The biggest monster in the sea. Bestiary: Bestiary. Sea monsters. Beer snack

The modern ocean is home to many incredible creatures, many of which we have no idea about. You never know what lies there - in the dark, cold depths. However, none of them can compare with the ancient monsters that dominated the world's oceans millions of years ago.

In this article we will tell you about lizards, carnivorous fish and predatory whales that terrorized marine life in prehistoric times.

1. Giant stingray

What is it: 5 meters in diameter, a poisonous spike 25 long on the tail and enough strength to drag a boat filled with people? In this case, it is an eerie-looking flat sea creature that, from prehistoric times to this day, lives in salty waters from the Mekong River to Australia itself.

Stingrays have lived quietly in Australian waters since the extinction of the dinosaurs and the huge predatory sharks from which they descended. They originated in prehistoric times, but they managed to survive all ice ages, and even terrible eruption Volcano Toba. They are very dangerous and should not be approached. Even if you think they are not nearby, you could be wrong - they are excellent at camouflage.

They are dangerous because they can attack you with a poisonous spike containing a neurotoxin or simply damage their vital organs. The advantage is that these prehistoric monsters are not so aggressive and will not try to eat you.

2. Melville's Leviathan (Livyatan melvillei)

Earlier in this article we already talked about predatory whales. Melville's Leviathan is the most terrifying of them all. Imagine a huge hybrid of an orca and a sperm whale. This monster was not just a carnivore - it killed and ate other whales. It had the largest teeth of any animal known to us.

Their length sometimes reached 37 centimeters! They lived in the same oceans at the same time and ate the same food as megalodons, thus competing with the largest predatory shark of the time.

Their huge heads were equipped with the same echo-sounding devices as modern whales, making them more successful at hunting in murky waters. In case it wasn't clear to anyone from the start, this animal was named after Leviathan, the giant sea monster from the Bible and Herman Melville, who wrote the famous Moby Dick. If Moby Dick had been one of the Leviathans, he would certainly have eaten the Pequod and its entire crew.

3. Helicoprion

This shark, 4.5 meters long, had a lower jaw that was a kind of curl, studded with teeth. She looked like a hybrid of a shark and a buzz saw, and we all know that when dangerous power tools become part of the predator on top the food chain, the whole world is trembling.

Helicoprion's teeth were jagged, which clearly indicates the carnivory of this sea monster, but scientists still do not know for certain whether the jaw was pushed forward as in the photo, or moved slightly deeper into the mouth.

These creatures survived the Triassic mass extinction, which could indicate their high intelligence, but the reason could also be their residence.

4. Kronosaurus

Kronosaurus is another short-necked lizard, similar in appearance to Liopleurosaurus. What is noteworthy is that its true length is also known only approximately. It is believed that it reached up to 10 meters, and its teeth reached up to 30 cm in length. That is why it was named after Kronos, the king of the ancient Greek titans.

Now guess where this monster lived. If your assumption was related to Australia, then you are absolutely right. Kronosaurus's head was about 3 meters long and it was capable of swallowing an entire adult human. In addition, after this there was room inside the animal for another half.

Also, due to the fact that the flippers of kronosaurs were similar in structure to the flippers of turtles, scientists concluded that they were very distantly related and assumed that kronosaurs also went to land to lay eggs. In any case, we can be sure that no one dared to destroy the nests of these sea monsters.

5. Dunkleosteus

Dunkleosteus was a ten-meter predatory monster. Huge sharks lived much longer than Dunkleosteus, but this did not mean that they were the best predators. Instead of teeth, dunkleosteus had bony growths, like some species of modern turtles. Scientists have calculated that their bite force was 1,500 kilograms per square centimeter, which put them on par with crocodiles and tyrannosaurs and made them one of the creatures with the strongest bite.

Based on facts about their jaw muscles, scientists concluded that Dunkleosteus could open its mouth in one fiftieth of a second, swallowing everything in its path. As the fish grew older, the single bony dental plate was replaced by a segmented one, which made it easier to obtain food and bite through the thick shells of other fish. In the arms race called the prehistoric ocean, Dunkleosteus was a real well-armored, heavy tank.

6. Mauisaurus haasti

Mauisaurus was named after ancient god The Maori Maui, who, according to legend, used a hook to pull out the skeletons of New Zealand from the bottom of the ocean, so just from the name you can understand that this animal was huge. The Mauisaurus's neck was about 15 meters long, which is quite a lot compared to its total length of 20 meters.

