Mythological hybrid

Okay, so you know how some animals are mixed together to make a new, made-up animal? Like when you mix a lion's head with a bird's body or a horse's body with a fish tail? Those made-up animals are called mythological hybrids! They are usually found in stories or myths from a long time ago.

People used to think that these mythological hybrids were real because they didn't have science back then to explain how animals really are. So they made up these creatures to explain things that they couldn't understand, like why the ocean was so big and deep or why the sun rose and set every day.

But even though mythological hybrids aren't real animals, people still like to talk about them and imagine what they would look like. Some people even draw pictures or make statues of them to show what they think the creatures might look like. Isn't that cool?