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

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

Under a veil of creepiness, an octopus swims.

The allure of the unique Blanket Octopus is its poetic defense mechanism. When the Blanket Octopus is threatened, a gorgeous scarf-like webbing unfurls from a set of arms tucked within its body, making the animal appear large, intimidating and creepy to potential predators.

Snooze. We’d rather see a blast of jet-black ink in the face. Who’s with us?

This would totally go with that new blazer I just bought.

Watch the blanket in action, accompanied by proper English voiceover work:

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

Neither a bush, nor a dog.

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.

Photo via Nicola Williscroft

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:

Long live the King of Herrings!

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:

Top view.

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.

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.

This is one no-frills fish.

Very little is known about the ancient, eel-like Frilled Shark. It dwells 600-1000 feet underwater and has rarely been seen. But we understand. This thing is U-G-L-Y. We wouldn’t leave the depths of any ocean looking like this.

...in dire need of a makeover.

This species has changed very little since prehistoric times and it certainly shows. Six large gills protrude beyond the wide-set jaw like a swollen wound. An uneven, tattered tail + milky eyes complete the look.