5 terrible animals. Blue ringed octopus. "Aye-aye", or Madagascar little hand.
Everyone loves animals - cats, dogs, hamsters and other cute animals, but you are unlikely to want to have one of the creatures of nature presented in this collection as a pet. Not all creatures living on our planet look beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, but even the strangest and nastiest of them have the right to life, because evolution continues for millions of years, and each of these animals takes its own place under the sun (or in the depths of the ocean) .
Scientists believe the outbreaks are due to man-made changes to the ocean ecosystem, primarily to increase nutrient pollution. As a result, some areas have implemented population control programs to inject starfish with lethal toxins.
Although Canada does not have an official national bird, the vast majority of wildlife enthusiasts would call the Canada goose the most representative bird species in the world. However, Canada is large enough to support several different subspecies of Canada goose with slightly different lifestyles. In the avian equivalent of a civilian rather than a non-native invasion, resident Canada geese from Canada's interior are wreaking havoc on estuaries along the Georgia Basin, a globally significant stopover for thousands of migratory birds and salmon habitat that in turn supports humans and endangered orca populations.
The Ugly Animals Protection Society recently announced a competition for the most ridiculous and strange animal to become its mascot. Here you will find 12 “applicants” for this honorable position.
1. Drop fish
Dow conducted field studies in a series of estuaries and published results suggesting that geese were destroying habitat and leading to disruption of the food chain. Many invasive species are quite small, but the Burmese python is a huge and potentially deadly giant. First introduced to the Florida Everglades, a world-famous wetland, these monster streamers are among the largest snakes on the planet, growing up to five meters and weighing up to 90 kilograms. The snakes are believed to number in the thousands in this habitat, far from their original range in southern Asia.
The Latin name of this sea creature is Psychrolutes marcidus (it is also called “psychrolute goby”). The blobfish lives off the coast of Australia and Tasmania, usually at depths of 600 to 1200 meters - its jelly-like body allows it to withstand enormous water pressure. Due to increasing cases of illegal fishing, this not very attractive sea creature is in danger of extinction.
The jaws contain powerful, sharp, sharp teeth. Giant pythons are threatening to destroy wetlands as they consume native species with their massive strength, even preying on the normally invulnerable American alligators. The snakes have been listed as a priority for removal by state wildlife management agencies, but control efforts have been fairly ineffective to date.
The cane toad is living proof that introducing a second species to control an existing invader can lead to even greater disaster. Instead, the toads have spread across a wide range of habitats, pushing natural fauna into decline, including predatory lizards, marsupial mammals and songbirds, and even the ferocious, human-keeping pine crocodile may have nests threatened by cane toads.
2. Proboscis Monkey
The proboscis monkey (lat. Nasalis larvatus) lives on the island of Borneo, and in addition to its huge, ridiculous nose, it is known for its extremely shrill and nasty voice. Only males can boast of a large nose, for whom this physiological feature, as well as loud screams, is a way of attracting females during the mating period.
Like many invasive species, cane toad populations remain artificially high in their new environment due to the lack of predators adapted to feed on them and tolerate their defensive toxins. Proposals to control cane toads with the virus have been concerned that it will perpetuate a chain reaction, harming native species. In a strange twist, the toad's natural toxin is used to lure tadpoles for extermination.
When a predator is introduced to an island, the native species are ill-equipped to deal with a threat they never evolved to resist, while the lack of suitable predators gives rise to a population explosion. The soft-spoken, venomous snakes have begun wiping out most of the native vertebrate animals, which have been responsible for painful bites and power outages as they invade populated areas. To combat the reptiles, which grew up to three meters in length due to an unnaturally large supply of food, pumping of dead mice covered in drugs was used.
3. Two-clawed turtle (pig-nosed turtle, lat. Carettochelys insculpta)
These inhabitants of the fresh waters of Australia and New Guinea are the only representatives of their kind in the family of soft-bodied turtles, belonging to living fossil animals. The long nose, similar to a pig's snout, allows turtles to breathe while underwater.
Ships not only carry people, but often carry some of man's greatest enemies: the Norway rat and the house mouse. The invasive, sometimes disease-causing rodents also spell the death knell for entire seabird populations when they land on island ports, where they subsequently consume the eggs of young and even adult petrels, oaks and other waterbirds that rely on nesting territories free from land-based predators . Equally dangerous are invasive house mice, threatened species such as the endangered Tristan albatross, and even live chicks.
