There are a lot of ancient animals on Earth. When talking about ancient animals, it is customary to think first of all about dinosaurs. There are many theories about their disappearance, not only among scientists, but also among ordinary people. However, few people know about the thousands of other interesting prehistoric animals that lived alongside dinosaurs. In any case, they all died out millions of years ago. Below we will talk about ten of the strangest prehistoric animals, albeit not as well known to us as dinosaurs.
Arsinotherium is an ungulate that lived approximately millions of years ago. Reached 3.5 m in length and 1.75 m in height. Outwardly, it resembled a modern rhinoceros, but retained all five toes on its front and hind legs. Its “special feature” were huge, massive horns, consisting not of keratin, but of a bone-like substance, and a pair of small outgrowths of the frontal bone. Remains of Arsinotherium are known from Lower Oligocene deposits northern Africa(Egypt).
Megaloceros Bighorn deer, appeared about 300 thousand years ago and died out at the end of the Ice Age. He preferred open landscapes with sparse woody vegetation. The big-horned deer was the size of a modern elk. The male's head was decorated with colossal horns, greatly expanded at the top in the shape of a spade with several branches, with a span of 200 to 400 cm, and weighing up to 40 kg. It is likely that they are intended for tournament fights and attracting females, the luxurious horns of males were quite a hindrance in everyday life.
The hare family (Leporidae) also had its own giants. In 2005, a giant rabbit was described from the island of Menorca (Spain). The size of a dog, it could reach a weight of 14 kg. According to scientists, so big sizes rabbits are due to the so-called island rule. According to this principle, large species Once on the islands, they decrease over time, and small ones, on the contrary, increase.. In addition, scientists believe that due to reduced paws and rigidity of the spine, the “king of rabbits” lost the ability to jump and moved on land exclusively in small steps.
Deinotherium Deinotherium are the largest land animals of the Late Miocene – Middle Pliocene. Body length of representatives various types fluctuated between 3.5-7 m, height at the withers reached 3-5 m (on average 3.5-4 m), and weight could reach 8-10 tons. Outwardly they resembled modern elephants, but differed from them in proportions .
Amphicyonids Amphicyonids or dog-bears became widespread in Europe from the late Oligocene (2 million years ago). The proportions were a mixture of bear and cat features. Like bears, his remains were found in Spain, France, Germany, Greece and Turkey. Average weight males of Amphicyon major weigh 212 kg, and females - 122 kg (almost the same as modern lions). Amphicyon major was an active predator, and its teeth were well adapted for crunching bones.
Tilacosmil Tilacosmil is a predatory marsupial that lived in the Miocene (10 million years ago). Reached the size of a jaguar. The upper canines are clearly visible on the skull, constantly growing, with huge roots continuing into the frontal region and long protective “blades” on the lower jaw. Upper incisors are missing. He probably hunted large herbivores. Thylacosmila is often called a marsupial tiger, by analogy with another formidable predator - the marsupial lion (Thylacoleo carnifex). It died out at the end of the Pliocene, unable to withstand competition with the first saber-toothed cats that settled the continent.
Andrewsarchus Andrewsarchus is possibly the largest land-based carnivorous mammal. They are represented as a long-bodied and short-legged beast with a huge head. The length of the skull is 834 mm, the width of the zygomatic arches is 560 mm, but the dimensions can be much larger. According to modern reconstructions, if we assume relatively large head sizes and shorter leg lengths, then the body length could reach up to 3.5 meters (without the 1.5 meter tail), and the shoulder height could be up to 1.6 meters. The weight could reach one ton. Andrewsarchus is a primitive ungulate, close to the ancestors of whales and artiodactyls.
Exactly 75 years ago, the most ancient fish in the world - coelacanth, which existed on Earth hundreds of millions of years ago. In honor of this event, we invite you to learn about her and other ancient animals and plants that inhabit our planet today.
1. Coelacanth
It was previously believed that these fish became extinct in the Late Cretaceous (100.5 - 66 million years ago), but in December 1938, curator of the East London Museum (South Africa) Marjorie Courtney-Latimer discovered a fish with hard scales and unusual fins in the catch of local fishermen . It later turned out that this fish lived hundreds of millions of years ago and is a living fossil.
