6 Bizarre Creatures around the World

Scientists keep discovering various species of flora and fauna every now and then. Specifically, new species and sub-species of animals are found every now and then. Some of these discoveries occasionally include some bizarre creatures from various parts of the world. Some are simply strange while others can be quite scary. Here is a list of 6 such bizarre creatures found around the world.

1) Blob fish

Ever seen a fish with a nose? If not, here you go. The blob fish looks exactly like a fish with a big nose. Imagine 100 people chewing a pack of gum and throwing it in the same dustbin. To the mass accumulated, throw in two eyelids. This is the blob fish. It is actually a type of fish found at the bottom of the sea near Australia and Tasmania. It is also a rather lazy fish. Its large gelatinous body keeps it just on the sea bed. It swallows any edible matter that floats in front of it. And you thought you were lazy?

2) Star nosed mole

Remember the Bugs Bunny cartoon where you saw a mole? Add a tiny squished-octopus as its nose instead of a regular one and voila!! You get a star-nosed mole. This strange looking creature is found in Canada and northern parts of the US. The name naturally comes from its nose. The tentacles actually help the mole find worms, molluscs, snails and other small creatures which it can eat. The mole lives in wet lowland areas. It is a good swimmer and usually forages along the bottoms of ponds and streams. It does dig shallow surface tunnels for foraging purposes and these tunnels often exit underwater. The mole is suspected to be a colonial species.

3) Axolotl

This strange creature looks like a cartoon character come to life. It is actually the best known of the Mexican neotonic mole salamanders. The larvae of this species do not undergo metamorphosis. Hence, the adult remains aquatic and gilled. This species is extensively used in scientific research owing to its abilities of regenerating most body parts, large embryos and ease of breeding. They are also kept as pets in England, US, Japan, Australia and many other countries.

4) Alpaca

Is it a camel? Is it a sheep? No, it is an alpaca!! It is a South American camelid resembling a sheep, but with a long, erect neck like a camel. The alpacas are bred in herds where they graze on the level heights of the Andes in northern Bolivia, northern Chile, southern Peru and Ecuador. Though alpacas look similar to llamas, they are considerably smaller. Moreover, unlike the llamas, they are not bred as beasts of burden. Rather, they are bred for their wool. Unlike sheep, the alpaca has only fleece fibers from which blankets, sweaters, hats, ponchos and other textiles are woven.

5) Aye-Aye

The Aye-aye will surely make you wet your pants if you see it in the dark due to its scary looks. It is the world’s largest nocturnal primate. Native to Madagascar, its physical features consist of rodent-like teeth, a long thin middle finger to fill the exact niche of a woodpecker. Similar to the woodpecker, the aye-aye has a unique way of finding food. It taps on trees to find grubs. It then gnaws holes in the wood, and uses its elongated middle finger to pull the grub out.

6) Yeti crab

See the photo here and you will know why this species of crab is called a Yeti crab. This crustacean was discovered in 2005 in the South Pacific Ocean. The crab is approximately 15 cm long and has notable quantity of silky blond setae covering its pereiopods. The furry pincers contain bacteria which the crab uses to detoxify poisonous minerals in the water that surrounds it. The crab is known to feed on algae and small shrimp.

Earth is a home to many more such bizarre creatures. Who knows what more creatures keep surfacing every year?