Stories about mysterious, mysterious creatures have been interesting to people at all times. The ancient Greeks believed in the existence of centaurs and multi-headed hydras; in our time, Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster are permanent inhabitants of newspaper pages and television screens. In the book of zoologist and writer V.N. Tanasiychuk talks about many legends, myths and hoaxes that accompany zoology. The heroes of this book are genuine scientists who studied nature, and jokers who created funny “parallel” animal worlds, and eccentrics who spent their lives chasing chimeras. But its main character is the fascinating, harmonious and rigorous science of zoology.