An unprecedented sea monster (11 photos). Seven legendary sea monsters
Humans are classified as terrestrial creatures because most of their activities are related to land. Therefore, water is fraught with many mysteries and inexplicable phenomena for us.
In the water there is a completely different world, inaccessible and incomprehensible. Those who live in the ocean are so different from those who live on land that they cause surprise and sometimes fear.
In the minds of ancient people, water was always fraught with danger, which is why in myths there are so many giant creatures living in water, for example monster Leviathan. Despite the fact that people managed to descend into Mariana Trench, the most deep place on the planet, we still know practically nothing about monsters, organisms living at the very bottom of the ocean. People had a real superstitious fear of the ocean. Sailors often told incredible stories, shrouded in mystical horror, about sea monsters dragging entire ships under the surface of the water.
If you look at ancient maps, you can see images of snakes, newts, whales, and giant octopuses in the sea. Myths about monsters found among any people who dealt with the sea. In legends describing water monsters, you can almost always find references to huge tentacles, a lion's mouth or glowing eyes. In the sea monster, it was as if parts of the bodies of different creatures were collected together.
Navigation developed, people began to travel to other continents, and the fear of water gradually disappeared. But stories about sea monsters still appeared. True, they began to be treated not as legends, but as true stories. The study of marine life gradually led to the fact that legends about encounters with water monsters became fewer and fewer. But even now, in the age of the triumph of reason and science, there are a sufficient number amazing stories. A sea monster most often has a huge snake-like body or resembles a shapeless mass with many tentacles. Often such tales are composed by those who are not closely connected with the sea. People of “aquatic” professions are not inclined to consider sea creatures as monsters from the depths, since they often have to deal with them. After all, if a person sees, for example, a lion for the first time, he will also decide that this is a real monster.
It also happens that some stories are born as a result of an optical illusion, because water often distorts actual sizes and the shapes of objects, and it can be very difficult to see any creature in the water. There are also outright hoaxes. There are descriptions that in modern times have been given a completely reasonable explanation, because it was possible to study creatures that previously seemed to people to be monsters.
One of them is remora, or sticky fish, which was greatly feared in ancient times. It belongs to the Echaeneidae family. This very name already contains a feature that so frightened the ancients. In Latin, “getoga” is translated as “delay”; in Greek, “echein” means to hold, and “naus” means ship. Our distant ancestors believed that these small fish, gathered in a school, could stick to the bottom of the ship and stop its movement.
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 the ice ages, and even the terrible eruption of the Toba volcano. 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, strewn 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 serrated, 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 the nests of these sea monsters as if no one dared to destroy.
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 amazing long neck– this is approximately 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.
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 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 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 and submerge). greater depth). 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 a shark the size of school bus actually once existed in reality. 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 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 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 the Triassic period more than 200 million years ago.
Did you know that scary creatures live at the bottom of the ocean? The truth is that we know more about our universe than we do about the oceans on our own planet. In fact, even to this day we are discovering new creatures lurking in depths where no one can even penetrate. sunlight. Frankly, some of these deep sea inhabitants pretty creepy. Here are the 25 Scariest Sea Monsters You Didn't Know About!
25. Tongue-eating crustacean
We'll start small. This terrible creature penetrates the fish through the gills, eats its tongue, and then attaches itself to the place where it used to be.
24. Chimera
Photo: wikimedia commons
The Ratfish or Ghost Fish, the Chimera is known as one of the oldest fish in existence today. They live very deep in the dark, so the appearance of this monster will definitely be reflected in your nightmares. Just look at that face!
23. Corrugated Shark
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
With a triple row of sharp teeth, this deep sea shark can cause damage to anything it catches. Plus, she just looks creepy.
22. Lobster "Terrible Claw"
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Discovered in 2007 off the coast of the Philippines, this lobster was aptly named. Look at those claws! This guy could cut you into pieces like a wheel of cheese.
21. Water bear
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
While most of the creatures on our list are quite large, these ones are quite tiny. Even... microscopic! What's strange about them is their durability. They can survive in almost any temperature and can live without water for over ten years!
