Sea Monsters That Made Megalodon Look Harmless

Bright Side

Long before humans explored the oceans, Earth was home to creatures that look like something out of a nightmare. From massive ancient predators to bizarre life forms that defy imagination, the seas were once ruled by monsters far stranger and more terrifying than anything alive today. Some of them were early apex predators, others looked so alien that scientists struggled to believe they were real.  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/brightplanet/  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

00:00Well, hey there! We dive back in time and into the oceans over a half a billion years ago, just, you know, because we can.

00:08Whoa! Watch out! It's not megalodon or giant sea reptiles you need to look out for here.

00:14It's a bizarre, unearthly-looking creature called Anomalocaris.

00:19The name means unlike any other shrimp.

00:21And I think you'll agree, it looks like a nightmarish cross between a shrimp and a modern-day centipede.

00:27Two tentacles protruding from its face, each lined with razor-sharp teeth.

00:33Oh yeah, and this thing was about the size of your leg.

00:36With a wave-like movement of the flaps on each side of its body, it was graceful for a terrifying creature.

00:43It was also more advanced than any other life on this planet at the time.

00:48Especially those huge eyes.

00:51You have only one lens in each of yours.

00:53This giant shrimp had 16,000.

00:56That's four times more than a common housefly.

00:59And you know how good their vision is.

01:01Good enough to dodge that swatter every time.

01:04All this allowed Annie to become one of the first animals on this planet to feed on others.

01:10Yep, here it is.

01:11Earth's first hunter.

01:13Its favorite meal?

01:15Trilobites.

01:16Hey, try a bite!

01:17Those are the ancient ancestors of crabs.

01:20Some of their fossils have marks on them in the same shape as the monster shrimp's mouthparts.

01:27Terrors of the past like this got to be so giant, thanks to more oxygen in the atmosphere.

01:33A perfect example of this?

01:35Mega-neuropsis.

01:36Imagine a dragonfly.

01:38Now, make it as big as a cat.

01:40And with a wingspan longer than your arm.

01:43Megan, the monster-sized dragonfly, could easily grab other insects or even small animals.

01:49And she ruled the air with quick movements.

01:52Back then, there were still no large birds or other airborne enemies for this behemoth bug.

01:57So it was safe and free to grow as large as this planet would allow.

02:03Piranhas of the past were also jumbo-sized.

02:06Mega-piranha was about three times the size of the river terrors we have today.

02:11Its bite force was about the same as a tiger's.

02:14And those striped kitties bite down two times harder than lions.

02:19That means it probably not only dined on other fish and any land creatures that, you know, got too close to the water.

02:26But it could also easily crunch down on large turtles and other unlucky-shelled creatures.

02:32And fun fact, modern-day piranhas bark like dogs when they're about to enter a confrontation.

02:40It actually sounds more like a frog's ribbit.

02:42But makes you wonder, what did this mega-sized ancient cousin sound like?

02:47A bear roaring?

02:49How about giant sea scorpions the size of your bed?

02:54Go back about 460 million years, and you'd see them swimming under you.

02:59And watch out for that tail.

03:01Scientists still don't know if these creatures could use it to inject venom like your standard land scorpion.

03:07But something tells me I wouldn't want that thing anywhere near me.

03:12Then there's this guy, Therizinosaurus.

03:17Terry looks sort of like a goose with long arms.

03:20Oh, and did I mention this goose dino is about two stories tall and longer than a bus?

03:26Yow!

03:27Its arms make the T-Rexes look even more bite-sized.

03:31Each 8 feet long, almost triple the length of T-Rexes.

03:35And on the end, razor-sharp claws the size of your whole arm.

03:39Now, don't worry about those lengthy claws too much, though.

03:43Terry probably used them to cut through giant termite nests.

03:47So, this huge reptilian goose was more interested in eating bugs and plants.

03:53Another mega-monster for you?

03:55Mega-thereum.

03:56The giant ground sloth could look a giraffe straight in the eye and wade as much as a hippo.

04:02It moved mainly on its hind legs and used its massive tail as support.

04:07He had huge paws with colossal knife-sized claws.

04:12The sloth could use them to defend itself from enemies and to bend tree branches in search of food.

04:18But the biggest danger to the giant ground sloth wasn't dinosaurs or saber-toothed tigers.

04:23It was our own species.

04:26Yep, humans showed up just in time to meet this fellow.