His incredible neck had many vertebrae, which gave it special flexibility. Imagine a turtle without a shell with a surprisingly long neck - that’s what this creepy creature looked like.

He lived during Cretaceous period, which meant that the unfortunate creatures jumping into the water to escape the velociraptors and tyrannosaurs were forced to come face to face with these sea monsters. Mauisaurs' habitats were limited to the waters of New Zealand, indicating that all inhabitants were in danger.

7. Rakoscorpions (Jaekelopterus rhenaniae)

It's not surprising that the words "sea scorpion" only evoke negative emotions, but this representative of the list was the creepiest of them all. Jaekelopterus rhenaniae is special kind crayfish, which was the largest and most terrifying arthropod of that time: 2.5 meters of pure clawed horror under the shell.

Many of us are terrified of small ants or large spiders, but imagine the full spectrum of fear experienced by a person who would be unlucky enough to encounter this sea monster.

On the other hand, these creepy creatures went extinct even before the event that killed all the dinosaurs and 90% of life on Earth. Only a few species of crabs survived, which are not so scary. There is no evidence that ancient sea scorpions were poisonous, but the structure of their tails suggests that they may have been.

8. Basilosaurus

Despite the name and appearance, they are not reptiles, as it might seem at first glance. In fact, these are real whales (and not the most frightening ones in this world!). Basilosaurs were the predatory ancestors of modern whales and measured between 15 and 25 meters in length. It is described as a whale, somewhat resembling a snake due to its length and ability to wriggle.

It’s hard to imagine that, while swimming in the ocean, one could stumble upon a huge creature that looked like a snake, a whale and a crocodile at the same time, 20 meters long. The fear of the ocean would stick with you for a long time.

Physical evidence suggests that basilosaurs did not have the same cognitive abilities as modern whales. In addition, they did not have echolocation capabilities and could only move in two dimensions (this means that they could not actively dive or dive to great depths). Thus, this terrible predator was as stupid as a bag of prehistoric tools and would not be able to pursue you if you dived or came onto land.

9. Liopleurodon

If there was a water scene in the Jurassic Park movie that included some of the sea monsters of the time, Liopleurodon would definitely appear in it. Although scientists argue about the actual length of this animal (some say it was up to 15 meters), most agree that it was about 6 meters, with a fifth of the length being the pointed head of Liopleurodon.

Many people think that 6 meters is not so much, but the smallest representative of these monsters is capable of swallowing an adult. Scientists have recreated a model of Liopleurodon's fins and tested them.

During the research, they found that these prehistoric animals were not so fast, but they were not lacking in agility. They were also capable of making short, quick and sharp attacks similar to those made by modern crocodiles, which makes them even more terrifying.

10. Megalodon

Megalodon may be the most famous creature on this list, but it's hard to imagine that the school-bus-sized shark ever actually existed. Nowadays, there are many different scientific films and programs about these amazing monsters.

Contrary to popular belief, megalodons did not live at the same time as dinosaurs. They dominated the seas from 25 to 1.5 million years ago, which means they missed the last dinosaur by 40 million years. In addition, this means that the first people found these sea monsters alive.

Megalodon's home was the warm ocean, which existed until the last ice age in the early Pleistocene, and it is believed that it was he who deprived these huge sharks food and the ability to reproduce. Perhaps in this way nature protected modern humanity from terrible predators.

11. Dakosaurus

Traces of the existence of dacosaurs were first found in Germany. These predatory creatures, resembling a hybrid of reptiles and fish, dominated the oceans during Jurassic period. Their remains were found over a vast territory from Russia to England and Argentina.

Although this sea monster has been compared to modern crocodiles, its length averaged about 5 meters. Its huge and unique teeth have led scientists to conclude that Dacosaurs were at the top of the food chain in their time.

12. Nothosaurus

Despite the fact that the body length of nothosaurs was only 4 meters, they were aggressive hunters. Their mouth was full of sharp teeth and they fed mainly on fish and squid. It was believed that nothosaurs were experts in ambushes and their bodies were ideal for sneaking up on prey and taking them by surprise. It is generally accepted that nothosaurs are inextricably related to pliosaurs, another genus sea ​​predators. The remains found indicate that they lived in Triassic period more than 200 million years ago.

Material translated from the site: toptenz.net

Skeptics have long believed that all large animals on Earth have already been discovered, and the claims of cryptozoologists about real monsters living in the World Ocean and still unknown to scientists are only fictions seeking sensation. However, eyewitness accounts, instrument readings, photographs and videos, as well as remains mysterious creatures, thrown ashore by the waves, indicate the opposite.

