Monsters of the seas and oceans. Real sea monsters

Seas and oceans occupy more than half the area of our planet, but they are still shrouded in mysteries for humanity. We strive to conquer space and are looking for extraterrestrial civilizations, but at the same time, only 5% of the world's oceans have been explored by humans. But this data is enough to be horrified by what creatures live deep underwater, where sunlight does not penetrate.

The chauliod family includes 6 species of deep-sea fish, but the most common of them is the common hauliod. These fish live in almost all waters of the world's oceans, with the exception of cold waters. northern seas and the Arctic Ocean.

Chauliodas got their name from the Greek words “chaulios” - open mouth, and “odous” - tooth. Indeed, these relatively small fish(about 30 cm in length) teeth can grow up to 5 centimeters, which is why their mouth never closes, creating a creepy grin. Sometimes these fish are called sea vipers.

Howliods live at depths from 100 to 4000 meters. At night they prefer to rise closer to the surface of the water, and during the day they descend into the very abyss of the ocean. Thus, during the day, fish make huge migrations of several kilometers. With the help of special photophores located on the hauliod's body, they can communicate with each other in the dark.

On dorsal fin The viper fish has one large photophore, with which it lures its prey directly to its mouth. After which, with a sharp bite of needle-sharp teeth, the hauliods paralyze the prey, leaving it no chance of salvation. The diet mainly includes small fish and crustaceans. According to unreliable data, some individuals of hauliods can live up to 30 years or more.

The long-horned sabertooth is another fearsome deep-sea predatory fish, living in all four oceans. Although the saber tooth looks like a monster, it grows to a very modest size (about 15 centimeters in length). The head of the fish with a large mouth occupies almost half the length of the body.

The long-horned sabertooth got its name due to its long and sharp lower fangs, which are the largest in relation to body length among all fish known to science. The terrifying appearance of the sabertooth earned it the unofficial name - “monster fish”.

Adults can vary in color from dark brown to black. The younger representatives look completely different. They are light gray in color and have long spines on their heads. The sabertooth is one of the deepest-sea fish in the world; in rare cases, they descend to depths of 5 kilometers or more. The pressure at these depths is enormous, and the water temperature is about zero. There is catastrophically little food here, so these predators hunt for the first thing that gets in their way.

The size of the deep-sea dragon fish absolutely does not fit with its ferocity. These predators, which reach a length of no more than 15 centimeters, can eat prey two or even three times its size. The dragon fish lives in tropical zones The world's oceans at a depth of up to 2000 meters. The fish has a large head and a mouth equipped with many sharp teeth. Like the Howlyod, the dragonfish has its own bait for prey, which is a long whisker with a photophore at the end, located on the fish's chin. The hunting principle is the same as for all deep-sea individuals. Using a photophore, the predator lures the victim to the closest possible distance, and then with a sharp movement inflicts a fatal bite.

The deep-sea anglerfish is rightfully the ugliest fish in existence. There are about 200 species of anglerfish, some of which can grow up to 1.5 meters and weigh 30 kilograms. Because of its creepy appearance and bad character, this fish was nicknamed the monkfish. live deep sea anglerfish everywhere at a depth of 500 to 3000 meters. The fish has a dark brown color, a large flat head with many spines. The devil's huge mouth is studded with sharp and long teeth curved inward.

Deep-sea anglerfish have pronounced sexual dimorphism. Females are tens of times larger than males and are predators. Females have a rod with a fluorescent appendage at the end to attract fish. Anglerfish spend most of their time on the seabed, burrowing into sand and silt. Due to its huge mouth, this fish can completely swallow prey that is twice its size. That is, hypothetically, a large individual anglerfish could eat a person; Fortunately, there have never been such cases in history.

Probably the most strange inhabitant depths of the sea You can call it a bagmouth or, as it is also called, a pelican-shaped largemouth. Due to its abnormally huge mouth with a bag and a tiny skull in relation to the length of the body, the bagmouth looks more like some kind of alien creature. Some individuals can reach two meters in length.

