The oldest fish on our planet. The oldest fish on earth. Black-bellied disc-tongue frog
Ancient coelacanth fish
Modern scientists consider the lobe-finned fish, which was called coelacanth or coelacanth, to be the most ancient fish on Earth. This fish is considered a transitional stage in the evolution from fish to amphibians: its ancestors “crawled” onto land from deep sea during the Devonian period. Everything came from them existing species land vertebrates. There is plenty of evidence that these fish lived millions of years ago. This is confirmed by fossils dating back to 350 - 200 million years, but in the earth's strata about 60 million years old, the fossilized remains of these fish disappear. Scientists believed that coelacanths finally became extinct during the Cretaceous period. However, this turned out not to be the case.
The appearance of fish in modern times
To the great joy of the researchers, the fishing trawler "Nerin" at the end of December 1938 caught a strange fish, as if it had sailed from ancient times. This happened in the bed of the Chalumn River in South East Africa. The fish was caught at great depths. The trawler captain reported an unusual catch in local history museum East London. After carefully studying the fish, scientists came to the conclusion that this was a specimen of the prehistoric fossil coelacanth fish. The fish was dissected and a stuffed animal was made from it. In honor of the head of the museum in East London, who first described this fish, Miss Marjorie Courtney-Latimer, and the place where the fish was caught (the town of Chalumna), it was named Latimeria chalumnae. We now know this fish as the coelacanth.
Live specimen
Over the next years, scientists, despite all their efforts, were unable to catch at least one more specimen of coelacanth. Only in 1954 were several fish caught at once, one of which was even kept alive for a long time. This fish was caught at a depth of 255 meters by a fisherman named Zema ben Madi near one of the Comoros Islands. To date, more than 20 coelacanths have already been caught, and we can say that ichthyologists have studied this fossil fish quite well.
What is she like?
Its length can reach 1.8 meters, weight – up to 95 kg. Despite such impressive dimensions, the fish’s brain weighs only 3 grams. The body of the fish is covered with very durable scales, the fins resemble limbs, they are also protected by scales. The fish has unusually sharp teeth. Coelacanth lives only near the Comoros Islands (between Madagascar and Africa) at a depth of up to 400 meters.
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, severe and big bird, weighing up to 4.5 kilograms. Supposedly the most ancient representative This species, whose fossils were found, lived 10 million years ago in Nebraska.
22. Sturgeon
Living in lakes, rivers and coastal waters, 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
The largest 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. The eerie 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 (late Jurassic).
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 a centuries-old fossil history that dates back to 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 lungfish than with 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
The giant freshwater stingray is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world, growing in 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 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 mass extinctions occurred. 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 opossums. 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 of modern birds of this genus.
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 of its most ancient 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
The lifespan of sea sponges on our planet is difficult to trace because 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 Caribbean countries and is often called a living fossil, which is not at all surprising, since over the past 76 million years it has undergone virtually no changes.
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 still carry a lot of morphological features formed by 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 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-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 the only representative of its genus to survive to this day.
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We have already talked about strange, huge and very dangerous dinosaurs and others millions of years ago, but in fact, some of these animals have survived to this day. Having undergone minor changes, or without changing their appearance at all, some of these creatures have taken root perfectly in modern world. From the fearsome descendants of deep-sea prehistoric sharks to a species of ant that has been around for 120 million years, today we tell you about twenty-five prehistoric animals that still exist today.
25. Tadpole shrimp
The seabill, officially known as Triops longicaudatus, is a freshwater crustacean that resembles a miniature horseshoe crab. They are considered a living fossil because their basic prehistoric morphology has changed little over the past 70 million years, closely matching the bodies of their ancient ancestors who inhabited the Earth until approximately 220 million years ago.
24. Lampreys
The lamprey is a jawless fish characterized by a serrated, funnel-like suction cup mouth. Although they are well known to burrow their teeth into the flesh of other fish to suck blood, only a small number of the 38 known species actually do this. The oldest fossilized skeleton of a lamprey was found in South Africa and dates back approximately 360 million years ago, but it undeniably bears striking similarities to modern specimens.
