Strange and rare animals (61 photos). Animal Black Book

The Village continues to promote effective self-education. Every week we choose one area of ​​knowledge that you can understand on your own - with the help of books, courses, films and lectures, in the choice of which the invited experts help the editors. New issue - about animals. We tell you what to read, watch and what to learn in order to gain mutual understanding with your cat and find out what the elephants in the zoo are sad about.

There is no doubt that there is communication between the owner and his animal. Without it, living together is impossible. The animal is trying to be understandable and is looking for options on how to focus our attention on their desires and needs. For example, all dogs are different: someone will give everything for delicious food, someone is more interested in a toy, and someone just really wants to work with the owner. Go to new level training instructors help to communicate with your friend. Now that training is increasingly conducted on the method of positive reinforcement (for an introduction, you can look at Karen Pryor's book "Don't growl at the dog!"), You can start training even with the youngest puppies. Studies say that a well-developed dog can, like a four to five-year-old child, perceive several thousand words and execute commands that include up to 20 words. In addition, it is not necessary to speak with a dog in words. Some actions can be voiced only to you with understandable sounds, however, if you try to bark, then most likely it will be perceived as tomfoolery, but with proper preparation, “roaring” can be quite effective. The timbre of the voice is very important, a lower voice is more significant for a dog than a high one perceived as a screech. Anyone who wants to better understand their tailed friends, I would recommend reading the book by Elena Nikolaevna Mychko " Dog Behavior", It describes intraspecific psychology and how it is used in the relationship between humans and dogs very clearly.

Diana Vedyashkina

tamer dachshunds, artist of the circus "Aquamarine"

The dog understands human words, the number of which depends on how many words she was taught. It's like with children. You need to develop them in order to get best result. Of course, I'm not talking about monologues on philosophical topics: a dog cannot understand them in any way. But simple things are easy. Animals have not only emotions, but even depression. To determine whether an animal is really sad, you need to know its habits and usual behavior well. The mistake is that people often attribute to an animal their own personal emotions that could arise in a particular situation. Have dogs increasingly-??? logic and reaction differ from human.

What to read

Frans de Waal. "The origins of morality. In search of the human in primates »

The world-famous ethologist, who has been studying the behavior of primates all his life, discovered the beginnings of ethics in chimpanzees and bonobos - he talks about this, as well as the manifestations of empathy in elephants, dogs and even reptiles in his book.

Victor Dolnik. "Naughty child of the biosphere"

The vice-president of the Russian Ornithological Society explains quite clearly why the origins of our fears, desires, aggression and shame are directly related to animals. For example, have you ever wondered why lions and other big cats fascinate children at the zoo more than others?

Olivia Judson. "Pairs for Every Creature: Survival Sex"

Non-boring sex education from evolutionary biologist and science communicator Olivia Judson: Ten weeks of intercourse, spiked penises, pregnant males, and other marvels of sexual life in animals, birds, and insects.

Caspar Henderson. "A Book of the Most Unimaginable Animals: A 21st Century Bestiary"

At all A new book journalist Kaspar Henderson, which is published in Russian in May by the Alpina non-fiction publishing house. Yeti crabs, water bear, eels, Indian honey badger and Japanese macaque - almost three dozen chapters about the most amazing animals that inhabit our planet.

What to watch

Frans de Waal - on the amazing results of experiments on chimpanzees and elephants

For those who don't want to read the book we're talking about a couple of paragraphs above, a famous primatologist talks at TED about the most interesting experiments involving animals. It turns out, for example, that in the community of monkeys they are very sensitive to the well-being of their neighbors.

Laurel Brightman - about mental disorders in cats and dogs

American historian of science and author of Animal Madness Laurel Brightman talks about what funny videos with pets, there can be very unexpected problems.

Denise Herzing - about the language of dolphins

Researcher Denise Herzing has observed the behavior of three generations Atlantic spotted penguins. She shares her findings and ideas with TED audiences.