Ten tentacles and a powerful beak

It is difficult to imagine a more terrible image than the image of one of these huge monsters floating in the ocean depths, even more gloomy from the inky liquid released by these creatures in huge quantities; it’s worth imagining hundreds of cup-shaped suckers with which its tentacles are equipped, constantly in motion and ready at any moment to grab onto anyone or anything... and in the center of the interweaving of these living traps is a bottomless mouth with a huge hooked beak, ready to tear the victim apart, found herself in tentacles. Just thinking about it sends a chill through my skin.”

This is how the English sailor and writer Frank T. Bullen described the largest, fastest and most terrible of all invertebrates on the planet - the giant squid.

In ancient times, sailors called these monsters krakens. These terrible creatures have terrorized sailors for several centuries. Sometimes all sorts of fables were told about them, for example, that sailors mistook a kraken resting on the surface of the water for an island, landed on it and woke up the dormant monster. It sank sharply, and the resulting giant whirlpool pulled the ship and its people into the abyss. Of course, this was a clear exaggeration, but there is no doubt that krakens actually reach gigantic sizes and can be dangerous to humans.

In size, the giant squid is quite comparable to the average sperm whale, with which it often enters into a fight to the death, although he is armed with very sharp teeth. The squid has ten tentacles: eight regular ones and two that are much longer than the rest and have something like spatulas at the ends. All tentacles are studded with suckers. The usual tentacles of a giant squid are 3-3.5 meters long, and the longest pair stretches up to 15 meters. With its long tentacles, the squid pulls its prey towards itself and, entwining it with its remaining limbs, tears it apart with its powerful beak.

Biologist and oceanographer Frederick Aldrich is confident that giant squids even 50 meters long can live at great depths. The scientist points to the fact that all the dead specimens of the giant squid, about 15 m long, that were found belonged to young individuals with suckers of a five-centimeter diameter, while on many sperm whales, harpooned or thrown ashore by a storm, traces of suckers of a 20-centimeter diameter were found...

Newspapers wrote about the worst encounter between a man and a giant squid in 1874. The steamer Strathoven, bound for Madras, approached the small schooner Pearl, bobbing on the water. Suddenly, the tentacles of a monstrous squid rose above the sea surface, they grabbed the schooner and dragged it under the water. According to the surviving captain of the schooner, his crew watched the fight between a huge squid and a sperm whale. The giants disappeared into the depths, but after a while the captain noticed that a short distance from the schooner a huge shadow would rise from the depths. It was a monstrous squid measuring about 30 meters. As he approached the schooner, the captain shot him with a gun, followed by a swift attack by the monster, which rammed the schooner and dragged it to the bottom.

Legendary sea serpent

If most scientists no longer doubt the reality of the giant squid, then another legendary monster- Great sea ​​serpent- many of them don’t believe. Meanwhile, the first mention of a sea serpent was made two thousand years ago. Since then, the monster has been described more than once by various eyewitnesses in many languages ​​of the world. Of course, many of these accounts are clearly fabrications or exaggerations, but some of the reports are quite reliable.

One of the most reliable reports was received from the sailors of the English ship Daedalus, who, off the west coast of Africa on August 6, 1848, noticed a snake-like creature approximately 30 meters long near the side of the ship. The animal, which was observed for 20 minutes, swam at a speed of about 15 knots. A drawing by one of the Daedalus officers shows an animal with its head in a medium-thick tree trunk, and one of the reports indicates that the monster had long, uneven teeth.

Scientists have already found one candidate for the “title” of the Great Sea Serpent. In 1959, Dutch researcher Anthony Bruun published a description of a 1.8-meter-long eel larva caught at a depth of 300 m off the coast of Africa. If the size of the larva of an ordinary eel is about 3 centimeters, then an almost 2-meter “baby” can easily grow into a 20-30-meter monster. Perhaps it was just such a giant eel that tourists saw and photographed in 1965 in clear water near Bolshoy. barrier reef. It was a creature 20-25 meters long with a dome-shaped head and a body tapering towards the end with a long, whip-like tail. Another creature that, according to skeptics, may be mistaken for a sea serpent is the herring king, reaching a length of seven meters or more.

Fantastic monsters of the depths

If anyone believes that the mysterious monsters that were observed in ancient times in the seas and oceans have not survived to this day, then he is greatly mistaken. So, in the late 80s of the 20th century, sea captain S. Lebedev told cryptozoologist S. Klumov about an encounter with an unknown large animal in one of the Kuril straits. At first, on the whaling ship "Dolphin" under the command of S. Lebedev, they wanted to harpoon an unknown animal, but its size turned out to be so impressive (the part of the gray back that protruded from the water reached about 15 meters in circumference) that the sailors decided not to risk it.

