgon - the most famous of them and the only mortal of the three monstrous sisters. Their appearance was terrifying: winged creatures, covered with scales, with snakes instead of hair, fanged mouths, with a gaze that turned all living things to stone. During the duel between the hero Perseus and Medusa, she was pregnant by the god of the seas, Poseidon. From the headless body of Medusa, with a stream of blood, came her children from Poseidon - the giant Chrysaor (father of Geryon) and the winged horse Pegasus. From drops of blood that fell into the sands of Libya, appeared Poisonous snakes and destroyed all life in it. Libyan legend says that red corals appeared from a stream of blood that spilled into the ocean. Perseus used Medusa's head in battle with sea dragon sent by Poseidon to devastate Ethiopia. Showing the face of Medusa to the monster, Perseus turned him into stone and saved Andromeda, the royal daughter, who was destined to be sacrificed to the dragon. The island of Sicily is traditionally considered the place where the Gorgons lived and Medusa, depicted on the flag of the region, was killed. In art, Medusa was depicted as a woman with snakes instead of hair and often boar tusks instead of teeth. In Hellenic images there is sometimes a beautiful dying gorgon girl. Separate iconography includes images of the severed head of Medusa in the hands of Perseus, on the shield or aegis of Athena and Zeus. The decorative motif - the gorgoneion - still adorns clothing, household items, weapons, tools, jewelry, coins and building facades. It is believed that the myths about the Gorgon Medusa have a connection with the cult of the Scythian snake-footed ancestral goddess Tabiti, evidence of whose existence are references in ancient sources and archaeological finds of images. In Slavic medieval book legends, Medusa Gorgon turned into a maiden with hair in the form of snakes - the maiden Gorgonia. The animal jellyfish got its name precisely because of its resemblance to the moving hair-snake of the legendary Gorgon Medusa. In a figurative sense, a “gorgon” is a grumpy, angry woman.
Three goddesses of old age, granddaughters of Gaia and Pontus, sisters of the Gorgons. Their names were Deino (Trembling), Pefredo (Anxiety) and Enyo (Terror). They were gray-haired from birth, and the three of them had one eye, which they used alternately. Only the Grays knew the location of the island of Medusa the Gorgon. On the advice of Hermes, Perseus headed towards them. While one of the grays had an eye, the other two were blind, and the sighted grayya led the blind sisters. When, having taken out the eye, Graya passed it on to the next in line, all three sisters were blind. It was this moment that Perseus chose to take the eye. The helpless Grays were horrified and were ready to do anything if only the hero would return the treasure to them. After they had to tell how to find the Gorgon Medusa and where to get winged sandals, a magic bag and an invisibility helmet, Perseus gave the eye to the Grays.
This monster, born of Echidna and Typhon, had three heads: one was a lion's, the second was a goat's, growing on its back, and the third, a snake's, ended with a tail. It breathed fire and burned everything in its path, devastating the houses and crops of the inhabitants of Lycia. Repeated attempts to kill the Chimera made by the king of Lycia were invariably defeated. Not a single person dared to come close to her home, surrounded by the decaying carcasses of headless animals. Fulfilling the will of King Iobates, the son of the King of Corinth, Bellerophon, on the winged Pegasus, headed to the cave of the Chimera. The hero killed her, as predicted by the gods, hitting the Chimera with an arrow from a bow. As proof of his feat, Bellerophon delivered one of the severed heads of the monster to the Lycian king. The chimera is the personification of a fire-breathing volcano, at the base of which snakes teem, on the slopes there are many meadows and goat pastures, flames blaze from the top and there, at the top, are the lairs of lions; The Chimera is probably a metaphor for this unusual mountain. The Chimera Cave is considered to be an area near the Turkish village of Cirali, where natural gas comes to the surface in concentrations sufficient for its open combustion. A detachment of deep-sea creatures is named in honor of the Chimera cartilaginous fish. In a figurative sense, a chimera is a fantasy, an unfulfilled desire or action. In sculpture, chimeras are images of fantastic monsters, and it is believed that stone chimeras can come to life to terrify people. The prototype of the chimera served as the basis for creepy gargoyles, considered a symbol of horror and extremely popular in the architecture of Gothic buildings.
The winged horse that emerged from dying Medusa The Gorgons at the moment when Perseus cut off her head. Since the horse appeared at the source of the Ocean (in the ideas of the ancient Greeks, the Ocean was a river encircling the Earth), it was called Pegasus (translated from Greek as “stormy current”). Swift and graceful, Pegasus immediately became the object of desire for many heroes of Greece. Day and night, the hunters set up ambushes on Mount Helikon, where Pegasus, with one blow of his hoof, caused clear, cool water of a strange dark violet color, but very tasty, to flow. This is how the famous source of Hippocrene’s poetic inspiration appeared - the Horse Spring. The most patient happened to see a ghostly horse; Pegasus allowed the luckiest ones to come so close to him that it seemed that just a little more - and you could touch his beautiful white skin. But no one was able to catch Pegasus: at the last moment this indomitable creature flapped its wings and, with the speed of lightning, was carried away beyond the clouds. Only after Athena gave young Bellerophon a magic bridle was he able to saddle the wonderful horse. Riding on Pegasus, Bellerophon was able to get close to the Chimera and struck the fire-breathing monster from the air. Intoxicated by his victories with the constant help of the devoted Pegasus, Bellerophon imagined himself equal to the gods and, riding Pegasus, went to Olympus. The angry Zeus struck down the proud man, and Pegasus received the right to visit the shining peaks of Olympus. In later legends, Pegasus was included in the ranks of the horses of Eos and in the society of strashno.com.ua muses, in the circle of the latter, in particular, because he stopped Mount Helicon with the blow of his hoof, which began to sway at the sounds of the songs of the muses. From a symbolic point of view, Pegasus unites vitality and the power of a horse with liberation, like a bird, from earthly heaviness, therefore the idea is close to the unfettered spirit of the poet, overcoming earthly obstacles. Pegasus personified not only a wonderful friend and faithful comrade, but also boundless intelligence and talent. The favorite of the gods, muses and poets, Pegasus often appears in the visual arts. Constellation named after Pegasus northern hemisphere, a genus of marine ray-finned fish and weapons.
