Meet Six of the Beasts in Pliny’s “Natural History”
Pliny the Elder’s compendium reflected the first century’s knowledge of the natural world
An entire subculture exists around cryptids, creatures whose existence is unproven. People hunt for Yetis (abominable Snowmen), Sasquatches (Bigfoot), the Loch Ness Monster, and chupacabras. The pursuit of unusual creatures is centuries-old. If anything, older mythical beasts can be stranger than today’s, as demonstrated by Pliny the Elder’s multi-volume Natural History.
Pliny, who died in the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE, described his work as a compendium of Roman knowledge on “[t]he nature of things, and life as it actually exists.” The limits of scientific knowledge at the time mean it can seem “nuttingly batty” today, as one historian said. That is especially true of some of the animals he describes. Here are six of the more interesting:
The Bonasus
This creature, hailing from Macedonia, has one of the more unique defense mechanisms in Pliny’s menagerie. Also known as the bonnacon, it’s a bull with a horse’s mane whose horns bend inwards, rendering them useless…