Photo by: Daniel Jolivet
Since this coelacanth was discovered in the Chalumna River, it was named Latimeria chalumnae. And in September 1997, in the waters near the city of Manado, located on the northern coast of the island of Sulawesi, scientists noticed a second species of these fish - Latimeria menadoensis. According to genetic studies, these species separated 30-40 million years ago, but the differences between them are small.
Thus, both species have a three-lined caudal fin, which is characteristic of fish that lived millions of years ago. But main feature coelacanths lie in the fact that their powerful fins move diagonally, like the limbs of land-based four-legged animals. In turn, the hard scales of these fish serve as protection from predators.
Being nocturnal fish, coelacanths spend the day in underwater caves at a depth of 95 to 100 meters, and when evening comes, they emerge from their hiding places and begin to look for food.
Interestingly, these fish do not spawn, but produce up to 26 fully developed young. Their pregnancy is believed to last about a year or more.
2. Ginkgo biloba
IN wildlife this plant grows only in eastern China. However, 200 million years ago it was widespread throughout the planet, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, in areas with temperate climate And high humidity. In Siberia, Jurassic and Early Cretaceous period There were so many plants of the Ginkgo class that their remains are found in most deposits of those periods. According to researchers, in the autumn of that time the earth was literally covered with ginkgo leaves, like a carpet.
Then there were 50 species of plants from the ginkgo class, but today there is only one. However, the wild form of even this species may soon disappear. After all, ginkgo biloba grows only in two small areas of China, which today are actively cultivated by humans. That is why ginkgo has been given the status of “endangered species”.
Photo by: Dragan Maksimovic
At favorable conditions Ginkgo may well live for more than 1,000 years. It is resistant to industrial air smoke and various fungal and viral diseases, and besides, it is rarely affected by insects. The tree can reach a height of 30 meters, its trunk is 3 meters in diameter. It has a pyramidal crown shape, which becomes even more magnificent with age. And its leaves, in their shape, resemble the leaves of ancient ferns.
This tree is mentioned in Chinese books from the 17th century. Since that time, in China, Japan and Korea, ginkgo biloba began to be considered sacred tree and a symbol of endurance and longevity.
In 1730, the ancient tree was brought to Europe and planted in the Milan Botanical Garden, and approximately 50 years later it was brought to North America. After this, ginkgo began to be cultivated, and the plant began to appear in gardens and parks around the world.
3. Small deer, or kanchil
, is not only the smallest (his height at the withers is no more than 25 centimeters, but Weight Limit about 2.5 kilograms), but also the most ancient look artiodactyls on Earth. These animals existed 50 million years ago, just when orders of ancient ungulates began to form. Since that time, the kanchila has remained almost unchanged and resembles its ancient ancestors more than other species.
It is the primitive features of appearance and behavior that make deer more similar to pigs than to artiodactyls. All species of kanchila lack horns, but have fangs that are used by males in battle. In addition, they have short legs, which makes them quite clumsy, but helps them easily get through thickets deciduous trees. Just like pigs, kanchilas have hooves on their legs with two lateral toes.
Surprisingly, scientists believe that whales evolved from moisture-loving animals similar to deer. And this is quite likely, because today, as in ancient times, some species show great love to water and spend a lot of time in bodies of water.
4. Mississippi Shellfish
An alligator-like fish, the Mississippi shellfish (Atractosteus spathula) is one of the oldest fish living on Earth today. IN Mesozoic era her ancestors inhabited many bodies of water. Today, the Mississippi shellfish lives in the lower Mississippi River valley, as well as in some freshwater lakes in the United States.
In North America, the Mississippi shellfish is the largest freshwater fish, typically ranging from 2.4 m to 3 m in length and weighing at least 91 kg.
As it is not difficult to guess, the Mississippian shellfish - predatory fish. It usually feeds on other fish, but with its sharp, needle-shaped teeth it can bite through even a young alligator. But, despite this, not a single case of an attack on a person has been recorded. Hunting for familiar prey, the carapace hides in reeds or thickets of other vegetation, and then quickly attacks its prey from cover. If the fish is not hunting, it swims slowly or even freezes, sticking its “beak” out of the water to breathe air.
