Ancient animals living in our time. prehistoric animals

These animals caught the era of dinosaurs, they witnessed the ice age and outlived many less fortunate brothers.

Today's selection includes the most ancient animals among those living on Earth. Surprisingly, for hundreds of thousands of years, the appearance of these inhabitants of our planet has not changed much.

10. Platypus

Platypuses are mammals, although they have an undoubted resemblance to reptiles. The age of this animal species is about 110 million years. It is believed that the first platypuses appeared on the territory of modern South America, but then migrated to the area that eventually became Australia.

9. Ant

These insects are considered the oldest on the planet. In addition, scientists have long been intrigued by the amazing intelligence of ants and their complex social organization. Over millions of years of its history, the appearance of ants has not changed much.

8. Goldweb Spider

The oldest of the spiders appeared on the planet more than 165 million years ago. Goldweavers are known for their strong webs of an unusual golden hue. You can meet these ancient spiders in Tanzania, South Africa and Madagascar.

7. Echidna

Echidna is related to another ancient animal - the platypus. Echidnas and prochidnas live in Australia, New Guinea and Tasmania. Unfortunately, one of the three genera of the echidna family has already disappeared from the face of the Earth. And the prochidnas are included in the number.

6. Shield

This freshwater crustacean of the branchiopod class appeared on Earth about 230 million ribbons ago. The size of the shield is from 3 to 10 cm. These creatures are still very little studied and therefore are of great interest to scientists.

5. Hatteria (tuatara)

Outwardly, this reptile resembles an iguana. The dimensions of the tuatara do not exceed 75 cm. The age of these ancient creatures is more than 220 million years. Tuataria are very few in number and live on several small islands in New Zealand.

4. Crocodile

These reptiles appeared on Earth about 250 million years ago. Crocodiles can be called the "cousins" of dinosaurs. Surprisingly, crocodiles have much in common with modern birds.

3. Latimeria

This lobe-finned fish is the only surviving species of the many that lived on Earth about 300-400 million years ago. The arrangement of the organs of the coelacanth is very different from modern fish, which makes it a truly unique creature.

2. Cockroach

These insects live on Earth much longer than you and I - about 320 million years. Modern science knows more than 4,500 species of cockroaches. To survive in the most severe periods of earthly history, cockroaches were helped by an amazing ability to do without any food and water for a long time.

1. Neopilina

These cephalopods appeared in the Earth's oceans about 400 million years ago. A small but very hardy creature has a shell with a diameter of only 2 cm. It is curious that, unlike modern mollusks, the right and left sides can be distinguished in neopilina.

It is generally accepted that life originated in the ocean. This theory has very convincing evidence that is hard to argue with. However, the possibilities for the development of the planet were not limited to the aquatic environment, and living organisms began to master the land, and then the air. Almost all the animals of the ancient world died out or evolved into more advanced forms.

Today we have the opportunity to at least approximately imagine what the planet Earth was like millions of years ago. Are you ready to travel to the mysterious ancient world inhabited by unusual life forms?

Where life originated

About 400 million years ago, sulfur bacteria appeared on our planet - they originated in those places where hydrogen sulfide escaped from the bowels of the Earth. Sulfur bacteria are able to exist at a temperature of about 300C, at 120C they “freeze”. Therefore, in boiling water, sulfur bacteria simply cannot survive. Let's move on to the animals of the ancient world, more precisely, to the fish.

In front of you (in the illustration on the left) is a coelacanth - a fish whose scales resemble thick armor. The dimensions of adults are impressive: weight from 30 kg and length from 128 cm! There is more fat in the skull of a fish than a brain. The structure of the coelacanth indicates that the fish is adapted to live in the dark, diving to a depth of 1000 meters. Moreover, coelacanth does not tolerate bright light and high temperature of the upper layer of water.

