We
have all been there, you are surfing the web until a picture catches your eye
and makes you do a double take. You have
spotted a rare and unusual animal that you never knew existed. For a moment you are certain this is the work
of a Photoshop master that is until you Wikipedia it. Do not adjust your screen
settings the pictures you are about to see are real. These beautiful and exotic
animals live among us.
THE BUSH VIPER
The
Bush Viper, scientifically known as Atheris squamiger comes from
the family Viperidae. It is a venomous, rough-scaled, arboreal snake. The male
bush viper can grow to be 16 to 22 inches in length, smaller than the female
who can grow 20 to 28 inches in length. The bush viper can be found in the
forests from Nigeria to western Kenya, as well as from northwestern Tanzania southward
to northwestern Angola. The bush viper is most often found in rainforests, but can
also be found in open woodlands, along water courses and in the vegetation
bordering trails. The bush viper can live anywhere from 12 to 20 years. The
bush viper can move quickly when needed, but it is generally inactive to the point
of lethargy. They will find a quiet elevated perch in their terrarium, coil,
and may remain, barely moving, for several days. But, if disturbed, they can
and will bite.
THE
PANDA ANT
Their name derives from the uncanny resemblance to a panda
in its markings. The name while seemingly fitting is actually all wrong. Obviously it is not a panda and believe it or
not, it isn’t an ant either. The Panda Ant is actually a variety of
wingless wasp! They were first discovered in 1938. They are only known to exist
of the coast of Chile.
Their sting is exceptionally powerful for their size. They have been seen to
bring down animals as large as cows with only a few dozen stings. The
Panda Ant displays extreme sexual dimorphism.
The difference in both appearance and behavior is so pronounced, the two sexes
are often mistaken for entirely separate species! The male is several times
larger than the female. He can grow to a length of approximately 0.3 in (mm).
The males are winged, and the females are wingless. The males are nocturnal,
while the females are active during the day. The Panda Ant lives off of nectar.
After mating, the female seeks the nest of a ground dwelling insect, such as a
bee or wasp. There she deposits her eggs. When they hatch, they will feed upon
the larva
present.
THE
SEA ROBIN
The Sea Robin scientifically known as a Gurnard or scorpaeniform
fish comes from the family Triglidae. They get their name from their large
pectoral fins, which, when swimming, open and close like a bird's wings in
flight. They can grow to be a foot or two in length. They live in the ocean at
depths to 200 m (660 ft). They have a solid skull, and many species possess
armored plates on their bodies. Another distinctive feature is the presence of
a drumming muscle that makes sounds by beating against the swim bladder. When
caught, they make a croaking noise similar to a frog. Sea robins have six spiny
flexible legs that were once part of the pectoral fin. Over time, the spines
separated themselves from the rest of the fin, developing into feeler-like forelegs.
The pectoral fins have been thought to let the fish walk on the bottom, but are
really used to stir up food.]The animals float upside down at the
surface of the sea, keeping afloat by swallowing air which is stored in their
stomachs. Their diet is mainly made up of
hydrozoans including the Portuguese Man o’ War - they even eat the stings. As
well as getting nourishment from the stings, they use them for their own defense.
THE
WHITE ZEBRA
Zoe is one of the
rarest zebras in existence. She is what is called a Golden Zebra, although some
refer to her as a “white” zebra. Zoe is the only Golden Zebra known to be in
captivity at this time. Zoe was born on the Island of Molokai, Hawaii in 1998
and shortly after her and her mother, Oreo, was moved to the Three Ring Ranch,
which is an animal sanctuary on the Big Island of Hawaii. Her unusual color is due to her having
"amelanosis". She is not
an albino. She has striking gold stripes and blue eyes. In horses, there
is a similar condition called "Lethal White Foal Syndrome" which is
associated with the occurrence of other serious birth defects. Although this
color variation occasionally occurs in wild herds, the animals would likely
survive only a few days at best. This is probably because zebras use their
stripes as camouflage to blend in with the rest of herd. This then allows the
herd, to confuse predators with the changing patterns formed by the movement of
a large group. Animals that stand out from the herd are easy targets for
predators. In nature, having a
color variation that makes you stand out is not a good thing! As
of now, the only health problems they are aware of is the fact that she has
poor night vision. As she ages she may incur some complications due to the
amelanism such has kidney problems. There have only been reports of two other
Golden Zebra’s in captivity. The first was in Germany approximately 100 years
ago! The second was in a zoo in Tokyo in the 1970’s. Zoe is the only Golden
Zebra known to exist in captivity today.
THE CAMEL SPIDER
Camel
spiders became the talk of the internet during the Iraq war of 2003, when
rumors spread online about their bloodthirsty nature. For many years, Middle
Eastern rumors have painted camel spiders as large, venomous predators, as fast
as a running human, with a voracious appetite for large mammals. None of this
is true, these creatures do not actually eat camels' stomachs or sleeping
soldiers, and they are not gigantic. The camel spider's history of
misinformation begins with a misidentification. Camel spiders are not even
spiders. Like spiders, they are members of the class Arachnida, but they are
actually solpugids. Camel spiders, also called wind scorpions and Egyptian
giant solpugids (SAHL-pyoo-jids), are only about 6 inches (15 centimeters) long.