5. Shield bug Triops cancriformis
These small freshwater crustaceans are considered the most ancient creatures living on Earth today. Representatives of this species have hardly changed since the Triassic period. At that time, dinosaurs had just appeared. Today, these animals live on almost every continent except Antarctica. However, scale insects Triops cancriformis most common in Eurasia.
The unique way of life of shieldfish has helped this species to remain almost unchanged for such a long time. They spend their entire lives in temporary fresh water bodies such as puddles, ditches and ravines. There, shieldfish feed on everything that is smaller than them, and when there is a shortage of food, they often resort to cannibalism.
For more than one million years, in such reservoirs, shield cysts (developed embryos covered with thin shell) larvae appear. They usually hatch in one or two days. And within just two weeks they develop and become sexually mature individuals. After this, they mate and then bury the cysts in the ground. As soon as conditions favorable for shieldworms arise, larvae emerge from approximately half of the cysts. The other part remains in the ground in case the reservoir dries out very quickly, and the newly emerged scale insects die before they have time to bury their cysts.
It is interesting that, despite the high prevalence of shieldfish on Earth, they remain poorly studied animals. For example, scientists cannot understand why shieldbills often swim belly up at the surface of the water, given that in this way they show their reddish abdomen and become visible to birds.
6. Metasequoia glyptostroboides
These conifers were widespread throughout Northern Hemisphere from Cretaceous to Neogene. However, today metasequoia can only be seen in the wild in central China, in the provinces of Hubei and Sichuan.
This plant was first discovered as fossilized remains on the island of Hokkaido, and only in 1943 were living trees found in the mountains of China. And in 2012, a genetic study was carried out on the ancient remains of metasequoia, about 50-55 million years old and modern look, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, which revealed that the differences between them are very small.
7. Goblin Shark
The genus Mitsukurina, to which this species of shark belongs, first became known through fossils that date back to the Middle Eocene (about 49-37 million years ago). The only one now existing look of this genus, the goblin shark, inhabiting the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, retained some primitive features of its ancient relatives, and today is a living fossil.
Science knows little about this unusual appearance creation. The goblin shark has very flexible jaws that extend outward when it catches prey. Like all sharks, it feeds on fish, for which its front – long and sharp – teeth are designed, but it will not refuse crustaceans and mollusks. The rear teeth of a shark are adapted precisely for chewing shells.
This shark was first discovered in 1898 off the Jordanian coast of the Red Sea (in the Gulf of Aqaba). To date, only 45 specimens have been seen. The largest known specimen reached just over three meters in length and weighed 210 kilograms.
Today, scientists do not have enough information about this fish to say whether this species is endangered or not. In many ways, what makes them so rare to observe is the fact that the goblin shark lives on great depth. Most specimens were seen at depths of 270 meters and 960 meters. However, several such sharks have been spotted at a depth of 1300 meters.
If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.
Once upon a time, ancient animals lived on our land. Cave lion- one of them. He became the ancestor of modern lions. We will tell you what a cave lion was like in those distant times in our article.
In ancient times, our planet was inhabited by amazing animals. Some of them are not at all similar to modern inhabitants of the Earth. But scientists believe that all modern animals descended from those same fossil ancestors. Today, thanks to computer technology, we can easily see what the ancestors of modern animals looked like, although only ancient people saw them with their own eyes, who left memories of these animals only in rock paintings.
The cave lion is one of these ancient animals. He is an ancient representative of the cat family, the order of carnivores and belonged to the genus panther. Scientists around the world have the opportunity to study this representative of the ancient fauna only from the remains of bones that are discovered during excavations.
How did scientists “get to know” the cave lion?
On the territory of the current Russian region, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), in 1891, a scientist named Chersky found the femur of some large beast of prey. At that time, the scientist concluded that the fossil remains belonged to a representative of ancient tigers. After this discovery on long years the ancient “tigers” were forgotten...
