16 Comical Animal Depictions from a 16th-Century Manuscript

Between 1551 and 1558, Swiss physician and naturalist Conrad Gessner released his monumental work, the five-volume, 4500-page Historiae animalium, which became the era's most popular natural history compilation. Drawing on the works of predecessors like Aristotle, Pliny, and the anonymous author of Physiologus, and incorporating both written accounts and visual depictions of animals from explorers and fellow naturalists, Gessner aimed to document every known creature—even those now recognized as mythical. "He frequently assured his readers ... that his friends' accounts were trustworthy, as they had personally witnessed even the most fearsome animals, such as lions and crocodiles," notes Michon Scott at Strange Science. "When [Gessner] questioned the accuracy of the information he shared or the validity of the illustrations he included, he cautiously expressed his doubts. For example, regarding the multi-headed hydra, he remarked, 'ears, tongues, noses, and faces are inconsistent with the nature of serpents.'"

Historiae animalium stood out due to its vast number of woodcut illustrations; Gessner and his collaborating artists captured some animals with remarkable accuracy, while others were wildly inaccurate. “A visual game of telephone is, to some extent, what the artists faced in the 16th century,” Tom Baione, Director of the Department of Library Services at the American Museum of Natural History, explained to Mytour when we first examined some illustrations from Historiae animalium in 2013. Here are a few more illustrations for your enjoyment.

1. Beaver

Beavers do possess impressively sharp front teeth—their enamel is stronger at the front than at the back, creating a razor-sharp edge that enables these semi-aquatic creatures to gnaw through wood. However, in reality, their teeth don't appear as menacing as they do in this depiction.

2. Porcupine

Every member of the porcupine family—around two dozen species—possesses a protective layer of quills as a defense mechanism. However, in reality, they appear far less intimidating.

3. Unicorn

The earliest written account of a unicorn—a mythical creature—comes from the Greek physician Ctesias, and it bears little resemblance to the image we associate with unicorns today:

“In India, there exist wild asses as large as horses, if not larger. Their bodies are white, their heads a deep red, and their eyes a striking blue. A horn, approximately a foot and a half long, protrudes from their foreheads. The base of this horn, extending about two hands'-breadth above the brow, is pure white; the tip is sharp and a bright crimson; and the middle section is black. Drinking vessels fashioned from these horns are said to protect against convulsions, epilepsy, and even poison… “Capturing them is no easy feat: when they graze with their young, they must be surrounded by numerous men and horses. Refusing to abandon their offspring, they fight fiercely with horns, teeth, and hooves, often killing many horses and men. They can only be subdued by arrows and spears, as capturing them alive is impossible.”

In the captivating book A Natural History of Unicorns, Chris Lavers explores the various animals that might have inspired the unicorn myth and traces its evolution from Ctesias's description to the elegant, single-horned horse we envision today.

4. Fox

The illustration leans more toward resembling a wolf or coyote rather than a true red fox, yet it has its own unique charm.

5. Camel

This depiction appears to represent a Bactrian camel. These two-humped creatures are far less common than their single-humped dromedary relatives—in fact, they are critically endangered [PDF]. The illustration would be more precise if the animal were depicted with thicker fur and more pronounced humps.

6. Hedgehog

Truth: No drawing could ever match the cuteness of the real creature, and this illustration certainly falls short. It portrays hedgehogs as startled and somewhat grumpy.

7. Elephant

We should all be grateful that elephants don't look this frightening in reality. Just look at that trunk!

8. Armadillo

There are 20 species of armadillo; National Geographic notes that all but one reside in Latin America. While it's unclear which species this is, it seems to have just tricked one of its fellow armadillos.

9. Rooster

A single word captures the essence of this rooster illustration: Ahh!

10. Sea Turtle

In reality, sea turtles lack teeth; instead, they rely on their beaks to consume food, with rough, spiky papillae guiding food toward their stomachs.

11. Giraffe

If you'd never encountered a giraffe and someone described it to you, you might depict its ossicones—which are cartilage covered in skin—as more conventional horns. Interestingly, people once referred to giraffes as "camel-leopards" due to the small hump on their backs and their spotted coats, leading to the belief they were a hybrid of camels and leopards!

12. Crocodile

This crocodile resembles a red-eyed crocodile skink—particularly around the eyes.

13. Ostrich

The color isn't accurate—those feathers should be darker!—and the beak is slightly too thick, but overall, this is a fairly decent depiction of the world's largest (and heaviest!) bird.

14. Hippopotamus

Hippos are far stockier than depicted here, and they tend to spend most of their time in water rather than walking on it. While hippos and crocodiles occasionally clash in the wild, such encounters likely don't resemble this illustration.

15. Whales

Sailing the open seas must have been a harrowing experience if you believed creatures like this lurked beneath the waves. Fortunately, most whales are far less intimidating than this depiction suggests.

16. Lion

Lion manes are undeniably striking, but they rarely appear as neatly maintained as this.