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.

Transcript

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

00:05But you can still meet some creatures that might have gone to lunch with them.

00:10The frilled shark, for example, is a living fossil that comes from a family of sharks that 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 as 6 feet.

00:24It has 6 pairs of gills on its throat, which help the frilled shark breathe in the deep, cold 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 is one of the longest times for any animal with a backbone.

00:48The Chinese giant salamander is another living fossil that can tell you what was going on on Earth around 170 million years ago.

00:59Now, when I say tell, I really mean it, as it can make sounds like kisses, whistles and barks, and even a noise that sounds like a crying kid.

01:08The biggest Chinese salamander found so far weighed 130 pounds, as heavy as two dalmatians, and was almost 6 feet long.

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

01:38Now, gurils 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 gurils left in the wild, less than 100.

01:54These creatures can't control their body temperature, so they need to sunbathe to get warm or cool down in the water if they get too hot.

02:01Their eyes are close together and face forward, which helps them see in three dimensions and judge distances more accurately.

02:10Gurils also have a transparent third eyelid that protects their eyes when they're underwater.

02:16They have over 100 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.

02:25The alligator gar is a fish that has a family history of more than 100 million years.

02:33It still has some cool features from ancient times, like being able to breathe both air and water.

02:40It also has a special spiral-shaped intestine, like a shark.

02:44The alligator gar is one of the biggest and heaviest fish in North America.

02:49Just like an alligator, it has a long body and snout, plus a row of sharp teeth.

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

03:00The 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.

03:10Scientists love studying tuataras because they can help us understand how today's lizards and snakes evolve.

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

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

03:28Scientists think it might help the tuatara know when it's light or dark outside

03:32and absorb sunlight to make vitamin D or help them keep their body temperature exactly right.

03:38Tuataras can live an extraordinarily long time, up to 100 years.

03:46Cassowaries are the youngsters on our list, as they've been around for only 60 million years.

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

03:58Cassowaries love to eat fruit, lots and lots of fruit.

04:01This love of fruit helps the rainforest, because when cassowaries eat the fruit, their bodies don't harm the seeds inside.

04:09As they move around the forest, they spread these seeds, you can guess how, with their own natural fertilizer, helping new plants grow.

04:18Cassowaries are big birds, about 6 feet tall and weigh over 100 pounds.

04:23They have a special claw on each foot that is 5 inches long, and they can use it to kick real 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.

04:37So, the best thing to do is stay far, far away from where they live.

04:41The order Notostraca is a group of crustaceans that you may know as tadpole shrimp or shield shrimps.

04:51These 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.

05:00These creatures can be found all over the world in different kinds of water, like fresh water, brackish water, and even salty pools.

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

05:12Notostraca aren't picky eaters, and can snack on pretty much anything, from plants to small animals and other shrimps.

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

05:24because they stir up the mud, which blocks sunlight from reaching the young rice plants.

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

05:34They live only in the cool waters of the northern hemisphere, and never travel below the equator.

05:39Even though they are huge, sturgeons don't have teeth.

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

05:49Scientists believe that sturgeons came from a group of fish that first appeared around 419 million years ago,

05:56long before dinosaurs even existed.

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

06:04and went on to become the largest fish in many rivers in North America and Eurasia.

06:11Sturgeons can live up to 100 years old or even older.

06:15Female sturgeons can lay up to 3 million eggs at a time.

06:18But not all of the eggs eventually turn into real fish.

06:23Our next hero, the Pacific lamprey, has successfully lived through at least 4 mass extinctions.

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

06:35These creatures have cartilage instead of bones, and a third eye,

06:39which is a special light-sensing organ on top of their heads.

06:42Instead 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,

06:56the story goes that King Henry I of England might 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 its flesh.

07:09He got sick every time he'd have it,

07:10but the lack of bones and the unusual taste made the 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,

07:29has been on Earth for around 400 million years.

07:32Even though they're related to sharks, they aren't actually sharks.

07:36Instead of bones, their bodies are made entirely of cartilage.

07:40These fish have a special shiny tissue in their eyes

07:44that can make their eyes look like they change color from yellow to green.

07:48Elephant 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.

07:57Horseshoe crabs also deserve the title of survival champs,

08:03as they've been around even before dinosaurs, since 450 million years ago.

08:09Four 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.

08:18They have nine eyes, plus extra light sensors near their tails,

08:23so they can see really well.

08:26They breathe underwater using flap-like gills near their belly,

08:30and sometimes they use these gills to swim upside down.

08:34Every spring, when the tide is high,

08:37these creatures come up to the beach at night to mate and lay their eggs,

08:40and you can see hundreds of thousands of them.

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