In fact, bagmouths belong to the class of ray-finned fish, but these monsters do not have too many similarities with the cute fish that live in warm sea backwaters. Scientists believe that the appearance of these creatures changed many thousands of years ago due to their deep-sea lifestyle. Bagmouths have no gill rays, ribs, scales or fins, and the body is oblong with a luminous appendage on the tail. If it were not for the large mouth, the bagmouth could easily be confused with an eel.

Bagworms live at depths from 2000 to 5000 meters in three world oceans, except the Arctic Ocean. Since there is very little food at such depths, bagmouths have adapted to long breaks in eating, which can last more than one month. These fish feed on crustaceans and other deep-sea brethren, mainly swallowing their prey whole.

The elusive giant squid, known to science as Architeuthis dux, is the world's largest mollusc and is thought to reach a length of 18 meters and weigh half a ton. On at the moment A live giant squid has never yet fallen into human hands. Until 2004, there were no documented sightings of live giant squid at all, and general idea about these mysterious creatures It was based only on the remains washed ashore or caught in fishermen’s nets. Architeuthis live at depths of up to 1 kilometer in all oceans. Besides gigantic size these creatures have the largest eyes among living creatures (up to 30 centimeters in diameter).

So in 1887, the largest specimen in history, 17.4 meters long, washed up on the shores of New Zealand. In the next century, only two large dead representatives were discovered giant squid- 9.2 and 8.6 meters. In 2006, Japanese scientist Tsunami Kubodera managed to capture on camera a living female 7 meters long. natural environment habitat at a depth of 600 meters. The squid was lured to the surface by a small bait squid, but an attempt to bring a live specimen on board the vessel was unsuccessful - the squid died from multiple injuries.

Giant squids are dangerous predators, and their only natural enemy is adult sperm whales. There are at least two described cases of fight between squid and sperm whale. In the first, the sperm whale won, but soon died, suffocated by the giant tentacles of the mollusk. The second battle took place off the coast South Africa, then the giant squid fought with the baby sperm whale, and after an hour and a half fight, he still killed the whale.

The giant isopod, known to science as Bathynomus giganteus, is the largest species of crustacean. The average size of a deep-sea isopod ranges from 30 centimeters, but the largest recorded specimen weighed 2 kilograms and was 75 centimeters long. In appearance, giant isopods are similar to woodlice, and like the giant squid, they are a consequence of deep-sea gigantism. These crayfish live at a depth of 200 to 2500 meters, preferring to bury themselves in silt.

The body of these creepy creatures is covered with hard plates that act as a shell. In case of danger, crayfish can curl into a ball and become inaccessible to predators. By the way, isopods are also predators and can feast on a few small deep-sea fish and sea cucumbers. Powerful jaws and durable armor make the isopod a dangerous opponent. Although giant crayfish love to feast on live food, they often have to eat the remains of shark prey that fall from the upper layers of the ocean.

Coelacanth or coelacanth is a large deep sea fish, whose discovery in 1938 became one of the most important zoological discoveries of the 20th century. Despite its unattractive appearance, this fish is notable for the fact that for 400 million years it has not changed its appearance and body structure. In fact, this unique relict fish is one of the oldest living creatures on planet Earth, which existed long before the appearance of dinosaurs.

Coelacanth lives at a depth of up to 700 meters in the waters of the Indian Ocean. The length of the fish can reach 1.8 meters and weigh more than 100 kilograms, and the body has a beautiful blue tint. Since coelacanth is very slow, it prefers to hunt at great depths, where there is no competition with more fast predators. These fish can swim backwards or belly up. Despite the fact that the meat of the coelcanth is inedible, it is often the target of poaching among local residents. Currently, the ancient fish is in danger of extinction.

The deep sea goblin shark, or goblin shark as it is also called, is the most poorly studied shark to date. This species lives in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean at a depth of up to 1300 meters. The largest specimen was 3.8 meters long and weighed about 200 kilograms.