7) Colchis dragon (Colchis)
The son of Typhon and Echidna, a vigilant, fire-breathing huge dragon who guarded the Golden Fleece. The name of the monster was given to the area where it was located - Colchis. King Eet of Colchis sacrificed a ram with a golden skin to Zeus, and hung the skin on an oak tree in the sacred grove of Ares, where Colchis guarded it. Jason, a pupil of the centaur Chiron, on behalf of Pelias, king of Iolcus, went to Colchis for the Golden Fleece on the ship "Argo", built specifically for this journey. King Eetus gave Jason impossible tasks so that the Golden Fleece would remain in Colchis forever. But the god of love, Eros, kindled love for Jason in the heart of the sorceress Medea, daughter of Eetus. The princess sprinkled Colchis with a sleeping potion, calling on the god of sleep Hypnos for help. Jason stole the Golden Fleece, hastily sailing with Medea on the Argo back to Greece.
Giant, son of Chrysaor, born from the blood of the Gorgon Medusa, and the oceanid Callirhoe. He was known as the strongest on earth and was a terrible monster with three bodies fused at the waist, had three heads and six arms. Geryon owned wonderful cows of unusually beautiful red color, which he kept on the island of Erithia in the Ocean. Rumors about the beautiful cows of Geryon reached the Mycenaean king Eurystheus, and he sent Hercules, who was in his service, to get them. Hercules walked all of Libya before reaching the extreme West, where, according to the Greeks, the world ended, which was bordered by the Oceanus River. The path to the Ocean was blocked by mountains. Hercules pushed them apart with his mighty hands, forming strait of Gibraltar, and installed stone steles on the southern and northern banks - the Pillars of Hercules. On the golden boat of Helios, the son of Zeus sailed to the island of Erithia. Hercules killed the watchdog Orff, who was guarding the herd, with his famous club, killed the shepherd, and then fought with the three-headed owner who arrived in time. Geryon covered himself with three shields, three spears were in his mighty hands, but they turned out to be useless: the spears could not pierce the skin of the Nemean Lion, thrown over the hero’s shoulders. Hercules fired several poisonous arrows at Geryon, and one of them turned out to be fatal. Then he loaded the cows into Helios's boat and swam across the Ocean in the opposite direction. Thus the demon of drought and darkness was defeated, and the heavenly cows - the rain-bearing clouds - were freed.
A huge two-headed dog guarding the cows of the giant Geryon. The offspring of Typhon and Echidna, the elder brother of the dog Cerberus and other monsters. He is the father of the Sphinx and the Nemean Lion (from the Chimera), according to one version. Orff is not as famous as Cerberus, therefore much less is known about him and information about him is contradictory. Some myths say that in addition to two dog heads, Orff also had seven dragon heads, and in place of the tail there was a snake. And in Iberia the dog had a sanctuary. He was killed by Hercules during his tenth labor. The plot of the death of Orff at the hands of Hercules, who was leading away the cows of Geryon, was often used by ancient Greek sculptors and potters; presented on numerous antique vases, amphoras, stamnos and skyphos. According to one very adventurous version, Orff in ancient times could simultaneously personify two constellations - Canis Major and Canis Minor. Now these stars are united into two asterisms, and in the past there were two of them bright stars(Sirius and Procyon, respectively) could well have been seen by people as fangs or the heads of a monstrous two-headed dog.
10) Cerberus (Kerberus)
The son of Typhon and Echidna, a terrible three-headed dog with a terrible dragon tail, covered with menacing hissing snakes. Cerberus guarded the entrance to the dark, horror-filled underground kingdom of Hades, making sure that no one came out. According to the most ancient texts, Cerberus greets those entering hell with his tail and tears into pieces those who try to escape. In a later legend, he bites new arrivals. To appease him, honey gingerbread was placed in the coffin of the deceased. In Dante, Cerberus torments the souls of the dead. For a long time, at Cape Tenar, in the south of the Peloponnese peninsula, they showed a cave, claiming that here Hercules, on the instructions of King Eurystheus, descended to the kingdom of Hades in order to bring Cerberus out of there. Presenting himself before the throne of Hades, Hercules respectfully asked the underground god to allow him to take the dog to Mycenae. No matter how harsh and gloomy Hades was, he could not refuse the son of the great Zeus. He set only one condition: Hercules must tame Cerberus without weapons. Hercules saw Cerberus on the banks of the Acheron River - the border between the world of the living and the dead. The hero grabbed the dog with his powerful hands and began to strangle him. The dog howled menacingly, trying to escape, the snakes wriggled and stung Hercules, but he only squeezed his hands tighter. Finally, Cerberus gave in and agreed to follow Hercules, who took him to the walls of Mycenae. King Eurystheus was horrified at one glance at the terrible dog and ordered to quickly send him back to Hades. Cerberus was returned to his place in Hades, and it was after this feat that Eurystheus gave Hercules freedom. During his stay on earth, Cerberus dropped drops of bloody foam from his mouth, from which the poisonous herb aconite later grew, otherwise called hecatina, since the goddess Hecate was the first to use it. Medea mixed this herb into her witchcraft potion. The image of Cerberus reveals teratomorphism, which heroic mythology fights against. The name of the evil dog has become a common noun to denote an overly harsh, incorruptible watchman.
