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This video takes you on a journey through the wondrous world of creatures and wildlife, showcasing their fascinating features and behaviors in their natural habitats.
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00:00Today, I'm going to tell you about creatures that had unique features which allowed them
00:03to grow to incredible sizes.
00:05They were some of the most impressive animals to have ever existed on our planet.
00:12The Argentinosaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaurs that lived approximately 94-97 million
00:18years ago in what is now South America.
00:21Scientists think it was one of the largest land animals ever, with a length of up to
00:26100 feet and a weight of up to 100 tons.
00:30A farmer stumbled upon a giant leg bone while tending his cattle.
00:33That's how he discovered the first fossils of the Argentinosaurus in Argentina in 1987.
00:40Further excavations uncovered more bones, revealing a massive dinosaur that would have dwarfed
00:45most other animals of its time.
00:48The Spinosaurus, meaning spine lizard, is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived around
00:54112, 97 million years ago in what is now North Africa.
00:59It is believed to be one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs to ever exist, with a length of
01:04up to 60 feet and a weight of up to 23 tons.
01:08The Spinosaurus is known for its distinctive elongated sail-like structure on its back.
01:13It was likely used for thermoregulation.
01:15It also had long crocodile-like jaws that were lined with sharp teeth.
01:19This allowed the creature to catch and eat large prey, such as fish, crocodiles and other
01:24dinosaurs.
01:25The first fossils of the Spinosaurus were discovered in Egypt in 1912.
01:32The sperm whale, Phicetor macrocephalus, is a species of toothed whale that is the largest
01:38toothed predator on earth.
01:39It also has the largest brain of any animal species.
01:43It is found in oceans all over the world, and can dive to depths of up to 7,000 feet
01:48in search of food.
01:50You can easily recognize sperm whales by their massive, block-shaped heads, which can measure
01:55up to one-third of their total body length.
01:58They have dark brown or grayish-blue skin and a distinctive wrinkled appearance.
02:04The Titanoboa is an extinct genus of a giant snake that lived approximately 60, 58 million
02:10years ago.
02:11It is considered to be the largest known snake ever.
02:14It could grow up to 42 feet and weighed around 2,500 pounds.
02:20The first fossils of the Titanoboa were discovered in a coal mine in Colombia in 2004.
02:25This discovery meant a lot because it provided insights into the size and behavior of snakes
02:30during the Paleocene era, as well as the overall climate and ecosystem of the time.
02:36The blue whale, Balanoptera musculus, is the largest animal on earth, measuring up to 100
02:42feet in length and weighing as much as 200 tons.
02:46These marine mammals are found in oceans all over the world and can live up to 90 years.
02:51Blue whales have a long, streamlined body that is usually blue-gray in color with mottled
02:56patterns.
02:56They have a small dorsal fin and two pectoral fins that are about one-third the length of
03:01their body.
03:02Blue whales feed on tiny shrimp-like creatures called krill, and they eat a lot.
03:06A single adult blue whale can eat up to 8,000 pounds of krill in a day.
03:13The Leedsichthus is an extinct genus of large, bony fish that lived during the Jurassic period,
03:19approximately 165, 155 million years ago.
03:23It is believed to be one of the largest fish that have ever lived.
03:27Some estimates suggest that it could grow up to 50, 55 feet in length.
03:32The first fossils of Leedsichthus were discovered in England in the 19th century, and more recent
03:37discoveries have been made in other parts of Europe, South America, and Africa.
03:42Despite its enormous size, the Leedsichthus was a filter feeder, similar to modern-day whale
03:47sharks and likely fed on plankton and other small organisms.
03:50The creature did it by simply swimming with its enormous mouth open, filtering water through
03:56its gills.
03:58The Pterodostro is an extinct species of flamingo-like birds that lived approximately 70, 35 million
04:04years ago.
04:05They were relatively small birds with a wingspan of about 2, 3 feet.