Plesiosaurs lived on Earth about 199.6 - 65.5 million years ago. Strictly speaking, these animals of the ancient world belonged not only to the water, but also to the "earth" element. In the manner of living reptiles (for example,) plesiosaurs were forced to periodically rise to the surface of the reservoir in order to breathe air. These animals of the ancient world lived in the oceans and seas with salt water. The body - leathery or covered with small scales, huge flippers allowed plesiosaurs to deftly maneuver, chasing fish and other small inhabitants of water bodies.

However, there is an opinion that the precursors of plesiosaurs (the so-called pliosaurs) were distinguished by the agility of movements, and the plesiosaurs themselves were relatively slow swimmers. They used a flexible and long neck to capture shellfish or gaping fish. It is also assumed that the animals moved mainly on the surface of the water.

Animals of the ancient world - inhabitants of the land

One of the most ancient animals that inhabited our planet are, in particular, Attercopus fimbriungus, the fossilized remains of which are more than 380 million years old! That is, these spiders lived 150 million years before the first dinosaurs appeared on Earth. The attercopus spider lived in fern forests and giant thickets, preying on primitive insects such as centipedes, roofers and cockroaches. The complex networks of these spiders were the whole labyrinths.

Of course, it is impossible to list all the dinosaurs within the framework of one article, so let's dwell on one of them in more detail - on the tyrannosaurus rex. During its habitat (namely, at the end of the Cretaceous period), the tyrannosaurus was the largest of the predators - animals of the ancient world. The height of his body was 7-8 meters, the length reached 15 m, weight - 8 tons. Literally, the name "tyrannosaurus" is translated as a lizard - a tyrant.

The animal had a long and heavy tail, powerful legs and relatively small forelimbs. Most paleontologists are inclined to the version that the tyrannosaurus could move at a speed of 40-70 km / h. There is even an opinion that the pangolin moved by jumping, like a kangaroo (while the tail served as a balance and counterweight). The main differences between the tyrannosaurus rex and its relatives are its impressive dimensions and huge teeth. This animal of the ancient world is considered one of the most that have ever existed on Earth.

Saber-toothed tigers are famous for their fangs, the size of which reaches 18 centimeters. These animals of the ancient world once inhabited the territory of northern and southern Africa. Although they were called tigers, in fact, the "saber-toothed" belonged to the feline suborder. Studies by British scientists have shown that saber-toothed tigers lived in prides, like modern lions.

Ancient "aviation" - conquerors of the air

How not to remember the pterodactyls? A few small but sharp teeth, an elongated light skull, a wingspan of 8 meters - this is a typical pterodactyl that lived in the Jurassic or Cretaceous period. The remains of the largest pterodactyl were found in the homeland of vampires (joke, in Romania), its wingspan reached almost 16 meters. Large pterodactyls fed on fish and other inhabitants, while their smaller relatives fed on insects.

Already 115 million years ago there were birds capable of flying, although not in the way that modern birds do. An ancient bird called Archeopteryx needed a "airstrip". After a rather long run, Archeopteryx, although it rose into the air, but not for long - soon the bird fell. Therefore, in order to get food for itself, Archeopteryx had to run on the ground. Such a kind of first ostrich ...

Not only the animals of the ancient world are of interest

for the inquisitive explorer. Giant dragonflies with a wingspan of up to 70 cm, which lived in the Cretaceous period, will seem no less curious to him. They had a movable neck and a large head. These brightly colored insects with large eyes were found near fresh water sources, although they were able to migrate through the seas and oceans. Ancient dragonflies, like their modern relatives, hunted in the air - for this they had to show the wonders of aerobatics.

Many archaeologists are of the opinion that most of the animals of the ancient world are still unknown to science. Who knows, maybe someday we will be able to draw up a more detailed enigmatic and mysterious prehistoric world.