4. One-humped jumping slug
At first glance, the slug, which lives on the American continent and reaches six centimeters in length, is unremarkable, but nature has endowed it with a unique ability: when the slug senses danger, it can jump very high to avoid the threat.
Cats may be man's second best friend, but they have also proven to be a scourge of invasive potential as they stalk the outdoor environment and destroy native fauna. With direct and indirect help from humans, feral cats have caused the deaths of millions of continental songbirds ill-equipped to deal with the stealth attacks of burgeoning predators. The impact on island birds is particularly catastrophic. In an unprecedented case, one individual cat is believed to have caused the extinction of an entire species of New Zealand bird - the Stevens Island Wren.
5. Titicaca Whistler
This soft-bodied frog, living in Lake Titicaca, is the largest amphibian on Earth that never comes onto land. These animals grow up to 15 cm in length, and the structure of the surface of the skin allows the whistler to absorb oxygen directly from the water, so the frog appears on the surface only occasionally.
Numerous islands and continents have experienced severe declines in populations of breeding seabirds and native mammals following cat infestation. However, there is a downside. Some scientists believe that cats may actually save some people by exerting top-down control over small predators such as rats.
Humans are often labeled by conservation interests as the planet's primary invasive species, but we rarely think of the ape as an invasive species. However, the crab macaque actually made the International Union for Conservation of Nature's "100 Worst Invasive Species" list. Crab-consuming macaques are prolific primates that have proven capable of expanding into a variety of island environments following human introductions.
6. Axolotl
Under the unusual name hides a creature belonging to the species Ambisto of the amphibian class. In fact, the axolotl is a neotenic larva, that is, these animals reach sexual maturity at the larval stage of development, without turning into an adult. In addition, axolotls are known for their ability to regenerate lost body parts.
Like many land invaders, the intelligent primates threaten globally significant breeding grounds for tropical birds, and some believe they are responsible for pushing endangered bird species toward extinction. Macaques can behave aggressively towards people. Monkeys carry a potentially deadly endemic strain of the herpes virus that also infects humans. Symptoms resemble herpes simplex, but brain damage and death can follow without proper treatment.
Terrestrial animal invasions can also result in human-caused changes in land use providing the species with greater opportunities to hunt its prey or, in the case of the brown cowbird, parasitize its nests. Brown-headed cows originally evolved on the plains of North America, where they followed buffalo to pick up disturbed insects. Buffalo's persecution prevented the birds from building nests and raising young. The strategy evolved where the eggs were placed in another bird's nest to incubate when the cow was collected.
By the way, translated from the Aztec language, axolotl means “water toy.” These unique animals live in the reservoirs of Mexico City, and currently their numbers are rapidly declining due to environmental degradation.
7. Bats
These winged mammals are considered one of the most disgusting-looking creatures of nature, which is why 18 species are vying for the title of mascot of the Society for the Protection of Ugly Animals. The photo shows one of the most striking representatives of the order Chiroptera - the great horseshoe bat.
In an evolutionary arms race, many species have developed methods of removing or failing to incubate planted eggs. However, the increasing fragmentation of forests into small areas allowed the cows to spread over thousands of square miles of forested area, where they contributed to the decline of numerous forest-dwelling cavebirds that were not willing to remove the eggs, leading to the starvation of their own young. To compensate for cow invasions, conservation organizations sometimes remove this "native invasive" in songbird protection programs.
8. Toad lizard
Strange creatures, more like ugly toads than lizards, are common in the area from the southwestern United States and northern Mexico to Guatemala and Central America.
Nature has endowed some of the species of toad-shaped (or, as they are also called, horned) lizards with an interesting defense mechanism: when threatened, the reptile can squirt a small portion of its own blood from its eyes into the predator, which has a sharp, unpleasant odor.
Alexander Thompson is an extreme wildlife explorer and writer with a passion for the mysterious and strange elements of the animal kingdom. We constantly strive to make a better and safer life for ourselves, but the world remains a dangerous place. What can we formulate with our human brain power? We may think that some of these animals are friendly or harmless, but sometimes even seemingly friendly species become dangerous.
Here are the top 10 deadliest animals that can turn anyone, smart or dumb, into a delicious lunch or dinner. Affectionately known as the "sea wasp". This is a good example of why these graceful, free-swimming sea creatures can also be some of the deadliest living organisms in the world. They are mainly found around the Australian coast and are most common during the summer months. However, like any animal, jellyfish take no prisoners when they are in danger.
