Creatures from the Age of Dinosaurs Still Alive Today

Bright Side

Did you know that some creatures from the age of dinosaurs are still alive today? Yep, there are sea monsters and other prehistoric monsters swimming and crawling around our planet right now! Take the coelacanth, for example—this ancient fish has been around for over 400 million years and was once thought to be extinct. Then there's the horseshoe crab, a creepy-looking creature that's been scuttling around since prehistoric times. Crocodiles and alligators? They’re basically living dinosaurs! It's like a real-life Jurassic Park out there, with these ancient creatures surviving against the odds.  Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV   Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en   Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Transcript

00:00You can't find living dinosaurs nowadays, which is a good thing, mostly, but you can

00:06still meet some creatures that might have gone to lunch with them.

00:11The frilled shark, for example, is a living fossil that comes from a family of sharks

00:15that have been around for about 80 million years.

00:19One of the coolest things about it is its long, eel-like body that can grow as long

00:24as 6 feet.

00:26It has 6 pairs of gills on its throat, which help the frilled shark breathe in the deep,

00:30cold ocean where there isn't much oxygen.

00:33The shark can move very quickly, like a snake, to catch its prey when it least expects it.

00:39Little frilled sharks take an exceptionally long time to grow, up to 3.5 years, which

00:45is one of the longest times for any animal with a backbone.

00:50The Chinese giant salamander is another living fossil that can tell you what was going on

00:55on Earth around 170 million years ago.

00:59When I say tell, I really mean it, as it can make sounds like hisses, whistles, and barks,

01:06and even a noise that sounds like a crying kid.

01:11The biggest Chinese salamander found so far weighed 130 pounds, as heavy as two Dalmatians,

01:17and was almost 6 feet long.

01:20Giant salamanders like to be alone, and will chase away other salamanders from their space

01:27except when it's time to start a family.

01:30During the day, they hide and sleep under rocks.

01:33They can make a special substance from their skin that keeps predators away.

01:41Gurreels are reptiles that have been around for about 38 million years.

01:45They live in India and Nepal in slow-moving, muddy rivers.

01:49Sadly, there are very few gurreels left in the wild, less than a hundred.

01:54These creatures can't control their body temperature, so they need to sunbathe to get warm or cool

01:59down in the water if they get too hot.

02:02Their eyes are close together and face forward, which helps them see in three dimensions and

02:07judge distances more accurately.

02:11Gurreels also have a transparent third eyelid that protects their eyes when they're underwater.

02:16They have over a hundred sharp teeth, but they can't chew their food.

02:20Instead, they use their strong jaws to grab prey and then, uh-oh, swallow it whole.

02:27The alligator gurre is a fish that has a family history of more than 100 million years.

02:34It still has some cool features from ancient times, like being able to breathe both air

02:39and water.

02:41It also has a special spiral-shaped intestine like a shark.

02:45The alligator gurre is one of the biggest and heaviest fish in North America.

02:50Just like an alligator, it has a long body and snout, plus a row of sharp teeth.

02:55But instead of legs, the gurre has fins to help it swim underwater.

03:01The tuatara isn't a lizard as you might think, and isn't a dinosaur either.

03:06This New Zealand resident is one of the most unique animals in the world.

03:11Scientists love studying tuataras because they can help us understand how today's lizards

03:15and snakes evolved.

03:17One of the coolest things about the tuatara is its third eye, called a parietal eye, on

03:22its head.

03:23It has its own lens, retina, and a nerve that connects it to the brain.

03:29Scientists think it might help the tuatara know when it's light or dark outside and

03:33absorb sunlight to make vitamin D or help them keep their body temperature exactly right.

03:40Tuataras can live an extraordinarily long time, up to 100 years.

03:47Cassowaries are the youngsters on our list, as they've been around for only 60 million

03:51years.

03:52They have some things in common with dinosaurs, like their three-toed feet and how they breathe.

03:59Cassowaries love to eat fruit, lots and lots of fruit.

