Topic: Weird Animals
Due to a combination of cold weather, cold viruses, and attempting to save money for the holidays, we haven't been up to much adventuring lately. But, we are always having conversations about our next big journey, and being the dreamers that we are, we started talking about an African safari. While we were discussing the types of animals we would see, one of our nephews (a mini-adventurer) positively exclaimed, "rhinoceroses don't exist!" Apparently, he thought they only lived during the dinosaur era, and we had the hardest time proving to him otherwise.
Granted, he's only six years old, but we couldn't believe he had this misconception. However, once we started thinking about it, rhinos do seem rather prehistoric. With their horns, skinfolds that look like body plates, and huge size, they do seem a little out of this world. So, this got us thinking about other animals that seem mythical (or prehistoric), but they really do exist today. Here's what we came up with...
Narwhal
Photo from National Geographic
They look like some kind of weird, fairytale unicorn/dolphin hybrid, but these unusual porpoises are currently swimming in our Arctic waters. They behave like most other types of porpoises and dolphins, and experts aren't sure why they have that long tusk. They suspect it has something to do with their mating rituals (ouch!)
Giant Squid
Photo from National Geographic
They've been the center of countless sea novels and tales, and it turns out their existence is far from fiction. Although these animals have remained mostly a mystery for hundreds of years, recently scientists were able to capture footage of a real life, giant squid.
Blobfish
Ok, you've probably never heard of this fish, but it's weird enough to mention. Another ocean dweller, the blob fish lives in depths that would crush most living things. It's bizarre looking physique is perfectly adapted for the intense water pressure. It looks a little like Squidward to us.
Proboscis Monkey
These guys look like they popped straight out of a cartoon (again, resembling Squidward). It seems size does matter with these primates --at least in terms of their nose. The females of this species are attracted to the male's giant schnoz. Mother Nature can be hilarious sometimes.
Short-horned Lizard
Sure, vampires might be able to suck blood, but they're fake, and they've got nothing on the short-horned lizard, which can shoot blood out of its eyes. Used as a defense mechanism, this lizard can cause its blood vessels to pop and then shoot its own blood up to a distance of five feet. Now that's creepy.
Two-Headed Snake
Photo from Fox News
Mythology is filled with hydras and other multi-headed animals, and it seems some of these fantasies are rooted in fact. Siamese twins occur in all species of animals, including humans. Undoubtedly, one of the most bizarre is the two-headed snake. This phenomena is simply a genetic mutation and actually occurs vary rarely. Two-headed snakes usually don't live very long in the wild, which is what you'd expect when you consider that one head is always tempted to eat the other (still think you want to learn how to become a vet tech?)
Can you think of any weird animals that we missed?