23. Sandhill crane
Sandhill crane, endemic North America and North-Eastern Siberia, is a large and heavy bird, weighing up to 4.5 kilograms. A fossil skeleton more than 10 million years old found in Nebraska is believed to belong to a sandhill crane, but scientists are not sure if it is the same species. However, another sandhill crane fossil dates back to 2.5 million years ago.
22. Sturgeon
Sturgeon, found in rivers, lakes and coastal waters of the subtropical, temperate and subarctic zones, is sometimes called a "primitive fish" because its morphological characteristics remain virtually unchanged from the oldest fossil of the species found, which is approximately 200 million years old. Unfortunately, overfishing, pollution and other forms of habitat destruction have brought these fish to the brink of extinction, with some species already on the brink of extinction.
21. Chinese giant salamander(Chinese giant salamander)
The Chinese giant salamander, the largest salamander and amphibian in the world, can reach a length of 180 centimeters. As a living member of the Cryptobranchidea family, which originated 170 million years ago, this unique creature is also considered a critically endangered species due to habitat loss, pollution and overharvesting, as it is considered a delicacy and used in traditional Chinese medicine.
20. Ant from Mars (Martialis heureka ant)
This species of ant was discovered in 2000 in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. It is notable for its unusual morphology. Ant from Mars, one of the oldest known a separate family, which branched off from the ancestors of all other ants, is estimated to have roamed our planet for approximately 120 million years.
19. Goblin shark
The goblin shark, whose body length can reach up to 4 meters in adults, is a rare and poorly studied species of deep-sea shark. Its strange and scary appearance suggests that this creature has its origins in the prehistoric era. The first direct ancestors of the goblin shark lived on Earth 125 million years ago. Despite its frightening appearance and large size, this type of shark is practically harmless to humans.
18. Horseshoe crab
Horseshoe crabs are marine arthropods that live primarily in shallow ocean waters on soft sandy or muddy bottoms. The horseshoe crab is considered the closest relative of the legendary trilobite and is among the best-known living fossils that have remained virtually unchanged for an astonishing 450 million years.
17. Echidna
Along with the platypus, the echidna is the only surviving mammal that lays eggs. Scientific research indicate that echidnas split from platypuses approximately 48 to 19 million years ago. Their common ancestor was aquatic, but echidnas adapted to life on land. Due to its very unusual appearance, the echidna was named after the "Mother of Monsters" in Greek mythology.
16. Hatteria (Tuatara)
Hatterias, endemic to New Zealand, grow up to 80 centimeters in length and are distinguished by a spiny crest along the back, especially pronounced in males. Even though they look like modern reptiles and lizards, their body structure is believed to have remained unchanged for 200 million years. For this reason, the hatteria is of great interest for the study of the evolution of both lizards and snakes.
15. Frilled shark
Found at depths of 50 to 200 meters in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the frilled shark is another scary-looking marine living fossil. This species of shark belongs to one of the oldest lineages of sharks still in existence, which has been around since at least the end of the Cretaceous period (95 million years ago) and possibly even since the end of the Jurassic period (150 million years ago).
14. Alligator snapping turtle
Commonly found in the waters of the southeastern United States, snapping turtles are one of two extant genera of the snapping turtle family, a prehistoric family of turtles with a centuries-old fossil history dating back to the Maastrichtian stage (72 - 66 million years ago) of the Late Cretaceous. period. Weighing up to approximately 180 kilograms, the snapping turtle is the heaviest freshwater turtle in the world.
13. Coelacanth
Endemic to the coastal waters of the Indian Ocean and Indonesia, the coelacanth is a genus of fish that includes two modern looking approximately from the coelacanth family (Latimeria). These species were thought to be extinct until they were rediscovered in 1938, and are more closely related to lungfishes, reptiles and mammals than to common ray-finned fishes. The coelacanth is thought to have evolved into approximately its current form approximately 400 million years ago.
12. Giant freshwater stingray
The giant freshwater stingray, one of the largest freshwater fish in the world, grows to almost 2 meters in diameter and can weigh up to 600 kilograms. Its thin, oval pectoral fin disc is estimated to have evolved approximately 100 million years ago. Like most of the animals on this list, this species is also critically endangered due to overcapture for meat and aquarium display, as well as habitat degradation.