Relatively recently, Australian scientists conducted a scientific experiment related to the migration of great white sharks along the coast. Suddenly, their thermal sensors, as Metro writes, detected them at depth giant monster. It swallowed a three-meter-long white shark, nicknamed Alpha, whose movements scientists recorded using a GPS navigator and thermal imagers. As researchers say, science has yet to find a creature capable of swallowing such large prey without tearing it into pieces.

By the way, a megalodon could swallow a three-meter white shark without any problems. This is an ancient shark of the species Carcharodon megalodon, which lived in the seas and oceans 2 million years ago. It is believed that this shark has long been extinct, but some researchers doubt this. The fact is that in 1918, Australian lobster fishermen saw a huge white fish 30 meters long. And among the megalodon teeth discovered by oceanologists on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, there was one that was only 11 thousand years old, and by historical standards, completely “fresh.” Based on the remains found ancient shark scientists have recreated her appearance. The length of the megalodon reached 25 meters, weight - 100 tons, and the two-meter mouth of the monster was dotted with 10-centimeter teeth.

About what lurks in the depths incredible monsters, is evidenced by the mysterious sound in the ocean, nicknamed by the Americans Bloop. It was recorded in the ocean by employees of the National Agency for the Study of Oceanic and atmospheric phenomena USA. Amazingly, the sound was so loud that it was picked up by two microphones 3,000 miles apart. According to scientists, all the characteristics of a sound indicate that it belongs to a living being. Scientists don’t know who “yells” like that in the ocean. None of known to science creatures are not capable of producing such an impressive "scream".

For those who still doubt the presence of monsters unknown to scientists in the World Ocean, I advise you to dial search engine just three words “monsters washed ashore” and see pictures on this topic. You will see many photographs of the most incredible creatures; I think that after watching this, your skepticism will noticeably decrease.

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Surely many have heard, and some have seen photos of sea monsters. However, most people consider them to be fiction, a kind of “horror story”. Is it really? We will talk about this in our article.

Prehistoric sea monsters

We will begin our conversation by getting to know the animals that have already disappeared from our planet. Millions of years ago huge sea ​​monsters lived in the depths of the seas and oceans. One of them is Dakosaurus. His remains were first discovered in Germany. Then they were found over a fairly wide area - from Russia to Argentina.

Sometimes it is compared to a modern crocodile, with the only difference being that Dacosaurus reached five meters in length. Its powerful teeth and jaws gave researchers reason to believe that it was the top marine predator of its time.

Nothosaurus

These sea monsters were slightly smaller than the Dacosaurus. Their bodies did not exceed four meters in length. But nothosaurus was also a formidable and aggressive predator. Its main weapon was externally directed teeth. The diet of these animals consisted of fish and squid. Scientists claim that nothosaurs attacked their prey from ambush. Possessing the smooth body of a reptile, they would sneak up on prey silently, attack and eat it. Nothosaurs were close relatives of pliosaurs (a type of deep-sea marine predator). As a result of the study of fossil remains, it became obvious that these sea monsters lived in the Triassic period.

The legends and myths of each country are full of various monsters living both on land and in water. Research into the depths of the seas and oceans is still being carried out, but to discover any unknown creature failed.

However, in nature there are many animals, fish and unusual organisms that have. No, they are not a myth or a fairy tale. They are real. Is it possible that these are exactly what people once saw? Is it possible that these creatures formed the basis of many stories? After all, that’s where all the horror stories come from.

In today's article we will introduce you to the most creepy, truly frightening, and most importantly real.

Pike blenny

“A fish is like a fish,” you say. Not very beautiful, but not scary either. Yes, but only until she opens her mouth. The wrinkled cheeks hanging down the sides are not just folds of skin, they are a terrible maw, ready to swallow everything that gets in its way.

Neoclinus blanchardi is a member of the family of genopsia, or pike blennies. The fish are aggressive, capable of attacking even divers.

They live in the waters of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of North America: from San Francisco to the Mexican state of Baja California.

The depth at which sea monsters live reaches 70 meters.

The body of monsters is smooth, practically without scales. Body length - about 30 cm. Pike blennies so flat that they can sometimes resemble conger eels.

But most interesting fact is how they use their huge mouths. When faced with fellow tribesmen, they open their mouths and seem to “kiss.” Whoever has more wins. Thus they fight for territory.

