Creepy Animals

Jan 15 2010

Underwater Curiosities: Green Sea Slug

Half animal, half plant, 100% creepy.

This Green Sea Slug (Elysia chlorotica, specifically) is the official Underwater Curiosities category challenger on Creepy Animals. We ask:

It is Underwater? Yes.

A Curiosity of sorts? Why yes.

Creepy? Most definitely.

An Animal? Hmm. Not exactly.

That’s because Elysia chlorotica creates chlorophyll, just like a plant. It accomplishes this task by harvesting the genes and photosynthesizing organelles from the Vaucheria algae it ingests. This means the slug is fully equipped to manufacture it’s own food via photosynthesis, which has never been observed in the animal kingdom. It also means that once a young slug eats its first full meal, it never has to eat the algae again.

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Jan 8 2010

Creature of the Deep: Greenland Shark

The creeping giant.

Ever get the feeling there’s something really creepy lurking beneath all that floating ice up north? We get it all the time. Cause of fear? The Greenland Shark. This shark is a native of the frigid waters surrounding Greenland and Iceland yet little is known about this animal. Here are some things we do know, all of them creepy:

1. Its lifespan may be up to 200 years.

2. It moves very slowly, yet fast-moving fishes, seals and even reindeer have been found in the stomaches of these sharks.

3. The fossilized appearance comes courtesy of small ‘teeth’ on its skin. Greenland Shark leather is approximately 9 times stronger than cowhide.

4. Its flesh is very toxic when fresh.

5. 80% of the adult population has a parasitic friend – a small Copepod embeds itself into the shark’s cornea, with the other half of it dangling out like a dead worm. Scar tissue forms on the eye, rendering eyesight semi-functional later in age. No matter – Greenland Sharks spend most of their time in darkness, up to 7200 feet below the surface.

Blinded by the Copepod.

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Jan 1 2010

Rare: Almiqui

WANTED. Creepy and dangerous. Last seen: 2003

The Almiqui isn’t pretty but it is most definitely special. Only 37 of these nocturnal Cuban creatures have been captured and the species was thought to be extinct for many years. They resemble shrews or rodents but are not at all related – Almiqui also have venomous saliva. This particular specimen was captured alive in 2003 and released after 2 days of scientific prodding and a quick photo shoot.

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Dec 27 2009

Unapologetically Creepy: Vegetarian Spider

We never thought the words creepy and vegetarian could ever be used in the same sentence in a contextually sound way. But really, this Vegetarian Spider (the only vegetarian spider) is very seriously creepy. The Vegetarian Spider is a species of jumping spider that favors the buds of acacia plants, among other green items in tropical southeastern Mexico and Costa Rica where it lives.

"I spy with my many eyes...vegetables!" - the spider above

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Dec 20 2009

Creature of the Deep: Sea Angel

This one goes straight to heaven.

Behold the Sea Angel. A gorgeous, otherworldly creature seemingly made of gossamer and light in equal parts, gracefully beating its wings as it soars through waters deep. Then you realize it’s actually a snail without a shell. Now it’s a creepy animal. Congratulations.

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Dec 15 2009

Unapologetically Creepy: Star-nosed Mole

Smells like creepy.

Imagine: Wolverine-style claws implanted on your XXL paddle-shaped hands, beady eyes buried deep in your matted fur, and…22 fleshy pink tentacles surrounding your nostrils. Sounds creepy? Very. Just a day in the life of the Star-nosed Mole.

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Dec 3 2009

Underwater Curiosities: Sawshark

Dun dun. Dun dun. Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun.

This is so much worse than a Great White lurking on the beaches of Amity Island. Sawsharks are most obviously distinguished from other sharks by the row of teeth sticking out on either end of its long snout, which it uses to blade its victims.

Observe:

Muahahahhaaa.

Sawshark on Wikipedia

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Nov 21 2009

Extremes: the Smallest Horse Ever

"I shall call him...MiniMe."

Seriously. This is every little girl’s wish come true – a real, live My Little Pony.

Minus the rainbow explosion of color, disproportionately large eyes and endless silky tail. Fine, it’s My Little Pony – the Creepy Animals edition. This diminutive horse – appropriately named Thumbelina – is a miniature of a miniature – she’s a dwarf Miniature Horse! The teensy creature is just 17 inches high and 60 pounds – barely larger than most dogs and supposedly much more feisty.

Thumbelina on Wikipedia

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Nov 14 2009

Red Uakari Monkey

Dude. It's called sunscreen. SPF 45 at least.

This creepy animal looks as if it dunked its face in a vat of scalding water. Or maybe it took a 12-hour nap in the sun. Actually it’s a Red Uakari – a monkey that dwells in the moist jungles of Brazil, Peru and the Amazon River basin. The burned look comes from a lack of skin pigments and plentiful capillaries beneath the facial tissue. The Red Uakari population has dwindled by 30% over the past 30 years due to large-scale logging that greatly reduces their range.

Caught red-faced.

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Mammal

Nov 9 2009

Rare: Pink Fairy Armadillo

And this is why they live underground.

The Pink Fairy Armadillo is one part warm fuzzy, one part cold prickly. The plates of armor-like skin protect this lilliputian armadillo species (~4 inches) against abrasion whilst digging underground, where it spends nearly all of its time. The supremely creepy animal is currently endangered in central Argentina, where it is found.

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