Mammal « Creepy Animals

Jun 12 2013

Striped Hyena

Party in the back...

Grab a wolf, a mohawk, a zebra and your imagination, then conjure up a creepy animal. Voila! The Striped Hyena. This small hyena species roams the lands of North and East Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. Though a nocturnal scavenger by trade, the Striped Hyena has been known to hunt small prey. Despite its nighttime-only activities, humans have insisted on interfering with the hyena population. Today, fewer than 10,000 Striped Hyenas exist, earning them the ‘threatened’ badge. We feel threatened just looking these photos. Makes our hair stand on end.

Business in the front...

Hope to never face this face. Goodbyena.

Photos via Bless Chaos, Yuku, AnimalSpot

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Feb 4 2013

The Bilby

The Bilby.

If a shy rabbit and a feisty kangaroo had a lovechild, it would be the Bilby of Australia – a nocturnal marsupial that digs extensive tunnels under the land down under. Above ground, it scratches the soil for insects, seeds, fruit, fungi and small animals. The Bilby has excellent hearing, rarely needs to drink water, and looks cute without really trying.

Nobunny can top this.

Unfortunately for the Bilby, its numbers have dwindled since the moment European settlers landed in Australia. Habitat destruction and introduction of invasive animals have not helped. While European rabbits have made their best efforts trying to make Australians forget about the Bilby, a national plan is underway to save the endangered creature – captive breeding, population monitoring and promoting the Bilby as an alternative to the Easter Bunny.

The Easter Bilby. Tastes like bunny.

Photos via NPR, Bilby Appreciation Society

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Jan 28 2012

Bat-Eared Fox

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.

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Mammal

Jan 16 2012

Bornean Bay Cat

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

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Mar 1 2011

Celebes Crested Macaque

Bottoms up!

Celebes Crested Macaques are real swingers. We mean that in both the literal and figurative sense. This monkey lives only in the forests of the northeast portion of Sulawesi plus other tiny neighboring islands in Indonesia where we’re pretty sure they all know each other. Despite the population density, they’re very promiscuous: males and females mate various times with various partners. When the female is in heat, her buttocks turn red and swell to an anatomically disproportionate volume. This makes for an exemplary creepy animal.

More cushion for the pushin'.

Photos via Flickr and Northrup Photography

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Feb 11 2011

Yoda Bat

"Do or do not... there is no try." Uh, try creepy as hell, Yoda.

Some say the wiseness of Yoda is unparalleled in the universe. Others say bats are just mice with wings and have the intelligence level of a rock. Now there’s a creepy animal that proves everyone wrong: meet the Yoda Bat. This tube-nosed bat was discovered in 2009 during an expedition to a remote mountain range in Papua New Guinea. The bat uses its creepy facial protuberance to locate delicious fruit. It also does an excellent job resembling a certain sage Jedi:

Creepy animal vs. animal-y creep.

Photo via Piotr Nasrecki/Conservation International and Flickr

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Mammal

Jan 25 2011

Binturong

This is just rong.

You know something’s up when you’re smelling a fresh bag of piping hot microwave popcorn in the middle of a steamy rainforest in Southeast Asia. Chances are you’re near a Binturong, a civet-like animal that dwells in the forest canopy eating fruit and small animals.

The Binturong has scent glands near its tail that produce a musk often compared to ‘warm buttered popcorn,’ corn chips and cornbread. Who’s hungry now?

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Jan 11 2011

Tibetan Fox

Why so serious? Oh. Nevermind.

The Tibetan Fox roams the remote, parched earth of the tibetan plateau. This highly capable carnivore does a fantastic job of snatching small mammals with sharp teeth while appearing unapologetically smug. It also enjoys ample rest and relaxation in its burrow and no, it’s not impressed with this blog.

Photo via Milo Burcham

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Mammal

Sep 1 2010

Narwhal

A horn grows through the upper lip of this whale. This calls for a haiku.

narwhals are special,

unicorns of the arctic,

one tusk, sometimes two

Double tusk all the way. It's so beautiful.

Photo via National Geographic and jangeisler

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Aug 30 2010

Rare: Bush Dog

Neither a bush, nor a dog.

Photo via Nicola Williscroft

You know that feeling you get when something you’ve never seen before seems really, oddly familiar? Meet the Bush Dog. Could be a bear, badger, or fox depending on the angle. Either way, it’s creepy. These little Dogs of the Bush populate forests all over Central/South America eating small mammals and such. Despite an extensive range, only 15,000 remain. Bush dogs, though widespread, are mysterious and difficult to spot creatures. These mammals are native to South America, and parts of Panama and Costa Rica. Consequently, the natives of these areas refer to them as water dogs, vinegar dogs and forest dogs which in case they visit your house, you should get this invisible fence for dogs.

Even though they look a little like a domestic dog, bush dogs are wild animals. This fact alone makes them poor candidates as pets. While they are small, they could still cause injury and destruction in a household setting. Bush Dogs hunt large rodents such as paca and agouti in groups, although solitary hunters sometimes eat smaller rodents, snakes, lizards, and cam also be feed with regular dog treats. There are many supplements like glucosamine for dogs amazon to helps strengthen the body’s cartilage, which in turn reduces inflammation and slows the deterioration process. Sometimes, larger groups take on prey like the capybara which is much larger than each individual dog.

Because of their reclusive nature, these mammals do not interact with humans very frequently. Their natural habitat of dense forest is not particularly inviting to the average human. Despite this, native people do hunt them occasionally for their meat and fur. Instead of direct interaction, most human interaction occurs indirectly. Deforestation, habitat destruction, and pollution all impact these canines in a negative fashion. These considerations are why the IUCN Red List lists bush dogs as Near Threatened.

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Creepy Animals

…they're really interesting.