11) Sphinx
The most famous Sphinx in Greek mythology was from Ethiopia and lived in Thebes in Boeotia, as mentioned by the Greek poet Hesiod. It was a monster, born of Typhon and Echidna, with the face and breasts of a woman, the body of a lion and the wings of a bird. Sent by Hero to Thebes as punishment, the Sphinx settled on a mountain near Thebes and asked everyone who passed by a riddle: “Which living creature walks on four legs in the morning, on two in the afternoon, and on three in the evening?” The Sphinx killed the one who was unable to give a solution and thus killed many noble Thebans, including the son of King Creon. Dejected with grief, Creon announced that he would give the kingdom and the hand of his sister Jocasta to the one who would rid Thebes of the Sphinx. Oedipus solved the riddle by answering the Sphinx: “Man.” The monster, in despair, threw itself into the abyss and fell to its death. This version of the myth supplanted the more ancient version, in which original name The predator who lived in Boeotia on Mount Fikion was Fix, and then his parents were named Orphus and Echidna. The name Sphinx arose from a connection with the verb “to squeeze”, “to strangle”, and the image itself was influenced by the Asia Minor image of a winged half-maiden-half-lioness. Ancient Fix was a ferocious monster, capable of swallowing prey; he was defeated by Oedipus with a weapon in his hands during a fierce battle. Images of the Sphinx abound in classical art, from 18th-century British interiors to Empire furniture of the Romantic era. Masons considered sphinxes a symbol of the mysteries and used them in their architecture, considering them as guardians of the temple gates. In Masonic architecture, the sphinx is a frequent decorative detail, for example, even in the version of the image of its head on the form of documents. The Sphinx personifies mystery, wisdom, the idea of man's struggle with fate.
12) Siren
Demonic creatures born from the god of fresh waters Achelous and one of the muses: Melpomene or Terpsichore. Sirens, like many mythical creatures, are mixanthropic in nature, they are half-birds, half-women or half-fish, half-women, who inherited wild spontaneity from their father, and a divine voice from their mother. Their number ranges from a few to a whole lot. Dangerous maidens lived on the island's rocks, strewn with the bones and dried skin of their victims, whom the sirens lured with their singing. Hearing their sweet singing, the sailors, losing their minds, steered the ship straight towards the rocks and eventually died in the depths of the sea. After which the merciless virgins tore the bodies of the victims into pieces and ate them. According to one of the myths, Orpheus on the ship of the Argonauts sang sweeter than the sirens, and for this reason the sirens, in despair and furious anger, threw themselves into the sea and were turned into rocks, for they were destined to die when their spells were powerless. The appearance of sirens with wings makes them similar in appearance to harpies, and sirens with fish tails are similar to mermaids. However, sirens, unlike mermaids, have divine origin. Attractive appearance is also not a mandatory attribute. Sirens were also perceived as muses of another world - they were depicted on tombstones. In classical antiquity, wild chthonic sirens turn into sweet-voiced wise sirens, each of whom sits on one of the eight celestial spheres of the world spindle of the goddess Ananke, creating with their singing the majestic harmony of the cosmos. To appease sea deities and avoid shipwreck, sirens were often depicted as figures on ships. Over time, the image of sirens became so popular that a whole squad of large marine mammals, which includes dugongs, manatees, and sea (or Steller's) cows, which, unfortunately, were completely exterminated by the end of the 18th century.
13) Harpy
Daughters of the sea deity Thaumant and the oceanid Electra, archaic pre-Olympic deities. Their names - Aella ("Whirlwind"), Aellope ("Whirlwind"), Podarga ("Swift-footed"), Okipeta ("Fast"), Kelaino ("Gloomy") - indicate a connection with the elements and darkness. The word "harpy" comes from the Greek "to seize", "to kidnap". In ancient myths, harpies were deities of the wind. The proximity of the strashno.com.ua harpies to the winds is reflected in the fact that the divine horses of Achilles were born from Podarga and Zephyr. They interfered little in the affairs of people; their duty was only to take the souls of the dead to the underworld. But then the harpies began to kidnap children and harass people, swooping in suddenly like the wind and disappearing just as suddenly. IN different sources harpies are described as winged deities with long flowing hair, flying faster than birds and winds, or like vultures with women's faces and sharp hooked claws. They are invulnerable and smelly. Always tormented by a hunger that they cannot satisfy, the harpies descend from the mountains and, with piercing screams, devour and dirty everything. Harpies were sent by the gods as punishment for people who had offended them. The monsters took food from a person every time he started eating, and this continued until the person died of hunger. Thus, there is a well-known story about how the harpies tortured King Phineus, who was cursed for an involuntary crime, and, stealing his food, doomed him to starvation. However, the monsters were driven out by the sons of Boreas - the Argonauts Zetus and Kalaid. The heroes were prevented from killing the harpies by the messenger of Zeus, their sister, the rainbow goddess Iris. The Strophada Islands in the Aegean Sea were usually called the habitat of harpies; later, along with other monsters, they were placed in the kingdom of gloomy Hades, where they were considered one of the most dangerous local creatures. Medieval moralists used harpies as symbols of greed, gluttony and uncleanliness, often combining them with the furies. Harpies are also called evil women. The harpy is the name given to a large bird of prey from the hawk family that lives in South America.