University of Melbourne: "Animal Behavior"

The course of teachers of one of the oldest Australian universities, dedicated to the life of animals in their natural environment habitat: search for food and partners, communication and parental instinct. Starts June 1st but you can sign up now.

Andrey Chabovsky - about how animals make decisions

A more academic approach to the topic: Alexei Kibovsky, Doctor of Biology, talks at Postnauka about how animals find a compromise between reproduction and survival.

Felix Sobolev. "Do Animals Think"

A meditative popular science film by one of the most famous Soviet documentary filmmakers. Humboldt University of Berlin, Kyiv Shevchenko University and the Dresden Zoo took part in the creation, and the Soviet actor Alexei Konsovsky expressively reads the off-screen text. A truly monumental work.

"Everything is like animals": Video blog Evgenia Timonova

Biologist and beauty Zhenya Timonova in her video blog talks about Buddhist dolphins, feminist hyenas and penguin prostitution - in general, about what was silenced in the program "In the Animal World".

Post-science") next Tuesday will give a lecture on zoopsychology at the center "Arche". Recommended for the prepared listener.

Where: Arche Center

How much: 500 rubles

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

1. Megaladapis (koala lemurs)

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

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

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

2. Wonambi

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

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

3. great auk

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

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

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

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

4. Deer Schomburgka

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

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

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

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

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

6. Argentavis

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

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

7 Barbary Lion

Barbary lions (lat. Panthera Leo Leo) lived in North Africa. They roamed not in packs, but in pairs or small family groups. The Barbarian lion was quite easily recognizable by the characteristic shape of its head and mane.

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

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

8. Laughing owl

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

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

9. Blue Antelope

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

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

10 Woolly Rhino

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

14. Dodo, completely extinct in the 17th century

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

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

15. Thylacine - Marsupial Wolf, completely extinct in 1936

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

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

16.Passenger pigeon

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

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

16.Tour

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

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

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

17. Moa

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

18.Epiornis

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

19. Tarpan

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

20.Japanese Hondos wolf

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

21. Falkland fox (Falkland wolf)

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

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

22. Baiji- Chinese river dolphin.

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

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

For a long period, history did not consider plots related to animals. All interesting stories about animals, seemed to historians empty and unnecessary. Covering entire studies with animals was considered nonsense. But this opinion is outdated. Scientists have noticed that an animal, considered in a certain context, helps to analyze different areas of history: social, legal, symbolic, religious, and others. The main role in understanding the image of the animal in history was played by medievalists. It is worth noting that the documents with which medievalists work. In these sources, scientists constantly meet the mention of animals. Animals can be seen in pictures, folk art, swearing. Also, animals are the decoration of churches.

The main sources about animals are bestiaries. Bestiary - a collection of articles about animals, which describe in detail all kinds of creatures, real and non-existent in reality. It can be attributed to a special medieval genre of literature. The bestiary can be divided into two parts. The first part described the physiology of the animal. In this part, the structure of the animal, its habits were described. The second part is theological. Here the significance of the animal in the Christian world is considered. But both parts of the description of animals are closely intertwined with each other. Bestiaries were especially popular in the XII-XIII centuries, various bestiaries appeared, the set of living beings was different for each author.

In bestiaries, the idea of ​​the beast appears not only as a natural, but also as a cultural phenomenon. Animals are used as symbols. Pictures of animals can be read like text. In the bestiaries there is an explanation of the animal. Such an explanation cannot be found, for example, in temples. There is only an image without text. Medieval people were constantly looking for the language of God. God has no language, but how he communicates with people. He communicates through symbols. In the language of things, therefore, animals are the things through which God speaks. In the language of God there is always an antithesis: good and evil, the righteous and the sinner. Medieval people noticed the same thing in animals. Each animal could be considered from the side of good and from the side of evil.

In my work, I want to understand what role animals played in medieval society. How did people understand animals? What is their place in the world? What did medieval people want to say, depicting various creatures in the decorations of temples, houses, their coats of arms.

