If you have been reading at BuzzNick for a while, it is no surprise to know that we love animals. This animal post is going to be a little bit more unique though. These are animals that most people didn’t even know existed, and some of them are just frightening.
1. Sea Pig – Scotoplanes live on deep ocean bottoms, specifically on the abyssal plain in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean, typically at depths of over 1000 meters.
2. Okapi – It is also known as the forest giraffe. This mammal is native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. Despite the zebra-like stripes, it is actually more closely related to giraffes.
3. Thorny Dragon – It is also known as the mountain devil. It is colored in camouflaging shades of desert browns. This lizard has a “false” head, which he presents to his predators by dipping the real one. I would never want to run into this one in the desert.
4. Shoebill – This large stork-like bird gets its name because of the shape of its beak. Even though it was already known to ancient Egyptians and Arabs, the bird was only classified in the 19th century
5. Indian Purple Frog – Found in India, this species of frog has a bloated body and an unusually pointy snout. It only spends two weeks a year on the surface of earth, leaving the underground for mating.
6. The Blue Parrot Fish – This one of my favorite. This bright blue fish can be found in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, and spends 80% of its time searching for food.
7. The Bush Viper – Being a carnivore predator, the Bush Viper lives up in the trees of the tropical forests of Africa, and does most of its hunting at night. No thanks!
8.The Saiga Antelope – This saiga, spread around the Eurasian steppe, is known for its extremely unusual, over-sized, flexible nose structure, the proboscis.
9. Glaucus Naticus – Also known as the blue dragon, this creature is a species of blue sea slug. You can find it in the warm waters of the ocean. It normally floats on the surface because of a gas-filled sac in its stomach.
10. The Pacu Fish – You probably don’t need much explanation as to why the residents of Papua New Guinea call this fish a “ball cutter.” The local fishermen were really worried about the safety of their testicles when they had to get in the water.
11. Venezuelan Poodle Moth – Discovered in Venezuela in 2009, this new species of alien-looking moth is still poorly explored. If you have any great info, let us know.
12. Hummingbird Hawk Moth As this hawk-moth feeds on flowers and makes a similar humming sound, it looks a lot like a hummingbird.
13. Mantis Shrimp – With its vibrant colors, it is also called the “sea locusts“, “prawn killers” and even “thumb splitters”. This is one of the most common predators in tropical and sub-tropical waters.
14. Umbonia Spinosa – These thorn bugs are related to cicadas, and use their beaks to pierce plant stems to feed upon their sap. Their strange appearance still poses many questions to scientists
15. Penis Snake – This is peculiar eyeless animal is actually called Atretochoana eiselti. It is a large, presumably aquatic, caecilian amphibian with a broad, flat head and a fleshy dorsal fin on the body.
16. The Panda Ant – The Mutillidae are a family of more than 3,000 species of wasps (despite the names) whose wingless females resemble large, hairy ants. Found in Chile, they are known for their extremely painful stings, hence the common name cow killer or cow ant.
17. Goblin Shark – This shark poses no threat to humans as they live at about 330 feet below water. Just looking at the picture gives me the creeps.
18. Red Lipped Batfish – Found on the Galapagos Islands, this fish is actually a pretty bad swimmer, and uses its pectoral fins to walk on the bottom of the ocean. I do like its lipstick.
As much as I love animals, I will not be mad if I never have to run into most of these animals.