10 Strange Animals Found Across The World
The world is full of strange and surprising creatures that look like they crawled or swam right out of a science fiction movie. From the deepest parts of the ocean to remote islands, we share this world with some animals that have odd shapes, startling colors, and downright bizarre behaviors. In this article, we’ll meet ten of the most remarkable: from a crab that grows its own “fur” to a fish with a set of teeth that might look a bit too familiar. These aren’t your everyday backyard critters, they’re living proof that the natural world will never stop surprising us.
Yeti Crab
The Yeti crab lives in extreme heat, near deep-sea hydrothermals where the water can be hot enough to scald. They live right at the edge so that they can feel the heat and benefit from the natural minerals without getting cooked. It’s super weird, but yeti crabs actually grow their own food. Yeti crabs have hairy, bristle-covered claws that aren’t just for show. Those “hairs” (setae) grow bacteria, which the crab “farms” and later eats. It’s like carrying a little portable garden on their arms.
The Echidna
The echidna makes this list because it’s one of only two mammals that lays eggs (the other is a platypus, if you’re curious). If that didn’t make them weird enough, these mammals actually don’t have teeth. Instead, they use hard pads in their mouth to chew and grind up their food.
The Hagfish
The hagfish is a seriously slimy creature. In fact, they can release gallons of sticky slime to clog the gills of any predator that might be hunting them. That’s a pretty gross but effective self-defence technique. But if they ever want to get the slime off of themselves or need to escape tight spaces, they actually tie themselves in knots. What an interesting way of surviving!
The Emerald Cockroach Wasp
The emerald cockroach wasp is the stuff of nightmares. As the name suggests, these parasites lay eggs on cockroaches, but in such a creepy way. The wasp stings the roach’s brain to control its movement and stop it from getting away. Then, the wasp will use the roach’s antenna to lead it to a burrow, where the wasp will lay its egg inside of the roach. They’re like tiny zombie bugs!
The Pacu
These aren’t fish that you’re going to find in a tank in your dentist’s office, but you might think of them next time you’re at the dentist for a different reason. That reason being, these fish have human-like teeth! Pacu’s teeth are flat, making them look like they borrowed your grandpa’s dentures. But don’t let the teeth fool you. Unlike their cousin, the piranha, pacu generally like eating nuts and fruits over meat.
The Vampire Ground Finch
The vampire ground finch has a pretty creepy and unique name, but it’s really because they behave like the vampires of the bird world. When food is scarce, these birds will peck at other sea birds to drink their blood. Luckily for most birds, these vampire finches only live on the Galápagos Islands, but I still feel kinda bad for the other seabirds that call those islands home.
Velvet Ants
Unlike what the name might suggest, velvet ants aren’t actually ants– they’re wingless wasps! Which is good to know because their super painful sting hurts a lot more than a bite from an ant. But these ants aren’t looking for a fight. In fact, their fuzzy, brightly-colored bodies are meant to signal “stay away” to any curious predators wanting to attack them.
The Bobbit Worm
The bobbit worm is silent but deadly. They hide most of their body, which can grow up to 10-feet long, in the sand and only leave their jaws exposed. Then, when a fish swims by, they’ll shoot out and snap it in half with their fast jaws before the fish even knows what’s going on. Talk about a stealthy predator!
The Spider Crab
The spider crab is one big crab that knows how to survive. Living down in the depths of the deep sea, some of these real-life sea monsters have been recorded living to be over 100 years old. And they’re not just some tiny, microscopic thing either. The legs of Japanese spider crabs can reach up to 12 feet long. That’s the longest legs of any crab!
The Red-Lipped Batfish
Last but not least, we have the red-lipped batfish. These fish use their fins in a super unique way, actually walking along the ocean floor instead of swimming. And I think from the image it should be pretty obvious as to how these weird guys got their name. But what you might not know is that their signature bright-red lips actually serve a purpose. Their red lips help them stand out to potential mates. It’s exactly like putting on red lipstick before a first date.