11. Nautilus
Found in the deep slopes of coral reefs in the Indian Ocean and central-west Pacific Ocean The nautilus is a pelagic mollusk. Fossils found show that this creature has lived on Earth for an incredible 500 million years, meaning it has survived several mass extinctions and major changes to the planet. But then again, right now is probably the closest this species comes to being wiped out forever due to heartless human activity and overfishing.
10. Medusa
Found in every ocean from the surface to the deep sea, jellyfish may have settled in the world's seas as early as 700 million years ago, making them the oldest multi-organ animals. The jellyfish is probably the only species on this list whose numbers may be increasing worldwide as a result of overfishing of their natural enemies. However, there are also some endangered species of jellyfish.
9. Platypus (Platypus)
This egg-laying animal with the beak of a duck, the tail of a beaver and the paws of an otter is often considered the strangest thing in the world. Not surprisingly, his appearance dates back to the prehistoric era. While the age of the oldest platypus skeleton fossil found by scientists on this moment, is only 100,000 years old, the first ancestor of the platypus lived on the supercontinent Gondwana 170 million years ago.
8. Elephant shrew
Widely distributed throughout southern Africa, long-eared jumpers are small, four-legged mammals that resemble rodents or opossums but are, ironically, more closely related to elephants. According to the fossil record, the first ancestors of this strange creature lived during the Paleogene period (66 - 23 million years ago).
7. Pelican
Surprisingly, these are large waterfowl, possessing a huge and long beak, are among the living fossils that have changed little since the prehistoric period. The fossil record shows that the pelican genus has existed for at least 30 million years. The oldest fossilized skeleton found in early Oligocene sediments in France bears a striking resemblance to modern form birds, and its beak is morphologically identical to the beak of existing pelicans.
6. Mississippi Alligator Gar
Mississippian shellfish, one of the largest freshwater fish in North America, are often called "primitive fish" or "living fossils" due to the fact that they retain some morphological characteristics of their earliest ancestors, such as a spiral valve and the ability to breathe air. and in the water. The fossil record traces the existence of the carapace to more than 100 million years ago.
5. Sponge
It is difficult to measure exactly how long sea sponges have existed on our planet, as estimates vary widely, but the oldest evidence for their existence is sea sponge, appears to be a fossilized skeleton recently discovered in a 760-million-year-old rock.
4. Slithertooth (Solenodon)
Snaptooths are venomous, nocturnal, burrowing mammals. This small creature Endemic to several Caribbean countries, it is often called a living fossil because it has remained virtually unchanged over the past 76 million years, retaining the primitive mammalian characteristics typical of its prehistoric ancestors.
3. Crocodiles
Unlike sawtooths and many of the other animals on this list, crocodiles actually resemble dinosaurs. Including crocodiles, alligators, caimans, gharials and gharial crocodiles, this group appeared approximately 250 million years ago in the Early Triassic period and their modern descendants still possess many common morphological characteristics of their distant ancestors.
2. Pygmy right whale
The pygmy whale, thought to be extinct until 2012 when it was rediscovered, is the smallest of the baleen whales. Because it is a very rare animal, little is known about its population or social behavior. What we do know is that the pygmy whale is a descendant of the Cetotheriidae, a family of baleen whales that existed from the late Oligocene to the late Pliocene (28 - 1 million years ago).
1. Black-bellied disc-tongue frog (Hula painted frog)
Even frogs also have living fossils. Like the pygmy whale, the black-bellied disc-tongue frog was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 2011. The frog was originally thought to have existed for only 15,000 years, however, based on phylogenetic analysis, it has been estimated that the frog's last direct ancestor existed approximately 32 million years ago, making the black-bellied disc-tongued frog the only extant member of the genus.
Do you know which animals have survived on our planet since ancient times? These mysterious creatures not only survived various disasters, but to this day they continue to successfully prolong their family line. and here is the first of them...
10. Hagfish
Judging by the fossilized remains, Hagfish existed more than three hundred million years ago, which automatically means that they inhabited our planet even before the first dinosaur set foot on it.
