Strange creatures

Strange creatures

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  The Worlds MostOutlandish Creatures 1. Blanket Octopus The Blanket Octopus is a truly remarkable sight. This unique octopus is able to open its tentacles to reveal a thin colorful membrane which spreads out like a ―blanket‖, this is done to make the Blanket Octopus look bigger and ward away predators. 2. BlobfishThe Blobfishdoesn‖t really do much… content to float in place and wait for food to stumble upon it, the Blobfish is a true opportunist. This type of lifestyle works well for the Blobfish as it means the Blobfish is able to survive on small amounts of food due to the lack of exertion in in its life. The blobfish (Psychrolutesmarcidus) is a fish that inhabits the deep waters off the coasts of Australia and Tasmania. Due to the inaccessibility of its habitat, it is rarely seen by humans. Blobfish are found at depths where the pressure is several dozens of times higher than at sea level, which would likely make gas bladders inefficient. To remain buoyant, the flesh of the blobfish is primarily a gelatinous mass with a density slightly less than water; this allows the fish to float above the sea floor without expending energy on swimming.
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  3. HemeroplanesCaterpillar Iknow the picture looks like a snake but i assure you this is 100% a caterpillar. Infact that is the entire point of the Hemeroplanes Caterpillar, this master of camouflage has a very uniwue defense mechanism in that it can do a very good impression of a pit viper. If the Hemeroplanes Caterpillar feels threatened it will raise the top half of its body from the surface and inflate to resemble a pit viper – this crafty caterpillar even emulates a lunging motion giving the impression its about to strike! 4. Assassin Spider Is it a spider? Or is it a giraffe? Look at its neck! The Assassin Spider (above) is indeed a truly bizarre specimen. The Assassin Spider sports a long neck which is needed to provide leverage due to itsmassive jaws which is uses to expertly catch and assassinate its prey. 5. Hairy Crab Wouldn’t it be great if you could detoxify the air around you, removing pollution and poisons?That’s exactly what the “hairs” that this crab is named for do. The “hair” which is actually setae acts as i filter and removes damaging poisons and chemicals from the water surrounding the Hairy Crab.
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  6. HatchetfishThis smallfish spends its entire life in the darkest parts of the worlds oceans hidden from prying eyes. The Hatchetfish may not seem spectacular at first sight however the Hatchetfish is actually a light source in the deep, dark oceans it calls home. 7. Leafy Sea Dragon The Leafy Sea Dragon is a master of camouflage and spends its days drifting through the water perfectly emulating a floating piece of seaweed. The Leafy Sea Dragon gos to great lengths to stay camouflaged such as traveling extremely slow as to not give itself away. Like its closest relatives the sea horses, the male Leafy Sea Dragon carries fertilized eggs until they are ready to hatch. Named after the dragons of Chinese mythology, Leafy seadragons (Phycoduruseques) resemble a piece of drifting seaweed as they float in the seaweed-filled water. The Leafy seadragon, with green, orange and gold hues along its body, is covered with leaf-like appendages, making it remarkably camouflaged. Only the fluttering of tiny fins or the moving of an independently swiveling eye, reveals its presence.
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  8. OlmThe Olmis a fascinating example of an amphibian that makes its home in the waters of Europe. This bizarre creature can only be found in the deepest, darkest waters and relies on none of the traditional senses we humans are used to such as sight or hearing. 9. Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko So far we’ve had numerous masters of camouflage in this list but the Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko really deserves the number one spot! Could there ever be a more accurate representation of a crusty dead leaf? I don’t think so! 10. KomondorDog Females are 27 inches (69cm) at the withers. Male Komondorok are a minimum of 28 inches at the withers, but many are over 30 inches tall, making this one of the larger common breeds of dog. The body is not overly coarse or heavy, however, and people unfamiliar with the breed are often surprised by how quick and agile the dogs are.