Medieval bestiary makes it possible to understand how our ancestors thought about the world around us. Medieval man was always looking for a connection between the visible and the hidden. This refers mainly to what is in this world and what is in the other world. So animals in the Middle Ages are something different, not what they try to appear, thus, in bestiaries, two realities collide: one is visible. The other one is symbolic. So in the Middle Ages they often engaged in semiotics, that is, the unification different parts into one whole. So often medieval people depicted the devil using different parts of the body of different animals. To explain such images, of course, you need to understand the symbolic meaning of each. That is, medieval creators deviated from the usual, this deviation helped to show the clash of opposites. Always two different parts combined into a whole carry a different symbol.

So, for example, one of the most popular animals in the Middle Ages is a lion. Lions are found everywhere, in images, sculptures, weaving patterns. Especially popular are lions in church decoration. It can also be seen in the decor of books. The lion is the most common figure in medieval heraldry. An image of this predator can be found on 15% of the coats of arms. Even many hereditary rulers placed a lion on their coats of arms, the exception to the rule is the emperor and king of France. I all recognize the lion as the king of beasts. The authors of the bestiaries attribute to him the valiant qualities of a warrior.

Many saw in the lion the image of Christ. This was proven due to the physiology and habits of this animal.

1. Lions love to hunt on high ground. If he notices the pursuit, then he covers his tracks with his tail, he cannot be found. The same can be said about Christ. The devil tried to tempt him, but he did not give in.

2. Lions sleep with open eyes. Likewise, the Lord was killed in human form, but his divine essence was awake.

3. Lionesses give birth to cubs dead, and they remain dead for three days, until the lion father comes and revives them with his breath. God did exactly the same when he raised Jesus Christ on the third day.

4. Also in relation to people, lions are very patient, they will never attack first. Only a wound can anger this animal. That is, the lion is a noble animal.

5. Also, a lion never overeats. They take food and water on different days. And also if they feel like they ate a lot. Then carefully with their paws they take the meat out of the mouth.

All these features allowed medieval people to consider the lion the incarnation of Christ.

The name of the animal is interpreted as a derivative of the Greek word leon, which translates as "king". That is, even in its name power and strength are concentrated.

As with any animal, medieval people also see negative aspects in the lion. He is cruel, thirsty for blood, he is often angry. He does not use his powers for good. That is, sometimes a man's fight with a lion is seen as a fight with Satan. This can be traced in such stories about David or Samson. Often in the images of the devil, one feature of the lion is used - this is anger. Anger on medieval creations is depicted as a lying 8. The same position of the lips is depicted on canvases with lions or the devil.

But most often the image of a lion is associated with goodness. Thus, it was necessary to find an opposition to the king of beasts. That is, to make a bad lion who wants to take the place of a good one. The leopard became such a lion. He looks very much like a lion, only he does not have a mane, and he has a spotted color. He is the deposed king of beasts. His spots are the main indicator of his sinfulness. Each stain is a figure of sin. So in medieval art, the devil is often depicted as pockmarked, this is a reference to the sinful leopard.

If we continue to consider the cat family, then another kind animal is the panther. In the medieval world, the panther and the leopard are not identically equal. In medieval culture, these are different animals. The panther is black, there are no spots on it. This beast has no enemies except the dragon. The panther smells delicious, this smell scares away the dragon and he runs away from the smell of the panther. This is one of the main symbols of goodness, because the dragon was always considered by medieval people as the devil.

Dragon for Medieval man, this is an absolutely real animal. It is the largest among all snakes and other animals. In bestiaries, you can find various descriptions of dragons. On the one hand, it's easy big snake. On the other hand, it was described as a large flying lizard. main feature the dragon is what he lies in wait for. He waits for his prey, and then kills it. The devil does the same, he lies in wait for a person on the way to God. If we consider this animal from the point of view of literature, then many knights depicted with a shield on which a dragon was depicted were pagans.

