The devil wears leaves.

Okay maybe one leaf.

Tails from the creep.

The Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko is endemic to Madagascar and is a master of disguise amongst foliage. One of many leaf-tailed gecko varieties, the Satanic version has horn-like formations on its head and often comes with red eyes. Madagascariffic!

Photos via DailyMail, Flickriver

Stop...

Listen...

What's that sound?

The Bat-Eared Fox is the unprofessed Hearo of the African Savannah. This nocturnal bat fox trails herds of hoofed animals to feed on the insects that feed on excrement. Ginormous ears let them hear termites, dung beetles and other underground creepy crawlies.  That’s some superpower.

WA

WA

WEE

WA

The Turtle Frog of western Australia feeds on termites, digging through sand head-first — unusual for a frog but commonplace for a turtle. With a snub nose and stubby physique, this species only bring us to the Creepy Animals mathematical conundrum:

IF [heroes in a half shell = turtle power] THEN [heroes without a shell = frog power] ??

Photos via WAM, Blog on Forest Health,

Meowch.

The ultra elusive, uber evasive, super rare Bornean Bay Cat had never been seen by a living human until a specimen was captured alive (above) in 1992. The nocturnal cat species lives only on the island of Borneo and due to rapidly increasing deforestation, a population of less than 2500 is estimated!

Cat. At bay. In Borneo.

Photo via Mongabay

Shine on.

These radiant gold and silver beetles (Chrysina aurigans [left] and Chrysina limbata [right]) live in the dense rainforests of Costa Rica. And they’re gorgeous. We only wish we could wear precious metals from head to toe. Shamefully, these insects actually use their reflective bodies to hide amid vegetation by replicating shiny surfaces like beads of water.

What? How? Why?

The beetle’s wings manipulates light. According to NewScientist, ‘Light travels at different speeds through each of the 70 or so layers of exoskeletal chitin. Part of the light is reflected off each layer, and the intensity of the reflections is amplified as they constructively interfere with one another, creating an opulent sheen.’

Photo via Eduardo Libby. Want more bling? We do too:

The lustrous blue of the Green Dock Beetle.

Photo via MObugs

The green sheen of the Metallic Scarab Beetle.

Photo via What’s That Bug

The iridescent opalescence of Chrysolina Fastuosa.

Photo via Jaap Polak

The glitzy gloss of the Purple Metallic Beetle.

Photo via Bugguide.net

Bare bare birdie.

Laying shame to the Bald Eagle.

Clearly the Bare-faced Bulbul has nothing to hide. And yet, this Bulbul has barely faced human contact. The songbird was only recently discovered in central Laos twittering about the steep features of the limestone karst region near Pha Lom.

Photo via Bird Forum

Now open wide...

Just a little wider...

That's it.

Grows like goliath, hunts like a tiger and swims like a fish. The Goliath Tigerfish lurks the waters of the Congo River system and several other lakes in southern Africa. This fish is remarkably adept at swimming and killing due in part to an air-filled sac in its body that allows it to detect vibrations from animals in the water. Those razorsharp spikes in its mouth may also help the cause.

Many thanks to dear reader John C. for shoring up this goliath creepy animal.

Gluttony.

Greed.

Sloth.

The Honeypot Ant is the perfect metaphor for how to survive in the post-consumer world: save and spend when needed. Just two easy steps.

1. SAVE

When food is abundant, the honeypot ant gets it’s nom on courtesy of other worker ants that feed it till it’s nearly bursting at the seams. The ant converts the food into a sweet liquid-y substance which is stored within the swollen abdomen. In this state the ant can balloon to the size of a grape, unable to move much within the colony walls.

2. SPEND WHEN NEEDED

When food is scarce, the honeypot ants regurgitate their stored nectar to feed their nest mates. According to Wikipedia, ‘in certain places, they are eaten by people as sweets and are considered a delicacy.’ Who’s hungry now?

Special thanks to dear reader Marcie for sending us this little treat.

I don't think you're ready for this Jelly.

Game over, jellyfish. Play again. And again. And again. And again...

Turritopsis dohrnii just won’t quit. The aptly named Immortal Jellyfish is the only creature in the world that can revert back to its juvenile form after reaching sexual maturity. How, you ask?

The process is called transdifferentiation, whereby one type of cell is transformed into another type of cell. The Immortal Jellyfish can do this with its entire body.

The adult Immortal Jellyfish looks and floats like…a jellyfish. But when conditions aren’t ideal, it turns into a “blob-like cyst”, anchors to a surface and undergoes reverse metamorphosis back to its juvenile form as a mere polyp. It’s like a full-grown frog turning back into a lowly tadpole.

Scientists believe it can repeat its life cycle indefinitely. Since they’re constantly cheating death, the Immortal Jellyfish are now spreading from their native Caribbean to waters all over the world.

Photos via Peter Schuchert and Nat Geo

Defense: the Olm.

-  and  -

Offense: the Texas Blind Salamander.

Rivalries in the animal kingdom are nothing new: Giant Squid vs. Sperm Whale, Baby Elephant vs. Crocodile. Now, a juxtaposition that will creep you out: the Texas Blind Salamander vs. the Olm. Both salamanders are pale, sightless, live in caves underground and remain in the gill-breathing larval stage its entire life. Let’s rack and stack:

The Texas Blind Salamander is found in just one location – the San Marcos Pool of the Edwards Aquifer in Hays, Texas.

Score: +1

The Olm is evolutionarily distinct: it is part of an ancient lineage of amphibians evolving independently for 190 million years! It lives for 50-100 years! It’s able to survive without food for up to 10 years!

Score: +3

Winner: Umm, the Olm.

This is what a winner looks like. Olm my god.

Photos via Discover Magazine and Arkive