These animals are found in deep waters and are sometimes also called eels, which is fundamentally incorrect, since they have nothing to do with eels.
And that's not the whole point: the whole point is that Hagfish isn't even a fish. There are many things associated with this creature interesting facts: For example, having a skull, Hagfish does not have a spinal cord, but does have a second brain. Unclosed circulatory system has a main heart and three additional ones. They have virtually no vision, since their eyes are covered with skin, and they feed at night. However, they cannot be called completely blind - there are light-sensitive cells around the Hagfish cloaca. Hagfish is a pronounced predator, feeding on weakened animals falling to the seabed, into whose bodies it bites, eating out the entrails and muscles, using its powerful tongue with horny teeth. Sometimes they feed on worms.
Hagfish are a family of about 15 species. Fish are distributed in temperate and subtropical waters of the World Ocean.
Due to the fact that Hagfish is covered with a huge amount of unique type of mucus, no fish living in the same Hagfish biotope is able to harm, especially in light of Hagfish’s ability to tie itself in a knot. In other words, whether other marine life likes it or not, Hagfish has no natural enemies. seabed No. It lives in tropical and temperate waters of the world's oceans. Hagfish is part of the jawless family and is considered a living fossil. For the entire subphylum of vertebrates, this strange animal is considered basal. Hagfish has quite longer length body - up to seventy centimeters. It is durable and can for a long time live without water, starve and remain alive even despite receiving serious injuries.
9. Lancetfish
The origin of this natural wonder is clearly prehistoric. Its more official name is a large-headed alepisaurus. It looks like a fierce predator armed with sharp teeth and equipped with a sail on its back that surprisingly resembles the back of a dinosaur. However, this is only an apparent similarity. In fact, this “sail” is just an enlarged dorsal fin. Despite this, even scientific name consonant with the names of giant lizards (Akepisaurus ferox).
The literal translation of the name Lancetfish means large-scale lizard. This animal reaches two meters in length and sometimes even more, and the alepisaurus weighs up to nine kilograms. It has been seen in tropical and subtropical waters in all oceans.
During migrations, adult individuals can reach temperate and even subarctic waters, swimming even to the areas of Greenland, Iceland, Kamchatka and the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk. It can live at a depth of up to two kilometers. Unfortunately, alepisaurs have not been studied enough, but it is known that individuals that have not reached sexual maturity are hermaphrodites. Regarding adult individuals, there is currently no reliable information about their functional hermaphroditism.
8. Arowana
Arowana refers to such prehistoric sea life like Osteoglossids. This kind sea creatures lived back in the Jurassic period. Currently, fish of this species have been found in Australia, Asia, Africa and the Amazon. Recently, Arowana has been captured and preserved as an aquarium species. This fish is extremely greedy and voracious predator, which devours any small animals, which include even the bats and birds, which Arowana manages to catch in flight. This ability is explained by the fact that Arowana can jump out of the water to a height of about two meters. In China, this fish is called the “dragon fish” because of its external resemblance to this character from Chinese mythology. In China they believe that good luck awaits the person who encounters this fish.
7. Frilled Shark
This sea predator is one of the most ancient primitive sharks that have survived to this day. This species appeared back in the Cretaceous period, when dinosaurs ruled on land and beyond. These sharks were discovered quite recently. The length of their bodies reaches two meters. Sexual dimorphism expressed and the length of females is greater than the length of males. Frilled Shark lives at great depths and its diet is based on squid. These sharks do not pose any danger to humans and the majority of Frilled Sharks, fortunately, never see a person in their entire lives. Accordingly, these sharks are seen extremely rarely. In most cases, encounters with these fish are limited to scientists or fishermen noticing and recording dying or dead individuals that float to the surface of the ocean.
6. Sturgeon
Another prehistoric species that has survived to this day is the sturgeon. There were sturgeons already in Jurassic period(85-70 million years ago) and are known to the general public for being one of the main sources of black caviar. They are of great interest to science because they represent the subfamily of shovel-nosed animals (Scaphirhynchinae).