It is interesting to note that many non-existent creatures are always noted in bestiaries: mermaids, unicorns, manticores and others. For modern man, it is obvious that these are mythological creatures, but medieval people did not critically comprehend many data, they used ancient authors as proven and reliable sources. Much of the information that got into the bestiaries was legends. different people. So, for example, the hunters spoke. That the she-bear gives birth to shapeless lumps. The authors had no reason not to believe them. After all, he himself had never met a bear.

So one of the features of the Middle Ages is the belief that the sea completely repeats the land. That everything in the world is parallel. On land there is a dog, in the sea there is its analogue - a shark. It is impossible to argue with the fact that there is a horse on land, and seahorses live in the water. This means that if all animals have their counterparts, then it is possible to find human counterparts in the sea. So, in 1554, a drawing of a fish-bishop was published, earlier this creature was mistaken for a monster. Some scientists suspect that these animals were walruses. But the most important thing in this theory about twins is that mythological creatures were the norm for medieval man. So mermaids or mermen are just water men and women.

But not only oral stories and theories, mythological plots also occupy a huge place. So, the inhabitants of the Nile, frightened by a Bedouin on a horse, mistook him for an unprecedented creature, which they called a centaur. This was noted in the parchments. This plot has long been forgotten, but the authors of the bestiaries took them seriously and described them in their writings.

Same way great importance had an ancient religion, when people worshiped various gods. So many of these gods had human and animal features. From these earlier religious beliefs, unusual creatures also appeared. For example, the winged Persian bull was subsequently described as a griffin.

Another reason for the appearance of unprecedented animals is etymology. Scholars of that period were passionate about translation, transcription, and interpretation. The Bible was written in several languages ​​and was constantly translated. But it often happened that one language could not provide analogues for any word. This resulted in language problems. For example, the basilisk appeared only because of the letter c that appeared in the word basil. These changes are inevitable as bestiaries have been translated and rewritten over the years.

Bestiaries had great value for the medieval man. After all, in any of his actions he saw a conversation with God. So, for example, in the Medieval period, hunting for a wild boar ceased. Now people wanted to catch a quiet deer instead of a wild boar.

The wild boar, an animal praised by ancient hunters and considered an honor to kill a wild boar, lost its appeal during the Medieval period. In bestiaries, this animal has collected six deadly sins: cruelty, anger, pride, lust, gluttony, envy and idleness. The appearance of the animal also reminds of hell: black hair, a rearing collarbone, an unpleasant smell, a terrifying roar, sticking out sharp fangs.

The deer is opposed to the boar. The deer is the animal of Christ. The deer becomes a pure chaste animal, and therefore takes the place of royal prey. Although in ancient times the deer occupied the place cowardly beast not worth wasting time on.

Thus, medieval culture turned the ritual of hunting in a completely new direction.

The church never welcomed hunting, but it was not able to completely eradicate it. But with the help of the interpretation of animals and symbols, the church was able to direct the hunt in a more peaceful direction. She made hunting less dangerous. A dangerous hunt for a boar or a bear was the wrong way, a Christian should not have gone on it. He had to choose a deer. Thus, the symbolization of animals helped to regulate this aspect.

In the Middle Ages, the attitude towards animals was ambivalent. On the one hand, the animal must be sharply different from a person. Man is created in the image and likeness of God, and the animal is an imperfect, impure creature. That is why animals appear so often in medieval images or writings. These are attempts to show the difference. There can be nothing in common between an animal and a human. That is why in the Middle Ages it was forbidden to dress up as an animal or imitate the behavior of an animal. It was also forbidden to honor animals. People were not supposed to have relationships with animals, ranging from attachment to a single animal, such as a horse or dog, to atrocities, such as witchcraft and bestiality.

But on the other hand, some medieval authors talk about the relationship of all living beings. They wondered whether Jesus Christ came to save all living beings, whether all animals are included in the definition of "all" and whether they are included at all. One of the proofs that animals also received salvation is the birth of Jesus Christ in a barn, next to the animals. At the end of the 13th century, questions about the future life of animals were also discussed: about the animals getting into heaven. Also discussed were earthly life animals: should animals fast, and can they be forced to work on Sunday. But the main question is whether an animal can be considered a creature morally responsible for its actions.

