ILLUSTRATIONS MGStudio
10. BACK TO ORIGINS
Name Sea turtle
there is About 150 million years
where do you live All oceans except the Arctic
These animals spend most of their lives underwater. Males only touch the ground when they are born: they hatch from their egg on the beach and walk towards the sea never to return. Females return to lay 50 to 200 eggs in holes in the sand annually. They are extremely faithful to their birthplace and do not nest elsewhere.
9. MYTH OF THE PIRATES
Name frilled shark
there is About 150 million years
where do you live Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
It is speculated that these long, slender animals, up to 2 m long and with 300 teeth, could be the true species behind the sea snake stories told by pirates. They live in deep water and were thought to be extinct until 2007, when a fisherman found a sick specimen in shallow water off Japan.
8. ALL IN ONE HOLE
Name Echidna
there is 180 million years
where do you live Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea
It is one of only two surviving species of the order monotremes (mammals that lay eggs). It has a long, slimy, anteater-like tongue. Males have a four-headed penis, which, when erect, can be up to 1/4 the size of the animal and which is usually hidden inside the cloaca – hole through which the echidna also defecates and, in the case of females, boots. eggs!
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7. ALMOST A DUCK
Name platypus
there is About 180 million years
where do you live Eastern Australia and Tasmania
The platypus is the other surviving species of the monotreme group. These strange animals live on land and in water and hatch from eggs, but are nursed by their mother. They have a fur-covered body, a duck-like beak, and webbed toes that help them swim faster.
6. FROM “BAIXINHO” TO MONSTÃO
Name marine crocodile
there is About 250 million years
where do you live Indian and Pacific Oceans
They are now the largest reptiles on Earth. Males can be 7 m long and weigh 2 tons. However, when they appeared, they were “little caps” in front of their dinosaur colleagues! They have the strongest bite in the animal kingdom, but interestingly, they don’t have as much power when it comes to opening their mouths. You can keep them “mouth shut” with a few turns of electrical tape
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5. DIE HARD
Name Triops
there is About 300 million years
where do you live Europe, Middle East and Japan
This small 11 cm crustacean is hermaphrodite and androdioecious, that is: it can self-fertilize. Alone, a triops is capable of recreating an entire population of its species, which would explain why they’ve been around for so long. They can live in temporary ponds: when the water dries up, the adults die, but the eggs last 27 years, until the pond fills up again.
4. WATER VAMPIRE
Name Lamprey
there is About 360 million years
where do you live Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea
Also called vampire fish, the lamprey “sticks” its mouth to other fish and feeds on blood and fluids, until it kills them. They are born in rivers, but go to seas or lakes in adulthood. When they reach reproductive maturity, the digestive system completely disintegrates. Then they quickly return to the rivers, reproduce and die. Life cycle lasts 13 years
3. THE MISSING LINK
Name Coelacanth
there is About 400 million years
where do you live Africa and Indonesia
They are considered the “missing link” between fish and tetrapods, as they are the closest living relatives of the first creature to walk the earth. Coelacanths have four fins with joints that move like the limbs of terrestrial vertebrates. It was estimated that they were extinct 65 million years ago, until, in 1938 and 1997, they were rediscovered
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2. TALENT FOR SCIENCE
Name Horseshoe Crab or Horseshoe Crab
there is About 445 million years ago
where do you live All North American Coast
Although it is called a crab, its closest relatives are actually arachnids, such as spiders and scorpions. From the blue blood of these animals, it is possible to extract a substance that detects gram-negative bacteria, which attack when our immune system is fragile. Laboratories use this material to help treat patients
1. THE OWNER OF THE SHELL
Name Nautilus
there is 550 million years
where do you live Indian and Pacific Oceans
You may have never heard of this 27 cm creature, but you certainly know the cocoon where it lives. These are mother of pearls. Inside, nautiluses live for up to 20 years. Age is measured by the amount of stripes formed by the different internal compartments of its shell. As they grow, they move into a larger compartment and close the old one using two of their 90 or so tentacles! There are those who say that the half-billion-year-old animal is now in serious danger of extinction. The reason? Growing sales of jewelry and ornaments derived from its lustrous shell
CONSULTANCY Guilherme A. Domenichelli, biologist