9. Kakapo (owl parrot)
As a rule, when hearing the word “parrot,” many people imagine cute, bright birds capable of reproducing human speech. However, not all parrots can pronounce words, and, for example, kakapo, or owl parrots (lat. Strigops habroptilus), inhabiting the forests of New Zealand, do not even fly and do not have a particularly outstanding appearance.
Box jellyfish don't even drift; They actively swim to hunt their prey, and a good human leg or arm can suffer serious collateral damage. After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest type of land mammal and the heaviest extant arthodactyl. They are commonly found in Africa and are responsible for more deaths on the continent than any other large animal. They killed more than 200 people every year. A full male lion is approximately 6 inches taller than a tiger and weighs between 330 and 550 pounds, averaging Kings of the jungle and one of nature's most brilliant predators, lions are fast, cunning and extremely strong, they have a sixth sense for hunting and they are not very different. when it comes to red meat dinners.
10. Common river eel
The unsightly appearance of a resident of the fresh waters of Europe cannot mislead poachers - the meat of river eels tastes excellent, so recently the predator has been mercilessly exterminated - in 2008, the European eel was included in the Red Book as a species on the verge of extinction.
Lions are found on the plains of Africa, but are also kept in captivity throughout the world in zoos and nature reserves. Leos simply see people as slower, less capable free lunches, similar to gazelles or zebras. It caused more than 250 deaths per year.
Also known as the Black Death, the Cape buffalo, found in Africa, is one of the most dangerous animals on land. Kills more than 500 a year, one of the most dangerous animals in Africa. Generally considered friendly, causing more than 600 deaths per year, it may also be the most dangerous to human health. These attractive circus icons can be found in Africa and South Asia, and in many cases can be found in urban areas where people use their services for tourism, trade and transport.
11. Pubic louse
For more than three million years, these insects have been living side by side with people, or rather, in human hair. Few things in themselves can be more disgusting than finding such a “guest” in one’s hair, so humanity is taking all measures to protect itself from such a “neighborhood.” As a result, the number of lice around the world has sharply decreased, and scientists have sounded the alarm - one of the oldest species may disappear from the face (and hair) of the Earth.
But just like a frustrated employee, these hard-working, usually docile creatures never forget mistreatment or a threat, which is why they lashed out. S. in the tropics, Africa, Asia and Australia, and loves the taste of human flesh as much as any other unsuspecting animal he sees.
The most dangerous are sea crocodiles and Nile crocodiles. Widely distributed on every continent except Antarctica, in a variety of terrestrial habitats other than high-latitude tundra, these eight-legged arthropods can pack a powerful punch. They are a persistent, non-parasitic killer that actually has the ability to distribute doses of venom based on the type of prey. Butids in particular are the deadliest scorpions and are typically found in Africa, although death scorpions are known to survive and thrive in scorched environments such as the Andes and Himalayas.
12. African dung beetle
An animal sacred to the ancient Egyptians, known as the scarab, spends its entire life literally in shit, or rather in elephant and bull dung. In recent years, the population of African dung beetles has declined significantly, as as a result of improved sanitary conditions in cities, it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to find a suitable pile of dung, the quality of which scarabs are very demanding.
The beetles roll dung into balls and are able to travel quite significant distances with such “baggage”, and the dung is used not only as food, but also as an air conditioner - the evaporation of wet dung allows the scarab to effectively cool itself by climbing onto its ball.
By the way, scientists previously discovered that in their movements dung beetles are able to navigate the Milky Way, the Sun and the Moon so as not to lose their way.
According to various estimates, there are 1.5–2 million animal species on our planet. Some of them are friendly and downright attractive to most people. However, there are also those who, let’s say, on the contrary, are disgusting. These are exactly what we will be talking about. Below are the ugliest animals on our planet (with photos).
10
The proboscis monkey is a species of primate that lives on the island of Kalimantan in coastal mangrove and rain forests along rivers and estuaries. Due to the characteristic large, pear-shaped nose, which only males have, it is included in the list of the most unusual monkey species on the planet. In old males, the nose can reach a length of up to 10 cm. Proboscis monkeys swim and dive well, they often jump from trees into the water. Among all primates, they are considered the best swimmers. They live in groups of 5 to 30 animals (one male and many females). They feed mainly on fruits and leaves, less often on insects and seeds. They are an endangered species.