The interest in the moral responsibility of animals can be vividly illustrated by considering animal trials. These processes have been known since the middle of the 13th century, it is known that they were carried out for about three centuries.

In 1386, a pig was executed at Falaise in Normandy. She was dressed in human clothes. First, the animal was tied to a horse and dragged through the streets. A scaffold and a gallows were erected on the holed street. The pig was mutilated, half of its muzzle and meat from its thighs were cut off, and then hung by its hind legs. Due to the wounds, the animal quickly died. At the end, the corpse of the pig was once again dragged through the streets. The remains of the animal were burned. A little later, this event was immortalized on a panel in the church.

The pig was condemned to such a death because it was guilty of the death of a baby. She partially ate his face and legs. It was the same injuries that were inflicted on her. It is interesting to note that not the owner of the pig, not the parents who left the child, were not punished. It was believed that the punishment for the owner was the loss of a pig, and, consequently, income. Parents are punished by the loss of a child.

This is not an isolated case when an animal was executed. This was a common practice. An animal that committed a crime was first taken into custody, a little later a hearing was held and a verdict was announced, then it was executed. The animal even had a lawyer, but his function was rather formal, because he did not seek to justify the animal in any way.

It can also be concluded that the animals may have been tortured during their detention. For example, in 1457, it was recorded that, under torture, a pig confessed that it had killed a child and partially ate it, feeding its six piglets with its victim.

Processes and punishments were carried out not only on domestic animals, and not always in a single order. So forest mice, slugs or cockchafers could be punished. These punishments were usually handled by the church. So often different animals or insects were excommunicated, anathematized for damaging the crops. So in 1516, in the Wilnox region, the locust was asked to peacefully leave the vineyard within six days, otherwise the locust would be excommunicated. Such threats were made against many species: slugs, caterpillars.

These collective affairs left a lot of information in the archives, perhaps this was due to the fact that the church was involved in them.

Thus, it is possible to identify the typology of processes on animals, they can be divided into three types.

1. Individual cases against domestic animals, one individual. Usually it was killing or injuring a person. This case is a criminal offence. These things are never done by the church. This is a matter of secular power. Usually the delinquent individual went through all stages of the process, but if she managed to escape, then she was replaced by another. The only exception was that the sentence was not carried out.

2. Collective cases against large or small animals. It can be wolves or wild boars, as well as small rats or even insects. They were accused of either endangering people's safety or destroying crops. The church was engaged in these matters, usually it cursed, anathematized or excommunicated the whole species. This process was explained by the fact that God cursed the serpent, which became the instrument of the Devil.

3. These are crimes associated with bestiality. Little is known about this type, because after the verdict, documents related to this case were burned along with the criminals. Human and animal criminals were placed alive in one bag and burned alive.

Most often, pigs were involved in the courts. This can be explained in different ways. First, pigs were the most popular pet. Secondly, these animals had more free movement than others. In cities, they played the role of scavengers, so they could be seen everywhere. That is why, it was enough for them to simply cause damage and cause accidents. Thirdly, it is kinship with a person. For a medieval person, a pig is the closest animal. They believed that this animal is more similar anatomically to humans than others. And if a pig is similar to a person anatomically, most likely it is similar to him mentally.

All these processes served in the Middle Ages as an edification. This is a kind of ritual that demonstrates fair justice. This is a demonstration that even animals cannot escape the law. This action also shows the whole inquisitorial process.

In the Middle Ages, people looked for meaning in everything. The language of things - the language of meaning was considered a language with God. Bestiaries gave an interpretation to each animal, explained its meaning. On the one hand, it helped the church regulate social activities such as hunting. On the other hand, secular authorities could use animals as intimidation and demonstration of their justice. It is impossible not to consider the importance of church images, where different parts of the animal describe the devil.