04:02This love of fruit helps the rainforest, because when cassowaries eat the fruit, their

04:07bodies don't harm the seeds inside.

04:09As they move around the forest, they spread these seeds – you can guess how – with

04:13their own natural fertilizer, helping new plants grow.

04:19Cassowaries are big birds, about 6 feet tall and weigh over 100 pounds.

04:24They have a special claw on each foot that is 5 inches long, and they can use it to kick

04:29real fast.

04:30If they feel threatened, they can charge, kick, and even jump on someone.

04:34They can also leap up to 5 feet in the air, so the best thing to do is stay far, far away

04:40from where they live.

04:44The order Notostraca is a group of crustaceans that you may know as tadpole shrimp or shield

04:50shrimps.

04:52These animals have been around for about 360 million years.

04:55They have a wide, flat shell that covers their head, and they have a pair of eyes on top.

05:01These creatures can be found all over the world in different kinds of water, like freshwater,

05:05brackish water, and even salty pools.

05:08They can also look different depending on where they live.

05:13Notostracans aren't picky eaters and can snack on pretty much anything, from plants

05:17to small animals and other shrimps.

05:20Some of them are considered pests in places like California rice paddies because they

05:25stir up the mud, which blocks sunlight from reaching the young rice plants.

05:31Sturgeons are some of the largest fish species on the planet.

05:35They live only in the cool waters of the Northern Hemisphere and never travel below the equator.

05:41Even though they are huge, sturgeons don't have teeth.

05:44They eat by sucking food off the bottom of rivers, gulfs, lakes, and oceans.

05:50Scientists believe that sturgeons came from a group of fish that first appeared around

05:54419 million years ago, long before dinosaurs even existed.

05:59Their ancestors survived a big extinction event that wiped out 90% of all species and

06:05went on to become the largest fish in many rivers in North America and Eurasia.

06:12Sturgeons can live up to 100 years old or even older.

06:15Some sturgeons can lay up to 3 million eggs at a time, but not all of the eggs eventually

06:20turn into real fish.

06:24Our next hero, the Pacific Lamprey, has successfully lived through at least 4 mass extinctions.

06:30Its ancient ancestors evolved over 450 million years ago.

06:36These creatures have cartilage instead of bones and a third eye, which is a special

06:40light-sensing organ on top of their heads.

06:44Instead of a regular jaw, they have a mouth surrounded by teeth.

06:48They latch on to prey and sup up body fluids like real underwater vampires.

06:54And although he wasn't living underwater, the story goes that King Henry I of England

06:59might have lost his life because of a lamprey.

07:02The English monarch loved this fish so much that he defied doctors' orders to stop eating

07:07its flesh.

07:09He got sick every time he'd have it, but the lack of bones and the unusual taste made

07:14the royal fall in love with it.

07:16As a result, he got some scary symptoms from eating lamprey and eventually passed away.

07:22Can you say clueless?

07:25The elephant fish, also called the Australian ghost shark, has been on Earth for around

07:31400 million years.

07:33Even though they're related to sharks, they aren't actually sharks.

07:37Instead of bones, their bodies are made entirely of cartilage.

07:41These fish have a special shiny tissue in their eyes that can make their eyes look like

07:45they change color from yellow to green.

07:49Elephant fish can be pretty tough and will fight back if they feel threatened.

07:53They like to be alone and usually don't hang out with other fish.

07:59Horseshoe crabs also deserve the title of survival champs, as they've been around

08:04even before dinosaurs, since 450 million years ago.

08:10Four species are still roaming the ocean from Maine all the way to Mexico.

08:14Horseshoe crabs are more like spiders than ticks than they are like real crabs.

08:19They have nine eyes, plus extra light sensors near their tails so they can see really well.

08:26They breathe underwater using flap-like gills near their belly, and sometimes they use these

08:31gills to swim upside down.

08:34Every spring, when the tide is high, these creatures come up to the beach at night to

08:39mate and lay their eggs.

08:41And you can see hundreds of thousands of them!

08:45That's it for today!

08:46So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your

08:51friends!

08:52Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!

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