Photo Essay: Oddities of Nature – Part 3
The last installment in our 3 part series looking at some of the strangest creatures on the planet.
This is not some kid’s Nerf™ ball that was lost in the ocean. This is a Puffer Fish and is also known as a Blow fish. They inflate themselves to scare predators. If a predator happens to sneak up and chow down on a puffer fish before it inflates, they will be very sorry. Not only does the fish taste awful, it contains tetrodotoxin which will kill them.
This chubby guy is the Purple frog also called the Pignose Frog. I’m guessing he prefers the first one better. He was discovered in 2003 and can only be found in India. It spends most of the year underground and comes up for about 2 weeks during the monsoon season to find a mate and make baby Purple frogs.
Related to the sea cucumber and the starfish is the blob known as the Sea Pig. They live on the the deepest part of ocean floor and eat mud as well as other organic materials that have settled on the bottom of the seafloor.
Found in Eastern Canada and the Northeastern United States is the Star Nosed Mole. They live in wet areas and eat aquatic insects, worms and mollusks. The 22 tentacles on its nose are extremely sensitive and are covered with 25,000 touch receptors! The star nosed mole is blind so he uses his tentacles to find things to eat and his way around town. His nose works pretty much like a GPS system without the annoying lady telling him where to go.
This beautiful bug is the Orchid Mantis. It lives in the Malaysian, Indonesian, and Sumatran rain forests. They will eat anything they can catch including lizards! Their legs resemble flower petals and their coloration matches the environment in which they were raised. As they grow, each successive molt helps them blend in even more with the surrounding plants.
This recently discovered species is called the Sucker Footed Bat. It lives in the forests of Madagascar. He uses his suction cup-like feet to climb the large, broad leaves of tropical plants where it “hangs out” :)
With a face only a mother could love, we present to you a baby Aye-Aye. It is the world’s largest nocturnul primate. It has an odd way of eating his meals. He taps on trees looking for grubs. When he finds them he eats a hole in the wood and then uses his long middle finger to get them out. It lives primarily on the east coast of Madagascar. Sadly, the Aye-aye is often viewed as a bringing evil and is killed on sight. Other locals believe that should one point its long middle finger at you, you were condemned to death. Legend says that the appearance of an Aye-aye in a village predicts the death of a villager, and the only way to prevent this is to kill the Aye-aye. :(
Discovered in 2005 in the South Pacific Ocean is the Yeti Crab. The silky blond hair-like structures covering its legs and claws are how the crustacean was named, its discoverers felt it took after the mythical Abominable Snowman also known as The Yeti.
Last but not least is the Lowland Streaked Tenrec. This little guy also lives in Madagascar (must be a great place to visit). A mammal, he feeds on worms and grubs. I really like his punk rock hairstyle.
Thank you for joining us for the completion of our photo essay on strange looking animals. We hope you enjoyed it. Please add your comments below and remember to rate this article and share it with your friends and the social sites you frequent.
Have a great weekend!
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November 4th, 2009 at 5:08 am
Hey I really like the way you put these cool animals together and was wondering were you got the orchid mantis photo.
November 4th, 2009 at 8:59 am
Thank you for the compliment Trevor. I’m glad you liked the post. The photo of the Orchid Mantis is by Paul F. Wagner and is on the North Carolina Entomological Society website. Here is a link to it… http://cipm.ncsu.edu/ent/ncentsoc/photoco10.htm
Thanks again,
David