The warthog is a genus of wild artiodactyls from the pig family, distributed throughout most of Africa. These are nocturnal social animals that live in small herds (usually from 4 to 16 animals) in forests, steppes and coastal thickets. They are omnivores, but feed mainly on tree bark, roots and berries. The warthog's body length reaches up to 1.5 m, height at the withers - 65 cm, weight of females - 70 kg, males - up to 100 kg. The canines of an adult male grow from 25.5 to 63.5 cm in length.
The naked mole rat is a small species of rodent native to the desert regions of East Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti). These rodents live in flues (from 20 to 300 animals) in huge underground colonies, almost never coming to the surface. They feed on large tubers and roots, which they store in underground storerooms. As a rule, they grow up to 10 centimeters in length and weigh up to 35 grams, females are larger. It is one of the longest-living rodents in the world (up to 28 years). Naked mole rats have a very unusual set of features that allow them to thrive in harsh underground environments; They are cold-blooded, insensitive to some forms of pain, tolerant of high concentrations of CO2, and have a very low metabolic rate and respiratory rate.
The California condor is a very rare bird species found in the mountains of California, northern Arizona, southern Utah, and northwestern Mexico. It is the largest bird in North America. The wingspan of the California condor reaches three meters, body length up to 125 cm, weight up to 14 kg. They feed exclusively on carrion. In the air they can reach speeds of up to 90 km/h. They are one of the longest-living birds in the world (up to 60 years). As of May 2012, there are approximately 405 individuals worldwide, including 226 in the wild.
The star-nosed mammal is a mammal from the mole family, common in eastern North America (Canada and the northeastern United States). Their distinctive feature is twenty-two red skin appendages, which are used by the animal as an organ of touch. Star-nosed bats live in small groups in moist soil near bodies of water. They are good swimmers and divers. They feed mainly on invertebrates, insects and their larvae, sometimes crustaceans and small fish. Their body length is 10–13 centimeters, weight 40–85 grams.
In fifth place on the list of the ugliest animals on our planet is the Aye-aye, or Madagascar bat, a species of primate found in tropical forests only on the island of Madagascar. It is nocturnal and is the largest representative of nocturnal primates. The length of the animal is more than 1 m (including the tail 44–53 cm), weight - 3 kg. Their lifespan is estimated to be about 10 years. They feed on insects, larvae, eggs, coconuts, fruits, bamboo and sugar cane. The species is listed in the Red Book.
Horseshoe-nosed
Horseshoe bats are a genus of mammals in the suborder of bats. A feature of the genus is special skin folds located around the nostrils, which form a peculiar figure resembling a horseshoe. These growths probably serve to form a narrow beam of echolocation signals that horseshoe bats emit through their nostrils. Representatives of this genus (77 modern species) live in temperate and tropical regions of Southern Europe, Africa, Asia, as well as in the northern and eastern parts of Australia. Their body length ranges from 25 to 140 mm, weight - from 4 to 120 g. All species are insectivorous, they capture insects in flight.
The sea devil or European anglerfish is a predatory, sedentary fish that lives at a depth of 18-550 m in the northeastern part of the Atlantic Ocean, from the Barents Sea to the Strait of Gibraltar, and is also found in the North and Black Seas. They spend most of their time at the bottom, where they hunt from ambush, luring prey with a “fishing rod” with a glowing “flashlight” at the end. It feeds on other fish and large invertebrates. Their body length is up to 1.5 m, weight up to 20 kg.
Darwin's pipistrelle is a species of fish that lives off the coast of the Galapagos Islands and Peru at depths from 3 to 76 m. Their characteristic feature is bright red lips, which serve to attract prey and the opposite sex. It feeds mainly on other small fish, crustaceans and mollusks. Poor swimmers, they instead use their adapted pectoral fins to allow them to “walk” along the ocean floor. They grow up to 20.3 cm in length.
The ugliest animal in the world is considered to be the Blobfish, a marine fish that lives at depths of 600 to 1200 m off the coast of mainland Australia and Tasmania, as well as in the waters of New Zealand. They grow up to 30 cm in length. The blob fish is a gelatinous mass with almost no muscles and a density slightly less than that of water, which allows it to swim without any expenditure of energy. Because of its appearance, it is considered one of the most amazing animals on the planet. Feeds on small invertebrates.
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