The brainchild of Typhon and Echidna, the hideous Hydra had a long serpentine body and nine dragon heads. One of the heads was immortal. Hydra was considered invincible, since two new ones grew from its severed head. Coming out of the gloomy Tartarus, Hydra lived in a swamp near the city of Lerna, where murderers came to atone for their sins. This place became her home. Hence the name - Lernaean Hydra. The hydra was always hungry and devastated the surrounding area, eating herds and burning crops with its fiery breath. Her body was thicker than the thickest tree and covered with shiny scales. When she rose on her tail, she could be seen far above the forests. King Eurystheus sent Hercules with the task of killing the Lernaean Hydra. Iolaus, Hercules' nephew, during the hero's battle with the Hydra, burned her necks with fire, from which Hercules knocked off the heads with his club. Hydra stopped growing new heads, and soon she had only one immortal head left. In the end, she too was demolished with a club and buried by Hercules under a huge rock. Then the hero cut the Hydra’s body and plunged his arrows into its poisonous blood. Since then, the wounds from his arrows have become incurable. However, this heroic feat was not recognized by Eurystheus, since Hercules was helped by his nephew. Pluto's satellite and constellation are named after Hydra southern hemisphere sky, the longest of all. The unusual properties of Hydra also gave their name to the genus of freshwater sessile coelenterates. Hydra is a person with an aggressive character and predatory behavior.
15) Stymphalian birds
Birds of prey with sharp bronze feathers, copper claws and beaks. Named after Lake Stymphala near the city of the same name in the mountains of Arcadia. Having multiplied with extraordinary speed, they turned into a huge flock and soon turned all the surroundings of the city almost into a desert: they destroyed the entire crop of the fields, exterminated the animals grazing on the rich shores of the lake, and killed many shepherds and farmers. As they took off, the Stymphalian birds dropped their feathers like arrows and struck with them everyone who was in the open area, or tore them apart with their copper claws and beaks. Having learned about this misfortune of the Arcadians, Eurystheus sent Hercules to them, hoping that this time he would not be able to escape. Athena helped the hero by giving him copper rattles or kettledrums forged by Hephaestus. Having alarmed the birds with the noise, Hercules began to shoot his arrows poisoned with the poison of the Lernaean Hydra at them. The frightened birds left the shores of the lake, flying to the islands of the Black Sea. There the Stymphalidae were met by the Argonauts. They probably heard about the feat of Hercules and followed his example - they drove away the birds with noise, hitting their shields with swords.
Forest deities who formed the retinue of the god Dionysus. Satyrs are shaggy and bearded, their legs end in goat (sometimes horse) hooves. Other character traits the appearance of satyrs - horns on the head, a goat or ox tail and a human torso. Satyrs were endowed with the qualities of wild creatures, possessing animal qualities, thinking little about human prohibitions and moral norms. In addition, they were distinguished by fantastic endurance, both in battle and at the festive table. A great passion was dancing and music; the flute is one of the main attributes of satyrs. Also considered attributes of satyrs were a thyrsus, a pipe, leather wineskins or vessels with wine. Satyrs were often depicted in the paintings of great artists. Often the satyrs were accompanied by girls, for whom the satyrs had a certain weakness. According to a rationalist interpretation, the image of a satyr could reflect a tribe of shepherds who lived in forests and mountains. A satyr is sometimes called a lover of alcohol, humor and female company. The image of a satyr resembles a European devil.
17) Phoenix
Magic bird with golden and red feathers. In it you can see a collective image of many birds - an eagle, a crane, a peacock and many others. The most amazing qualities of the Phoenix were its extraordinary lifespan and the ability to be reborn from the ashes after self-immolation. There are several versions of the Phoenix myth. In the classical version, once every five hundred years the Phoenix, bearing the sorrows of people, flies from India to the Temple of the Sun in Heliopolis, in Libya. The chief priest lights a fire from the sacred vine, and Phoenix throws himself into the fire. His incense-soaked wings flare and he quickly burns. With this feat, Phoenix, with her life and beauty, returns happiness and harmony to the world of people. Having experienced torment and pain, three days later a new Phoenix rises from the ashes, which, thanking the priest for the work done, returns to India, even more beautiful and shining with new colors. Experiencing cycles of birth, progress, death and renewal, Phoenix strives to become more and more perfect over and over again. The Phoenix was the personification of the ancient human desire for immortality. Even in the ancient world, the Phoenix began to be depicted on coins and seals, in heraldry and sculpture. The phoenix has become a favorite symbol of light, rebirth and truth in poetry and prose. A constellation in the southern hemisphere and a date palm were named after Phoenix.
18) Scylla and Charybdis
Scylla, the daughter of Echidna or Hecate, a once beautiful nymph, rejected everyone, including the sea god Glaucus, who asked for help from the sorceress Circe. But Circe, who was in love with Glaucus, out of revenge on him, turned Scylla into a monster, which began to lie in wait for sailors in a cave, on a steep cliff of the narrow Strait of Sicily, on the other side of which lived another monster - Charybdis. Scylla has six dog heads on six necks, three rows of teeth and twelve legs. Translated, her name means “barking.” Charybdis was the daughter of the gods Poseidon and Gaia. Zeus himself turned her into a terrible monster, throwing her into the sea. Charybdis has a gigantic mouth into which water pours without stopping. She personifies a terrible whirlpool, the gaping depths of the sea, which appears three times in one day and absorbs and then spews out water. No one saw her, since she was hidden by the thickness of the water. This is exactly how she ruined many sailors. Only Odysseus and the Argonauts managed to sail past Scylla and Charybdis. In the Adriatic Sea you can find the Skyllei Rock. As local legends say, this is where Scylla lived. There is also a shrimp of the same name. The expression “being between Scylla and Charybdis” means being exposed to danger from different sides at the same time.
