Mythological creatures are more than just myths. They give us a glimpse of the fears our ancestors had about the world of their time. As they are animals that did not really exist or at least whose existence could not be scientifically proven, their origin is linked to the traditional mythology of each culture. Then you surely know several of these strange and mysterious animals. Nevertheless, there may still be mythological creatures that have not been debunked.
Scientists haven’t documented every species on Earth
An article published in 2011 in the journal PLOS Biology suggested that there are approximately 8.7 million species alive today. Only 1.5 million of these species were discovered in 2013. Millions of species therefore remain unknown to this day. A 2021 study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution on Undiscovered Animals on Earth demonstrated that reptiles are the least explored group of animals yet hold great potential for the discovery of new species across the globe.
Charles Paxton, a statistical and aquatic ecologist at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, thinks nearly every large aquatic animal that humans might have seen in the water to inspire myths is known. Except for a few undiscovered beaked whales. These are the species of whales that are rarely seen because they dive deeply and can hold their breath for more than three hours.
In which part of the world can we search for potentially unknown animals?
An interactive map of the results of theMoura study in 2021 shows places around the world where you can search for potentially unknown animals. According to this map, the United States has been widely studied and has less diversity than the tropics. On the other hand, two cities in the United States have great potential for undiscovered mammals, namely Washington and Oregon, which is the main Bigfoot country. These are especially hard-to-find animals such as rodents, shrews or bats.
According to the researchers, there are also four other undiscovered animal hotspots: Brazil, Indonesia, Madagascar and Colombia, reports LiveScience. The latter are rich in species and have not yet been studied in depth by researchers.
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