Representatives of this species are found on one side of the territory Central Asia, and on the other hand, in North American territories, which gives reason to see in the living sturgeons the remnants of a very widespread species in former times. aquatic fauna. Currently, the sturgeon is under threat of complete extinction and is listed as such in the Red Book. Most major representatives sturgeon can reach a length of six meters in length.
The weight of individual individuals reached one and a half tons. There have been reports of individuals weighing two tons. Despite the fact that their size is approximately the same as that of most white sharks, sturgeons feed on small animals that live on the seabed and do not pose any danger to people. Characteristic feature sturgeon are its spiked scales located in rows along the sides and back, which makes this fish look like a knight. The similarity is enhanced by an elongated conical snout, reminiscent of a spear lowered to attack.
5. Arapaima
It is a close relative of the Arowana mentioned above. As many scientists suggest, the Amazonian Arapaima is the largest freshwater fish on our planet. If you believe the descriptions, the length of this fish can reach four and a half meters, but it is very difficult to verify this statement, since it is currently extremely difficult to find an adult Arapaima. To date, average length this fish is two meters.
Hosted by Arapaima predatory image life, feeding mainly on crustaceans and small fish, although on occasion they can eat everything that can fit in their mouth. Arapaima moves quite slowly and has such an interesting ability as the ability to exhale oxygen, just as animals from the cetacean family do. Arapaima does not pose any danger to humans, however, despite this, this unique look, like many others, is on the verge of extinction. These fish appeared in the Miocene period, but the subspecies it belongs to (Osteoglossidae) appeared on Earth much earlier.
4. Sawfish
The first representatives of this species appeared on Earth back in the Miocene period. Surprisingly, the sawfish has managed to survive to this day and can be found in rivers or at the bottom of the sea. Externally, the sawfish looks like a shark and reaches seven meters in length. The main weapon used by this predatory fish, is a sensory organ covered with sensitive pores, thanks to which the sawfish is able to hunt successfully, despite the fact that its eyesight is very poor. In most cases, sawfish are completely safe for humans and do not show any interest in them, but if aggression is shown on their part and they feel threatened, they may attack.
Judging by the fossils found, giant prehistoric sawfish formed the basis of the diet for the largest predatory dinosaur of all times - Spinosaurus. This assumption is made based on the fact that a tooth belonging to this fish was found in the vertebra of a giant sawfish. to a huge dinosaur.
3. Alligator Gar
This huge size, a scaly-shelled predator, has been found in the southern United States and eastern and northern Mexico. Despite its name and appearance, the Alligator Gar is a fish that lives in fresh waters, although in some cases it can swim in sea waters. Alligator Gar can reach four meters in length and weigh up to two hundred kilograms.
This fish got its name due to its long jaws equipped with two rows of teeth, and its appearance very similar to that of a reptile. Alligator Gar is extremely bloodthirsty predator, which, when hunting, prefers to ambush its prey. According to unconfirmed sources, Alligator Gar can attack humans, although deaths attacks by this fish have not been recorded to date. It must be said that Alligator Gar is one of the most ancient species of fish that live on our planet. The origins of Alligator Gar can be traced back to the Cretaceous period and may go back even further.
2. Polypterus Senegalus
When talking about this fish living on the African continent, it is often mistakenly called a dinosaur. The reason for this confusion is the appearance worthy of a large reptile and the dorsal jagged fin, which only enhances the resemblance to the terrible giant lizards. Currently, Polypterus Senegalus is being caught for subsequent sale to aquarists, among whom keeping these exotic fish in an aquarium has become a fairly popular hobby.
Fortunately, this does not yet pose any threat to their population, since Polypterus senegalus is a fairly agile fish that is not easy to catch. Polypterus Senegalus is a fairly tenacious fish. For example, they are able to live without water for quite long periods of time and the only thing they need for this is for their skin to remain moist. When the skin dries out, the fish dies.
1.Coelacanth
Coelacanth is a real star today scientific world. This is not at all surprising, since he has every right to be considered the most known species fish that have inhabited our planet since prehistoric times and, accordingly, are entitled to first place in this list, since for a very long period of time it was believed that representatives of this genus had long since become extinct, having left the waters of our planet. However, in 1938, the coelacanth was rediscovered.