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  11. Angora RabbitThe Angora rabbit is a variety of domestic rabbit bred for its long, soft hair. The Angora is one of the oldest types of domestic rabbit, originating in Ankara, Turkey, along with the Angora cat and Angora goat. The rabbits were popular pets with French royalty in the mid 1700s, and spread to other parts of Europe by the end of the century. 12. Red Panda The Red Panda, Ailurusfulgens ("shining cat," from a Latinized form of the Greek, ailouros, "cat," and the participial form of the Latin fulgere, "to shine") is a mostly herbivorous mammal, slightly larger than a domestic cat (55 cm long). The Red Panda has semi-retractile claws and, like the Giant Panda, has a "false thumb" which is really an extension of the wrist bone. Thick fur on the soles of the feet offers protection from cold and hides scent glands. The Red Panda is native to the Himalayas in Nepal and southern China. 13. Sloth Sloths are medium-sized mammals that live in Central and South America belonging to the families Megalonychidae and Bradypodidae, part of the order Pilosa. Most scientists call these two families the Folivora suborder, while some call it Phyllophaga. Sloths are omnivores. They may eat insects, small lizards and carrion, but their diet consists mostly of buds, tender shoots, and leaves.
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  14. Emperor TamarinTheEmperor Tamarin (Saguinus imperator) is a tamarin allegedly named for its similarity with the German emperor Wilhelm II. The name was first intended as a joke, but has become the official scientific name. Amazon Basin, in east Peru, north Bolivia and in the west Brazilian states of Acre and Amazonas. 15. White-faced Saki Monkey The White-faced Saki (Pitheciapithecia), also known as the Guianan Saki and the Golden-faced Saki, is a species of saki monkey, a type of New World monkey, found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. This monkey mostly feed on fruits, but also nuts, seeds, and insects.
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  16. Tapir Tapirsare large browsing mammals, roughly pig-like in shape, with short, prehensile snouts. They inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia. All four species of tapir are classified as endangered or vulnerable. Their closest relatives are the other odd-toed ungulates, horses and rhinoceroses. 17. Hagfish Hagfish are marine craniates of the class Myxini, also known as Hyperotreti. Despite their name, there is some debate about whether they are strictly fish (as there is for lampreys), since they belong to a much more primitive lineage than any other group that is commonly defined fish (Chondrichthyes and Osteichthyes). 18. Star-nosed Mole The Star-nosed Mole (Condyluracristata) is a small North American mole found in eastern Canada and the north-eastern United States. It is the only member of the tribe Condylurini and the genus Condylura. It lives in wet lowland areas and eats small invertebrates, aquatic insects, worms and molluscs. It is a good swimmer and can forage along the bottoms of streams and ponds. Like other moles, this animal digs shallow surface tunnels for foraging; often, these tunnels exit underwater.
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  19. Proboscis MonkeyNasalislarvatus also known as Long-nosed Monkey is a reddish-brown arboreal Old World monkey. It is the only species in monotypic genus Nasalis. The most distinctive trait of this monkey is the male's large protruding nose. The purpose of the large nose is unclear, but it has been suggested that it is a result of sexual selection. The female Proboscis Monkey prefers big-nosed male, thus propagating the trait. 20. Pink Fairy Armadillo The Pink Fairy Armadillo (Chlamyphorustruncatus) or Pichiciego is the smallest species of armadillo (mammals of the family Dasypodidae, mostly known for having a bony armor shell). It is approximately 90-115 mm (3?-4?") long excluding the tail, and is pale rose or pink in color. 21. Axolotl The Axolotl (or ajolote) (Ambystomamexicanum) is the best-known of the Mexican neotenic mole salamanders belonging to the Tiger Salamander complex. Larvae of this species fail to undergo metamorphosis, so the adults remain aquatic and gilled. The species originates from the lake underlying Mexico City. Axolotls are used extensively in scientific research due to their ability to regenerate most body parts, ease of breeding, and large embryos.
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  22. Aye-aye TheAye-aye (Daubentoniamadagascariensis) is a strepsirrhine native to Madagascar that combines rodent-like teeth with a long, thin middle finger to fill the same ecological niche as a woodpecker. It is the world's largest nocturnal primate, and is characterized by its unique method of finding food; it taps on trees to find grubs, then gnaws holes in the wood and inserts its elongated middle finger to pull the grubs out. Daubentonia is the only genus in the family Daubentoniidae and infraorderChiromyiformes. 23. Alpaca The Alpaca (Vicugnapacos) is a domesticated species of South American camelid developed from the wild alpacas. It resembles a sheep in appearance, but is larger and has a long erect neck as well as coming in many colors, whereas sheep are generally bred to be white and black. Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of Ecuador, southern Peru, northern Bolivia, and northern Chile at an altitude of 3500 to 5000 meters above sea-level, throughout the year.