Looking at these creatures, I want to believe that they came to us from another planet. Unfortunately no. Sea flycatchers live in the deep canyons of California.

Their second name is “tunicates.” They are predators, and their appearance resembles the carnivorous flycatcher plant.

Preferring depth, they anchor at the bottom, awaiting their victims.

An unsuspecting organism swims next to their glowing mouth, and the tunicate grabs it right away.

As you already understand, sea flycatchers are not picky when it comes to food - you don’t have to choose.

Another unusual property of tunicates is the ability to reproduce without mating with other individuals, because the creatures are able to produce both sperm and eggs.

Speckled stargazer: a fish that attacks from below

The speckled stargazer - Astroscopus guttatus - is a real sea monster. It would seem, why a monster if the fish has such a romantic name. It turns out that not everything is so simple.

Stargazers have a massive lower jaw and huge bulging eyes, for which they received so much unusual name.

Buried in silt or sand, sea ​​creatures They leave only their visual organs to observe their victims.

The huge upward-pointing mouth is also suitable for instant attack.

Speckled stargazers live in the Atlantic Ocean: East Coast USA, between 2 states - New York and North Carolina.

Fish that attack from below have one unpleasant feature: they love to shock their victims with an electric discharge.

Special bodies located above the eyes, emit electrical discharges. But unlike other electric inhabitants of water bodies, speckled stargazers do not have electroreceptors, that is, they are not able to receive electrical signals from the outside world.

To lay eggs, these fish also sink to the bottom, but the eggs themselves later float to the surface. And this will continue until they turn into fry, the length of which is 15 mm. Then, having darkened and grown special organs above the eyes, the stargazers again sink to the bottom to grow further.

A bag-shaped creature from the order of ray-finned fish.

The siltworm has adapted to life at great depths.

The sea monster has a huge mouth, which contrasts with the small body of the silt swallower.

They lack scales, ribs, swim bladder, pyloric appendages, ventral and caudal fins.

Many skull bones are reduced or disappeared completely.

Thanks to all the modifications, it is difficult to compare the skeleton with other fish, and therefore it is almost impossible to establish kinship.

Frightening and fascinating, are strong and dangerous inhabitants depths

There are several types of moray eels, they differ in size and color. Small ones grow up to 15 cm. Large ones reach a length of 3 m and weigh about 50 kg.

Their skin has no scales - it is completely covered with mucus, which can be poisonous in some species. Thanks to mucus, moray eels are protected from other predators and bacteria. A person who touches this monster will receive severe burns, if he survives at all.

Marine life They have an extremely aggressive and violent disposition. Its sharp teeth pose a danger not only to predators, but also to people. There are many known cases of moray eels attacking humans, several of which were fatal.

Drop Fish

Another deep-sea inhabitant of the seas is the blob fish.

Her unusual appearance is both frightening and pitying at the same time. The fact is that her close-set eyes and huge mouth with downturned corners make her sad and resemble a face sad man.

The drop fish itself is unlikely to be sad about this. The body of the unusual creature has the shape of a gelatinous lump, the density of which is slightly less than the density of water. This allows the “sad” fish to travel long distances, eating everything in its path.

Unfortunately, like most unusual creatures, the blobfish is endangered. It lives off the coast of Australia and Tasmania at depths of up to 1.5 km, but is sometimes caught in fishing nets, after which it is usually sold as a souvenir.

Despite its appearance, the blob is a very caring fish. After laying eggs, she incubates them for a long time and carefully takes care of the fry. Trying to ensure the safety of its offspring, the fish looks for uninhabited and remote places.

Goonfish - freshwater monster

The habitat of the gunch fish is the Kali River, located between Nepal and India. The weight of the river giant reaches 140-150 kg.

It is believed that the gunch is a lover of human meat. It can attack not only in a secluded place, but also in large crowds of people. But why does this fish have such a craving for human flesh?

Legends say that it was the customs of the local residents that turned the gunch into a cannibal. Even in ancient times, the Kali River was used to bury the bodies of the dead. First, a burning ceremony was performed, and then the corpses were thrown into the river.

The custom was preserved, and the gunch fish began to eat what the person himself gives it.

Stone fish, or wart

The strangest and dangerous creature. The wart is one of the most poisonous fish in the world.

Resides sea ​​monster V coral reefs in the shallow waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, as well as in the waters of the Red Sea, off the coast of Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia, the Marshall Islands, Samoa and Fiji.