Previously, it was believed that coelacanths became extinct in Cretaceous period together with dinosaurs, but the discovery of a living specimen of this marine inhabitant in South Africa in 1938 turned the ideas of paleontologists upside down. Since then, a fairly large number of coelacanths have been discovered both in the western Indian Ocean, centered near the Comoros Islands, and near Indonesia, where the eastern population of a different species of coelacanth lives.
The coelacanth's usual habitat is dark, deep waters, which has allowed them to remain undetected for a long time. Fortunately, the meat of this fish has a terrible taste and smell and is therefore not used as food anywhere. However, despite this, the population of coelacanths is under threat of extinction, since these already few fish are caught for the purpose of sale to collectors and because of the alleged healing properties coelacanth.
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Largest freshwater fish
Som In the 19th century. V Russia a common one was caught catfish (Silurus glanis) length 4.6 m and weight 336 kg. Nowadays, any freshwater fish whose length exceeds 1.83 m and weighs 90 kg is already considered large.
Smallest freshwater fish
Pandaka The smallest and lightest freshwater fish is the dwarf pandaka (Pandaka pygmaea). This colorless and almost transparent fish lives in lakes about. Luzon, Philippines. The body length of males is 7.5-9.9 mm, and the weight is only 4-5 mg.
The smallest commercial fish
Sinarapan (Mistichthys luzonensis), a species of goby that is endangered and lives only in Lake Buhi. Luzon, Philippines. Males are only 10-13mm in length and it takes 70,000 fish to produce a dried fish block weighing 454g.
Oldest fish
Eel In 1948 from an aquarium Helsingborg Museum, Sweden, reported the death of a female European eel (Anguilla anguilla) named Patty, who was 88 years old. She is believed to have been born in 1860 in the Sargasso Sea, North Atlantic, and was caught somewhere in the river when she was 3 years old.
The oldest goldfish
Goldfish There have been numerous reports from China of goldfish - goldfish (Carassius auratus) living for more than 50 years, but only a few of these reports can be considered reliable.
The most valuable fish
Beluga The most expensive fish is the Russian beluga (Huso huso). A female weighing 1,227 kg, caught in the Tikhaya Sosna River in 1324, produced 245 kg of the highest quality caviar, which would cost $200,000 today.
Carp Far Eastern carp (C. Carpio) 76 cm long, champion of the most prestigious nationwide Japanese koi show (koi -Japanese name carp) in 1976, 1977, 1979 and 1980, in 1982 it was sold for 17 million yen. In March 1986 this ornamental carp was purchased by Derry Evans, owner of the Kent Koi Centre, near Sevenoaks, c. Kent, UK, price not announced; After 5 months, the fish, which was 15 years old, died. She was made into a stuffed animal.
A fish that can climb a tree
Pineapple Pineapple, or creeper fish, native to South Asia, is the only fish that comes onto land and even climbs trees. She walks the earth in search of a more suitable habitat. Pineapple gills are adapted to absorb oxygen from moist atmospheric air.
The smallest toad
Black-breasted toad The smallest toad - black-breasted toad (Bufo taitanus beiranus), living in Africa. The largest specimen was 24 mm in length.
The smallest frog
Cuban dwarf The smallest frog and at the same time the smallest amphibian - Cuban dwarf (Sminthyllus limbatus), living in Cuba; length reached full development individuals from the tip of the muzzle to the anus is 0.85 - 1.2 cm.
The biggest toad
Yeah, the largest known toad - yeah (Bufo marinus), living in tropical zone South America and in Australia. The weight of an average-sized specimen is 450 g. In 1991, according to measurements, the weight of a male of this species, named Prince, owned by Haken Forsberg from Akers Stickebroek, Sweden, was 2.65 kg, and the length from the tip of the muzzle to the anus was extended - 53.9 cm.
The largest frog
Goliath frog Goliath frog (Conraua goliath), caught in April 1989 by a resident of Seattle, PC. Washington, USA, by Andy Coffman in the Sanaga River, Cameroon, weighed 3.66 kg.