The Classic of Mountains and Seas, a book of zhiwei notes left by the ancestors, records a lot of rare birds and beasts. In the eyes of many people, the strange beasts recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas seem to exist only in the fantasy world. However, many of the magical animals in it also exist in the real world, but some animals are extinct today, but some animals we can still see.
It can be said that the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" is a unique style of strange books, together with the "I Ching" and "Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic" known as the ancient "Three Xuan", the book is divided into 5 "Mountain Classics" and "Sea Classics" 13 articles, although only more than 31,000 words, but the content is all-encompassing. Covers astronomy, geography, fauna, flora, peoples, religions and mythology.
1. Armadillos
The original text of the "Classic of Mountains and Seas": There are beasts, whose shape is like a bird's beak, whose tail is snake-tailed, who sleeps when he sees people, whose name is armadillo, whose song is self-proclaimed, and whose locust is defeated when it is seen. It means that there is a beast in the mountain, shaped like a general rabbit but the mouth of a bird, the eyes of a harrier eagle and the tail of a snake, lying down and pretending to be dead as soon as it sees a person, the name is an armadillo, the call it makes is the pronunciation of its own name, and as soon as it appears, there will be a locust that comes out to harm the crops.
Reality Best Match Species: Armadillo
The armadillo, also known as the "armored rat", is an endangered species living in Central and South America, and its most obvious structural feature is the knotted beetle. This bony scale armor is also covered with a epidermis. The scales on the body form a variety of styles, but usually a head shield and a series of protective shields for most of the neck and body. Between the abdomen and the shield of the limbs, there are sparse hairs on the soft skin. Both the appearance and the habit are quite in line with the armadillos in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.
Second, Dang Kang
The original text of the "Classic of Mountains and Seas": There are beasts, whose shape is like a dolphin and have teeth, whose name is Dangkang, whose song is self-proclaimed, and who sees the world's great long. It means that there is a beast in the mountain, shaped like a pig but with large fangs, the name is Dangkang, and the cry it makes is the pronunciation of its own name, and as soon as it appears, the world will have a great harvest.
Best Matched Species: Warthog
Dangkang, also known as the tooth dolphin, is one of the sacred beasts in ancient Chinese myths and legends, and is a kind of Trillion Dragon Rui Beast. According to the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Dangkang is a pig with fangs, and if you want to find the most matching animal, it is the African warthog. Warthogs have fangs at the corners of their mouths, sparse hairs on their bodies, and a head that accounts for one-third of the body.
3. Yonghe
The original text of the "Classic of Mountains and Seas": There are beasts, whose shape is like an ape, red eyes, red beaks, yellow bodies, the name is Yonghe, and the country is afraid. It means that there is a beast in the mountains, shaped like an ape, but with red eyes, a red mouth, and a yellow body, called Yonghe, and in which country there will be a great panic.
Best Matching Species: Red Bald Monkey
Red beak, yellow body, obviously, the red bald monkey and the Yonghe in the Classic of Mountains and Seas is very similar. The red bald monkey is confined to the depths of the Amazon rainforest and moves in groups, walking on all fours, feeding on fruits and other parts of the plant. The ape has a shocking red head, so south Americans gave it the funny nickname "English Monkey", in honor of the first Britons to travel to their homeland, with a red face sunburned.
Fourth, oh
The original text of the Classic of Mountains and Seas: "In the east of Shun's burial, in the south of Xiangshui, its shape is like an ox, black, a horn." It means to the east of the burial ground of Emperor Shun, on the south bank of the Xiangshui River. It is shaped like a normal cow, with a blue-black body and a horn, the most famous of which is the green bull with a horn.
Best Match species: Rhinoceros
This animal, called a "goo", is actually most likely a rhinoceros. You may wonder: Isn't China homegrown rhinoceros? However, in the pre-Qin period, rhinoceros were abundant in northern China, the Central Plains and the Yangtze River Basin. He was buried in The East of Shun, South of Xiangshui. It is shaped like an ox, black, and a horn. Meaning: on the east side of the Emperor Shun's burial ground, on the south bank of the Xiangshui River. It is shaped like a normal buffalo, with a blue-black body and a horn. In ancient books, it is necessary to describe the sinister place, and it is also said that "there are many rhinoceros and tigers and bears on it."
5. Wen ray
The original text of the "Classic of Mountains and Seas": It is a multi-text ray, shaped like a carp, with a fish body and bird wings, a white beak and a white head, often traveling in the West Sea, swimming in the East Sea, and flying at night. It means that there are many rays in the water, shaped like ordinary carp, with a fish-like body and bird-like wings, covered with pale markings, but with a white head and a red mouth, often walking in the West Sea, swimming in the East China Sea, and flying at night.
Best Match species: Flying fish
Flying fish look strange, and the pectoral fin is particularly developed, like the wings of birds. The long pectoral fins extend all the way to the tail, and the whole body resembles a "long shuttle" of weaving cloth. With its streamlined and graceful body, it moves at high speeds in the sea at a speed of 10 meters per second. It can jump more than ten meters above the water, stay in the air for the longest time is more than 40 seconds, and the longest distance of flight is more than 400 meters.
Sixth, the arrogance
The original text of the "Classic of Mountains and Seas": There are beasts, which are shaped like dolphins and white hairs, as large as a fence and black end, and are called Haoyan. It means that there is a beast in the mountains, shaped like a piglet but with white hair, the hair is as long as a hairpin and the tip is black.
Best Matched Species: Porcupine
彘, in ancient times, was the meaning of pig, so Hao Yan is actually the current porcupine. Its burrs can be used as ornaments and toothpick boxes for fishing. Porcupines are known for their spines, which protect against enemies and can reach up to 35 cm in length. When encountering the enemy, the thorns stand up and shake, make a "rustling" sound, and can retreat in an emergency, and then forcefully pounce on the enemy to insert the thorns into their bodies.