20. Mola-Mola
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Also known as Pisces Sun or Pisces Moon, sounds good, right? But, think again, because she weighs over 900 kg! While the fish won't attack you (they eat jellyfish), it can be quite scary when you see the fish with the heaviest bones coming at you!
19. Giant squid
Photo: pixabay
These monsters can grow up to 18 meters in length. And their eyes are as big as beach balls! And yes, their eating habits are just as bad as you might imagine. They grab their prey with their tentacles and then stuff it into their beaks. The squid then crushes it with its tooth-covered tongue before the food enters the esophagus. It's very similar to a meat grinder.
18. Pelagic largemouth shark
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Discovered in 1976, this huge shark attracts plankton with the light that comes from its mouth. Don't swim into the light!
17. Galper eel
Photo: fishbase.org
Considering that these sea creatures live thousands of meters deep, little is known about them. But we know for sure that the huge jaws of a fish allow it to swallow prey as large as itself.
16. Goblin Shark
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Just one look at this shark will make most of us shiver. Moreover, the truly terrifying creatures' mouths seem to detach during the hunt in order to quickly capture their prey.
15. Grenadier
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
While the Grenadier is a bit odd looking, the creepiness factor doesn't always match the looks. This deep-sea fish gives off a terrible odor due to the high levels of trimethylamine oxide it contains.
14. Pike blenny
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Although this fish is practically harmless to humans, when the blenny is in danger, it opens its huge mouth to scare away predators. Human or not, one look at this would make you want to get away as quickly as possible.
13. Giant isopod
Photo: en.wikipedia.org
Found at depths of almost 2,000 meters, these scavengers can grow up to 3 meters or more in length. Moreover, they existed even before dinosaurs. How? They know how to survive. These creatures can survive without food for four years. Even if they don't eat you, just imagine coming across such a creature in the deep sea. Basically, it's just a sea cockroach that more than a person to size. But we are afraid of cockroaches when they are only a few centimeters long...
12. Fanged fish
Photo: wikimedia commons
These bad guys live at a depth of 5,000 meters. Here the water pressure can crush a person. If you don't get crushed, get ready to be mashed by terrible teeth. In fact, this aptly named underwater monster boasts the largest teeth relative to its body size of any fish.
11. Snaggletooth fish
Photo: wikimedia commons
This creepy fish has hooked teeth that help it catch its prey. In addition, it lives at incredible depths where sunlight does not penetrate. So if you ever happen to see this terrifying creature, its glowing skin and terrifying teeth will likely leave you with terrible memories!
10. Black Dragon Fish
Photo: wikimedia commons
With razor-sharp teeth, this alien-like fish lives deep in the ocean and generates its own light.
9. Giant Spider Crab
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Sometimes we are simply intimidated by size. Descending to a depth of 300 meters, you will discover the most... large crab on the ground. It can reach 4 meters!
8. Pacific Snakefish
Photo: wikimedia commons
Living miles below the ocean's surface, these creatures boast teeth so large they can't even close their mouths.
7. Squid is a vampire
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Its name, Vampyroteuthis infernalis, literally translates to “vampire squid from hell.” Why? This underwater squid lives underwater where sunlight does not penetrate, and if you attack it, the squid will turn inside out, exposing dozens of spiny spines. What could be more terrible? Imagine if a person did this...
6. Drop fish
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Although this creature will not harm you, it may discourage you from going deep sea diving. The blobfish has even been called "the ugliest creature" and looking at this photo, it becomes clear why. She's so disgusting it's scary!
5. Melanocete Johnson (Humpback Monkfish)
Photo: en.wikipedia.org
This deep sea monster lures his prey with a glowing stick that sticks out of his head.
4. Grimpoteuthys (Dumbo the Octopus)
Photo: wikimedia commons
While they may look quite cute, these guys are known for wrapping their prey in frilly-like "arms" before eating it.
3. Barrel Eye Fish (Ghost Fish)
Photo: wikimedia commons
This one has an absolutely crazy looking deep sea creature transparent head, which allows the fish to look upward with its barrel-shaped eyes. Imagine that while you are swimming in the depths of the ocean, a transparent head with two disgusting eyes inside approaches you. Although this fish will not eat you, its disgusting appearance is enough to make you regret this encounter.