For many of us, the world of ancient animals is represented by herds of dinosaurs or, in extreme cases, mammoths. In fact, it is much more diverse and fantastic. Our planet was inhabited by millions of creatures, most of which disappeared forever from the face of the Earth, leaving us with only their fossil remains, fossilized traces, drawings of ancient people, or nothing at all. But each of them served as a brick of the great kingdom, called flora and fauna.

fantastic beasts

Ancient animals began their existence in the form of spineless microorganisms long before the advent of Homo sapiens. So says official science. Unofficial, based on hundreds of artifacts found in different parts of the Earth, believes that before the advent of our civilization there were others no less developed than we are. Of course, not only people lived then, but also animals. What they were is almost impossible to determine. The only thing left of them is the mention in ancient manuscripts and myths about all kinds of dragons, elves, incredible monsters, unicorns. However, there is the only museum in the world where the exhibits are real, according to its employees, the remains of unicorns, mermaids and other outlandish creatures. Among them are fragments of dragons, mermaids, mythical two-headed snakes and other monsters, extracted by enthusiastic archaeologists from the bowels of the Earth.

How it all began

The official science of paleontology adheres to the theory that life originated in the Precambrian period. This is the most impressive period of time, which accounts for 90% of the duration of the existence of all living things. It lasted almost 5 billion years, from the beginning of the formation of the Earth to the Cambrian. At first, our planet had no atmosphere, no water, nothing, not even volcanoes.

Gloomy and lifeless, it silently rushed along its orbit. This period is called Catharche. 4 billion years ago, it was replaced by Archaea, which was marked by the appearance of an atmosphere, however, practically without oxygen. At the same time, the first seas arose, which were acid-salt solutions. In these terrible conditions, life was born. The most ancient animal on Earth is cyanobacteria. They lived in colonies, forming films or layered mats on the substrate. Their memory is calcareous stromatolites.

Continued development of life

The Archean lasted 1.5 billion years. Cyanobacteria filled the atmosphere with oxygen and ensured the emergence of hundreds of new types of microorganisms, thanks to the vital activity of which we have mineral deposits.

Approximately 540 million years ago, the Cambrian began, lasting 55-56 million years. Its first era is the Paleozoic. This Greek word means "ancient life" ("paleozoi"). In the Paleozoic, the first and only
the continent of Gondwana. The climate was warm, close to subtropical, which was ideal for the development of life. Then it existed mainly in the water. Its representatives were not only unicellular, but also entire systems of algae, polyps, corals, hydras, ancient sponges and other things. These ancient animals gradually ate all those who formed stromatolites. In the same period, they began the development of land.

ancient plants

It is believed that plants were the first to "come out" on land. At first it was algae from shallow waters that dried up from time to time. are considered the first plants on the planet. They were replaced by psilophytes. They did not yet have roots, but tissues already existed that carried water and nutrients through the cells. Then horsetails, club mosses and ferns appeared. In size, these plants were real giants, the height of a 10-story building. In their forests it was gloomy and very humid. The first gymnosperms arose not from ferns, but from ferns, which already had roots, bark, core and crown. During the glaciation, the ancestors of the gymnosperms died out. Angiosperms appeared in They significantly pressed their ancestors - gymnosperms, changing the face of the planet and becoming the dominant class.

First sunrise and first sunset

The appearance of plants on land contributed to the emergence and development of insects. The most ancient sushi animal is arachnids, a prominent representative of which is the armored spider. Later, winged insects appeared, and then amphibians. By the end of the Paleozoic, reptiles dominated land, which had a very impressive size. Among them are three-meter pareiasaurs, pelycosaurs that grew up to 6.5 meters, and therapsids. The latter were the most numerous class, having both small representatives and giants in their ranks. Approximately 252 million years ago, a global natural disaster occurred, which resulted in the complete disappearance of 70% of all land animals, 96% of marine life and 83% of insects. It happened in the Permian period. It ended with the Paleozoic and began with the Mesozoic. It lasted as much as 185-186 million years. The Mesozoic includes the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Ancient animals and plants that survived the catastrophe continued to develop. From the second half of the Triassic to the end of the Mesozoic, dinosaurs occupied dominant positions.

