From one-eyed sharks to wasps with mega-jaws, here are 10 of the weirdest creatures ever found!
10.
Poodle Moth
Discovered in 2009 by Dr. Arthur Anker from Kyrgyzstan, the Venezuelan Poodle Moth is
often thought to be a hoax because of how strange it is, but it most definitely is a
real creature.
They are found in the Gran Sabana region in southeast Venezuela and, while thought to
be closely related to other species of moth, that are furry and a little weird, it has
a completely unique appearance.
Some people think it is cute, others think it’s horrific looking.
I personally think it’s really cute!
What about you guys??
Unfortunately, because of its scarcity and the remote region where it is found, we don’t
know much at all about this peculiar creature.
Hopefully more specimens will be found soon, so we can finally find out more about it.
9.
Cyclops Shark
Sharks are hardly the most comforting of creatures found in the ocean, but occasionally they
will suffer from a condition called cyclopia that is seen in various animal species- including
humans- and results in the development of only one eye.
Very few examples of Cyclops sharks have ever been found, with a Mexican fishing crew catching
the last recorded case in 2011.
They had caught a pregnant dusky shark.
After cutting it open they found 10 embryo’s- 9 of which had formed normally.
The last one was albino and had only one eye.
Measuring only 22 inches long it wouldn’t have been much of a threat once it had been
born, but with a whole ocean out there to explore it’s quite possible that there are
much larger versions swimming around out there ready to startle even the most hardy of fishermen.
Imagine being a diver and running into a one eyed shark!
Pretty scary stuff!!
8.
Devils Worm
This worm truly deserves its name.
It was first found in 2010 at a depth of 2.2 miles beneath the earth’s surface.
It is the deepest living creature that has ever been found.
While once thought to be limited to a few dozen feet deep, the discovery of a nematode
this far down has provided evidence that there’s a whole biosphere waiting to be found deep
in the ocean’s depths- but judging on the appearance of this one, I’m not so sure
that’s a world we want to explore!
Just kidding!
Of course we do!!
I know you’re all dying of curiosity!!!
Luckily this worm is tiny, measuring only about half a millimeter long, but it has adapted
to the extreme temperatures and pressures it lives in, and was found in an underground
lake that hadn’t been exposed to outside interference for over 4,000 years.
It is made from a series of rings, has an unusually long tail, and a nasty looking set
of teeth that could have been the inspiration for many an alien movie.
They aren’t a threat to humans of course, feeding only on microbacteria, but with evidence
that life can exist in such inhospitable environments, who knows what else is lurking down there!
And now for number 7, but first be sure to subscribe if you are new here!
7.
Lobster Moth
From looking at an adult Lobster moth you’d be forgiven for wondering how it had got its
name, or why it’s on this list.
Despite the unassuming appearance of a normal furry grey moth, the answer lies with what
it is like when it is a caterpillar.
Found across Europe, North Africa and Northern Asia, it’s undoubtedly one of the weirdest
things found in nature, with forelegs that look like the outstretched claws of a lobster,
and a body that swells up and folds onto itself to resemble a lobster’s tail.
The reddish brown color finishes off its strange appearance, and people used to think it was
a poisonous beetle.
It was only once they were captured and reared in captivity that the harmless nature of their
life cycle was finally revealed.
6.
Pink Dragon Millipede
Some animals have far too many legs for their own good and, while some species of millipede
may look cute, the recently discovered pink dragon millipede might be the absolute last
thing you’d want to see before you go to bed.
Unless you really love bugs.
Dragon millipedes are named for their spiky appendages and unusual colors- with this pink
one having been found a few years ago in Northern Thailand.
The locals call it the “mangkorn chomphoo”, or “shocking pink dragon millipede”, and
they all stay well clear of them.
The good news is that they are only 3 centimeters long, but the bad news is that these creatures
are brightly colored as a warning- they produce their own hydrogen cyanide, which they release
when feeling under threat of attack.
Cyanide is lethal to humans in relatively small doses, and while this millipede probably
wouldn’t kill you if you step on it, you would definitely be left regretting it.
Human reactions to the low levels of cyanide they produce include skin irritations, eczema,
blisters, itching and possible pink eye.
Because of the presence of this chemical, these millipedes apparently smell strongly
of almonds.
It’s also a very confident creature, happily sitting out in the open during the day because
it knows no predator would dare risk trying to eat it.
5.