The ability to camouflage itself as a stone allows the fish to remain unnoticed until a person steps on it.

It is possible that this step will be the last.

The stone fish has a powerful poison, and its bite leads to fatal outcome.

Moreover, death will not occur instantly: the person will suffer, since signs of intoxication persist for a long time.

Rauaga

The mackerel fish is better known as the vampire fish or dogfish.

Ray-finned fish, order Cynodontidae. Inhabits the Paragua, Churun, and other rivers of Venezuela.

Most people think that piranhas are the most bloodthirsty fish, but this is not true.

The body length of this creature is 1 meter, and its weight can exceed 17 kg.

Two pairs of fangs, considered distinctive features fish located in lower jaw and can grow up to 15 cm in length.

In the upper jaw of the vampire fish there are two holes that allow the lower fangs not to pierce the upper jaw.

Surprisingly, the rauaga is the only species that can cope with piranha. But, in general, hydrolik feeds on any fish.

Attacking from above, it pierces the victim with its fangs, after which it swallows it whole.

Anglerfish or monkfish

Name " angler"reminds me of some kind of fairy-tale creature. However, this monster really exists.

The anglerfish is one of the rarest deep-sea animals. The first meeting with him took place in 1891.

This fish has no scales at all; its body is covered with growths and bumps. The mouth is disguised by rags of skin that resemble algae. The dark color makes it almost invisible at a depth where there is a minimum of light.

On the anglerfish's head there is a long process ending in a luminous gland. It acts as bait, luring passing fish. The essence of his hunt is to force the prey to swim into his mouth and then swallow it.

The huge appetite of the fish forces them to hunt even larger creatures, which often ends in the death of both.

Huge sea monsters - mesonychoteuthis

Periodically from different parts information reaches us lightly. What is this: just another fiction or real sea monsters?

You will be surprised, but scientists have officially recognized mesonychoteuthis.

Its completely streamlined body helps develop higher speed.

The diameter of the eye can reach 60 centimeters with a body size of 4-5 m and a tentacle length of 1.5 meters.

It was first discovered and described in 1925. Fishermen found its tentacles in the stomach of a captured sperm whale.

Also, one of these mollusks washed up on the shores of Japan. Examination of the carcass revealed that it was not an adult.

Experts studying sea ​​giants, including squid, it is believed that the body weight of some squid of this species can reach 200 kilograms.

Isopod

Cephalopods - Bathynomus giganteus - genus Bathynomus. They live in the Atlantic Ocean, preferring a depth of 170-2500 m.

The body length of the isopod is about 1.5 meters, weight is more than 1.5 kg. These sea monsters are an excellent example of deep-sea gigantism.

These crayfish were first described in 1879, initially mistaking them for woodlice.

Zoologist Alphonse Milne-Edwards caught a young male from the bottom Gulf of Mexico, thereby making a major discovery: the ocean depths are not lifeless.

Their entire body is covered with movable hard plates for protection.

If they are threatened, they curl up into a ball.

Isopods lead a solitary life.

Almost all their lives they do not move, and their food is passing small fish, carrion or sea ​​cucumbers.

Scientists have found that they can go without food for about 8 weeks. Such inconveniences are determined by the depth chosen for the place of residence: there is not so much food in the pitch darkness.

Humanity is striving with all its might to know solar system, and then the entire Universe. It seems to people that somewhere there are the most important secrets and riddles that must be solved. But how much do we know about our own planet? She is also capable of surprising not only ordinary people, but also famous scientists, presenting various surprises. After all, every now and then stories appear where monsters unknown to science appear, terrifying and trembling the entire population of the planet. It’s as if they penetrated our world from another reality. But is this really so? What is it like, the animal world of our planet? And is there room for various monsters in it?

The real monsters of the world - who are they?

Human civilization has populated the planet so densely that it has driven many representatives of the animal world to the most remote corners of the Earth. Some of them simply disappeared from the face of the planet, while others are threatened with extinction. Animal rights activists are trying their best to preserve rare animal species, but not a single official list includes monsters that humanity has been talking about for many centuries.

If you carefully study all the eyewitness accounts, you may get the impression that animal monsters have always existed. They were seen by people of different professions and social status, and each such meeting was accompanied by fear of contact with something unknown. Only at the end of the nineteenth century did scientists begin to take evidence of encounters with monsters seriously and even tried to photograph and video these extraordinary creatures. Every documented evidence of the existence of monsters issued to society was carefully studied, but most often classified as falsification. Still scientific world I was never able to get real confirmation of the fact that we do not know everything about the creatures living on the planet. But this does not at all bother adventure lovers who are ready to spend a lot of time on expeditions in order to take one successful photo and give the world the truth.