2. Stargazer fish
Photo: en.wikipedia.org
They burrow into the ocean floor with their bulging ball eyes exposed. When an unfortunate fish swims up, they... eat it.
1. Black Crookshanks
Photo: wikimedia commons
Possibly the scariest creature on our list, this fish can swallow prey more than twice its size in size and 10 times its weight.
There is an assumption that in depths of the sea ah exists animal world, officially extinct many millions of years ago. These could be pelycosaurs, mosasaurs and other giants that long ago lived in the oceans of the planet. Such sea monsters live on great depth, and therefore their contacts with people are kept to a minimum. However, from time to time a person encounters terrible monsters and sees with his own eyes that our world is still filled with unsolved secrets and riddles.
An example of the inexplicable is the incident that occurred in 1983 with a US submarine located in the open ocean 300 miles from Florida. This submarine was moving with normal average speed at a depth of 2 km. The dark abyss of the sea stretched all around, when suddenly an incomprehensible light point appeared on the locator. It began to quickly increase in size, approaching the underwater vessel.
When there was very little left to the boat, an incomprehensible object shifted to the right and ended up on the side. He came close, and the hull of the ship shuddered, but no roll followed. The mass of the submarine turned out to be too large for the mysterious object. He could not affect either the trajectory or stability.
Apparently it was Living being, interested in a huge underwater ship. Having satisfied its interest, the monster of the deep sea disappeared from the radar, leaving the sailors in complete confusion. The captain contacted the command and reported what had happened. He received orders to proceed to the base, and when the submarine moored to the shore, a thorough inspection of its hull was carried out.
Wide scratches and dents were found on the casing. It seemed as if some sea monster had attempted to tear open the hull of the ship. But he did not have enough strength for this. Many years have passed since then, but even today it is unclear what kind of sea creature the American submarine encountered.
Another case indicating the existence of sea monsters occurred in 1954 in France on the coast Mediterranean Sea. An eyewitness was a local farmer standing on the steep shore of a vast bay. The sea surface was completely deserted, when suddenly in the distance, right out of the water, a large hill emerged, resembling a huge formation of dark algae. It did not remain in place, but headed towards the shore.
In the process of movement, the hill began to change its shape. It stretched out in length and spread out in width. In total, he reached 30 meters in the crossbar and slowly swam towards a school of dolphins frolicking in the water about 100 meters from the farmer. They saw an incomprehensible formation and instantly swam away. And after that the mysterious hill sank into the water and disappeared from view.
What lies on the shore? Either a log or a mysterious sea monster
In the 70s of the 20th century in Crimean Black Sea coast Eyewitnesses appeared who saw a mysterious creature resembling a large log in shape. The number of such eyewitnesses began to grow and there was talk of a Crimean version of the Loch Ness monster. But at that time, people were forbidden to believe in anything unusual and inexplicable, and therefore local authorities stopped such conversations in the bud.
After a decade, a mysterious sea monster in the depths of the Black Sea was seen by scientists on board an underwater biological laboratory. They sank to a depth of 120 meters, and on the right side they discovered a long dark creature, unlike any known living organism. This creature moved, wriggling, and looked like giant snake. After some time, it was lost in the thick dark water. It is not clear how in the sea, in which the hydrogen sulfide layer, something similar appeared.
Here is another strange object lying on the shore, looking like a monster of the deep sea
It should be noted that many experts are skeptical about the stories of those eyewitnesses who claim that sea monsters exist. This doubt is motivated by the fact that the animal world of the planet has been studied so thoroughly that there is no room left for mysterious monsters. People have long learned to descend into the ocean depths, but they have not found anything creepy or unusual there.
At great depths, the life of large living creatures is generally impossible due to the enormous pressure. And if monsters swam in the upper layers of water, then everyone would see them. But nothing like that happens. The recorded mysterious cases can be counted on one hand. The bulk of people of any kind strange creatures I never noticed.
In conclusion, we can say that today there is no serious evidence confirming the existence of sea monsters. At the same time, there is no evidence to refute their life in the depths of the sea. Therefore, in this matter it is best to take a neutral position, admitting that there is something unusual somewhere deep in sea water, but at the same time not trusting too much to various sensations.