19) Hippocampus
A sea animal that has the appearance of a horse and ends in a fish tail, also called hydrippus - a water horse. According to other versions of myths, the hippocampus is a sea creature in the form of a seahorse with the legs of a horse and a body ending with a snake or fish tail and webbed paws instead of hooves on the front legs. The front of the body is covered with thin scales, in contrast to the large scales on the back of the body. According to some sources, the hippocampus uses lungs for breathing, while others use modified gills. Sea deities - Nereids and Tritons - were often depicted on chariots drawn by hippocampuses, or seated on hippocampuses cutting through the abyss of water. This amazing horse appears in the poems of Homer as a symbol of Poseidon, whose chariot was drawn by fast horses and glided along the surface of the sea. In mosaic art, hippocampi were often depicted as hybrid animals with a green, scaly mane and appendages. The ancients believed that these animals were already adult form seahorse. Other land animals with fish tails that appear in Greek myth include leocampus - a lion with a fish tail), taurocampus - a bull with a fish tail, pardalocampus - a leopard with a fish tail, and aegicampus - a goat with a fish tail. The latter became a symbol of the constellation Capricorn.
20) Cyclops (Cyclopes)
Cyclops in the 8th-7th centuries BC. e. were considered the creation of Uranus and Gaia, the titans. The Cyclopes included three immortal one-eyed giants with ball-shaped eyes: Arg (“flash”), Bront (“thunder”) and Steropus (“lightning”). Immediately after their birth, the Cyclopes were thrown by Uranus into Tartarus (the deepest abyss) together with their violent brothers with one hundred arms (Hecatoncheires), who were born shortly before them. The Cyclopes were freed by the remaining Titans after the overthrow of Uranus, and then thrown back into Tartarus by their leader Kronos. When the leader of the Olympians, Zeus, began to struggle with Kronos for power, he, on the advice of their mother Gaia, freed the Cyclopes from Tartarus to help the Olympian gods in the war against the Titans, known as Gigantomachy. Zeus used lightning and thunder arrows made by the Cyclopes, which he threw at the Titans. In addition, the Cyclops, being skilled blacksmiths, forged a trident and a manger for Poseidon's horses, an invisibility helmet for Hades, a silver bow and arrows for Artemis, and also taught Athena and Hephaestus various crafts. After the end of the Gigantomachy, the Cyclops continued to serve Zeus and forge weapons for him. Like the henchmen of Hephaestus, forging iron in the depths of Etna, the Cyclops forged the chariot of Ares, the aegis of Pallas and the armor of Aeneas. Cyclopes were also the name given to the mythical people of one-eyed cannibal giants who inhabited the islands of the Mediterranean Sea. Among them, the most famous is the ferocious son of Poseidon, Polyphemus, whom Odysseus deprived of his only eye. Paleontologist Othenio Abel in 1914 suggested that the discovery of dwarf elephant skulls in ancient times gave rise to the myth of the Cyclops, since the central nasal opening in the elephant's skull could be mistaken for a giant eye socket. The remains of these elephants were found on the islands of Cyprus, Malta, Crete, Sicily, Sardinia, the Cyclades and the Dodecanese.
21) Minotaur
Half-bull, half-man, born as the fruit of the passion of Queen Pasiphae of Crete for the white bull, the love of which Aphrodite instilled in her as punishment. The real name of the Minotaur was Asterius (that is, “starry”), and the nickname Minotaur means “bull of Minos.” Subsequently, the inventor Daedalus, the creator of many devices, built a labyrinth in order to imprison her monster son in it. According to ancient Greek myths, The Minotaur ate human flesh, and in order to feed him, the king of Crete imposed a terrible tribute on the city of Athens - seven young men and seven girls were to be sent to Crete every nine years to be devoured by the Minotaur. When Theseus, the son of the Athenian king Aegeus, had the lot to become a victim of an insatiable monster, he decided to rid his homeland of such a duty. Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos and Pasiphae, in love with the young man, gave him a magic thread so that he could find his way back from the labyrinth, and the hero managed not only to kill the monster, but also to free the rest of the captives and put an end to the terrible tribute. The myth of the Minotaur was probably an echo of ancient pre-Hellenic bull cults with their characteristic sacred bull fights. Judging by the wall paintings, human figures with bull heads were common in Cretan demonology. In addition, the image of a bull appears on Minoan coins and seals. The Minotaur is considered a symbol of anger and bestial savagery. The phrase “Ariadne’s thread” means a way to get out of a difficult situation, to find the key to solving a difficult problem, to understand a difficult situation.
22) Hecatoncheires
The hundred-armed, fifty-headed giants named Briareus (Egeon), Kott and Gies (Gius) personify the underground forces, the sons of the supreme god Uranus, the symbol of Heaven, and Gaia-Earth. Immediately after birth, the brothers were imprisoned in the bowels of the earth by their father, who feared for his dominion. In the midst of the struggle with the Titans, the gods of Olympus called on the Hecatoncheires, and their help ensured victory for the Olympians. After their defeat, the Titans were cast into Tartarus, and the Hecatoncheires volunteered to guard them. The ruler of the seas, Poseidon, gave Briareus his daughter Kimopoleia as his wife. Hecatoncheires are present in the book by the Strugatsky brothers “Monday Begins on Saturday” as loaders at the Research Institute FAQ.