04:29And to, um, eat him up.

04:31Titanoboa was a terrifying 50-foot snake, as long as the great megalodon itself.

04:39It was also more than two times heavier than the heavyweight champion among snakes today, the green anaconda.

04:46Crocodiles were a regular on this serpent's menu.

04:49Titanoboa could swim three times faster than the fastest Olympic swimmer our species has ever seen.

04:55It was quicker and more dangerous in the water than outside it.

05:00And don't forget the boa part of the snake.

05:03This massive snake wasn't venomous.

05:05Instead, it liked to squeeze.

05:08Remember that giant shrimp from earlier?

05:11Well, opabinia looks like its teeny-tiny finger-sized cousin.

05:16And instead of two toothy tentacles, this thing had a vacuum hose coming out of its face.

05:21On the end of that trunk, what looks like a single crab claw.

05:26Add five eyes and a mouth under its head, and you've got a recipe for something not of this planet.

05:32Only, it is.

05:33This creature used its trunk like an elephant does.

05:37Its claw grabbed food from the bottom of the ocean and brought it up to its mouth.

05:42This thing is so weird-looking that, apparently, when the scientists who discovered it presented his findings to an audience,

05:49they all laughed as if he were joking.

05:52Now, a real-life monster, the Tully monster.

05:56From a distance, it looks a bit like Nessie.

05:59That long neck and teeth-lined jaws.

06:02But get closer, and you'll see it's more like a long nose with a mouth attached at the end, like a mosquito.

06:09Its eyes are further back, sticking out of tubes all snail-like.

06:14Tully was an ancient mollusk about the size of your forearm.

06:17It probably dined on jellyfish and shrimp 300 million years ago.

06:23Thylaccus smilus will put a smile on your face as long as you don't get too close.

06:29No, it's not a relative of the saber-toothed tiger.

06:31It was a marsupial, making it more related to a kangaroo than anything.

06:36And if you compare them to body size, its fangs were actually longer than a saber-toothed tiger's.

06:42And they grew continuously.

06:45As for that beard on its chin, that's actually all chin.

06:48The lower jawbone grew down to a point under the mouth.

06:52Those fangs were rooted to the skull, going way back to its eyes.

06:56When the mouth was closed, that bony beard protected the long, sharp teeth from breakage.

07:01Staganapolis, not to be confused with Minneapolis, might look like a big crocodile with a squished-in snout.

07:10But it was mostly harmless.

07:12Its small head and very few teeth meant the reptile didn't have much to work with when protecting itself.

07:19That's what all those armored scales were for.

07:21And no need for huge fangs or long rows of razor-sharp teeth when you're a plant-eater.

07:27That beak-like tip on its nose allowed the stag to dig up plants.

07:31So, really, this reptile was more like a 10-foot scaly pig than a croc.

07:38Basilosaurus was a type of ancient whale that lived on our planet about 45 million years ago.

07:44Not quite as long as a blue whale.

07:46But this guy was still big enough to munch down on other whales and even sharks.

07:51Some people believe these monsters could still exist today.

07:55Eyewitnesses claim to have seen a giant sea dragon.

07:59And Basilosaurus fits the description.

08:01Plus, 90% of our oceans are unexplored.

08:05There's plenty of space to hide a sea monster.

08:08But scientists haven't found any fossils of this ancient whale younger than 3.7 million years.

08:14So, this myth is busted.

08:18Stegosaurus is one of the most recognizable dinosaurs that ever lived.

08:22It can easily be distinguished by those huge spikes on its tail and the bony plates on its back.

08:29It was twice as long as a giraffe and nearly five times heavier.

08:33But compared to its body size, it had the world's smallest brain.

08:37It was no larger than a dog's.

08:41Pelagornus had the largest wingspan of any bird ever discovered.

08:44It was twice the size of the largest bird today, the wandering albatross.

08:50Such huge wings made it hard for the bird to take off.

08:53It could only do so by jumping off cliffs.

08:57And when it finally spread its wings, this giant could only go about 40 miles per hour.

09:02The fastest bird today can reach speeds five times that.

09:09The Stonefish

09:11Stonefish aren't going to win any beauty contests.

09:16Unless the pageant is for best rock look-alike.

09:19Their tiny, unreflective eyes and rough skin blend in perfectly with their environment.

09:24A large head, an even bigger mouth, and a home full of, yeah, it's rocks.