The ocean depths have long been famous for their bizarre inhabitants, who inspired indescribable horror on the ancients. Living on the planet in different times, terrible creatures of the oceans and seas were overgrown with myths and legends. Let's get to know them better.
Prehistoric sea monsters
Prehistoric times are replete with tales of incredible aquatic creatures. We have compiled a rating of the 10 most dangerous inhabitants that period.
Leviathan
The top 10 prehistoric monsters are revealed by the sea serpent Leviathan, the first mention of which can be found in Old Testament. The name of this inhabitant of the deep sea translates as “fish twisted into a spiral.”
According to the Psalms of David, Leviathan is a giant monster with a powerful neck, terrible double jaws, sharp teeth and red eyes. The body of the mythical creature is covered with tight-fitting scales, and steam bursts from the nostrils. Rising above the waves from ocean depths, Leviathan fascinated sailors with its unusual beauty and terrifying outlines.
On a note! Ancient people called Leviathan the Prince of Darkness. TheyThey believed that a serpent breathing hot fire could evaporate the oceans.
For the first time they started talking about the sea serpent in the Ancient East. In those distant times, sailors returning from long journeys told horror stories about a huge monster, the size of which amazed the imagination. It was rumored that this monster could turn an entire ship into pieces with one movement, so it was simply impossible to survive there.
As for biblical legends, the identity of Leviathan is described ambiguously. In some sources, this is a powerful monster fighting with God. In others, it is an incomprehensible being, inaccessible to understanding by mere mortals.
Kraken
The rating of the most terrible creatures of the oceans and seas continues giant octopus Kraken, which lived off the coast of Norway and Iceland. The size of the Scandinavian monster, covered in terrible legends, boggles the imagination. A 17th century Danish naturalist compared the Kraken to an island. Due to its gigantic volume, sailors often mistook it for a piece of land rising in the middle of the ocean. This mistake became fatal for many.
Ancient sailors were afraid of huge tentacles that rose above the surface of the water, entangled the masts of ships and immediately dragged them to the bottom. And eyewitnesses also claimed that the Kraken could create dangerous whirlpools into which everything that was not lucky enough to be in the path of this giant monster was sucked. Even large warships were not immune from destruction. Thus, Pliny the Younger was sure that it was the rakens that surrounded the ships of Mark Antony and Cleopatra, which is why they were defeated.
Disputes about the existence of the giant squid have not subsided to this day. Cryptozoologists studying the mysterious inhabitants of the ocean depths claim that similar monsters were spotted in the area of the mystical Bermuda Triangle. In their opinion, it is the gigantic Kraken that is the main reason for the mysterious incidents associated with this area. To find out what a huge squid looks like, just visit either the London Museum or the Melbourne Aquarium. The first invites you to admire the 9th sample, placed in a container with formaldehyde. The second is the 7th kraken, frozen in a block of ice.
Interesting! I believed in the existence of this giantCarl Linnaeus. He even introduced the kraken into the classification system of nature, calling it cephalopod, but then he deleted it from there himself.
Sea Monk
The world of sea monsters cannot do without the sea monk, a humanoid giant whose arms are like flippers and whose legs are like fish tail. The monster’s body was covered with shiny scales, and its head was decorated with a halo, similar to the tonsure of ancient monks. It is this similarity that explains the name of this terrible creature.
The first stories about sea monks appeared in the Middle Ages. Legends of the time say that these creatures often came ashore to perform their infamous dance. Their movements were so beautiful and mesmerizing that people lost all vigilance. As soon as someone particularly careless came close enough, sea monsters would immediately grab him and eat him in front of the spectators.
Interesting! There is an opinion that sea monks actually existed. Proof of this is an unusual creature with a tonsure on its head, washed ashore in Denmark in 1546. However, several years ago, scientists from Copenhagen declared that it was nothing more than a cuttlefish with 10 tentacles.