Monster Classification

The most famous monsters in the world have long had their own classification. Seekers of the unknown divided them into the following three categories:

• underwater;
• ground;
• anthropoid.

Of course, these categories are very conditional, but they still give some idea of ​​what the most people look like and where they live. scary monsters peace. We have collected information about those monsters that were noticed by people and repeatedly invaded their normal life. It’s worth starting with underwater creatures, which are considered the most common.

Over the last century, there have been enough references to various lizards that live in lakes. Characteristic is the fact that they are found only in freshwater bodies of water. But experts say that in sea ​​water the lizards will feel great.

Mentions of underwater lizards are found in different nations. The Scots, Yakuts, Canadians, Kazakhs and Chinese have similar evidence. This suggests that the legend about monsters living in lakes has a basis in reality.

Scientists, having analyzed sketches of monsters and video footage provided by eyewitnesses, came to the conclusion that they can be attributed to the last dinosaurs on the ground. They resemble ancient plesiosaurs, which large quantities lived in the water bodies of our planet. These creatures had a long, elongated body with small limbs in the form of flippers and a small head. The length of the neck of such lizards was similar to the body of the monster.

This structure of the monster explains why many eyewitnesses called it a snake. After all, the body and head of a monster usually appear on the surface, truly resembling a huge snake.

Loch Ness Monster

If you are interested in the most famous monsters, then you have probably heard about the Scottish lake Loch Ness. The monster that lives in its waters is known throughout the world. The lake itself is quite picturesque; it is more than two hundred meters deep and is the largest in the UK.

The Loch Ness monster was discovered at the beginning of the last century. Then it alarmed the company resting on the shore by leaning out of the water. From that moment on, crowds of adventurers flocked to the lake, dreaming of capturing the mysterious monster.

Four years later, Wilson managed to photograph the monster, and these photographs alarmed the public. They were published in all newspapers and magazines, and the scientific community tried to explain the presence of a strange creature in the waters of the lake. Almost thirty years later, the Loch Ness monster was caught on camera, where it was clear how fast it moved under water.

A little later, another video of the monster hit all the major television channels in Britain, and people again rushed to Scotland in search of a sensation. Over the past hundred years, more than four thousand people have claimed to have seen the Nessie monster (as the Scots affectionately called him) with their own eyes.

Scientists believe that the monster is completely harmless and lives in a reservoir with its big family. By official version, it fell into the lake as a result of the movement of tectonic plates and could not get out of the trap. During their existence, many generations of monsters have adapted to the changed habitat and food.

Lake Champlain - Nessie's brother

Located in Canada famous lake Champlain, which joined the list of places where famous monsters of the world live. At the end of the nineteenth century, information appeared that the sheriff saw a fifty-meter snake with humps on its back in the waters of the lake. This evidence only confirmed the numerous words of eyewitnesses, which had accumulated in large quantities since the beginning of the seventeenth century.

The monster was named Champ; it appeared annually on the surface of the reservoir, allowing people to record new details about themselves. Thanks to this, it turned out that the monster has dark skin, a very large body and an elongated head with bumps and growths.

Scientists couldn't ignore this a large number of information about the monster, and in the seventies of the last century an initiative group was formed to study Champa. Seven years later, one of the local residents managed to photograph the monster, and the authenticity of the photo was proven in the laboratories of the Smithson Institute. Thanks to the availability of special technologies, scientists suggested the size of the animal, which seemed simply incredible - from five to seventeen meters.

Twelve years ago, a fisherman managed to film the monster, and FBI analysts proved the authenticity of the recording. Now scientists from all over the world are trying to figure out which class of the animal world Champa can be classified as.

Ogopogo - Canada's most famous "resident"

Scientists believe that if anywhere underwater monsters can live, it is in Canada. Numerous lakes in this country were once formed as a result of the movement of tectonic plates, and it is possible that some ancient monsters could remain in these reservoirs. The most famous Canadian pangolin is the Ogopogo from Okanagan Lake.

This monster, according to eyewitnesses, resembles Nessie and Champ - the same long body with fins and a small head. The Indians said that one day a monster capsized the boat of their leader and destroyed him. From this time on, the tribes tried to negotiate with Ogopogo, sacrificing animals to him and refusing to fish in some parts of the lake.