Until, almost a hundred years later, Nikolai Vereshchagin made a statement that these bones belong to the descendants of lions, not tigers. A little later, he wrote the book “The Cave Lion and Its History in the Holarctic and within the USSR,” in which he described all his finds and research results.
Appearance of an ancient animal - a cave lion
Having modeled the skeleton of the animal from the remains, scientists determined that the height of the cave lion was about 120 centimeters at the withers, body length - 240 centimeters (excluding tail length). Cave paintings show that the mane of these ancient felines was not very impressive. Hair like modern ones African lions, cave lions could not boast. The wool was monochromatic. The tail was decorated with a small tassel.
Where and when did cave lions live?
The appearance of this species of mammal is attributed to a period of about 300 thousand years ago. At that time in the territory modern Europe The cave lion was first identified as an independent subspecies. This ancient animal inhabited the entire area of the northern part of the Eurasian continent. Its habitat was modern Chukotka and Alaska, as well as the Balkan Peninsula.
Archaeological excavations have allowed scientists to prove the habitation of lions in the territory of modern countries, such as England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria. The territory of the former Soviet republics (USSR) was also inhabited by these ancient animals. Rock paintings were found near Odessa and Kyiv.
Cave lion lifestyle
Cave lions lived in prides, just like theirs. Although this lion is called a cave lion, in fact, it was rarely found in caves. This shelter was primarily intended for wounded or dying individuals who needed privacy. That is why so many remains are now found in caves.
What did the ancestors of modern lions eat?
The main food for these predators were large ungulates of that period: antelopes, deer, wild bulls and horses. Sometimes their prey was small bear cubs or giants
We all know from school that many ancient animals that once inhabited the planet have long since become extinct. But did you know that there are now animals on Earth that saw dinosaurs? And then there are animals that have been around longer than the trees these dinosaurs ate the leaves from. However, many of these ancient representatives of the fauna have remained virtually unchanged over the millions of years of their existence. Who are these old-timers on our Earth and what is so special about them?
1. Jellyfish
The first place in our “rating” is rightfully occupied by jellyfish. Scientists believe that jellyfish appeared on earth about 600 million years ago.The most big jellyfish, which the man caught, had a diameter of 2.3 meters. Jellyfish do not live long, about a year, because they are a delicacy for fish. Scientists are puzzling over how jellyfish perceive nerve impulses from the organs of vision, because they do not have a brain.
2. Nautilus
Nautiluses have lived on Earth for more than 500 million years. This cephalopods. Females and males differ in size. The nautilus shell is divided into chambers. The mollusk itself lives in the largest chamber, and uses the remaining compartments, filling or pumping out with biogas, as a float for diving to depth.
3. Horseshoe crabs
These marine arthropods are rightfully considered living fossils, because they have lived on Earth for more than 450 million years. To give an idea of how long this is, horseshoe crabs are older than trees.
It was not difficult for them to survive all the known global disasters, practically unchanged in appearance. Horseshoe crabs can rightfully be called animals " blue bloods" Their blood, unlike ours, is blue, because it is saturated with copper, and not iron, like human blood.
The blood of horseshoe crabs has amazing properties- when it reacts with microbes, clots are formed. This is how horseshoe crabs create a barrier against germs. A reagent is made from the blood of horseshoe crabs and used to test medications for purity.
4. Neopilins
Neopilina is a mollusk that has lived on Earth for approximately 400 million years. He has not changed in appearance. Neopilins live on great depths in the oceans.5. Coelacanth
Coelacanth is a modern fossil animal that appeared on our planet approximately 400 million years ago. Over the entire period of its existence, it has remained virtually unchanged. On this moment Coelacanth is on the verge of extinction, so catching these fish is strictly prohibited.
6. Sharks
Sharks have existed on Earth for more than 400 million years. Sharks are very interesting animals. People have been exploring them for many years and never cease to be amazed at their uniqueness.For example, a shark’s teeth grow throughout its life, the most big sharks can reach 18 meters in length. Sharks have an excellent sense of smell - they can smell blood at a distance of hundreds of meters. Sharks practically do not feel pain, because their body produces a certain “opium” that dulls pain.
