Last week, we explored the weirdness of the human body—those bizarre quirks that make us scratch our heads and wonder why evolution decided to go all avant-garde on us. From the not-so-silent symphony of our digestive gurgles to the eerie parade of goosebumps marching across our skin, we basked in the strange glow of our own biological oddities. But, if you thought humanity held a monopoly on weirdness, au contraire! Because the animal kingdom is a veritable circus of oddities that make even our weirdest quirks look mundane.
While we’ve spent enough time staring at our belly buttons and wondering why they’re there, this week, we're shifting gears to explore the lives of some of the strangest animals on this planet. These creatures are like the walking, swimming, and flying versions of those “strange but true” facts we love so much. A world where evolution seems to have let loose its most whimsical and bewildering designs, where nature's imagination runs wild and untamed.
We're talking about animals that defy logic and challenge our understanding of biology with their extraordinary adaptations and downright peculiar behaviors. These aren't just your everyday household pets; these are the true freaks of nature, each one a testament to the boundless creativity of the natural world. If you thought humans had cornered the market on weird, wait until you get a load of what’s lurking in the oceans, crawling through forests, and flying through the skies.
So, buckle up and prepare for a journey into the strangeness of the animal kingdom. This week, we're delving into the strangest animals alive today - the bizarre, the beautiful, and the downright unbelievable - creatures that will make you question everything you thought you knew about life on Earth. Get ready to explore the unexplainable and, as always, ponder some fascinating facts along the way.
Saiga Antelope: This species surely wins the prize for the weirdest-looking antelope out there.
Its strange, bulbous nose actually has a very serious and important function. Living in the semi-desert grasslands of Central Asia (in Mongolia and Kazakhstan) saigas endure very harsh conditions. Not only do they have to contend with hot summers and freezing winters, they also deal with clouds of dust kicked up by the herd during their mammoth migrations. Their big, drooping noses will warm up frigid air before it enters their lungs, as well as filter out dust, helping them to survive in an unforgiving landscape.
· Did you know that even if a pig could fly, other pigs would not be able to witness it? Because pigs are incapable of looking up! The anatomy of their neck muscles and spine limits the movement of their head, so they can't look totally upwards.
· Did you know that Koala fingerprints are so close to humans’ that they could taint crime scenes? In fact, they’re so similar to those of humans that in Australia, police feared that criminal investigations may have been hampered by koala prints. So, any koalas who want to commit crimes would be wise to do so wearing gloves.
Peacock Spider: Discovered in 2015, these spiders are native to certain areas of Australia.
They’re a member of the jumping spider family and have a specialized visual system that allows them to see the full visible spectrum as well as in the ultraviolet range.
· Did you know that frogs can’t vomit, so they eject their entire stomachs? This is called full gastric eversion, and it's a little like dumping out your pockets. A tidy creature, the frog wipes the stomach hanging out of its mouth with its front feet to remove any stray bits. Then it packs the whole thing back into its body, where it will presumably stay until the next noxious tidbit is eaten.
· Did you know that a grizzly bear’s bite is so strong that it can crush a bowling ball; the creatures have a bite-force of over 8,000,000 pascals!
Axolotl: This remarkable amphibian is native to a small series of lakes and canals near Mexico City.
Once numbering in the thousands and providing an important food source for the Aztec, the wild population of axolotl is thought to have dwindled to just a few individuals due to habitat loss. Axolotl can grow to lengths of 18 inches. They don’t have lungs but breath a unique set of external gills. They have the ability to completely regrow lost limbs including jaws, spines and even their brains without scarring.
· Did you know that the bat is the only flying mammal? While some people may be tempted to put flying squirrels on the list, the truth is those guys can only glide for short distances. Meanwhile, the long, flexible skin that extends over a bat's wings, combined with their many movable joints, make bats great fliers. In fact, they’re much more comfortable in the air than on land. Because their leg bones are so thin, only two out of the 1,100 species of bats can walk on the ground.