04:10And they were known for their distinctive long, narrow beaks equipped with comb-like structures
04:14used for filter feeding.
04:16The Pterodostro lived in shallow bodies of water, like lakes and lagoons, and mostly fed
04:22on small crustaceans and other tiny organisms.
04:26The animal filtered them from the water using the comb-like structures on the inside of its
04:30beak while swimming through the water.
04:34The African elephant is the largest land animal on Earth, and one of the most recognizable ones.
04:39There are two species of the African elephant, the Savannah elephant, Loxodonta africana,
04:45and the forest elephant, Loxodonta cyclotus.
04:48You can see them in various parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.
04:52These creatures can be identified by their large size, gray skin, and long trunks.
04:57African elephants can grow up to 13 feet tall and weigh up to 7,000, 14,000 pounds, depending
05:04on the species and gender.
05:07Dinosaurs are some of the most fascinating creatures to have ever walked Earth.
05:11It's a shame that we won't be able to have Jurassic Park, where we can see some of the
05:16coolest creatures come to life.
05:18But we are actually living with some creatures that are just as old as dinosaurs, such as crocodiles
05:25and sharks.
05:25They haven't changed much since they appeared millions of years ago.
05:29But most dinos didn't make it when the asteroid struck Earth.
05:34In a way, the asteroid was a giant reset button for the planet.
05:38After hitting Earth, this space traveler wiped out almost every living thing.
05:43The sky was covered with ash, which blocked out sun rays.
05:47That meant that plants couldn't grow.
05:49And this made a lot of herbivores, like, really hungry.
05:52As a result, they had to change their diet and adapt to the new changes.
05:56This forced some of those dinosaurs to take on a new path in life, turning into some modern
06:02animals we know today.
06:04If the asteroid had changed its course just a bit, then dinosaurs would have remained
06:09the dominant species.
06:11So, what would have happened if dinosaurs had stuck around?
06:15Well, first of all, evolution would have played out differently for them.
06:20Maybe during those millions of years, humans would not have evolved to be on top of the food
06:25chain.
06:25Imagine a world where dinosaurs still existed today.
06:29If dinosaurs had evolved as humans did, then we'd have to compete with them.
06:34There were multiple species of humans, but Homo sapiens, also known as us, prevailed.
06:41A humanoid dino, or dynoid, would be something strange.
06:46First of all, they would look different, more reptilian than us.
06:50Our brain sizes would differ, and they would be physically bigger and stronger.
06:55Putting a human and a dinoid side by side would be interesting.
06:59First of all, dinoids would have scales as opposed to human skin, and their teeth would be sharper.
07:06They would probably not have five fingers on each hand, and their nails would be sharp claws.
07:11Also, we don't know what they would sound like, but they'd possibly be guttural, like crocodiles.
07:18Dinosaurs had very good vision compared to mammals.
07:21So, it's possible we'd see dinoids with large eyes.
07:25The population of Earth has reached a staggering 8 billion people, and we've changed our environment
07:31to suit our needs.
07:32With that said, if dinoids were the dominant creatures, then the environment would be suited
07:37for them.
07:38Speaking of physical features, scientists predicted what dinoids would look like if they had evolved
07:44into intelligent creatures that walked upright and had opposable thumbs.
07:49These wiggly thumbs are important for evolution, since they helped humans start using tools for
07:54defending themselves and hunting.
07:56The creature may not look like the ideal reptile, and its appearance might not be flattering.
08:01But, if dinosaurs had evolved, then these creatures could be your classmate or colleague at work.
08:08Not all dinosaurs were alike, as their fossils have shown.
08:12Some were gigantic, while others resembled any modern-day animal.
08:17The biggest land-walking dinosaur was the titanosaur, although the measurements are only rough estimates
08:23based on fossilized bones.
08:25It's estimated that the dino was around 122 feet long, and lived between 100 to 95 million
08:32years ago.