09:30And just because you're on the beach doesn't mean you're safe.

09:34Stonefish can survive for 24 hours out of the water.

09:38Stepping on one, or even handling one, won't be that fun.

09:42Their dorsal fin spines have extremely strong venom.

09:46It shoots out when they get stepped on.

09:48And it can lead to paralysis or even heart failure.

09:51You'll need help fast.

09:53No wonder they're one of the most dangerous creatures in the water, or anywhere.

09:57Be careful when scrambling around rocky areas.

10:01They love to play hide-and-seek.

10:04The Deep Sea Dragonfish

10:06If there were a prize for the most hideous fish in the ocean, the Deep Sea Dragonfish would win.

10:14With slimy, scaleless skin, massive teeth, and a face only a mother could love,

10:20this bad boy of the sea is nothing to mess with.

10:22It likes to swim between 700 feet and 6,000 feet below the surface of the ocean,

10:28where the waters are the darkest and coldest.

10:31Along with some other creatures on this list,

10:34the Deep Sea Dragonfish relies on its bioluminescent body parts to catch prey.

10:39It also uses its hanging appendage, which boasts a little red light on the end,

10:45coming out from its lower jaw.

10:46Many fish mistake this little light for prey,

10:50luring them right into the jaws of the Deep Sea Dragonfish.

10:53Very clever, Dragonfish.

10:55Very clever indeed.

10:58The Fang Tooth

11:00The Mariana Trench is an underwater trench with a depth of 35,000 feet,

11:07nearly 7 miles below the ocean's surface.

11:10Let that sink in.

11:11While scientists know the Mariana Trench exists,

11:14it's one of the least explored places on Earth.

11:17It's also the deepest area of Earth's oceans.

11:20And although many creatures down there probably haven't even been seen by humans yet,

11:26scientists have had the creepy pleasure of getting to know the Fang Tooth.

11:30The Fang Tooth fish shamelessly lives up to its name.

11:34Just look at that thing.

11:35The Fang Tooth is carnivorous and feeds on just about anything it can find

11:40that gets caught in its sharp-toothed mouth.

11:43These fish rely on their contact chemoreception to find prey.

11:48In other words, they can sense chemical residue that comes off of other living organisms in the Deep Sea.

11:54This is because they don't have any light-producing cells on their bodies,

11:58unlike many other Deep Sea fish.

12:01On top of all that, it's pretty dark down there.

12:04So, whatever crosses their path, they chomp on.

12:07While these guys look pretty scary, they're not a threat to humans.

12:12They only grow about 7 inches long.

12:14Even so, I wouldn't want to run into one of these things during a relaxing swim in the ocean.

12:21The Dunkleosteus

12:22Strangely enough, this prehistoric fish, known as the T-Rex of the seas, had no teeth.

12:30Those were replaced with bony plates that allowed it to have the strongest bite among other monsters of its size.

12:39The Goblin Shark

12:40If you thought the movies about sharks were scary,

12:45this next Deep Sea creature will make you swear off going for dips in the ocean forever.

12:49However, it lives 3,000 feet underwater,

12:53so you'll never likely see it face to face.

12:57The Goblin Shark looks like a cross between a shark and a creature from your worst nightmare.

13:03These sharks boast a protruding sword-like snout with a jaw that juts out to match.

13:08Unlike other sharks that have more of a gray hue, this creepy thing looks not so pretty in pink.

13:15Aside from their scary demeanor, what do scientists really know about the Goblin Shark?

13:21Well, not much, except that they can grow up to 18 feet in length.

13:25Looks like there's still a lot to learn about these guys, if you dare to.

13:29By the way, did you know that sharks don't sleep?

13:35Many species have to keep water moving over their gills to get oxygen,

13:39so they can't fall into a deep sleep like we do.

13:42That's why they stay half-awake during rest.

13:46Typically, sharks don't even close their eyes.

13:48This shark is a living horror, with lower teeth being big and sharp,

13:57while the upper ones are much smaller.

14:00When its teeth fall off, the shark eats them to maintain calcium levels.

14:05Pretty smart solution for a shark.

14:12Studying the frilled shark is like looking through a portal back to prehistoric times.

14:16That's because scientists think that these eel-like sharks haven't changed much

14:21since their oldest ancestors roamed the deep sea waters,

14:25so they're sometimes referred to as living fossils.