gentlemen dinosaurs

These reptiles numbered more than a thousand species, the remains of ancient animals help to establish and study. The most considered staurikosaurus, whose body length was less than a meter, and weight about 30 kg. Later, the Errorasaurus, Eoraptor, Plesiosaurus, Tyrannosaurus and others appeared. They completely mastered the land, the oceans, rose into the air. The most famous flying lizard is the pterodactyl. There were many types of them, from babies the size of a sparrow to giants with a wingspan of 12-13 meters. They ate fish, insects and their brethren. In 1964, during excavations, the remains of a creature called Deinonychus were found. It was the first warm-blooded dinosaur. Presumably, he was the ancestor of birds, as he had plumage.

Dinosaurs are amazing ancient animals. Many consider them stupid and primitive, but they knew how not only to lay eggs, but also to hatch them, to take care of their offspring, protecting and teaching their children. And pelycosaurs were the progenitors of the first mammals.

mammalian kingdom

Approximately 65 million years ago, at the end of the Mesozoic, another terrible catastrophe occurred, as a result of which all dinosaurs became extinct. Most species of mollusks, aquatic reptiles, and plants also disappeared. And again, the death of some gave rise to the emergence and development of others. Warm-blooded mammals have gone through a long evolution and gradually populated all natural niches. It happened in the Cenozoic, which replaced the Mesozoic. In its ongoing and now, a man has appeared. The ancient animals of the Earth that survived natural disasters were exterminated by primitive people at the dawn of mankind and by a reasonable man in the recent past. So, by 1500, they killed everyone. At the end of the 17th century, dodos, dodos, tours ceased to exist. In the 18th century, the last one was killed. In the 19th, the last quagga, resembling a zebra, died, and in the 20th, the Tasmanian wolf. And this is only a small part of the impressive list.

Unusual finds

All these animals were killed by human greed. However, there are many wonderful people in the world who care about the conservation of existing species on Earth and undertake expeditions to discover new ones. Enthusiasts believe that not all are ancient. There is even a science - cryptozoology, dealing with unusual relic species. The most famous of them are the plesiosaur and the Puerto Rican chupacabra. Skeptics do not believe in their existence, but relatively recently, no one believed in the existence of okapi, pygmy hippos, lobe-finned fish, pygmy deer and other animals discovered in the 18-20 centuries. As if to confirm that new discoveries are yet to come, people find extraordinary skeletons or body fragments of creatures unknown to science that are waiting for their description and classification.

Many do not even realize that among the representatives of the animal world there are creatures that have been living for several hundred million years. These animals were able to adapt even to the harshest living conditions, thanks to which they survived. Ancient animals - living in our time. So, in today's article we will talk about the 10 oldest animals living at the present time.

Ancient animals - living in our time

horseshoe crabs

Ancient animals - living in our time - horseshoe crabs

Scientists say that horseshoe crabs are the most ancient animals of all known. These creatures belong to the class Merostoma.

Only four species of arthropods are known today. All species live in tropical seas in southeast Asia, as well as off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in North America. According to scientists, horseshoe crabs appeared on planet Earth about 450 million years ago.

Neopilins

Ancient animals - living in our time - Neopilins

These creatures appeared on the planet approximately 350-400 million years ago. Currently, you can see them in the waters of the Pacific, Andean and Atlantic oceans, but to do this, you need to dive to a depth of 1800-6500 meters. Therefore, it is not surprising that these were discovered only in 1957.

coelacanths

Ancient animals - living in our time - Coelacanths

To date, this is the only genus of lobe-finned fish. They are even considered living fossils. Zoologists managed to find only two types of coelacanth, and the species live in different places. The first type of coelacanth lives off the southern and eastern coasts of Africa, and the second near the island of Sulawesi, located in Indonesia.