· Did you know that Capuchin monkeys was their hands and feet in urine? Yep, it seems they urinate on their hands and feet when they're feeling randy. "We think the alpha males might use urine-washing to convey warm, fuzzy feelings to females, that their solicitation is working and that there's no need to run away," primatologist Kimran Miller told NBC News. "Or they could be doing it because they're excited."
Blobfish: Renowned for its gelatinous, droopy appearance, and a density only slightly above that of water, the blobfish has adapted to the extreme pressures of the deep ocean. Its peculiar visage has earned it the title of ‘world's ugliest animal’.
Although that’s perhaps a little unfair given that name was derived thanks to its appearance outside of its natural habitat. It has developed a rather simple hunting technique, simply floating along and waiting for creatures to wander into its mouth.
· Did you know that the loudest animal in the world is a mere 2cm long prawn? The Pistol Shrimp can snap its claw shut so rapidly, that it creates a bubble which collapses to produce a sonic blast, louder than a Concorde’s sonic boom!
The shock wave can reach 230 decibels, also louder than the sound of a gunshot. The imploding bubble for split seconds also generates temperatures of 4,400C, nearly as hot as the sun, killing its prey.
· Did you know that dolphins use toxic pufferfish to ‘get high’? Yep, it seems that dolphins - god bless’em - deliberately handle pufferfish causing them to release toxins as a defense mechanism. These toxins can be deadly in high doses, but also have a narcotic effect and are a powerful hallucinogenic, which dolphins appear to enjoy.
Naked Mole Rat: While it may sound like the name of an alternative rock band, the naked mole rat is a common sight in East Africa, where they burrow into the dry grasslands of Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya.
The naked mole rat has baffled scientists for decades thanks to a series of unusual biological traits. The only known cold-blooded mammal on the planet, naked mole rats are unusually long-lived for rodents; some have been documented at 32 years of age. They are also resistant to cancer and are capable of living in an environment with just a tiny amount of oxygen for hours on end.
· Did you know that starfish eat inside out? To catch their prey, they use tiny suction cups to grab hold of their food; next, their stomach exits their mouth to digest the food before re-entering the body when they're done eating!
· Did you know that there are more than 1.4 billion insects for EACH HUMAN on the planet, according to recent estimates. Ants have colonized almost every landmass on Earth. Their population is estimated as 107–108 billion alone, in comparison to approx. 7 billion humans on the planet.
Treehopper: The treehopper is the cyborg of the insect world, with bizarre projections and protuberances sprouting from its thorax.
precise function of these extreme enhancements is rather mysterious. They may play a part in physical protection or mate attraction. Camouflage is at least part of the story. And any predator that sees through the thorn-like disguise still has to contend with an arsenal of toxic chemicals harnessed from the sap that the bugs suck from wild potato plants.
· Did you know that giant anteaters’ tongues are two feet long - the longest of any known mammal?
· Did you know that the horned lizard is able to shoot blood from its own eyes, up to a distance of 3 feet away? This bizarre and rather disgusting act is a defensive mechanism to confuse predators. Their blood contains a chemical that is noxious to predators.
Costasiella Sea Slug: Sheep might be strict vegetarians, but they are mere amateurs compared to this ovine character, which is herbivorous to the point that it becomes part vegetable itself. The Costasiella sea slug - also known as the ‘Shaun-the-sheep slug’ - spends much of its time grazing on marine algae.
But it doesn’t digest this plant matter entirely. Somehow, it separates the chloroplasts (the green organelles within a plant’s cells that convert sunlight into chemical energy) from the rest of the meal and embeds them in its own tissues, making the slug a rare example of a photosynthetic animal.
· Did you know that crocodiles can live to be 100 years old?
· Did you know that male seahorses have pouches on their stomach which the female deposits her eggs in? This means that the male ultimately gives birth!