14:29These sharks' mouths are filled with a terrifying 25 rows of backward-facing sharp teeth.

14:35300 in total!

14:37They're designed to grasp prey and hold them tight so they can't get away,

14:41according to early studies of the shark conducted in 1884

14:45and published in the Bulletin of the Essex Institute.

14:49Luckily for swimmers, the frilled sharks live between 390 feet and 4,200 feet below the ocean's surface,

14:57so they'll probably never run into them.

15:00Probably.

15:01This is probably the worst nightmare of any dentist.

15:05The Northern Stargazer

15:06Take a look at this cutie.

15:10The Northern Stargazer is definitely not something you'd wish to see on the ocean floor.

15:16This horrid creature hides its body under the sand,

15:19leaving its face above to wait for prey.

15:24The Tasseled Wobagong

15:27Here's another carpet shark on our list.

15:30It lies low on the bottom of the sea and patiently waits for its prey to come by.

15:37The Australian Ghost Shark

15:39The Australian ghost shark isn't really even a shark, but a very bony fish.

15:46It's also a living fossil.

15:48It hasn't changed within the last 400 million years.

15:53Believe it or not, sharks and humans have a common ancestor that lived around 440 million years ago.

16:00Even though we both evolved in our own way, there are still some signs of that connection.

16:06For example, the genome of an elephant shark is very similar to humans.

16:13The Leopleurodon

16:15This list of terrifying creatures would be incomplete

16:19without mentioning the terrifying and prehistoric Leopleurodon.

16:24This carnivorous marine reptile existed during the Colobian stage of the Middle Jurassic Era

16:31and ruled the waters at 9 feet in length.

16:35Scientists believe Leopleurodon thrived in this deep-sea trench

16:38because of its ability to swim long distances and its four paddle-like limbs.

16:44While they probably weren't able to propel themselves toward prey like other animals of the area,

16:49they did manage to accelerate and attack very ruthlessly and efficiently.

16:55Additionally, they relied on their long snouts to smell prey,

16:59which leads scientists to believe they didn't rely on sight for hunting.

17:03This means they could have thrived in the dark Mariana Trench.

17:08Around 150 million years ago,

17:11Leopleurodon became extinct due to competition for prey against other thriving marine reptiles.

17:17And I think I speak for all of us when I say,

17:20thank goodness for that.

17:24Considering that scientists have only explored 5% of the ocean floor

17:28and found some of the scariest sea creatures imaginable,

17:32one can only dream of what other animals reside in the deep-sea waters.

17:36Perhaps it's best to keep them in your imagination.

17:39Am I right?

17:41The Megamouth Shark

17:43This shark is a filter feeder,

17:47and it's friendly to humans,

17:48although its huge mouth can look quite threatening.

17:52Like basking sharks,

17:53it swims with its mouth constantly wide open,

17:56as if it were on Twitter.

18:00The Gulper Eel

18:01This deep-sea eel has an easily distended belly

18:05that allows it to swallow prey twice its size in a single monstrous bite.

18:10They have very unusual jaw shapes

18:12and can reach about 2 to 3 feet in length.

18:18Do you see that large log near the ocean floor?

18:21Maybe it's part of an old ship.

18:23Treasure!

18:24Gold!

18:24Diamonds!

18:25I'm rich!

18:26Well, as you get closer,

18:28you notice something.

18:29It's swimming!

18:31It's not a shark or a dolphin.

18:32It's a saltwater crocodile!

18:34Now, don't panic.

18:37If you bump into one of these reptiles in the sea,

18:40it's unlikely it'll think of you as food.

18:43Crocodiles have a special valve in their throat

18:45that stops them from drowning underwater,

18:48but that doesn't mean they can't bite.

18:51Usually, they're heading to a nearby island,

18:54and the quickest way there is to body surf.

18:57They can't really take the ferry, you know.

19:00Watching one from a distance should be okay.

19:02Just don't swim to shore right away.

19:05They love to ambush their lunch in shallow water.

19:08If there's one time I'd want to see a great white shark,

19:12it's when I'm diving with crocodiles.

19:14They'll gladly take a crocodile-sized nibble,

19:17given the right motivation.

19:20That's it for today.

19:21So hey, if you pacified your curiosity,

19:24then give the video a like and share it with your friends.

19:26Or if you want more, just click on these videos

19:28and stay on the bright side.

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