Sharks are amazingly adaptable. For example, if there is not enough oxygen, they can “shut down” part of the brain and use less energy. Sharks can also regulate the salinity of water by producing special means. Shark vision is several times better than that of cats. IN dirty water they can see up to 15 meters away. 
7. Cockroaches
These are real old-timers on Earth. Scientists say that cockroaches have inhabited the planet for more than 340 million years. They are hardy, unpretentious and fast - this is what helped them survive during the most turbulent periods of history on Earth.Cockroaches can live for some time without a head - after all, they breathe with the cells of the body. They are excellent runners. Some cockroaches run about 75 cm in a second. This is very good result relative to their height. And their incredible endurance is evidenced by the fact that they can withstand radiation almost 13 times more than humans.
Cockroaches can live without water for about a month, without water for a week. Their female retains the male's seed for some time and can fertilize herself.
8. Crocodiles
Crocodiles appeared on Earth about 250 million years ago. Surprisingly, crocodiles first lived on land, but then they liked to spend a significant part of their time in the water.Crocodiles are amazing animals. They don't seem to do anything for nothing. To make food easier to digest, crocodiles swallow stones. This also helps them dive deeper.
There is a natural antibiotic in the crocodile's blood that helps them not get sick. Average duration Their lifespan is 50 years, but some individuals can live up to 100 years. Crocodiles cannot be trained and can be considered the most dangerous animals on the planet.
9. Shchitni
Shchitni appeared on Earth during the period of dinosaurs approximately 230 million years ago. They live almost all over the world, except Antarctica.Surprisingly, the shields have not changed in appearance, they only became smaller in size. The largest scale insects were found measuring 11 cm, the smallest - 2 cm. If the scale insects are hungry, cannibalism is possible among them.
10. Turtles
Turtles inhabited the Earth approximately 220 million years ago. Turtles differ from their ancient ancestors in that they have no teeth and have learned to hide their heads. Turtles can be considered long-lived. They live up to 100 years. They see, hear, and have a keen sense of smell. Turtles remember human faces.If the temperature in the nest where the female laid eggs is high, females will be born; if it is low, only males will be born.
11. Hatteria
Hatteria is a reptile that appeared on Earth more than 220 million years ago. Now the tuataria live in New Zealand.Hatteria looks like an iguana or lizard. But this is just a similarity. Hatterias established a separate detachment - beak-headed. This animal has a “third eye” on the back of its head. Tuttaria have slow metabolic processes, so they grow very slowly, but they can easily live up to 100 years.
12. Spiders
Spiders have lived on Earth for more than 165 million years. The oldest web was found in amber. Her age became 100 million years. A female spider can lay several thousand eggs at a time - this is one of the factors that has helped them survive to this day. Spiders have no bones; their soft tissues are covered by a hard exoskeleton.The web could not be made artificially in any laboratory. And those spiders that were sent into space spun three-dimensional webs.
It is known that some spiders can live up to 30 years. Biggest famous spider has a length of almost 30 cm, and the smallest is half a millimeter.
13. Ants
Ants are amazing animals. It is believed that they have lived on our planet for more than 130 million years, while practically not changing their appearance.Ants are very smart, strong and organized animals. We can say that they have their own civilization. They have order in everything - they are divided into three castes, each of which does its own thing.
Ants are very good at adapting to circumstances. Their population is the largest on Earth. To imagine how many there are, imagine that there are about a million ants per inhabitant of the planet. Ants are also long-lived. Sometimes queens can live up to 20 years! They are also amazingly smart - ants can teach their fellows to look for food.
14. Platypuses
Platypuses have lived on Earth for more than 110 million years. Scientists suggest that at first these animals lived in South America, but then they got to Australia. In the 18th century, the skin of platypuses was first seen in Europe and was considered... a fake.Platypuses are excellent swimmers; they easily obtain food from the river bottom using their beaks. Platypuses spend almost 10 hours a day underwater.
Platypuses have not been able to be bred in captivity, and there are quite a few of them left in the wild today. Therefore, animals are listed in the International Red Book.
