SHANGRALA'S

AMAZING TRANSFORMATIONS!

Humans are not the only ones who are constantly developing. Most of the following, over time, have past the point of recognition, be it human domestication or natural selection that drove them to that change. Some of these are cute, some of them are very cool looking, while others are downright scary. But one thing for sure...     Most All Are Hard To Believe! Enjoy! :)       Sloths - Once, elephant-sized ground sloths of numerous species from the genus Megatherium were roaming the lands of South America. For reasons unknown, these animals were ultimately ousted onto trees and turned into the cute arboreal critters we recognize as sloths today.       Whales - Now that's a transformation! Widely believed to be the mutual ancestor of both whales and hippos, Andrewsarchus was an elephant-sized carnivore that lived in central Asia more than 40 million years ago. It may have been the largest carnivorous mammal that ever lived on solid ground.       Goldfish are some of the most popular fish pets in the world today, but where do they come from? Genetic analysis reveals that goldfish are actually hybrid descendants of the Prussian carp, an unremarkable silverish-green fish species native to Siberia. The species we recognize as goldfish today come from decorative ponds in China, a popular landscape feature in the Chinese aristocracy around 2,000 years ago.       Birds - It may be difficult to comprehend, but we have learned that all birds that live on Earth today are descendants of dinosaurs. Whole groups of bird-like omnivorous dinosaurs like the one from the picture called Heyuannia were discovered by archeologists all around the world. Both these so-called transitional species and genetic analysis make researchers believe that birds and dinosaurs are more closely related than we would like to admit.       Cows - Aurochs is the ancestor of cattle first domesticated by humans around 10,000 years ago. Once widespread all throughout Asia, Europe, and North Africa, the species was extinct by 1627. We have much to thank these majestic creatures, as they helped people transition from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to an agricultural one.       Dolphins - Another unbelieveable transformation. They are one of the smartest species on the planet. They stem from a small omnivorous mammal about the size of a raccoon that had pig-like features and lived in Asia millions of years ago, Indohyus. Not unlike the whales, it is just how much the species has changed.       Dogs - It was a dispute for a long time, but genetic analysis and cross-breeding experiments prove that all dog species, yes, even the cute corgis on the Internet, come from a mutual pack of African grey wolves that interbred with another unknown and now extinct canine species.

Horses - Eurohippus is an archaic animal that inhabited Earth around 50 million years ago. It was quite small, about the size of a small dog like a corgi, but its anatomy, especially the digestive and reproductive systems resembled modern horses. Amazingly, today it's genetically-proven to be their ancestor. An interesting fact is that Eurohippus didn't have any hooves: it had 4 toes on its front feet and 3 on the rear feet instead.       Rabbits - This 5-million-year old bunny was quite big and chubby. It weighed up to 26lb, had a smaller head and ears, and couldn't jump. And yet, much like its contemporary, Nuralagus was quite cute, only with a very different head-to-body ratio!       Pigs - Around 9,000 years ago, someone in Turkey dared to capture a herd of wild boars. A few thousand years later, they transformed into the 70 species of docile domesticated pigs we have today.       Cats - This grey kitty on the left is by no means a stray, it is the African wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica), the great-grandparent of all domesticated cats. The first cats known to science were cuddled and petted by humans over 9,000 years ago in Cyprus. Although most likely, scientists recently discovered, it was the cats who adopted humans, probably choosing to live among us for the food we leave behind for them to eat. In fact, they are barely domesticated when compared to dogs.       Giraffs - The ancestors of giraffes had muscular bodies, much shorter necks and very interesting horn-like protuberances that curled upwards on their heads. These beautiful creatures called Samotherium roamed the woodlands of Europe and Asia about 7 million years ago.       Elephants - Did you expect to see mammoths? Surprise, surprise, here is an even earlier version of the elephant. Moeritherium were primitive elephants first discovered in Egypt. They were semi-aquatic (living a significant part of their time in water like hippos) and much smaller in size, but still quite heavy and with stubby legs. It may be difficult to see the resemblance with modern elephants because they didn't have the big dumbo ears and had a much shorter trunk.       Sheep - You can probably recognize these brown mountain sheep, as they were featured in media several times for their unique ability to climb unbelievable heights in the steep and rocky Caucasian mountains. Mouflons were first domesticated around 3,000 years ago and were bred for centuries until they shrunk their big horns and gained their characteristic fluffy warm coats.       Sharks - This weird and very creepy shark ancestor called Helicoprion inhabited the oceans more than 290 million years ago. All fossils of this species feature the so-called "tooth whorls", attached to the lower or upper jaw of the animal. The nature, location, and purpose of these creepy contraptions aren't clear to this day. Image Sources: NobuTamura, WolfmanSF, TomCatX, Pacman, Lerdsuwa, Marjn, Spinusnet, Leo za1

Share All These Amazing

Transformations With Your Friends! :)







SEE ALSO: Dangerous Critters!






^BACK To TOP^


For those of you who Want More FUN - Visit The Shangy Fun List! Variety is the
spice of life! The Shangy Fun List is an ezine packed full of Poems, Inspirational and
Heart Warming Stories. Jokes from G to slightly R, and Anything else that just
might make you SMILE! Join In The Free FUN!! ... :)

Yes! Click Here To GO TO THE ARCHIVES!-




Like This Page?

If you are looking for more, here are some good places to start:


Tigerfish!-
Giant Catfish!-
Eagle Hunters!-
Crocodile Man!-
Bizarre Nature!-
Giant Creatures!-
Fearless Animals!-
Real Angry Birds!-
Great White Shark!-
Grizzly Bear Killed!-
Only In Australia 2!-
Dangerous Critters 4!-
Macro Spider Photos!-
Leopard Vs Crocodile!-
Grizzly Bear Encounter!-
Scary Extinct Creatures!-
Incredible Wildlife Photos!-
Creatures We Love To Hate!-
World's Most Expressive Cat!-
Scientists Unveil New Species!-
Amazing Underwater Creatures!-
Animated A-Z Images!-





-To SHANGRALA-


Special THANKS Goes To CAROL CLARKE And LOUISE AUSTIN For Sharing This With Us.

---

Copyright © 1996 Netscape Communications Corporation. Mozilla is
a trademark of Netscape Communications Corporation.
Note: This is an Unofficial God, Jesus Christ, Family, & Cartoon Fan Site.
© All graphics representing Disney characters are copyrighted by Disney.
Likewise all other graphics & music Copyright © by their own Individual Artists.
I do not own any graphics on this site. If you do, please notify me and I'll give
you proper credit, a link, or remove it immediately according to your wishes.
~*~ Copyright © 1997-2024 Elrhea M. Bigham ~*~

---