Lernaean Hydra
The Lernaean Hydra, whose name means “water,” is also one of the most terrible monsters of the ocean. About it mythical creature, generated ancient Greek gods Echida and Typhon, there were many different legends. For example, Hesiod, who mentioned the hydra in his Theogony, describes it as a huge animal with long tail and six heads. It is impossible to kill him - as soon as one head is cut off, a second one immediately appears in its place. Ancient legends say that the brothers of the Lernaean Hydra were Cerberus and Orphus, evil dogs, guarding the gates to the kingdom of Hades, and the nurse was the goddess Hera, who planned to kill Hercules himself with the help of this monster.
Interesting! Despite its terrifying appearance and apparent immortality, the hydra was defeated. The legend tells that one of Hercules' nephews figured out how to defeat this terrible monster. The young man noticed that if severed hydra heads are burned with fire, new ones no longer appear in their place. In this simple way, one of the most famous sea monsters was defeated.
Aquatic dinosaur Liopleurodon
The list of terrible inhabitants of the aquatic depths continues with the terrible Liopleurodon. A huge creature lived in the territory of modern Central America and Europe during the Jurassic period. Liopleurodon is still considered one of the largest sea monsters in the world. The body length of this predator exceeds 25 meters, body weight reached 160 tons. More than a third of the entire length was occupied by the head on a large and powerful neck. The picture was completed by wide flippers up to 3 meters long and a huge mouth armed with 30 cm teeth.
According to data from the Bible, this prehistoric creature terrified the entire area. They feared and hated him, because anyone who managed to meet on the path of the Liopleurodon never appeared among the living again.
Interesting!LIopleurodonI could not go ashore for hours. Knowing how to hold his breath for a long time, he dived into the depths and waited for his prey in ambush.
Scylla
Not all prehistoric creatures living on the ocean floor were scary from the cradle. The next heroine of the rating of the most unusual monsters of the deep sea was born as a beautiful nymph. Scylla, a we're talking about specifically about her, she was the daughter of Hecate, ancient greek goddess. Being a rather proud and unapproachable girl, she rejected all her admirers, including the god Glaucus. The owner of the sea turned to the evil sorceress Circe for advice. But the sorceress in love took revenge on both of them by turning Scylla into a mutant. The former beauty turned into a terrible six-headed dog with 12 legs and teeth in 3 rows, lying in wait for sailors on the Scyllian rock in the Gulf of Sicily.
Interesting! Ancient Greek legends say that only Odysseus and his Argonauts managed to get past Scylla. Helped him with this little trick. Odysseus simply hid from his crew that a terrible monster awaited them ahead. Without fearing anything, the Argonauts sailed past Scylla, remaining safe and sound.
Hippocampus
The freaks of the oceans are unlikely to be able to do without this creature. Indeed, it would be difficult to imagine a uglier creature! The hippocampus is an animal with the body of a horse, the tail of a snake or fish, and webbed feet instead of front hooves. The body of a “water horse”, and this is how the name of this horse is translated strange inhabitant sea depths, covered with scales of different sizes. According to some sources, the hippocampus breathes with the help of the lungs, according to others - with the help of gills.
Water horses can be seen in ancient pictures depicting the walks of tritons and nereids, the main sea deities. Water horses are also found in the poetry of Homer, who calls them one of the symbols of Poseidon. In mosaic art, hippocampi were present as hybrid animals with appendages and a green scaly mane.
Interesting!In ancient times, they were considered the first form of seahorse.
Megalodon
The megalodon shark is considered one of the most terrible inhabitants sea world. The first discovery that proved the existence of this monster were huge teeth. However, for many years scientists believed that these fossilized remains belonged to dragons or snakes. And only in 1667, the Danish researcher N. Stensen managed to prove that we were talking about megalodon.
Unfortunately or fortunately, this dangerous animal did not survive to this day. Moreover, no one has ever managed to find the complete skeleton of a huge shark. Like all representatives of this class, it consists of cartilage, which after the death of the giant simply disappeared into the abyss.
Of course, the horror that these prehistoric creatures caused has nothing to do with the divine beliefs of ancient people. Huge 20-meter sharks with a huge mouth and sharp teeth were quite real, but no less scary for that.
Interesting! Age of the remains of an ocean dweller is about 2.8 million years old. This means that sharks were cutting through the ocean during the periodCenozoic era.
Monster Nessie
The Loch Ness Monster can easily be called the most popular monster of the deep oceans. A hundred films have been made about him, a lot of books have been written, dozens of legends, epics and tales have been retold. But did it really exist? The answer to this question will remain a mystery.