The goblin shark got its name due to its eerie appearance. Mitsekurina has movable jaws that move outward when bitten. The goblin shark was first accidentally caught by fishermen in 1898, and since then 40 more specimens of this fish have been caught.

Another relict representative of the sea abyss is a one-of-a-kind cephalopod-detritus feeder, which has external resemblance, both with squid and octopus. Yours unusual name The hellish vampire got it thanks to his red body and eyes, which, however, depending on the lighting, can be blue. Despite their terrifying appearance, these strange creatures They grow only up to 30 centimeters and, unlike other cephalopods, they eat exclusively plankton.

The body of the hellish vampire is covered with luminous photophores, which create bright flashes of light that scare away enemies. In case of exceptional danger, these small mollusks turn their tentacles along the body, becoming like a ball with spikes. Hellish vampires live at depths of up to 900 meters, and can thrive in water with an oxygen level of 3% or lower, critical for other animals.

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 the lizards, carnivorous fish and predatory whales that terrorized sea creatures V 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, which made them more successful in hunting muddy water. 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 a predator at the top of the food chain, the whole world trembles.

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, however, their residence could also be the reason.

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 climbed onto 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 New Zealand carcass 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 amazing long neck– this is approximately 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)

Not surprisingly, the words “sea scorpion” only evoke negative emotions, however, this representative of the list was the creepiest of them. 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, however, imagine the full range of fear experienced by a person who would not be lucky enough to meet 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 the ancients sea scorpions were poisonous, but based on the structure of their tail, we can conclude that perhaps this really was the case.

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 ranged in length from 15 to 25 meters. 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). So this one 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 occupied by 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 warm ocean, which existed until the last ice age in the early Pleistocene, and is believed to have deprived these huge sharks of 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 ocean during the 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 ambush 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 the Triassic period more than 200 million years ago.

Material translated from the site: toptenz.net

From time immemorial, people have been fascinated by the beauty and power of the ocean. The bottomless waters of the seas have always kept some kind of secret and danger. Stories and legends tell of monsters living in the depths of the sea.

Do you believe in them? Let's talk about the most famous of them.

Loch Ness monster

The most famous sea monster, which, by and large, is freshwater and not sea, but it is possible that it can live in salt water.

He is also often called Nessie.

This unknown creature was first discovered in 1933, and there is still no clear evidence that it existed or exists.

His photographs appear in the press from time to time, but scientific communities in all countries doubt their authenticity.

However, it remains one of the most popular legendary creatures, and many researchers are still trying to find evidence of its existence.

Although most scientists do not believe in Nessie, they admit that if it exists, it is a descendant of a “dinosaur” with a long neck and webbed feet.

They say the animal is completely harmless and prefers to eat only fish.

The name Iku-Turso is translated as “thousand-horned” or “having a thousand tentacles.” In modern Finnish, his name can be translated as “octopus”

In Finnish mythology there is a mention of the evil Iku-Turso, who is also called the eternal Thurso.

Lives in the Atlantic Ocean, wreaking havoc wherever it appears.

Its appearance is quite interesting. He is depicted as a horned and bearded monster, which, judging by its appearance, clearly does not feed on fish.

They say that he used to be very dangerous, but the Finnish epic "Kalevala" says that one day Iku-Turso was captured and gave his word in exchange for the freedom to behave well.

Now he lives only in the ocean, and does not appear on land.

In Japanese folk tales there is a character named Umibozu.

They say that when the priest drowned, his spirit was filled with the power of the ocean and turned into a huge dark-headed creature, similar in appearance to a man.

However, Umibozu is not only the soul of the drowned priest.

This word is now used to describe any restless souls of the dead.

Attempts to communicate with them cause a storm, and the ships go down.

Sometimes Umibozu asks the sailors to give him a barrel, but if you do this, he will immediately grab you and drown you in the same barrel.

Hydra protects lakes and oceans; it can live in both salty and fresh water.

Hydra is huge and almost impossible to kill.

If one head is cut off, two new ones will grow in its place.

