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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