First mentions of Loch Ness monster another 5th century is dated. BC e. The Celts claimed that these underwater creatures were reptiles with a long and thick tail, capable of breaking the largest ship. More modern photos Nessie, dated 1933. The next boom associated with the name of this creature occurred at the end of the 80s of the last century, when its outlines were noticed not only in the lake of the same name, but also in the Pacific Ocean. New information about the Loch Ness monster appeared quite recently - in September 2016. Then photographer Ian Bremner managed to film a 2-meter snake cutting through the surface of the water at breakneck speed.
Interesting! Not long ago he suffered from a collision with Nessie deep-sea vehicle"Highfish." Having plunged to a depth of 7 km, he was unable to rise to the surface. Turning on the thermal imager, the hydronauts saw that a terrible creature had clung to the body of the device. They don’t know the name of this monster, but they claim that it looks like a huge lizard.
Mokele-mbembe
Mentions of ocean monsters are also found in Chinese legends. Thus, in one of the manuscripts dated to the 12th century, you can find a story about a terrible water dragon. The author of the text claims that he saw with his own eyes the skeleton of this monster in the court storeroom. Based on these data, we can conclude that the Mokele-Mbembe dragon was a creature with a large body, short thick legs, a long tail and horns.
Legends about the terrible monster are preserved in the mythology of many Central African tribes. For example, the pygmies indicate that Mokele-mbembe is a cross between an elephant and a dragon. Zambians imagine it as a “hippo eater,” a huge creature similar to a dinosaur or lizard.
Interesting! The famous hunter Robert Jordan assures that he was lucky enough to see Mokele-mbembe with his own eyes. In his description, the dragon resembles a terrible hippopotamus with the head of a crocodile. Interestingly, Jordan’s guides confirm every word of the hunter.
Real sea monsters
You won’t believe it, but water monsters can still be found in our time. Here is a list of the most popular and terrible sea monsters.
Pike blenny
Pike blennies, so named because of their thick, wrinkled cheeks, live in the waters Pacific Ocean. They have a not too long (only about 30 cm), smooth and almost scaleless body. Lying at a depth of up to 70 meters, this fish is practically no different from its counterparts. But as soon as she opens her mouth, she turns into a terrifying monster, ready to swallow everything that comes her way. The fish are indeed very aggressive - in certain situations they can even attack divers.
Interesting! Pike blennies use their huge mouths when they collide with fellow tribesmen when fighting for water area. During a collision, the monsters try to open their mouths as wide as possible - whoever is larger wins the battle. This makes it look like they are kissing.
Moray
These mesmerizing monsters are considered one of the most dangerous inhabitants of the modern deep sea. Biologists distinguish several types of moray eels, differing from each other in size and color. If small individuals barely grow to 15 cm, then the length of the largest moray eels reaches 2-3 meters with a weight of 50 kg.
The skin of these creatures has no scales. Instead, the body is covered with sticky, poisonous mucus, which serves as protection against bacteria and other predators. Upon contact with human body This substance causes severe burns, which often lead to death.
Interesting! Large teeth, which can tear flesh into many small shreds, also pose a danger to humans.
Meshkorot
Meshkorot is considered the only known to science a representative of his kind. Its body length is about 2 meters, its popular habitat is a depth of 2-5 km.
The main characteristic feature of bagmouths is a huge flexible mouth with teeth curved inward. Due to the absence of some bones in the skull, these creatures can open their mouths almost 180 degrees.
Interesting! Since there is not enough food on the seabed, the fish eat for future use. Moreover, the volume that she swallows significantly exceeds her own weight.
Fish Goonch
This terrible creature lives in the Kali River, which flows between India and Nepal. Gunch is extremely fond of human meat, which is his main menu. Due to its impressive size (more than 140 kg), the fish is capable of attacking both in a secluded place and in front of a crowd.
Interesting! Gunch's craving for human meat provoked by the people themselves, who have long used the waters of Kali to bury the dead.
Now you know what the most terrible sea creatures are and where they live. We can only hope that this rating will not soon be replenished with new scary individuals.