Greek hero Hercules, who for some reason is often called Hercules, ultimately defeated her.

He was helped in this by his nephew, who noticed that if one head was cut off and burned with fire, new heads would not appear.

So, Hydra was defeated by two brave Greeks, but the fact that even Hercules, known for his incredible strength, needed help to fight it shows how powerful it is.

Any huge thing is called Leviathan, but did you know that mention of it is also found in the Bible?

The Book of Job talks about him and describes him as a powerful fire-breathing creature of incredible size.

They say that it was impossible to kill him, and the monster died of its own accord from old age.

Most illustrations of the monster show it as a snake or whale with a long, thick body.

Leviathan's powerful body, huge teeth and evil character terrify all sailors forced to roam the oceans.

The sea monster lives in ocean waters near the coasts of Norway and Greenland.

He is depicted as a giant squid or a man with squid tentacles instead of arms.

The only thing that remains constant about his appearance is his size. The Kraken is huge! Even the legendary gods and heroes are lost against its background.

Anyone who values his life will beware of him if he moves to Norway by sea. This villain hates people and will do everything possible to destroy them.

Beware of him! However, he is not the worst. Scarier, bigger and more powerful than him...

Jörmungandr is a character from Norse mythology, also called Jörmungandr, Midgardsorm, the Midgard Serpent, or the World Serpent.

Jormungandr is so huge that he can easily cover the entire globe.

Have you heard of the Norse god Thor, the incredibly powerful lord of lightning? So he will be poisoned to death by Jormungandr during the end of the world, or Ragnarok.

Just imagine, Jormungandr also has poison! It would seem that its size alone is enough to easily deal with anyone.

Jormungandr is the most dangerous and huge sea monster, which has no equal.

It turns out that sharks in the ocean are not the worst thing. There is a whole bunch of sea monsters, compared to which, even more white shark It will seem like a harmless crucian carp.

Humanity is striving with all its might to understand the 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 he like? fauna 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. Zoo defenders are trying their best to preserve rare species animals, but not a single official list includes the 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. Until now, the scientific world has not been able to obtain 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 willing 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, after analyzing sketches of monsters and video footage provided by eyewitnesses, came to the conclusion that they can be classified as the last dinosaurs on Earth. 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, on the surface there is usually the body and head of a monster, which really resemble 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 pond with its large family. According to the official version, it fell into the lake as a result of the movement of tectonic plates and was unable to escape from the trap. During their existence, many generations of monsters have adapted to the changed habitat and food.

Lake Champlain - Nessie's brother

In Canada there is the famous Lake Champlain, which has 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 large number 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 where 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 corners planets where various monsters live. Three lakes belong to Ireland, where locals quite often see underwater monsters. For example, in Lough Ree the animal large sizes An unknown species was even seen 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 of the Atlantic Ocean there 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. Local residents 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 They believe that this monster was the result of secret experiments by the 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 façade of the building and are winged creatures with bared snouts 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 new look 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.

Incredible facts

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 compares 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.

Prehistoric world

Megalodon

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

Liopleurodon

Sea monsters

Basilosaurus

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.

Cancerscorpios

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 a special species of crustacean scorpion that was the largest and most fearsome arthropod of its time: 2.5 meters of pure clawed terror under its shell.

Many of us are terrified of small ants or large spiders, but imagine the whole spectrum of fear experienced by a person who would be unlucky enough to meet 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.

Read also: A huge sea monster washed up on the coast of Indonesia

Prehistoric animals

Mauisaurus

Mauisaurus was named after the ancient Maori god Maui, who, according to legend, pulled the New Zealand carcass from the ocean floor with a hook, 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 the Cretaceous period, which meant that unfortunate creatures jumping into the water to escape 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.

Dunkleosteus

Sea monsters and monsters of the deep

Kronosaurus

Helicoprion

These creatures survived the Triassic mass extinction, which could indicate their high intelligence, but the reason could also be their living in the deep sea.

Prehistoric sea monsters

Melville's Leviathan

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.