From sea-faring relics to ancient amphibians, today we look at Bizarre Prehistoric Creatures
That Actually Still Exist.
Number 12.
Solenodon The shrew-faced Solenodon is a small, venomous
mammal that hails from the Caribbean islands of Cuba and Haiti.
In addition to being a critter uniquely endemic to these islands, solenodons possess a few
interesting traits.
They are one of the few venomous mammals in the world, and also possess a flexible snout
thanks to a shoulder-like joint in their face.
To top it off, these furry varmints have been around for more than 73 million years!
Number 11.
Cassowary Possibly the closest thing to a modern dinosaur,
the Cassowary towers over most other birds at five to six feet on average.
It's massive raptor-like claws, hard crown, and vibrant coloration all make this avian
monster seem like something you'd see in a Jurassic Park film.
Which actually makes sense given cassowaries have been around for the last 80 million years.
Native to Australia and New Guinea, cassowaries hide deep within the rainforests of the region.
Typically shy, the large birds will avoid human contact, but be mindful of getting too
close.
In addition to your own safety, steering clear of cassowaries is also in their best interest
as the species is endangered due mostly to the native public.
Motor vehicles were reported to account for 55 percent of cassowary fatalities in a 2006
study, and as such people have since been discouraged from engaging with the species
so as to keep them away from populated areas.
Number 10.
Giant Freshwater Stingray Cruising through the rivers and estuaries
of Borneo and Indochina is a thirteen hundred pound, six foot wide, 100 million year old
monster.
Known as the Giant Freshwater Stingray, this massive relative to sharks and saltwater kin
of the same name is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world.
This fish, like other rays, is disc shaped with a serrated spine at the base of its tail,
which is long and whiplike.
Scientists believe this big fish once roamed the waters across all of Southeast Asia, though
a number of hazards have led to its isolated location.
With the development of human settlements and the resulting structures to support them,
giant freshwater stingrays have suffered from extensive habitat degradation.
Deforestation and dams are major issues for the creature, but so is fishing, where the
stingrays are caught for food, sport, or public display in aquariums.
In the past 20 to 30 years, regions endemic to this fish have seen its population drop
from anywhere between 30 and 95 percent!
Number 9.
Purple Frog This odd-looking amphibian has been around
for nearly 130 million years, yet the Purple Frog went largely unknown to the scientific
world until 2003.
Though earlier reports and documented evidence of the creature's discovery had been around
since 1918, it didn't receive formal recognition until it was found by researchers in the Western
Ghats of India.
Here the purple frog burrows into the soil, keeping damp and hunting for prey.
Unlike the stretchy-tongued frogs of your nearest swamp, these amphibians are equipped
with a long, ridged tongue that shoots through the dirt to snag termites and ants.
Its flat body, shovel-tipped nose, and stumpy yet strong legs help the purple frog navigate
through dirt, rarely surfacing from the ground.
But when it rains, be on the lookout!
That is the only condition in which these frogs mate, one of many features that are
fairly unique to the blob-like critter.
Number 8.
Chinese Giant Salamander Salamanders are commonly known as some of
the most recognizable amphibians in existence.
But imagine seeing one slink out of a river that's bigger than your dog!
What would seem like some sort of cryptid akin to the Loch Ness Monster is actually
the massive amphibious species called the Chinese Giant Salamander.
This gargantuan river dweller is local to the mountainous streams and lakes of China
and grows up to nearly 6 feet in length.
They tend to reach weights ranging between 55 and 66 pounds, though individuals as heavy
as 130 pounds have been recorded.
If the Chinese giant salamander seems like some sort of prehistoric amphibian...that's
because it is!
Researchers have found that this beady-eyed swimmer has roamed the Asian region for 170
million years.
But the deterioration of its habitats, illegal poaching, and climate change all have forced
the Chinese giant salamander population to face a dangerously high possibility of extinction.
Number 7.
Tuatara A reptile endemic to New Zealand named the
Tuatara is unlike any of its relatives thanks to a number of bizarre behaviors and traits.
This scaled anomaly is the remnant of an otherwise extinct order that's been around since 200
million years ago.
Fairly small, the tuatara grows to a length of one and a half to two feet and can weight
between one and two pounds.
As carnivores, these animals feast on anything from beetles, spiders, and eggs to frogs,
birds, and even its own kind.
Each individual reptile has a lifespan of up to 100 years, and its habits will change
with age thanks to factors like teeth deterioration, slow maturity, and lengthy pregnancies.
Tuataras are able to survive for so many years thanks to features like a regenerating tail,
the ability to survive much colder temperatures than other reptiles, and the development of
a third eye covered in scales that helps sense changes in light and seasons.
Number 6.