23) Giants
The sons of Gaia, who were born from the blood of castrated Uranus, absorbed into the Mother Earth. According to another version, Gaia gave birth to them from Uranus after the Titans were thrown into Tartarus by Zeus. The pre-Greek origin of the Giants is obvious. The story of the birth of the Giants and their death is told in detail by Apollodorus. The giants inspired horror with their appearance - thick hair and beards; their lower body was snake-like or octopus-like. They were born on the Phlegrean Fields in Chalkidiki, in northern Greece. It was there that the battle of the Olympian gods with the Giants took place - Gigantomachy. Giants, unlike titans, are mortal. As fate would have it, their death depended on the participation in the battle of mortal heroes who would come to the aid of the gods. Gaia was looking for a magic herb that would keep the Giants alive. But Zeus got ahead of Gaia and, sending darkness to the earth, cut off this grass himself. On the advice of Athena, Zeus called Hercules to participate in the battle. In the Gigantomachy, the Olympians destroyed the Giants. Apollodorus mentions the names of 13 Giants, who generally number up to 150. The Gigantomachy (as well as the Titanomachy) is based on the idea of ordering the world, embodied in the victory of the Olympian generation of gods over the chthonic forces and the strengthening of the supreme power of Zeus.
This monstrous serpent, generated by Gaia and Tartarus, guarded the sanctuary of the goddesses Gaia and Themis in Delphi, at the same time devastating their surroundings. That's why he was also called Dolphinius. By order of the goddess Hera, Python raised an even more terrible monster - Typhon, and then began to pursue Latona, the mother of Apollo and Artemis. The grown-up Apollo, having received a bow and arrows forged by Hephaestus, went in search of the monster and overtook him in a deep cave. Apollo killed Python with his arrows and had to remain in exile for eight years to appease the angry Gaia. The huge dragon was periodically mentioned in Delphi during various sacred rites and processions. Apollo founded a temple on the site of the ancient oracle and established the Pythian Games; this myth reflected the replacement of chthonic archaism with a new, Olympian deity. The plot, where a luminous deity kills a serpent, a symbol of evil and the enemy of humanity, has become a classic for religious teachings and folk tales. The Temple of Apollo at Delphi became famous throughout Hellas and even beyond its borders. From a crevice in the rock located in the middle of the temple, fumes rose, which had a strong effect on human consciousness and behavior. The priestesses of the Pythian temple often gave confusing and vague predictions. The name of the whole family came from Python non-venomous snakes- pythons, sometimes reaching up to 10 meters in length.
25) Centaur
These legendary creatures with a human torso and a horse's body and legs, they are the embodiment of natural strength, endurance, and are distinguished by cruelty and unbridled temper. Centaurs (translated from Greek as “killers of bulls”) drove the chariot of Dionysus, the god of wine and winemaking; they were also ridden by the god of love Eros, which implied their penchant for libations and unbridled passions. There are several legends about the origin of centaurs. A descendant of Apollo named Centaur entered into a relationship with a Magnesian mare, which gave the appearance of a half-man, half-horse to all subsequent generations. According to another myth, in the pre-Olympic era, the smartest of the centaurs, Chiron, appeared. His parents were the oceanid Felira and the god Kron. Kron took the form of a horse, so the child from this marriage combined the features of a horse and a man. Chiron received an excellent education (medicine, hunting, gymnastics, music, divination) directly from Apollo and Artemis and was the mentor of many heroes of the Greek epics, as well as a personal friend of Hercules. His descendants, the centaurs, lived in the mountains of Thessaly next to the Lapiths. These wild tribes lived peacefully with each other until, at the wedding of the Lapithian king Pirithous, centaurs tried to kidnap the bride and several beautiful Lapithian women. In a violent battle called the centauromachy, the Lapiths won, and the centaurs were scattered across mainland Greece, driven into mountainous regions and remote caves. The appearance of the image of a centaur more than three thousand years ago suggests that even then the horse was playing important role In human life. It is possible that the ancient farmers perceived horse riders as a whole being, but most likely the Mediterranean inhabitants, who were prone to inventing “composite” creatures, simply reflected the spread of the horse when they invented the centaur. The Greeks, who bred and loved horses, were well acquainted with their temperament. It is no coincidence that it was the nature of the horse that they associated with unpredictable manifestations of violence in this generally positive animal. One of the constellations and zodiac signs is dedicated to the centaur. To designate creatures that are not similar in appearance to a horse, but retain the features of a centaur, in scientific literature the term "centauroids" is used. There are variations in the appearance of centaurs. Onocentaur - half-man, half-donkey - was associated with a demon, Satan or a hypocritical person. The image is close to satyrs and European devils, as well as the Egyptian god Set.
The son of Gaia, nicknamed Panoptes, that is, the all-seeing, who became the personification of the starry sky. The goddess Hera forced him to guard Io, the beloved of her husband Zeus, whom he turned into a cow in order to protect her from the wrath of her jealous wife. Hera begged Zeus for a cow and assigned her an ideal caretaker, the hundred-eyed Argus, who vigilantly guarded her: only two of his eyes were closed at the same time, the others were open and vigilantly watched Io. Only Hermes, the crafty and enterprising messenger of the gods, managed to kill him, freeing Io. Hermes put Argus to sleep with poppy seeds and cut off his head with one blow. The name Argus has become a household name for a vigilant, vigilant, all-seeing guard, from whom no one and nothing can hide. Sometimes this is what is called, following an ancient legend, the pattern on the feathers of a peacock, the so-called “peacock eye”. According to legend, when Argus died at the hands of Hermes, Hera, regretting his death, collected all his eyes and attached them to the tails of her favorite birds, peacocks, which were always supposed to remind her of her devoted servant. The myth of Argus was often depicted on vases and in Pompeian wall paintings.