We must not forget that, on the other hand, the animal has always been placed below man, because it was not created in the likeness of God. Therefore, any worship was accepted as a deviation from faith.

Bibliography

1. Pasturo M. Symbolic history European Middle Ages. St. Petersburg: Alexandria, 2012. 163p.

2. White T. Medieval bestiary. What did our ancestors think about the world around them. M.: Tsentropoligraf, 2013 183s.

In this post there will be scary, nasty, cute, kind, beautiful, incomprehensible animals.
Plus a short comment about each. They all really exist.
Watch and be amazed

SCHELEZUB- a mammal from the order of insectivores, divided into two main species: the Cuban flint tooth and the Haitian. Relatively large, relative to other types of insectivores, the beast: its length is 32 centimeters, and the tail, on average, 25 cm, the weight of the animal is about 1 kilogram, the physique is dense.


MANED WOLF. Lives in South America. The long legs of the wolf are the result of evolution in matters of adaptation to the habitat, they help the animal overcome obstacles in the form of tall grass growing on the plains.


AFRICAN CIVETA- the only representative of the same genus. These animals live in Africa in open spaces with high grass from Senegal to Somalia, southern Namibia and eastern South Africa. The dimensions of the animal can visually increase quite strongly when the civet raises its hair when excited. And her fur is thick and long, especially on the back closer to the tail. The paws, muzzle and end of the tail are absolutely black, most of the body is spotty-striped.


MUSKRAT. The animal is quite famous, thanks to its sonorous name. It's just a good photo.


PROEKHIDNA. This miracle of nature usually weighs up to 10 kg, although larger specimens have also been noted. By the way, the length of the body of the prochidna reaches 77 cm, and this is not counting their cute five to seven centimeter tail. Any description of this animal is based on comparison with the echidna: the paws of the echidna are higher, the claws are more powerful. Another feature of the appearance of the prochidna is the spurs on the hind legs of males and the five-fingered hind limbs and the three-fingered forelimbs.


CAPIBARA. Semi-aquatic mammal, the largest of modern rodents. It is the only representative of the capybara family (Hydrochoeridae). There is a dwarf variety of Hydrochoerus isthmius, sometimes considered as a separate species (capybara).


SEA CUCUMBER. Holothuria. Sea-pods, sea cucumbers (Holothuroidea), a class of invertebrates of the echinoderm type. Species eaten are collectively called "trepang".


PANGOLIN. This post just couldn't do without it.


HELL VAMPIRE. Mollusk. Despite its obvious similarity with the octopus and squid, scientists have identified this mollusk in a separate order Vampyromorphida (Latin), because as soon as it has retractable sensitive bee-shaped filaments.


AARDVARK. In Africa, these mammals are called aardvark, which means "earth pig" in Russian. In fact, the aardvark appearance very strongly resembles a pig, only with an elongated muzzle. The ears of this amazing animal are very similar in structure to those of a hare. There is also a muscular tail, which is very similar to the tail of such an animal as a kangaroo.

JAPANESE GIANT SALAMANDRA. To date, this is the largest amphibian that can reach 160 cm in length, weigh up to 180 kg and can live up to 150 years, although the officially registered maximum age of a giant salamander is 55 years.


BEARDED PIG. In different sources, the bearded pig species is divided into two or three subspecies. These are the curly-haired bearded pig (Sus barbatus oi), which lives on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Sumatra, the Bornean bearded pig (Sus barbatus barbatus) and the Palawan bearded pig, which, judging by the name, live on the islands of Borneo and Palawan, as well as in Java , Kalimantan and small islands of the Indonesian archipelago in Southeast Asia.




SUMATRAN RHINO. They belong to the equine-hoofed animals of the rhinoceros family. This species of rhinoceros is the smallest of the entire family. The body length of an adult Sumatran rhinoceros can reach 200 - 280 cm, and the height at the withers can vary from 100 to 150 cm. Such rhinos can weigh up to 1000 kg.