08:33It was so massive that its weight was equivalent to 18 modern-day elephants.
08:38There were dinosaurs all over the world, in different time eras, climates, and landscapes.
08:44However, only a handful were known as giants.
08:47But though they excelled in body size, they lacked in brain size.
08:52Some of the most well-known dinosaurs, like the Allosaurus and Stegosaurus, had very small
08:57brains, like me.
08:59Which means it would have been nearly impossible for them to properly evolve into intelligent
09:04beings.
09:04Tell me about it.
09:06But in the late Cretaceous period, the T-Rex roamed the land.
09:10It had larger brains than its Allosaurus counterparts, which were millions of years behind.
09:16Even so, the T-Rex's brain only weighed just under a pound.
09:20A human brain is nearly three pounds.
09:23It might have been cool to see a T-Rex evolve into an intelligent being with opposable thumbs
09:29on its tiny stick hands.
09:31Contrary to popular belief, the T-Rex was actually quite slow, and a human could have easily outrun
09:37it.
09:38So, we know that these days, they wouldn't belong in any competitive sports that involve
09:43running.
09:44We know that dinosaurs could be herbivores and carnivores.
09:47But, throughout their evolution, one thing remained the same – they had small brains.
09:54Other forms of dinosaurs were around too, such as long-legged and horned dinosaurs.
09:59Either way, they were on top of the food chain even when little mammals had cameo appearances.
10:05We have to consider that when the asteroids dropped and wiped out dinosaurs, mammals took
10:11over the scene.
10:12If dinosaurs and mammals had shared the dominant position in the food chain and had followed
10:18a similar path in their evolution, then today's reality would be completely different than what
10:23we have now.
10:24dinosaurs would have bigger brains and would compete with humans for the title of the smartest
10:29creature.
10:30One of the reasons why humans and parrots can talk is because of the strength and shape
10:35of our tongues.
10:37The evolved dinosaurs would have a different skull shaped to fit such a tongue if they
10:41wanted to talk like humans.
10:43One of the reasons why humans made it to where we are now is because we evolved to stand upright
10:49to detect predators.
10:51This was one challenge we had to overcome in order to survive.
10:55But what would dinosaurs need to challenge if they were already the most dominant creatures?
11:01Some of the big-brained dinosaurs had long legs, which means they could run fast, detect
11:07predators, and grab food that otherwise would be beyond their reach.
11:11Their evolutionary path would be very different from that of humans and maybe even more advanced.
11:17Their brains could have evolved into something impressive.
11:20They could turn out smarter than us and possess quicker reflexes.
11:25Imagine dinosaurs discovering gravity instead of Isaac Newton, or a dinosaur writing plays
11:31and poems better than William Shakespeare.
11:34Imagine dinosaurs possessing the creative knowledge to produce some of the finest art in history.
11:39Music and cinema would revolve around dinosaur culture, and fashion would look otherworldly.
11:46We would live in peace with dinoids, but we would certainly compete with them.
11:51The World Cup would feature dinosaurs and humans playing for their national teams, but clubs
11:56would be exclusively human or dinosaur.
11:59Some professions would be dominated solely by one species.
12:03And more physically demanding jobs would be taken by dinosaurs, like laborers and security guards.
12:10Eventually, dinosaurs would take over the world, since they would be physically stronger than humans, and would have better advantages
12:17than us.
12:18Humans, on the other hand, would need to figure out a way to keep up with dinosaurs.
12:23Mammals had a different path of evolution, where they never became gigantic superbeats as dinosaurs did.
12:30Instead, their brains developed and grew big.
12:33But even though humans are the smartest creatures on the planet, we don't have the biggest brain.
12:39Animals like orcas, whales, elephants, and other apes have bigger brains here.
12:44So, why are we smarter than them?
12:47The answer is, we don't know.
12:49The brain is the most complex organ we have, and we know so little about it.