Tube-Nosed Fruit Bat
The Philippine tube-nosed fruit bat was first discovered by scientists in 1984, but it had
been the stuff of nightmares for locals who encountered it for years.
They hang, conspicuously, like all other bats- but have a few distinctive characteristics
that set them apart from their peers.
First are the separate tubular nostrils that project about six millimeters above the mouth.
They also have unusual coloring for bats, being one of very few species that are striped-
with a broad dark stripe along the center of its back.
They also have strange yellow markings on their ears and wings, which are thought to
help them camouflage into their surroundings.
No-one’s quite sure why they have developed their tubular nostrils, with some suggesting
they are to aid with eating fruit, or perhaps to aid with smell or even their echolocation.
Either way, it wouldn’t be much fun to find yourself in a cave full of these creatures,
so keep a watch out if you’re ever exploring the forests of the Philippines.
4.
Cthulhu Larva
Also known as the Deep Sea Holothurian, the sea pig or the abyssal sea cucumber, the Cthulhu
Larva looks just like something a Hollywood creature designer would make for a creepy
sci-fi movie.
HP Lovecraft anyone?
They are found in oceans around the world apart from the North Atlantic, and are often
found in groups of up to 600 that usually are all facing in the same direction towards
the current.
They are an incredibly successful underwater species that don’t face many threats in
their lifecycle- they are only a few inches long, don’t have a face and spend most of
their lives using their feeding tentacles to eat and sift through the mud of the seabed
for nutrients.
Despite their harmlessness, I definitely wouldn’t want to come across a whole swarm of these
Larvae in the midst of a feeding session.
The main reason for human contact with them is due to deep sea trawling, so most of you
probably won’t come into contact with them anytime soon.
3.
Frilled Shark
There’s another rarely found shark that lurks deep in the oceans, and for those that
are unfortunate enough to find one- they’re in for a fright.
The Frilled Shark was first identified in the late 1800’s when a German ichthyologist
brought two specimens back to Vienna from Japan.
They are named for the unusual way that their gills are separated with red fringes.
In the wild, this 7-foot long species is known to hover in the water because they are naturally
buoyant, and are thought to attack their prey more like a snake than what you would expect
from a shark.
While they live all around the world, they luckily stay at depths far beyond the reach
of humans, but sometimes it does venture into shallower waters.
If you do encounter one, consider yourself lucky because it's very rare, and also, watch
out for its teeth.
Rivaling those of a Great White, it has over 300 trident-shaped back-facing gnashers that
are so sharp that the mouths are difficult for researchers to explore even when the creature
is dead.
2.
Giant Wolf Fish
Species of Wolf Fish are found all over the world, but one particular type, affectionately
known as the Giant Wolf Fish, is a scary and potentially very dangerous one that is found
in freshwater environments across South America.
Usually found in counter current zones of rivers, they are ambush predators that feed
on crayfish, crabs and small invertebrates.
They can grow up to four feet long, with the largest ever one on record weighing forty
kilograms.
They have varying colors depending on where you find them, with browns, light colors and
spots.
There aren’t any proven attacks on humans, but there have been a series of claims of
strange things happening, including in one instance where a diver who was inspecting
a dam at Suriname’s Afobaka power plant was victim of a vicious strike.
With that many teeth, its size, and mean temper- the giant wolf fish would certainly be capable
of such an encounter . It’s enough of a reason to avoid swimming in the waters of
the Courantyne or Coppename rivers where the largest numbers and most aggressive types
live.
1.
Megalara Garuda
And finally number one, and if you’re not a fan of wasps then you might want to look
away now.
In 2012, the Megalara Garuda was first found on a small island in Indonesia called Sulawesi.
These scary wasps, named by the researchers who found them as the “King of Wasps”,
grow to about two inches long and, perhaps more terrifyingly, a living specimen has never
been found, so we know very little about what those massive jaws are used for.
They are thought to be a subspecies of larrine wasps that dig into open, sandy areas to make
nests and lay their eggs.
Unlike other varieties, though, the male Megalara Garuda have flattened faces and grow these
large, spiked jaws.
It’s thought that they can use these for digging, and for trapping prey before consuming
it.
While we don’t know much about these wasps, we do know that they are already endangered.
The location where the specimens were found is designated as a site that will become an
open-pit nickel mine- something that will annihilate the surrounding habitats.
Maybe before that happens, when the first workers move in to start, perhaps the first
living Megalara Garuda will be found and the purpose of the jaws finally understood.
Thanks for watching!!