Posted : August
2013
Author : Matt Weber
20. The Shoebill
The Shoebill
(Balaeniceps rex) also known as Whalehead or Shoe-billed Stork, is a very large
stork-like bird. It derives its name from its massive shoe-shaped bill.
Although it has a somewhat stork-like overall form and has previously been
classified in the order Ciconiiformes, its true affiliations with other living
birds is ambiguous. Some authorities now reclassify it with the Pelecaniformes.
The adult is mainly grey while the juveniles are browner. It lives in tropical
east Africa in large swamps from Sudan
to Zambia.
The Okapi may look
like the result of a horse and a zebra mating, but in actual fact, this species
is closely related to the giraffe family - not the zebra family! The Okapi is
native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo
in Central Africa, and we think they're
actually pretty cute!
18. The Pacu Fish
Pacu is a term of
Brazilian Indian origin. When the large fish of the Colossoma genus entered the
aquarium trade in the U.S.
and other countries, they were erroneously labeled pacu. In the Amazon, the
term pacu is reserved to smaller and medium sized fish in the Metynnis,
Mylossoma and Myleus genera. These fish are rumoured to bite human testicles, earning it the nickname
"ball-cutter".
17. The Panda Ant
Ants can be pretty
annoying, but add some fur and panda print, and you've got yourself an adorable
insect! But did you know that, despite the name, this is actually a species of
wasp, not ant? Crazy! Found in Chile,
the wingless females resemble large, hairy ants - hence the name. These insects
might look cute, but they've got one nasty sting.
16. The Narwhal
The Narwhal is a
toothed whale found in the Arctic, however we
think it resembles a cross species between a whale and a unicorn! Imagine
spotting one of these mythical-looking creatures - we wouldn't want to come
in contact with that extremely large horn though, so perhaps this species is
best observed from afar.
15. The Red-Lipped
Batfish
The red-lipped
batfish or Galapagos batfish is a fish of unusual morphology found on the Galapagos Islands in depths of 30m or more. Batfish are
not good swimmers; they use their highly-adapted pectoral fins to
"walk" on the ocean floor.
14. The Blind Snake
This snake has a
few different names, all of which refer to it's unusual likeness to the male
member. This animal has no eyes and it is actually called an Atretochoana
Eiselti. It is presumed to be an aquatic, almost eel-like animal due to its
fleshy dorsal fin on the body. Found in the Amazon River,
this species was only rediscovered in 2011!
13. The Umbonia
Spinosa
What exactly is
this alienesque creature? Scientists are still quite confused about this
species, although it is believed that they are related to cicadas. The Umbonia
Spinosa use their beaks to pierce plant stems to feed upon their sap. We're
fascinated by the creature's large and colorful body!
12. The Lowland
Streaked Tenrec
It is a small
animal, with a long snout and limbs, and a vestigal tail. Pelage black with
yellow longitudinal stripes dorsally, light beneath; scattered quills, some
barbed and detachable.
11. The Hummingbird
Hawk-Moth
Judging from this
creature's name, it appears to be a combination of three different animals - a
hummingbird, a hawk, and a moth! This insect feeds on flowers, and even makes a
noise very similar to that of a hummingbird. Its wings and face, however,
resemble a moth. What a strange creature indeed!
10. The Blue Dragon
Also knows as the
Glaucus Atlanticus, this crazy-looking creature is a species of blue sea slug.
Much more elaborate than a sea slug, however, the Blue Dragon is able to float
on the water's surface because of a gas-filled sac in its stomach. This species
can be found in the warm ocean waters, and we think they look magnificent!
9. The Mantis
Shrimp
Mantis shrimp or
stomatopods are marine crustaceans, the members of the order Stomatopoda. They
may reach 30 centimetres in length.
8. The Venezuelan
Poodle Moth
The Venezuelan
Poodle Moth was only discovered fairly recently in 2009. Found in Venezuela, this
strange looking creature has even become the subject of a popular meme! We
think this species is probably the most adorable moth we've ever seen, and we
can definitely see the resemblance to a poodle...
7. The Giant Isopod
What is this
gigantic creature, you ask? This is one the largest species of the existing
isopods, and there is a reason behind its abnormal size. Apparently crustaceans
living in the deeper parts of the sea can experience 'deep sea gigantism'. This
is where the crustacean will grow much larger than its shallow sea dwelling
counterparts.
6. The Saiga
Antelope
The saiga is a
critically endangered antelope which originally inhabited a vast area of the
Eurasian steppe zone from the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains and
Caucasus into Dzungaria and Mongolia. The saiga typically stands 0.6–0.8 m (1 ft 10 in–2 ft 7 in) at the shoulder and
weighs between 36 and 63 kg (79 and 140 lb). The horned males are larger than
the hornless females. Their lifespans range from 6 to 10 years. The saiga is
recognizable by an extremely unusual, over-sized, flexible nose structure, the
proboscis.
5. The Bush Viper
The Bush Viper
lives in the trees of the tropical forests in Africa,
and it does most of its hunting at night. As if snakes weren't already scary
enough, this one looks as though it's covered in hundreds of spiky leaves! The
slightly better news though is that they are a smaller species of snake, with
the maximum length being 78cm!
4. The Blue
Parrotfish
Smile for the
camera! This comical looking fish is known as a Blue Parrotfish and they
average 30-75 cm in length. Some can grow up to 1.2m though - crazy! There is
no other species of fish that contains such a stunning uniform blue color
across the whole species. The Blue Parrotfish spends a whopping 80% of its time
looking for food.
3. The Indian
Purple Frog
It can be found in
the Western Ghats in India.
Names in English that have been used for this species are purple frog, Indian
purple frog or pignose frog. Although the adult frog was formally described in
October 2003, the taxon was recognized much earlier by its tadpole, which had
been described in 1918.
2. The Thorny
Dragon
The Thorny Dragon
is an Australian lizard that resides mostly in the desert. They are also known
as the mountain devil, the thorny lizard, or the moloch. This lizard is covered
in sharp spikes, and it uses these to frighten away predators. The crazy thing
about these lizards is that they can live for up to 20 years - that's a lot
more than most lizards!
1. The Sea Pig
The sea pig has no
relation to a pig - they are actually closely related to sea cucumbers! They
have enlarged tube feet and live on deep ocean bottoms - that's a depth of over
1000 meters! We find these animals incredibly unreal, especially because they
really do have an uncanny likeness to pigs...
~Blog Admin~
No comments:
Post a Comment