12:54We don't even know exactly why it's so complex, or why it behaves like that.
13:00Today's dinosaur descendants, like crows and parrots, have complex brains, which allows them
13:05to communicate, use tools, and even count.
13:09Bigger doesn't always mean better in this case.
13:11A parrot's brain is smaller than a cat's, but it's far more complex and intelligent than
13:17that of any feline out there.
13:20Some scientists argue that dinosaurs from the movies aren't 100% accurate, and that they
13:25used to have feathers.
13:26In terms of evolution, some small feathered dinos might have followed the path of primates.
13:31They might have evolved into a tree-dwelling primate that may also have followed the path
13:37of becoming another species of human.
13:39Ever looked out at the stars, and wondered if there's anyone else out there?
13:44A different type of creature, living on another planet, just waiting to be introduced to a
13:49different species?
13:50How come we've never stumbled upon other life than we are in our galaxy?
13:55And more interestingly, if we aren't alone in the universe, it's curious that no one has
14:00ever tried to get into contact with us.
14:02The Fermi paradox aims to answer many of these questions.
14:07Hey, let's be honest.
14:08They've puzzled scientists, philosophers, and the general population for decades.
14:13It's named after the Italian physicist Enrico Fermi, who first proposed it in 1950.
14:19Given that the universe is vast, and there's a pretty good chance other planets exist that
14:24could potentially harbor life, it seems quite normal to assume that there must be other
14:30intelligent civilizations out there somewhere.
14:32However, despite humanity's best efforts, we have not yet detected any real evidence of
14:38life outside of our planet.
14:40Apart from people we've sent into outer space on purpose, of course.
14:43This lack of evidence has made people wonder if we really are truly alone in the universe.
14:50More so, if there's another, more sinister reason for why we have not yet found any aliens.
14:56One possible theory suggested is that we simply have not looked long or hard enough.
15:02The universe is immense, and other civilizations could likely exist on planets that are too far
15:07away for us to detect.
15:09The technology we would need to identify these civilizations is probably not even invented
15:15yet.
15:15Or, even if it is, it's surely not powerful enough to reach across light years of space.
15:22Could it be that we are the only intelligent life in the universe?
15:26This theory suggests that the conditions necessary for life to evolve and thrive are very rare.
15:32Like in our case, for example.
15:34The fact that our Earth has water, a stable atmosphere, a magnetic field, and a pretty
15:39reasonable climate.
15:41Hmm.
15:42Some scientists can't help but think that ours is the only planet in the universe that
15:47has managed to produce these conditions.
15:49And because of that, also have intelligent beings wandering around its surface.
15:53However, this theory does not fully explain the paradox, as it does not account for the
15:59fact that the universe is so vast and has been around for so long, way longer than we
16:04have.
16:04The age of the universe is estimated to be around 13.8 billion years old, while our planet
16:11is only about 4.5 billion years old, give or take a few million.
16:16The more plausible suggestion is that there are other intelligent civilizations out there, but
16:21they are simply too far away for us to detect.
16:24This theory suggests that these civilizations may be located on planets that are much farther
16:29away from us than we can currently detect, or that they may be located in different galaxies
16:35entirely.
16:36Well, sorry to break it to you, but the universe is also expanding.
16:40Which means that things aren't staying put.
16:43Even if we had the technical capabilities to start traveling between planets and galaxies,
16:48they might simply be moving away from us at a speed we'd never manage to catch up to.
16:53Just like all the previous ones, this theory has some flaws.
16:57That's because it does not fully explain why we have not yet detected any evidence of these
17:02civilizations.
17:04If they're far away, we're surely not able to detect them.
17:07But why aren't they trying to get in touch with us?
17:11It's hard to imagine that all of the other civilizations that may be chilling in our universe,
17:15as we speak, are less evolved than us.
17:18Looking back on a planetary scale, humans are really young.