27) Griffin
Monstrous birds with the body of a lion and an eagle's head and front legs. From their cry, flowers wither and grass withers, and all living creatures fall dead. The griffin's eyes have a golden tint. The head was the size of a wolf's head with a huge, terrifying-looking beak, and the wings had a strange second joint to make them easier to fold. The griffin in Greek mythology personified insightful and vigilant power. Closely associated with the god Apollo, he appears as the animal that the god harnesses to his chariot. Some of the myths say that these creatures were harnessed to the carriage of the goddess Nemesis, which symbolizes the speed of retribution for sins. In addition, griffins turned the wheel of fate, and were genetically linked to Nemesis. The image of a griffin personified dominance over the elements of earth (lion) and air (eagle). The symbolism of this mythical animal is associated with the image of the Sun, since both the lion and the eagle in myths are always inextricably linked with it. In addition, the lion and eagle are associated with mythological motifs of speed and courage. Functional purpose a griffin is a guard, in this it is similar to the image of a dragon. As a rule, it protects treasures or some secret knowledge. The bird served as an intermediary between the heavenly and earthly worlds, gods and people. Even then, ambivalence was inherent in the image of the griffin. Their role in various myths is ambiguous. They can act both as defenders, patrons, and as evil, unrestrained animals. The Greeks believed that griffins guarded the gold of the Scythians in northern Asia. Modern attempts to localize griffins vary widely and place them from the northern Urals to Altai mountains. These mythological animals are widely represented in antiquity: Herodotus wrote about them, their images were found on monuments from the period of prehistoric Crete and in Sparta - on weapons, household items, coins and buildings.
28) Empusa
Demon Woman underworld from Hecate's retinue. Empusa was a vampire night ghost with donkey legs, one of which was copper. She took the form of cows, dogs or beautiful maidens, changing her appearance in a thousand ways. According to existing beliefs, the empousa often carried away small children, sucked the blood from beautiful young men, appearing to them in the form of a lovely woman, and, having had enough of the blood, often devoured their meat. At night, on deserted roads, the empousa would lie in wait for lonely travelers, either frightening them in the form of an animal or a ghost, or captivating them with the appearance of a beauty, or attacking them in her true terrible form. According to legend, an empusa could be driven away with abuse or a special amulet. In some sources, the empusa is described as being close to a lamia, onocentaur or female satyr.
29) Triton
The son of Poseidon and the mistress of the seas, Amphitrite, depicted as an old man or youth with a fish tail instead of legs. Triton became the ancestor of all newts - marine mixanthropic creatures frolicking in the waters, accompanying the chariot of Poseidon. This retinue of lower sea deities was depicted as half-fish and half-man, blowing a snail-shaped shell to excite or tame the sea. In their appearance they resembled classic mermaids. Tritons in the sea became, like satyrs and centaurs on land, minor deities serving the main gods. The following are named in honor of tritons: in astronomy - the satellite of the planet Neptune; in biology - the genus of tailed amphibians of the salamander family and the genus of prosobranch mollusks; in technology - a series of ultra-small submarines of the USSR Navy; in music, an interval formed by three tones.
Metabolism, the ratio of body weight to brain, and many other factors affect life expectancy different organisms. Some animals live more than a hundred years, such as bowhead whales and moray eels. At the same time, the life of some creatures is limited to a few hours. Here is the list shortest living animals organisms in the world.
10. Domestic rabbits. They live 8-12 years.
These small mammals live in various parts of the world. Domestic rabbits have an average lifespan of approximately 8-12 years. They come in various sizes and colors. But the most beautiful representatives of this species often have the most short life. The main reasons affecting the health of domestic rabbits are intestinal cancer and obesity. Females suffer from these ailments more often than males. And without timely medical care, they can die much earlier. Improper diet, overfeeding with vegetables and juicy fruits, main reason ailments of rabbits. They need plenty of fresh water every day. Rabbits are highly fertile due to their short lifespan.
9. Guinea pigs. They live 4-8 years.
This rodent is a cute pet native to South Africa. But their life is limited to about four years. They are often susceptible to diseases. The main requirement for their maintenance is a feeding regimen and constant timely examination by a veterinarian. And here proper care can prolong the life of pets as much as possible. But sometimes it seems quite difficult to protect your guinea pigs from diseases like bronchitis or scurvy.
8. Gambusia. Lifespan 2 years.
Gambusia is a freshwater inhabitant of the United States. She lives for two years. Although Gambusia, which breed in household conditions, has a longer life than its relatives living in salt water. The lifespan of females is also slightly longer. The life of Gambusia in salt water is protected from many predatory fish who cannot live in such an environment.
7. Chameleon. Lives for 1 year.
Only the Panther Chameleon has such a short life. In fact, it has the shortest lifespan among the chameleon family. Panther chameleons are native to Madagascar, its northern and eastern parts. Their frequent mating is due to their short life span. An interesting fact is that all chameleons of this species disappear before the next generation hatches from the eggs. The rapid color change is its most outstanding feature. This gives them the opportunity to mingle with environment. The chameleon's diet consists mainly of crickets and worms.
6. House mouse. Lifespan 1 year.
The lifespan of this regular mouse only lasts for a year. But predators such as cats significantly reduce the lifespan of these small rodents. This is also facilitated by their poisoning with toxic substances. House mice are also susceptible to diseases during hair growth. And their fertility is associated with such a short life.
