Creepy Animals

…they're really interesting.

Mar 2 2010

Cassowary

Cassowary bird.

Like Big Bird. From Creepy Street.

Take heed, dear readers and be very wary of the Cassowary. The flightless big bird can’t spell or count, but it will fight you for hardly any reason. It will charge approaching passers-by and if cornered, it will kick and blade you with a dagger-like talon on its inner toe.

When not picking fights, the Cassowary is a shy, omnivorous creature that lives in the tropical forests of northeastern Australia and in New Guinea. Powerful legs take it to speeds of up to 30 mph and the helmet (called a casque) helps it batter through underbrush while chasing after your sorry arse.

3Comments
Feb 26 2010

Surinam Toad

Surinam toad in captivity.

Hot toady.

Want a flat stomach and amazing skin? Give up on the detox diet and take a hint from the Surinam Toad. It’s super-thin and has an incredible dermis.

The spongy loose skin on its back is a fantastic medium to host embryos. Its eggs are embedded onto the back skin! After implantation, the eggs form pockets in the skin, which ends up looking like a honeycomb. Inside the skin, the eggs turn to tadpoles, and tadpoles into tiny frogs. Eventually, they emerge from their mother’s back as tiny Surinam Toadlets.

We know, it’s a creepy animal – but it’s doing something right.

Surinam Toad with eggs.

Baby got back. And back got babies.

Wait! There’s more! Watch the toadlets ‘hatch’ from their mother’s skin below. Guaranteed to creep you out!

Photo above via Aqua Pets Plus

3Comments
Feb 22 2010

Unapologetically Creepy: Tongue-eating Parasite

Parasite on fish tongue.

Say hello to my little friend.

If this isn’t a creepy animal, then we may as well close shop. The Tongue-eating Parasite is an absolutely repulsive crustacean that truly lives up to its name. It enters through a fish’s gills, then latches onto the host’s tongue. Once fully secure, the parasite gorges on the blood supply. In due time the tongue shrinks to nothing and the parasite literally replaces it, carrying on as a functioning ‘tongue’. The gluttony continues – with its prime location in the mouth, the parasite continues to consume whatever comes its way, like blood, mucus, foodstuffs. Mmmmm.

Tongue eating parasite in hand.

This 'site isn't for everyone.

Photo via Fishing Fury

11Comments
Feb 16 2010

Coconut Crab

Coconut crab on garbage.

They don't call them scavengers for nothing.

The Coconut Crab‘s got swagger. This crustacean lives in paradise in the coastal forests of the Indo-Pacific islands and has been known to ‘steal’ shiny objects such as silverware and pots. What a life.

The Coconut Crab also lives up to its name – it can crack open a coconut with its massive pincers. Can it also pour in a shot of rum and pop in a straw? Someday we hope to come across a Cocktail Crab…

Photo via letterdash

11Comments
Feb 12 2010

Pangolin

Pangolin in desert.

Shuffling gait, no teeth, poor eyesight - and he's not even 20.

This here is the Pangolin. It mildly resembles an anteater. Pangolins walk waddle on two hind legs, using its tail for counterbalance – T-Rex style. It’s slow and hilarious. Lest you come across one, it’s only defense is to curl up into an armored ball and wait.

Though Pangolins are aggressively hunted for illegal trade in Asia, in the wild it is the hunter. It ploughs through ant and termite nests with massive claws then slurps up the goods. How? With a sticky, long tongue – the longest of any animal, relative to body size. It is so absurdly long that the tongue itself is attached near the pelvis and last pair of ribs. That’s damn creepy.

Pangolin tongue.

Mmm. Yummy.

Photos via Nigel Dennis and Biodiversity Explorer

+Add Comment
Feb 9 2010

Cuscus

White Cuscus on tree.

Mnaw. Now isn't that precious?

Have the urge to hug this soft, fuzzy creature? Fight it. The Cuscus is more than an Australasian, nocturnal marsupial. It is downright creepy for the following reasons:

1. Possesses hands with sets of opposable fingers, similar to a chameleon’s. Heinous fingernails top it off.

2. Facial features reminiscent of accounts of extra-terrestrial sightings – large eyes, triangular face, barely visible ears, etc.

3. Has a name that sounds like a Moroccan dish.

Cuscus eating.

Starfruit and Spotted Cuscus. Excellent combination.

Photo via Ozanimals.

Watch the Creepycreepy Cuscus:

1Comment
Feb 8 2010

Ajolote Lizard

Ajolote lizard.

What is the object in the photo above? Select the correct answer: A) Worm B) Plastic Toy C) Reptile D) Alien

The correct answer is C. Congratulations to all you connoisseurs of creepy! The Ajolote Lizard aka the Mexican Mole Lizard lives mainly underground eating worms and other insects. This reptile can be found only in the Baja California peninsula in Mexico – if you happen to go there on vacation, get to the wild and start overturning rocks and digging lightly around the mesquite.

When you see a long, flesh-colored creature with 2 minuscule arms and a set of pinholes for eyes, you’ll know what it is:

3Comments
Feb 2 2010

Rare: King of Herrings

King of Herrings caught.

GIANT SEA MONSTER! CAUGHT!

This creepy animal definitely isn’t a King. And most certainly not a Herring. The King of Herrings is an extremely long bony fish that swims the oceans deep. Some say the King of Herrings can grow to 50 feet, weigh up to 600 pounds, and swim vertically. Nobody knows for sure as the fish is rarely seen. This is a relatively small catch:

King of Herrings fish.

Long live the King of Herrings!

19Comments
Jan 29 2010

Animal Anomaly: Two-toned Lobster

Lobster with two colors.

Buy 1 get 1 half off?

This Two-toned Lobster was caught by a lobster fisherman in Maine a few years ago. The color split is the result of a simple abnormality – half the shell lacks the blue pigment. We love this specimen so much because it looks as if it is half-cooked:

  • Brown = raw, live crustacean ready to take off your finger
  • Orange = tasty morsels ready to be dipped in melted butter

Fortunately, the Two-toned Lobster now lives in an aquarium for all to gawk at. It has been noted that the odds of finding a two-toned lobster is approximately 1 in 50 million.

5Comments
Jan 26 2010

Rare: Purple Frog

Purple frog.

They finally caught the purp.

The Purple Frog was officially ‘discovered’ by scientists in 2003 in the Western Ghats region in India. This species is rare mainly because it is rarely seen – it devotes much of the year living 13 feet underground burrowing for termites.  The Purple Frog only comes to the surface two weeks a year during monsoon season to mate and scare the hell out of the non-locals.

Characteristics: purple skin, squat bloated corpus, beady eyes, snubbed nose, and generally creepy:

Purple frog on ground.

Top view.

2Comments

by Tag

Older
Newer