Interestingly, scientists have not yet been able to see young individuals. The fact is that up to a certain age they live in special shelters that are unknown to scientists. Perhaps this helped them survive in harsh conditions. The approximate age of the coelacanth is 300-400 million years.

cockroaches

Ancient animals - living in our time - Cockroaches

These funny insects, which many people are afraid of, appeared on the planet 320 million years ago. Since then, they began to actively multiply, as a result of which they populated the entire planet. Scientists know about 200 genera of cockroaches and about 4,500 species.

The remains of cockroaches are found together with the remains of cockroach crickets, which are the leaders among all insects in terms of their abundance.

crocodiles

Ancient animals - living in our time - Crocodiles

Dangerous reptiles have long inhabited planet Earth. Crocodiles are the largest predators that have survived to the present day. In addition, crocodiles are the only representatives of the crurotarzoan group, which, along with crocodiles, included pterosaurs and dinosaurs. Scientists are convinced that crocodiles have been living on the planet for more than 250 million years.

Today, crocodiles can be found in any tropical country, and they live in water bodies. Only a few species of crocodiles live in salt water, the rest prefer to settle in places with fresh water. The most famous species are: African crocodile, Nile crocodile, combed crocodile, etc.

Prehistoric crocodiles spent most of their time on land, but later adapted to life in water. Interestingly, crocodiles used to walk on two legs, so their hind legs are much better developed than their front ones.

Crustacean gastropods

Ancient Animals - Living Today - Crustacean Gill-footed Shields

Small crustacean creatures belonging to the class of branchiopods appeared on earth about 230 million years ago. At that time, dinosaurs still lived on the planet, so they can be called the same age. In length, shields rarely exceed 12 centimeters, but they have a special system that helped them survive in difficult environmental conditions.

The fact is that these small crustacean creatures live only in stagnant water of fresh water, so they are protected from enemies. In addition, in their niche, these creatures are at the top of the food chain.

tuatara

Ancient animals - living in our time - Tuatara

The only species of reptiles from the beakhead genus that has survived to the present day. Tuataria live only on a few small islands of New Zealand, and on the northern and southern islets the animals have long since become extinct.

Interestingly, tuatara can grow up to 50 years, and their life expectancy is approximately 100 years. According to scientists, tuatara appeared on the planet about 220 million years ago, and today they are listed in the Red Book.

Spider Nephila

Ancient Animals - Living Today - Nephila Spider

This type of spider is considered the oldest. Spiders first appeared on the planet about 165 million years ago. In addition, spiders are the best in terms of the ability to weave a web. You can meet such a spider in Asia, Africa, Australia, America and on the island of Madagascar.

Fishermen often use spider webs to catch fish. They take the web from the spiders, make a ball out of it, which is lowered into the water so that the fish are led to it.

Ancient animals - living in our time - Ants

Who would have thought that these small and hardworking creatures have been living on the planet for more than 130 million years. Some scientists believe that ants evolved from vespoid wasps during the Cretaceous period. To date, more than 12 thousand species of ants are known, living in different parts of the planet. Approximately 300 species of ants live in Russia.

Australian echidna

Ancient animals - living in our time - Australian echidna

You can meet this funny animal in Australia, so it is not surprising that he was given such a name. Echidna also lives in New Guinea and Tasmania. Despite the fact that the Australian echidna has been living on the planet for 110 million years, its appearance has not changed much. Outwardly, the animals are similar to porcupines, because both of them have coarse wool and needles.

For many millions of years, our planet was inhabited by living beings, changing and adapting to their environment, thanks to which new species appeared. Most of these creatures remained in the past, having disappeared from the face of the Earth for some natural reasons long before the appearance of man. Such living creatures are also called ancient, or prehistoric animals.

However, many representatives of the animal world managed to survive to this day. Moreover, they were able to keep their original appearance unchanged, the same as it had been for many, many centuries. Such animals are considered true "living fossils", compared to which Homo sapiens, which appeared only about 200,000 years ago, may well be considered an inexperienced "newcomer".