True, they are fast, but only compared to other arachnids. Their top speed is
estimated at 10 miles (16 kilometers) per hour. Camel spiders are not deadly to
humans (though their bite is painful), but they are vicious predators that can
visit death upon insects, rodents, lizards, and small birds. They have powerful
jaws that are one-third of their body length and used to seize their victims
and turn them to pulp with a chopping or sawing motion. Camel spiders are not
venomous, but they do utilize digestive fluids to liquefy their victims' flesh,
making it easy to suck the remains into their stomachs.
THE AYE-AYE
Aye-ayes
are rare animals who are actually related to chimpanzees, apes, and humans, that
can only be found on the island of Madagascar. The aye-aye’s
head and body length can reach up to 440 mm and their tail length up to 600 mm.
The aye-aye typically weighs around 2-3 kg. The highly
distinctive aye-aye is the world’s largest nocturnal primate. It has a thick
coat of coarse black or brown hair flecked with white from longer guard hairs,
and a long bushy tail which more than doubles the length of the body. The
species has a number of extreme morphological adaptations to its unusual
feeding habits, making it one of the most bizarre-looking animals on the
planet. It has huge, leathery bat-like ears and prominent yellowish-orange
eyes. The fingers are long and narrow and tipped with curved claw-like nails.
The third finger on each hand is skeletal in appearance. It is extremely long
and thin, and is primarily used for extracting insect larvae from holes in
trees. The aye-aye is nocturnal and spends its days
sleeping in a nest of twigs and leaves. The nest can take up to 24 hours to
build and are often located high up in the crowns of tall trees. As they move
from place to place individuals either build new nests or make use of those
constructed by other aye-ayes. Male aye-ayes have large overlapping ranges of
around 100 to 200 ha, which usually contain several females. The home ranges of
females are smaller and do not overlap. Individuals mark their ranges with
urine and scent from glands in their necks, cheeks and rumps. Breeding is
thought to occur throughout the year, with females advertising their readiness
to mate through distinctive calls. They are thought to give birth to a single
young every two to three years. Although regarded as a generally solitary
species, males and female aye-ayes have been observed foraging together outside
of breeding periods.
Aye-ayes fill the niche occupied by woodpeckers and squirrels in other parts of the world (neither of these occur in Madagascar). They can locate grubs living in cavities under tree-bark by tapping their thin middle fingers on the branch and listening to the reverberations through the wood. Once a promising cavity has been found the aye-aye cocks forward its large ears and listens for the sound of grubs burrowing beneath the bark. If a grub is heard the aye-aye will rip open the cavity with its teeth and hook out the grub with its middle finger. Aye-ayes also eat fruit, nuts, nectar, seeds and fungi. Many people native to Madagascar consider the aye-aye to be bad luck. For this reason they were once killed on sight, leading to this animal becoming critically endangered. Luckily, today they are protected by law.
Aye-ayes fill the niche occupied by woodpeckers and squirrels in other parts of the world (neither of these occur in Madagascar). They can locate grubs living in cavities under tree-bark by tapping their thin middle fingers on the branch and listening to the reverberations through the wood. Once a promising cavity has been found the aye-aye cocks forward its large ears and listens for the sound of grubs burrowing beneath the bark. If a grub is heard the aye-aye will rip open the cavity with its teeth and hook out the grub with its middle finger. Aye-ayes also eat fruit, nuts, nectar, seeds and fungi. Many people native to Madagascar consider the aye-aye to be bad luck. For this reason they were once killed on sight, leading to this animal becoming critically endangered. Luckily, today they are protected by law.
THE YETI CRAB
Discovered in the early 21st century (2005), the peculiar
looking crustacean known as the yeti crab gets its name from the layer of
"furry" setae that covers most of its body. Given the scientific name
"Kiwa hirsuta" and sometimes called a “furry lobster”, the yeti crab
was originally discovered in the Pacific Ocean near the Antarctic Ridge about
900 miles off the coast of Easter Island. Since then another species has been
discovered and named “Kiwa puravida”. Yeti crabs live on the ocean floor and stay near hydrothermal
vents, and due to their entire lives being spent on the ocean floor, they never
develop the ability to see. They are large creatures with an average length of
around 6 inches (15 centimeters), and are found at depths as deep as 7200 feet
(2200 meters). The arms are actually covered in bacteria, which lives in the
setae and is most likely a food source for the crab. Yeti crabs are also
believed to feed off mussels, shrimp or algae. Their hair is possibly a means
of sensing their surroundings. Not much else is known about the yeti crab, but
it is believed to be a distant relative of the common hermit crab.
Work Sited:
Wikipedia.com
Nationalgeographic.com
All Pictures courtesy of Google Images
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