Photo Essay: Oddities of Nature – Part 2
Continuing on with last weeks essay, we now present part 2 of the weird and wonderful world of animals.
This handsome little fellow is called the Mexican walking fish, aka the Axolotl salamander, aka the Mexican water monster. It is an amphibian and unfortunately is near extinction due to the destruction of its habitat and pollution. They never grow lungs so they aren’t able to live on land but they do have feet and tails.
Below is the Frill-necked Lizard also known as the Frilled Lizard as well as the Frilled Dragon. Apparently weird creatures have a lot of names. When the lizard gets frightened it opens its mouth and “flares its frills”. When you’re little you have to figure out ways to scare off your enemies. This guy does a great job of it.
Looking as if he needs a trip to the barbershop is the Scottish Highland Cow. They are the oldest registered breed of cattle going back to 1884 when American cattlemen imported them to improve the blood lines of their herds. Their long “bangs” shield their eyes from flying insects.
Permanently in a good mood is the Happy Face Spider. Excellent name don’t you think? You can only find him on a few Hawaiian islands. If I lived in Hawaii I think I would be happy too. Scientists theorize that it developed its unique markings to discourage birds from eating it. Apparently birds only eat frowny spiders.
Although it looks like it is from freaky sci-fi movie, this is simply a moth. Specifically an Emperor Moth. They are found in Europe and Asia and come out in April and May looking for “sluggish” females as Wikipedia mentions. I guess the speedy females are out of luck.
Next on our list is the South American horned frogs also called “pacman frogs” due to their large bodies and big mouths. Personally I think they should be called the Rush Limbaugh frog but that’s just my opinion. They can weigh up to 1 pound, live up to six years and eat lizards, mice and other frogs, including their own species! I guess if you’re hungry, looks don’t matter.
We finish part 2 of this photo essay with a look at the Proboscis Monkey. Looking a little like Jimmy Durante, the Proboscis Monkey lives on the South-east island of Borneo. His big nose is thought to be used to attract females. Their noses can grow to be 7 inches long! Due to the loss of their habitat and hunting, there are only about 1000 of these monkeys living in the wild which places it on the endangered species list.
Be sure to visit next Friday for the completion of our look in to the strange animals of the world. Thanks for stopping by!
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