Penis Snake: Despite the name, this phallic-looking creature is neither a snake - nor a penis. This weird animal is actually a type of caecilian: a limbless amphibian that bears more than a passing resemblance to a certain part of the male anatomy. So naturally, this creature also goes by names such as the ‘manaconda’ or ‘floppy snake’.
Little is known about the species, and from its discovery in in the Amazon basin in the late 1800s to its rediscovery in 2011, there were only two preserved specimens. Very little is known about this creature, even including how it survives.
· Did you know that Dung beetles can pull weights 1,141 times heavier than their own body weight, making them the strongest animal on the planet!
· Did you know that roosters prevent themselves from going deaf due to their own loud crowing, by tilting their head backs when they crow, which covers their ear canal completely, serving as a built-in earplug? A study showed that their crowing averages over 100 decibels, which is roughly the same as running a chainsaw.
Pink Fairy Armadillo: The pink fairy armadillo is sort of like a fuzzy caterpillar crossed with a lobster. It’s the smallest species of armadillo, and at around 13cm in length, it’s small enough to fit in your hand.
Living in the sandy plains and dry scrublands of South America, it’s also known as the sand swimmer, thanks to its ability to quickly navigate the subterranean sands. Their unique pink color comes from blood being pumped into their shell for thermoregulation, which helps them maintain a steady core temperature in the hot, arid climate.
· Did you know that giraffes have purple tongues?
Scientists believe this helps to prevent their tongue getting sunburned when they’re eating.
· Did you know that sloths can take up to a month to digest a single leaf?
Everything about life is slow for these sleepy mammals. Most sloths will only have a bowel movement once a week, and it can take them up to 30 days to completely digest leaf.
The Great Potoo: In addition to having, what we think is one of the coolest names in the animal kingdom, the great potoo is a master of camouflage.
A carnivorous bird that lives mostly in tropical America, it can remain completely still, blending in with its surroundings by mimicking a tree stump or branch as it patiently waits for unsuspecting prey. And it doesn’t even give itself away by opening its eyes. Thanks to tiny openings below their eyelids, this nocturnal bird can see even when its eyes are closed, helping them spot even the most minute amount of movement.
· Did you know that painted turtles survive winter by breathing through their butts?
Not all creatures head to warmer climates when it gets cold out, and that means they need to learn to survive in chilly conditions. Painted turtles need to adapt to frozen ponds, which restrict their access to the air above the water. They do that by breathing through their butts - specifically, the all-purpose orifice called the cloaca. Thanks to a process called cloacal respiration, the turtles can get oxygen directly from the water around them.
· Did you know that a group of owls is called a parliament?
Their legislative powers, however, are still up for debate.
Echidna: If the concept of sin was invented for any creature, it was surely the echidna. For within the loins of this spiny little mammal - native to Australia and New Guinea - are hidden a multitude of deadly sins.
The first is lust. Every June to September, male echidnas trail after females in vast noisy groups like teenagers at a music festival. Their second sin is envy, because the echidna’s sperm is capable of bunching together into rival-hating blobs 100-sperm strong, whose goal it is to block off other potential suitors in the female’s reproductive tract. The third sin – sloth – applies only to the female echidna, as she is the only animal on Earth capable of being mated with while in the deep sleep of hibernation. The echidna does score lower on the other list of sins, however. They are not venomous, and they score low on the gluttony and greed scales, because - unlike most other mammals - they lack a true stomach. And what about pride you ask, the final sin? Let’s just say that the male echidna is rather well-endowed, with a four-headed penis otherwise unseen in nature. Whether or not you consider this something to be proud of is your call.
· Did you know that an octopus has three hearts? Yes, octopuses have two more hearts than you do. Two hearts are used to pump blood to their gills, while the third brings blood to the rest of their body. If that's not enough to impress you, they also have nine brains.