Ants

Ants (lat. Formicidae) - are considered the most ancient creatures living on Earth - about 130 million years.

These insects managed to survive to our times, practically retaining their original appearance. In addition, ants are also considered one of the smartest and most powerful animals on the planet. Probably, such extraordinary abilities allowed the ants to survive.

Platypuses

Platypus (lat. Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a mammal that belongs to the only modern representative of the platypus family and is one of the most ancient living creatures.

Although classified as a mammal, it has similarities with reptiles. These animals have existed for about 110 million years and during this time they have not changed much, maybe they have only become a little larger. As scientists have established, platypuses lived in South America and from there (by swimming) reached Australia.

Echidna

Australian echidna (lat. Tachyglossus aculeatus) is another representative (like the platypus) from the monotreme order.

It looks like a porcupine. There are only 3 genera in the echidna family, one of which has already died out. The remaining representatives of 2 genera ( and ) inhabit Australia, the islands of New Guinea, Tasmania and some small islands of Bass. Echidnas, like platypuses, have practically remained the same over the 110 million years of their existence.

golden web spider

Spider- (lat. Nephila) is the oldest spider currently living on Earth.

These arthropods appeared on our planet about 165 million years ago. They became famous for their strong and large golden web. The gold spinner is a resident of Australia, Asia, Africa, Madagascar and America.

Tuatara

Hatteria, or tuatara (lat. Sphenodon punctatus) is a nocturnal reptile of medium size (about 75 cm in length), the only modern representative of the oldest order of beakheads (lat. Sphenodontida).

Outwardly, this lizard looks like a large iguana. Tuataria are very few and survived only on some small islands of New Zealand. For 220 million years of its existence, this ancient inhabitant has remained unchanged. It is worth noting that the hatteria loves to live in the same hole with the petrel. When the bird returns "home" for the night, the tuatara goes in search of prey.

shield

Shield (lat. Triopsidae) is a small (from 2-3 to 10-12 cm in length) freshwater crustacean from the class of branchiopods.

Its history of existence is quite impressive - it appeared about 220-230 million years ago, i.e. along with the dinosaurs. However, despite such an impressive period, they remain little studied. Take at least his naupliar eye - its function is still not known to this day.

Crocodile

Crocodile (lat. crocodilia) is an ancient reptile from the class of reptiles.

Crocodiles appeared on Earth approximately 250 million years ago (Triassic period) and have not changed much since then. We can say that the crocodile and dinosaur are relatives, cousins. Of living creatures, birds are considered their closest relatives. The Greek name "κροκόδειλος", which translates as "pebble worm", crocodiles got due to their hard bumpy skin.

Cockroach

Cockroaches ( Blattoptera, or Blattodea) - insects from the order of cockroaches.

One of the most ancient insects living on our planet is about 320 million years old. To date, there are more than 4500 species. Interestingly, the remains of cockroaches are the most numerous (among insects) in Paleozoic deposits.

Coelacanth

Latimeria (lat. Latimeria chalumnae) is a fish belonging to the only modern genus of lobe-finned fish.

This is the oldest animal that appeared on Earth about 300-400 million years ago. Since that time, it has not changed much. The arrangement of organs, unusual for modern species, makes it unique and even a relic animal. And its network electro-sensory system is characteristic only for this type of living creatures.

Neopilina

Neopilina (lat. Neopilina) is the oldest cephalopod mollusk that appeared about 355-400 million years ago.

Dautzenberg & Fischer, 1896

And all this time their appearance remains unchanged. The fact that these living creatures did not become extinct, scientists were able to establish only in the middle of the 20th century. These mollusks live at a depth of 1800 to 6500 meters in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans.

horseshoe crab

Horseshoe crabs (lat. Xiphosura) is a marine arthropod that got its name from the long spike that is located at the back of its body.

Appeared on our planet about 450 million years ago. Body length - 70-90 cm. It lives in equatorial and tropical waters. Horseshoe crabs are considered to be "living fossils".