15. Echidna
The echidna can be called the same age as the platypus, because it has inhabited the Earth for 110 million years.Echidnas look like hedgehogs. They boldly guard their territory, but when in danger they burrow into the ground, leaving only a bunch of needles on the surface.
The echidna does not have sweat glands. In hot weather they move little; in cold weather they can hibernate, thus regulating their heat exchange. Echidnas are long-lived. In nature they live up to 16 years, and in zoos they can live up to 45 years.
I wonder if a person can live on Earth for that long?
What ancient animals have survived to this day, and what do we know about them? On the pages of our site we have already talked about dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals that once inhabited our planet, but have now become extinct.
Are there really any dinosaurs’ contemporaries that have survived to this day?! Today we will present to your attention 25 of the most real “living fossils”.
Shchiten
A freshwater crustacean similar to a small horseshoe crab. Over the past 70 million years, its prehistoric morphology has undergone almost no changes, almost no different from the ancestors of the shieldfish, which inhabited the earth about 220 million years ago.
24. Lamprey
Jawless fish. It has a funnel-like suction cup mouth. Occasionally they burrow their teeth into the bodies of other fish, sucking blood, but the majority of the 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 North-Eastern Siberia And North America heavy and big bird, weighing up to 4.5 kilograms. Presumably the oldest representative of this species, the fossils of which have been found, lived 10 million years ago in Nebraska.
22. Sturgeon
Living in lakes, rivers and coastal waters The subarctic, temperate and subtropical sturgeon are sometimes called “primitive fish.” The reason for this is that the morphological characteristics of the sturgeon have remained virtually unchanged. In any case, the oldest fossils of the sturgeon are practically no different from its modern descendants, despite the passage of 220 million years.
True, as sad as it may be, pollution environment, over-fishing has put these unique fish to the point of complete disappearance, and individual species sturgeon are almost beyond recovery.
21. Giant Chinese salamander
Most large amphibian, the length of which can reach 1.8 m. It represents the family of cryptobranchs that appeared 170 million years ago. Like the sturgeon, it is on the verge of extinction.
The cause is habitat loss, overfishing and pollution. Like many others rare species used by the Chinese for food and used for the dubious needs of Chinese medicine.
20. Martian Ant
Lives in tropical forests Brazil and the Amazon. It belongs to the oldest genus of ants and is about 120 million years old.
19. Brownie 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, its first ancestors lived on Earth already 125 million years ago. Despite its terrifying 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. Considered the closest relative of the trilobite, it is one of the best-known living fossils, remaining virtually unchanged in 450 million years.
17. Echidna
Like the platypus, the echidna remains the only oviparous mammals. Its ancestors separated 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. Due to her appearance she was named after the "Mother of Monsters" from ancient greek mythology.
16. Hatteria
The endemic tuataria from New Zealand can reach a length of 80 cm, distinguished by a spiny crest along the back, which is especially pronounced in males. However, despite the obvious similarities with modern reptiles and lizards, the body structure of the hatteria has remained unchanged for two hundred million years. In this regard, hatteria are extremely important for science, since 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 fearsome appearance.
This lineage has existed for at least 95 million years (since the end of the Cretaceous period). It is possible that frilled sharks may be 150 million years old (end Jurassic period).
The frilled shark is a living fossil that belongs to one of the oldest surviving lineages of sharks. 14. Vulture turtle
The snapping turtle lives mostly in the waters adjacent to the southeastern United States. Belongs to one of two surviving families of Cayman turtles.
This prehistoric turtle family has centuries-old history fossil record, which begins as early as the Maastrichtian Stage of the Late Cretaceous period (72-66 million years ago). The weight of the snapping turtle can reach up to 180 kilograms, which makes it the heaviest freshwater turtle peace.
13. Coelacanth
A genus of fish endemic to the coastal waters of Indonesia, which includes two living species of the coelacanth family. Until 1938, coelacanths were considered extinct until they were rediscovered.
Oddly enough, coelacanths are more closely related to mammals, reptiles and lungfishes than to other ray-finned fish. Presumably, the coelacanth acquired its current form about 400 million years ago.