5. Dragonfly. Lives 4 months.
There are 5,000 species of dragonflies. The maximum lifespan of these beautiful insects is approximately 4 months. But most of them do not live to this point, as they become prey for spiders, birds, lizards and frogs. Strong winds or a sudden change in weather can prevent a dragonfly from hatching from a larva. After passing through the larval stage, the dragonfly can easily fly, this makes the inexperienced dragonfly easy prey for hunters. They also cannot live in cold conditions. The peterka is among the animals that have the shortest life.
4. House flies. 4 weeks.
Houseflies are the most common type and the most annoying of all insects existing in our homes. The entire life of this fly is limited to a four-week period. Insects living in our homes have a slightly longer life than those living in the wild. Over the course of its entire short life, one such fly can lay up to 1000 eggs.
3. Ant drone. Lives for 3 weeks.
An ant drone is a male member of a colony of ants. His life cycle is 3 weeks. These ants have a lazy character and never overwork. An ant colony is always controlled by a female. It is interesting that drone ants die after they mate with a female. It turns out that these ants of this type still play an important role in their life in the colony.
2. Gastrotrich. Lives for 3 days.
These are gastrociliated worms - inhabitants marine environment. They grow to their maximum size 3 mm throughout its three-day life. It has a transparent body and glows. In order to stick to other aquatic inhabitants, they use their thousands of adhesive tubes in the lower abdomen. Gastrociliated worms have both female and male sexual characteristics.
1. Mayflies. They live 24 hours.
The shortest living animal. These insects have the shortest life on earth. It lasts only 24 hours. They are also called ephemeral insects. There are 2,500 species of mayflies. In fact, many members of this family die within a few hours. They exist as nymphs. The only purpose of their life is the reproduction of their own kind. In this short period of time, they create groups and dance together on all available surfaces.
In terms of life expectancy, humans are inferior to many representatives of the animal world. Many of them live longer than a century, and some even live for five hundred years.
Bivalve mollusk of the species Arctica islandica
Today, these mollusks are considered the longest-living animals on Earth. Studies of the shells of several mollusks conducted in 2006-2007 at Bangor University in Wales showed their maximum age - more than 500 years. The oldest specimen, named Ming, was 507 years old.
Giant turtle
Giant tortoises are land reptiles, endemic to Aldabra Island (Seychelles). These turtles are one of the longest living animals on Earth. In captivity they live on average up to 150 years.
The record holder for age among known to science The largest turtle in the world was a 250-kilogram turtle named Advaita (Sanskrit for “the only one”), who lived in the Calcutta Zoo. At the time of her death she was 256 years old.
Turtles are not only long-livers, but also one of the most ancient animals. Turtle fossils are over 220 million years old. The question of their origin is still considered debatable. Most scientists assume that the turtle predecessors were Permian cotylosaurs.
Koi Carp
Koi carp are also called brocade carp. This is a domesticated ornamental subspecies of common carp. Koi carp can be considered a fish that has gone through 6 selective selections. After all stages of selection, she is assigned a certain category. There are more than 80 koi breeds in total, they are divided into 16 groups.
The world learned about the longevity of koi in 1966. During a radio appearance, Japanese doctor Komei Koshihara told the story of the Hanako carp. When Komei was born, beautiful fish already lived in a small pond near his house. Years passed, the boy went to study. Every time he returned home, a large 70-centimeter fish was still swimming in the pond. Koshihara asked his grandmother how long Hanako had been living here. According to the grandmother, the fish was at least 100 years old.
As an adult, Komei Koshihara decided to find out Hanako's age. He asked his friend Masayuki Amano, who worked at a fish farming station, to help with this. Analysis of Hanako's scales showed that Hanako is the oldest carp known to science. At the time of verification he was 217 years old. The fish died in 1977 at the age of 226 years.
European pearl mussel
The European pearl mussel is currently on the verge of extinction. Previously, these mollusks were fished for mother-of-pearl, but today this has become unprofitable.
The fact that the pearl mussel can be of great interest to gerontologists became known only in 2000, when the Russian researcher Valery Zyuganov established: the pearl mussel, which lives in Europe and North America, lives 210-250 years, and is the record holder for longevity among all known freshwater invertebrate animals.
Pearl mussels are characterized by the phenomenon of negligible aging, that is, the rate of their aging is difficult to statistically distinguish from zero within a single sample. Also called negligible aging is the phenomenon of “non-aging” - the lack of correlation between age and the probability of death.
Interestingly, the phenomenon of neglected aging is also observed in people who live to be 90-100 years old. After reaching this age, their chance of surviving until each subsequent year does not decrease with age. It was also noted that all people who lived to these years are genetically similar to each other.
Red sea urchin
Sea urchins are amazing creatures. These are the most “many-legged” representatives of the animal world. Moreover, they use their numerous needles as legs, the number of which can reach up to a thousand. In addition, sea urchins have a spiral-shaped intestine and an organ unique in its structure - the Aristotelian lantern, consisting of five pyramidal outgrowths, shaped like drills. Inside each outgrowth there is a sharp tooth.
Sea urchins are one of the most ancient creatures on Earth. They lived on the planet back in Paleozoic times. IN early XIX For centuries, scientists believed that sea urchins do not live long - about 15 years, but recent studies of sea urchins provide amazing results. It turns out that red sea urchins can grow and develop throughout their lives without showing signs of aging. These creatures live for more than 200 years. And it is unclear how long they could have lived if they had not had natural enemies in the ocean, from which hedgehogs have to run away on their thorns.
Clam Guidak
The Guidak mollusk looks rather strange. It consists of a small shell relative to the size of the body and two long fused siphons, which can reach one meter in length. "Guidak" is translated from the Indian language as "digging deep." This is the largest burrowing mollusk in the world, so this name is quite justified.
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