17:22If we imagine that our planet is just one year old, then humans popped up on its surface
17:28during the final 20 minutes on December 31st.
17:32Compared to the whole existence of the entire universe, we're simply a blip.
17:37The final theory is that there are other intelligent civilizations out there, but they're simply
17:42too technologically advanced for us to detect.
17:45This idea indicates that these creatures are light years ahead of us in terms of science
17:50and development.
17:51They may already have technologies that are far beyond what we're capable of, and they
17:56are supposedly using these technologies to stay hidden from us.
18:00Sadly, this theory is somewhat more plausible, though it does mean that no other civilization
18:06wants to be friends with us and come out and play in outer space.
18:09Well, it does explain why we have not yet detected any real evidence of life outside our planet.
18:15But it does suggest another, more sinister fact.
18:19It raises the question of why these civilizations would choose to stay hidden, and what their
18:24motivations might be.
18:26Sadly, the Fermi Paradox remains an open question, and scientists and philosophers continue to debate
18:32the possible explanations for why we have not yet found any friends to play with in the universe.
18:37Only time will tell whether or not we'll be able to solve this mystery.
18:42There's still a lot we have to accomplish when it comes to space exploration.
18:46In the future, space travel will continue to be mostly carried out by scientific and commercial
18:52robotic missions.
18:53However, the idea of your everyday human traveling to space will likely remain a dream for a long time.
19:00That's because of the high costs and dangers of injury associated with the process.
19:05Launching a single person into space currently requires a significant amount of energy, and
19:11the journey exposes individuals to extreme radiation and high speeds within a field of
19:16debris.
19:17Certainly, there have been attempts by rich people to make space travel more accessible,
19:22but it's still out of reach for most people.
19:24For example, a single seat for a ride on a Soyuz capsule costs over $20 million.
19:30Some scientists believe we should invest more time and effort into space travel.
19:34But if you think about it, there's really no other place like Earth for us nearby.
19:39We can't breathe outside of our atmosphere, and there's no space object in our solar system
19:44that can support life as we know it.
19:47Take Mars, for instance.
19:49Even if we managed to travel there eventually, by the time we reached the red planet, we would
19:54have already spent months living in microgravity.
19:57That also means it would take us a lot of time to physically recover before they could start
20:02exploring this planet.
20:04After years of research, NASA figured out that living in microgravity conditions heavily affects
20:10the human body.
20:11It means loss of bone and muscle mass, as well as a shift in the normal movement of
20:16body fluids, which tend to go upwards.
20:19This can lead to pressure on the eyes and even affect our vision.
20:23Now, just because we can't confirm there's life outside of our planet, doesn't mean we
20:28didn't have some pieces of evidence throughout the years.
20:32Like in 2001, for example, when NASA researchers suggested an interesting theory about Jupiter's
20:38moon Europa.
20:39They mentioned that frozen bits of bacteria may be the cause of Europa's red tinge and
20:45its mysterious infrared signal.
20:47While magnesium salts were previously thought to be responsible for the infrared reflections,
20:53data from bacteria living right here on our planet that thrive in extreme conditions
20:58fits the data just as well.
21:00These bacteria also have red and brown coloring, which could explain the reddish appearance of Europa.
21:06While it is unlikely that bacteria could survive on Europa's surface due to the extremely
21:12cold temperatures and lack of atmosphere, it is possible that they could survive in the
21:17warmer liquid interior and be released through geological activity.
21:21Going back to 1977, when a strange signal from outer space was picked up by a radio telescope
21:28at Ohio State University.
21:30The signal lasted for 37 seconds and was so strange that the person who saw it wrote WOW
21:36on the printout.
21:38The signal was very different from the usual signals that come from space.
21:42Sure, it could have come from a huge event in space, but it could also have come from intelligent
21:48creatures living in the universe that had a very strong transmitter.
21:52To this day, no one knows for sure what caused it.
21:55To this day, no one knows for sure what caused it.
21:56You
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