SULAWESI BEAR CUSCOUS. Arboreal marsupial living in upper tier lowland tropical forests. The coat of the bear couscous consists of a soft undercoat and coarse guard hairs. Color ranges from gray to brown, with a lighter belly and limbs, and varies by geographic subspecies and age of the animal. The prehensile, hairless tail is about half the length of the animal and acts as a fifth limb, which makes it easier to move through the dense rainforest. Bear couscous is the most primitive of all couscous, retaining primitive tooth growth and skull features.


GALAGO. Its large fluffy tail is clearly comparable to that of a squirrel. And the charming muzzle and graceful movements, flexibility and insinuation, clearly reflect his feline trait. The amazing jumping ability, mobility, strength and incredible agility of this animal clearly show its nature as a funny cat and elusive squirrel. Of course, it would be where to use their talents, because a cramped cage is very poorly suited for this. But, if you give this little animal a little freedom and sometimes allow him to walk around the apartment, then all his quirks and talents will come true. Many even compare it to a kangaroo.


WOMBAT. Without a photograph of a wombat, it is generally impossible to talk about strange and rare animals.


AMAZONIAN DOLPHIN. Is the largest river dolphin. Inia geoffrensis, as scientists call it, reaches 2.5 meters in length and weighs 2 centners. Light gray juveniles lighten with age. The body of the Amazonian dolphin is full, with a thin tail and a narrow muzzle. A round forehead, a slightly curved beak and small eyes are the features of this species of dolphins. There is an Amazonian dolphin in rivers and lakes Latin America.


FISH-MOON or MOLA-MOLA. This fish can be over three meters long and weigh about one and a half tons. The largest specimen of the moonfish was caught in New Hampshire, USA. Its length was five and a half meters, data on weight are not available. In shape, the body of the fish resembles a disk; it was this feature that served as the reason for Latin name. The moonfish has thicker skin. It is elastic, and its surface is covered with small bony protrusions. Fish larvae of this species and juveniles swim in the usual way. Adult large fish swim on their side, quietly moving their fins. They seem to lie on the surface of the water, where they are very easy to notice and catch. However, many experts believe that only sick fish swim in this way. As an argument, they cite the fact that the stomach of fish caught on the surface is usually empty.


TASMANIAN DEVIL. Being the largest of modern carnivorous marsupials, this animal is black in color with white spots on the chest and rump, with a huge mouth and sharp teeth has a dense physique and a stern disposition, for which, in fact, it was called the devil. Emitting ominous cries at night, the massive and clumsy Tasmanian devil outwardly resembles a small bear: the front legs are slightly longer than the hind legs, the head is large, and the muzzle is blunted.


LORI. A characteristic feature of loris - big size eyes, which may be bordered by dark circles, between the eyes there is a white dividing strip. The muzzle of a lory can be compared to a clown mask. This most likely explains the name of the animal: Loeris means "clown" in translation.


GAVIAL. Of course, one of the representatives of the detachment of crocodiles. With age, the muzzle of the gharial becomes even narrower and longer. Due to the fact that the gharial feeds on fish, its teeth are long and sharp, located with a slight inclination for the convenience of eating.


OKAPI. FOREST GIRAFFE. Traveling through Central Africa, journalist and explorer of Africa Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904) more than once encountered local natives. Having once met an expedition equipped with horses, the natives of the Congo told the famous traveler that they had wild animals in the jungle, very similar to his horses. The Englishman, who had seen a lot, was somewhat puzzled by this fact. After some negotiations in 1900, the British were finally able to purchase parts of the skin of a mysterious beast from the local population and send them to the Royal Zoological Society in London, where they gave the unknown animal the name "Johnston's Horse" (Equus johnstoni), that is, they identified it as a member of the horse family. . But what was their surprise when a year later they managed to get a whole skin and two skulls unknown beast, and discover that Ono looks more like a pygmy giraffe from the Ice Age. Only in 1909 was it possible to catch a live specimen of Okapi.