· Did you know that cows produce more milk when listening to slow music? Call it a moo-d. Researchers at the University of Leicester School of Psychology found that cows produced 1.54 more pints per day - a 3 percent increase - when they were played slow music, as opposed to more upbeat tunes. We’re guessing that the Moooo-dy Blues are one of their favorite bands.
Alligator Gar: This fearsome looking fish is a relic of the dinosaur age, dating back some 100 million years and growing to over eight feet in length. Their reptile-like snouts house rows of sharp teeth and an adaptation allows this fish to actually breathe air.
Though intimidating in size and weaponry, alligator gar are docile creatures that can be found peacefully swimming freshwater rivers and lakes from the Rio Grande to the Missouri River in the USA.
· Did you know that swifts spend most of their lives flying in the air? Yes, these relatives of the hummingbird, can fly for almost an entire year without ever landing. A study showed that, over a 10-month period, a swift stopped for just 2 hours.
· Did you know that, even after having its head cut off, a cockroach can still live for weeks? Even more disgusting, a cockroach’s head can actually survive by itself for a few hours too.
Star Nosed Mole: Sometimes called the geologists of the animal kingdom, the star-nosed mole can detect seismic waves with 25,000 sensory receptors that make up the fleshy tentacles around its nose.
As the only mole to live in swamps and marshes, this weird animal may also be able to detect faint electrical signals from aquatic prey. It can also smell underwater by blowing air bubbles and sucking them back into its nose, one of only two species that can do this (the other is the water shrew).
· Did you know that hummingbirds can fly backwards? Yes, they’re the only birds known to do this. These amazing creatures can also fly upside down, and they have their wing structure to thank for that. Unlike other birds, hummingbirds have a ball-and-socket joint, or rotator cuff, which provides them a much greater span of movement. This also allows them to hover in one place, which is typically how they eat.
· Did you know that some albatrosses are lesbians? Albatrosses form bonds for life, returning to the same place every year to raise their young. Some of these bonds are between two female albatrosses, with a study finding that in one breeding area 31% of pairs were two females.
· Did you know that there are an estimated 8.7 million species on earth and more than 80% of them are undiscovered? Based on current data, complex statistics, and models we can predict how many species there are on Earth, telling us how many are still left to be found. Guestimates are that it will take another 500 years to find them all.
And on that stunning note, it’s time to end today’s look at the strangeness of the animal kingdom. We've strolled with the saiga antelope across the steppes of Central Asia, delved into the deep with the blobfish, and marveled at the regenerative wonders of the axolotl. These creatures, with their strange adaptations and eccentric features, remind us that the world is far more bizarre and beautiful than our imaginations could ever conjure.
But let's not get too sentimental. The animal kingdom isn't a museum exhibit; it's a wild, untamed carnival where evolution has gone off-script in the most fascinating ways. We've only scratched the surface of its wonders and oddities, each one a testament to nature’s boundless creativity. There’s something profoundly humbling about recognizing how much we don't know about the myriad lives that share our planet, each one a unique solution to the puzzle of survival.
Next time you gaze upon a pigeon, a house cat, or even your own reflection, remember: the world is full of marvels far stranger than fiction. Stay curious, stay amazed, and most importantly, stay engaged with this wondrous, weird world. Because we just never can tell what else is out there, lurking just beyond the horizon.
The Donald Trump caterpillar looks identical to the ex-president’s hair.
This species of caterpillar, prior to 2016, was known as the Flannel Moth Caterpillar (Megalopyge opercularis). It gained popularity as it is very furry and bright orange, giving it an uncanny resemblance to Trump’s hair (wig?). This ‘fur’ however, is actually composed of multiple venomous ‘hairs’. Grabbing hold of one of these caterpillars is a painful experience.
I am pretty sure the Saiga Antelope and the blowfish are actually aliens waiting to conquer the earth. They are waiting for us to kill ourselves off with global warming and imbecile political leaders!, but that’s another story!
Thank you for the fun read!