Turtles Hard-shelled and slow to move, Turtles are
some of the most iconic creatures to have survived the past 250 million years.
Most species aren't overtly strange, but a few of these creatures definitely seem like
they would be at home next to a Triceratops or T. Rex.
One such species is the Alligator Snapping Turtle.
This sharp-ridged shuffler is among the heaviest freshwater turtles on Earth with some reported
weights exceeding 250 pounds!
Its sharp, beak like face clamps down on prey such as fish, birds, and amphibians deceived
by a tongue appendage on the turtle that resembles a wriggling worm.
Another ancient-seeming species is the massive Galápagos Tortoise, which can weigh over
900 pounds and live for well over 100 years.
These tortoises are so big, in fact, that an average sized human can ride atop their
shell with no issue!
Unlike the Alligator Snapping Turtle though, this monstrous reptile is herbivorous, subsisting
on a diet of cacti, fruit, grass and leaves.
Number 5.
Lamprey Jawless, scaleless, boneless, and lacking
pectoral or pelvic fins, the slender, sucker-faced Lamprey is a strange, 360 million year old
order of fish that still traverses the ocean today.
Thirty eight different species fill out this order, and can be found in coastal and freshwater
regions ranging from the Great Lakes to the River Thames.
These eel-like swimmers are mostly known for their slick elongated bodies and gaping mouths
filled with rows of teeth.
Carnivorous species of lamprey us these mouths to attach to other fish where they scrape
away at flesh thanks to a pronged, piston-esque tongue until they bore a hole.
Parasitic in nature, these predatory lampreys will then drain the fishes innards before
moving on to a next meal.
In many regions the creature has become a pest, endangering the ecosystems in which
it invades.
As such, population control by means of aquatic barriers and fishing them for food is employed
in some communities.
Though eating a lamprey requires careful preparation as some species contain toxic mucus.
Number 4.
Emperor Scorpion Averaging almost 8 inches in length, the brawny,
black, West African arachnid known as the Emperor Scorpion is one of the largest scorpions
on the planet.
Despite their proportionately hulking size, though, these clawed beasts are actually fairly
harmless.
The behavior of emperor scorpions is typically docile.
While the pinch of their claws is still fairly painful for humans, it's much less dangerous
than it is for the scorpion's prey, which include animals as big as rodents and lizards!
Its stinger contains a toxic venom, but these toxins don't affect people other than those
with an allergy.
Thus, they make for common pets for collectors of creepy crawlers.
This has created a problem for the species though as the accumulation of individual specimens
spirals out of control.
While not necessarily endangered, the trends of emperor scorpion trading have worried some
organizations who suggest their trade be highly regulated to curb potential population issues.
And after being around for more than 400 million years, regulation is the least humans can
do to respect their elder.
Number 3.
Horseshoe Crab While it may be called the Horseshoe Crab,
this strangely scuttling, carapaced creature is actually much older than the crustaceans
of today.
This sharp tailed coast-crawler is still an arthropod, but it's really a bit closer related
to its arachnid cousins than it is traditional shellfish.
These strange looking animals make their homes in the soft sand and muddy waters of marine
and brackish coastlines and have done so for around 450 million years!
They can be found across the Earth's oceans, either on beaches, on the shore, or swimming
upside down nearby.
In modern times, though, the horseshoe crab is endangered for the first time in its existence
thanks to the destruction of its natural habitat along with human harvesting.
Used as fish bait, fertilizer, a source of some medicinal chemicals, and even as a delicacy
in certain regions, horseshoe crabs have seen their population diminish as demand for the
creature rises.
Number 2.
Velvet Worms Crawling in the dark corners of tropical regions
across the southern hemisphere is an awkward animal that resembles a caterpillar spliced
with a slug.
These Velvet Worms are their own unique type of many-legged arthropod.
Hundreds of different species of velvet worm exist in the wild, with many believed to still
be undiscovered.
While closely related to animals like insects, arachnids, crabs and even water bears, these
slithering critters have certain traits that are distinctly their own.
Aside from existing for more than 500 million years, velvet worms are also recognized for
their eating and birthing behaviors.
These worms have the capability to spew a sticky slime that snares prey after stalking
it slowly and carefully to examine its nutritional value.
As far as birthing goes, the velvet worm actually varies from species to species, with some
laying eggs like their relatives while others actually engage in live birth!
Number 1.
Jellyfish One of the most enigmatic creatures of the
sea, the jellyfish, has roamed the ocean for the past six to seven hundred million years.
Fossils of jellyfish and their relatives have been found proving such, but with no solid
body parts, fossil evidence of the animal is rare.
This animal could have been around for even longer, and with billions of individuals roaming
the ocean currently, it looks to be here for many years to come.