VALABY. WOOD KANGAROO. To the genus Tree kangaroos - wallabies (Dendrolagus) include 6 species. Of these, D. Inustus or bear wallaby, D. Matschiei or Matchish wallaby, which has a subspecies D. Goodfellowi (Goodfellow wallaby), D. Dorianus - Doria wallaby, live in New Guinea. In Australian Queensland, there are D. Lumholtzi - Lumholtz's wallaby (bungari), D. Bennettianus - Bennett's wallaby, or tharibina. Their original habitat was New Guinea, but now wallabies are also found in Australia. Tree kangaroos live in tropical forests mountainous areas, at an altitude of 450 to 3000m. above sea level. The body size of the animal is 52-81 cm, the tail is from 42 to 93 cm long. Wallabies weigh, depending on the species, from 7.7 to 10 kg males and from 6.7 to 8.9 kg. females.


WOLVERINE. Moves quickly and dexterously. The animal has an elongated muzzle, a large head, with rounded ears. The jaws are powerful, the teeth are sharp. Wolverine is a “big-legged” beast, the feet are disproportionate to the body, but their size allows them to move freely through the deep snow cover. Each paw has huge and curved claws. Wolverine climbs trees perfectly, has sharp eyesight. The voice is like a fox.


FOSS. On the island of Madagascar, such animals have been preserved that are not found not only in Africa itself, but throughout the rest of the world. One of the rarest animals is Fossa - the only representative of the genus Cryptoprocta and the largest predatory mammal that lives on the island of Madagascar. The appearance of the fossa is a bit unusual: it is a cross between a civet and a small cougar. Sometimes the fossa is also called the Madagascar lion, since the ancestors of this animal were much larger and reached the size of a lion. Fossa has a squat, massive and slightly elongated body, the length of which can reach up to 80 cm (on average it is 65-70 cm). The legs of the fossa are long, but thick enough, with the hind legs higher than the front ones. The tail is often equal to the length body and reaches 65 cm.


MANUL approves of this post and is only here because it should be. Everyone knows him.


FENEC. STEPPE FOX. He agrees with the manula and is present here in so far as. After all, everyone saw him.


THE NAKED DIGGER puts the manula and the fennec fox in karma and invites them to organize a club of the most feared animals in Runet.


PALM THIEF. A representative of the decapod crustaceans. Which habitat is the western part of the Pacific Ocean and the tropical islands of the Indian Ocean. This animal from the family of land crayfish is quite large for its species. The body of an adult individual reaches a size of up to 32 cm and a weight of up to 3-4 kg. For a long time it was mistakenly believed that with its claws it could even split coconuts, which it then eats. To date, scientists have proven that cancer can only eat already split coconuts. They, being its main source of nutrition, gave the name palm thief. Although he is not averse to eating other types of food - the fruits of Pandanus plants, organic matter from the soil, and even their own kind.

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

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

shield

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

24. Lamprey

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

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

23. Sandhill crane

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

22. Sturgeon

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

It is true, regrettably, but the pollution environment, overfishing has put these unique fish on the verge of complete extinction, and some species of sturgeon are almost beyond restoration.

21. Giant Chinese salamander

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

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

20. Martian ant

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

19. Goblin shark

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

18. horseshoe crab

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

17. Echidna

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

16. Hatteria

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

15. Frilled Shark

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

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

The frilled shark is a living fossil belonging to one of the oldest extant lineages of sharks.

14. Vulture Turtle

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

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

13. Coelacanth

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

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

Coelacanth is endemic to Indonesian waters.

12. Giant freshwater stingray

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

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

11. Nautilus

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

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

10. Medusa

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

9. Platypus

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

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

8. Long-eared jumper

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

7. Pelican

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

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

Pelicans are one of the few birds that have not changed since the prehistoric period.

6 Mississippi Carapace

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

The Mississippi shell is a primitive fish.

5. Sponge

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

4. Slittooth

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

3. Crocodiles

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

2. Pygmy whale

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

1. Black-bellied disc-tongued frog

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

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

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