It is worth noting that this monster was seen quite often. There are especially numerous eyewitness accounts who crossed the lake by ferry at the beginning of the twentieth century. During this period, the monster constantly rose to the surface, and more than two hundred people spoke about it. At the end of the last century, video footage appeared in which a monster is clearly visible swimming underwater. Until now, information periodically comes from the shores of the lake about the next appearance of the monster, but science cannot provide a rationale for its existence.

Lake monsters: how many are there?

Today the scientific world knows about seven lakes located in different parts of the planet, where various monsters live. Three lakes belong to Ireland, where locals quite often see underwater monsters. For example, in Lough Ree a large animal of an unknown species was seen even by three priests in the middle of the last century. Scientists took their evidence seriously and at the beginning of the 2000s they assembled a real expedition to the shores of the ancient reservoir. But, unfortunately, they were never able to capture the monster.

In our country, Lake Labynkyr in Yakutia became the monster’s home. There have always been legends among local residents about an extraordinary creature that lives in the depths of the lake and on the rarest occasions looks out to the surface. In the nineteenth century, eyewitnesses called it the Labynkyr Devil, but no one has yet managed to photograph the creature.

The long-horned sabertooth is the most terrifying monster of the deep sea

In addition to monsters unknown to science, there are also those that have long been studied. For example, in the waters Atlantic Ocean lives a saber-tooth fish, the appearance of which can cause horror in any inhabitant of the planet.

Usually this monster does not grow more than forty centimeters in length, but has a dark color and a very menacing appearance. The fact is that huge fangs grow in the fish’s mouth, which do not even allow an adult to completely close its jaws. Scientists have found that the brain of this fish has two pockets that accommodate the tips of its fangs. This predator lives at a depth of more than five hundred meters; it has also been encountered at greater depths - it feels quite comfortable having descended to five thousand meters.

It is worth noting that this predator is very vulnerable to large fish. They eat it with pleasure, so the saber tooth prefers to hide in the water column and hunt only small fish.

Bigfoot - fact or fiction?

Yeti (also called Bigfoot) represents humanoid creature, covered with wool and living in mountainous regions of the planet. Yeti is especially common in North America. The local Indian tribes know a lot of legends about creatures of unprecedented power who lived high in the mountains and sought to avoid human eyes.

Eyewitnesses claim to have even seen entire families snow people, which allows us to draw conclusions about the abundance of this species. But, unfortunately, science has not yet received documentary evidence of the existence of these monsters.

In the middle of the last century, a short film was shot in which a video camera captured unusual creature moving through the forest. Experts carefully studied the film and remained in deep doubt about its authenticity. To date, no one has been able to photograph the Yeti or find its remains.

Vampire monster living in South America

Puerto Ricans scare naughty children with stories about the Chupacabra. It is believed that this monster lives near human settlements and destroys livestock. The chupacabra usually steals goats and drinks all their blood, which forms the basis of its daily diet. Sometimes the monster completely tears its victim apart, but does not eat it. Locals They claim that the Chupacabra feeds on the blood of rabbits, chickens, and can even steal a child.

It has not yet been possible to photograph the Chupacabra on a camera or video camera, but eyewitnesses describe it as a large creature with large claws and fangs. Absolutely everyone notes the monster’s huge and glowing eyes, with which he sees perfectly in the dark.

Residents South America believe that this monster was the result secret experiments American military. But the United States is in no hurry to confirm or deny this fact.

Monster sculptures

The world's most famous monsters can also be objects of art. Many European cities have various sculptural groups depicting devils and monsters. Some of them are historical monuments.

All the inhabitants of the planet know the monsters on the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris. These terrifying chimeras sit on the facade of the building and represent winged creatures with bared muzzles and fangs. Parisians consider these monsters one of the most striking symbols of the city. According to some polls, they are more popular than the Eiffel Tower.

In Norway, in the city of Torheim, a cathedral was built, which with its sculptures resembles its Parisian “brother”. Its facade is covered with images of various evil spirits, which (according to legend) were supposed to scare away real evil spirits. Tourists say that many of the figures on the cathedral look extremely ominous.

In Brest, on Gogol Street, there is a sculpture of the devil. This unclean spirit is made extremely realistically and is a symbol of the city, attracting crowds of tourists here.

Humanity has always lived side by side with various monsters. Some of them are dangerous to people, while others have not done anything bad to them, but still strike terror into the hearts with their very appearance. Scientists are trying to catch monsters in order to finally obtain proof of their existence and study how the new kind representatives of the animal world. However, the monsters are in no hurry to become a world sensation; they continue to lead their solitary lifestyle, established over millennia.