The coelacanth is endemic to Indonesian waters. 12. Giant freshwater stingray
Giant freshwater stingray is one of the largest freshwater fish world, growing in 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 representatives of the animal world mentioned in this article, the giant freshwater stingray is on the verge of complete extinction due to excessive catching 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-west region of the Pacific and Indian Ocean.
Prefers deep slopes of coral reefs. Judging by the fossil remains, nautiluses managed to survive five hundred million years, during which several eras changed on earth and several events occurred. mass extinctions. Of course, nautiluses, too, having existed for half a billion years and survived the most severe cataclysms, may not be able to withstand the most terrible (and this is not an exaggeration) of the evils that our planet has ever encountered - man. It is on the verge of extinction due to overfishing and human pollution of the environment.
10. Medusa
They live in all oceans from depths of the sea 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 multi-organ animals. This is probably the only animal on this list whose numbers could increase significantly due to overfishing. natural enemies jellyfish At the same time, some species of jellyfish are also on the verge of extinction.
9. Platypus
An oviparous mammal with the feet of an otter, the tail of a beaver and a duck's beak. Very often it is called the most bizarre animal in the world. In light of this, it is not surprising that the roots of the platypus go back to prehistoric wilds.
On the one hand, the oldest platypus fossil is only 100,000 years old, but the first platypus ancestor roamed the supercontinent Gondwanaland about 170 million years ago.
8. Long-eared jumper
This small four-legged mammal is widely distributed throughout the region. African continent and in appearance resembles opossums or some small rodents. However, oddly enough, they are much closer to elephants than to possums. The first ancestors of the long-eared jumper lived on earth already during the Paleogene period (about 66-23 million years ago).
7. Pelican
Oddly enough, this large waterfowl with a long, heavy beak is one of the living fossils that has undergone virtually no changes since the prehistoric period. The genus of these birds has existed for at least 30 million years.
The oldest fossilized skeleton of a pelican was found in France in early Oligocene deposits. Outwardly, it is almost indistinguishable from modern pelicans, and its beak is morphologically identical to the beaks modern birds of this kind.
Pelicans are one of the few birds that have not changed since prehistoric times. 6. Mississippi Shellfish
One of the largest North American freshwater fish. Often called a living fossil or "primitive fish" due to the preservation of a number of morphological characteristics the most ancient of their ancestors. In particular, these characteristics include the ability to breathe in both water and air, as well as a spiral valve. Paleontologists trace the existence of the carapace back 100 million years.
The Mississippi shellfish is a primitive fish. 5. Sponge
Duration of existence sea sponges on our planet are quite difficult to trace, since estimates of their age vary widely, but the oldest fossil to date is approximately 60 million years old.
4. Slithertooth
Poisonous burrowing mammal leading night look life. It is endemic to several countries at once Caribbean and is often called a living fossil, which is not at all surprising since it has undergone virtually no changes over the past 76 million years.
3. Crocodiles
Unlike most of the 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. This happened early Triassic period, and the descendants of these creatures to this day carry a lot of morphological characteristics that were formed in their distant ancestors.
2. Dwarf whale
Until 2012, the dwarf whale was considered an extinct animal, but since it still survived, it is still considered the smallest representative of the baleen whales. Since this animal is very rare, both its population and its social behavior extremely little is known. But it is known for sure that the dwarf whale is a descendant of the cetotherium family, which is part of the suborder of baleen whales and which existed from the late Oligocene to the late Pleistocene (28-1 million years ago).
1.Black-bellied disc-tongue frog
As it turns out, living fossils can also be found among such a seemingly completely prosaic creature as a frog. Like the aforementioned pygmy whale, this black-bellied frog was thought to be extinct, but was rediscovered in 2011.
It was initially thought that the black-bellied disc-tongued frog had existed for only 15 millennia, but using phylogenetic analysis, scientists were able to calculate that the last direct ancestor of this unique animal was a jumper. earth's surface about 32 million years ago. This makes the black-bellied disc-tongue frog not just a living fossil, but also sole representative a kind that has survived to this day.
If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.
Loading...