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  24. Tarsier Tarsiersare prosimian primates of the genus Tarsius, a monotypic genus in the family Tarsiidae, which is itself the lone extant family within the infraorderTarsiiformes. The phylogenetic position of extant tarsiers within the order Primates has been debated for much of the past century, and tarsiers have alternately been classified with strepsirrhine primates in the suborder Prosimii, or as the sister group to the simians (=Anthropoidea) in the infraorderHaplorrhini. Analysis of SINE insertions, a type of macromutation to the DNA, is argued to offer very persuasive evidence for the monophyly of Haplorrhini, where other lines of evidence, such as DNA sequence data, had remained ambiguous. 25. DumboOctopus The octopuses of the genus Grimpoteuthis are sometimes nicknamed "Dumbo octopuses" from the ear-like fins protruding from the top of their "heads" (actually bodies), resembling the ears of Walt Disney's flying elephant. They are benthic creatures, living at extreme depths, and are some of the rarest of the Octopoda species.
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  26. Frill-necked LizardThe Frill-necked Lizard, or Frilled Lizard also known as the Frilled Dragon, (Chlamydosauruskingii) is so called because of the large ruff of skin which usually lies folded back against its head and neck. The neck frill is supported by long spines of cartilage, and when the lizard is frightened, it gapes its mouth showing a bright pink or yellow lining, and the frill flares out, displaying bright orange and red scales. The frill may also aid in thermoregulation. 27. Narwhal The Narwhal (Monodonmonoceros) is an Arctic species of cetacean. It is a creature rarely found south of latitude 70°N. It is one of two species of white whale in the Monodontidae family (the other is the beluga whale). It is possibly also related to the Irrawaddy dolphin. 28. Sucker-footed Bat The Madagascar Sucker-footed Bat, Old World Sucker-footed Bat, or Sucker-footed Bat (Myzopodaaurita and Myzopodaschliemanni) is a species of bat in the Myzopodidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Myzopoda. It is endemic to Madagascar. It is threatened by habitat loss.
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  29. Pygmy MarmosetThe Pygmy Marmoset (Callithrix (Cebuella) pygmaea) is a monkey native to the rainforest canopies of western Brazil, southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, and eastern Peru. It is one of the smallest primates, with its body length ranging from 14-16 cm (excluding the 15-20 cm tail) and the smallest monkey. Males weigh around 140 g (5 ounces), and females only 120 g (4.2 ounces). TDespite its name, the Pygmy Marmoset is somewhat different from the typical marmosets classified in genus Callithrix. As such, it is accorded its own subgenus, which was formerly recognized as its own genus, Cebuella. 30. Platypus The Platypus (Ornithorhynchusanatinus) is a semi-aquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. 31. Shoebill The Shoebill, Balaenicepsrex also known as Whalehead is a very large bird related to the storks. It derives its name from its massive shoe-shaped bill. The Shoebill is a very large bird, averaging 1.2 m (4 ft) tall, 5.6 kg (12.3 lbs) and 2.33 m (7.7 ft) across the wings. The adult is mainly grey, the juveniles are browner. It lives in tropical east Africa, in large swamps from Sudan to Zambia.
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  32. Yeti CrabKiwahirsuta is a crustacean discovered in 2005 in the South Pacific Ocean. This decapod, which is approximately 15 cm (6 inches) long, is notable for the quantity of silky blond setae (resembling fur) covering its pereiopods (thoracic legs, including claws). Its discoverers dubbed it the "yeti lobster" or "yeti crab"[2]. K. hirsuta was discovered in March 2005 by a group organised by Robert Vrijenhoek of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in Monterey, California, using the submarine DSV Alvin, operating from RV Atlantis[3]. Dimos Derventlis