REAL incredible animals

[evilmoers]

Uropyia meticulodina

It's a moth called Uropyia meticulodina! But it has such incredibly incredible camouflage that even when you know its a moth, you still can't quite believe it's just a moth.

Uropyia meticulodina 　ムラサキシャチホコ - YouTube

Uropyia meticulodina 　ムラサキシャチホコ - YouTube

The camouflage is just so ludicrously arty.

It's not just brown like a dead leaf, it's brown like a curled up, dead leaf

And it's not just brown like a curled up, dead leaf, it depicts a leaf catching the light, with shadows in all the right places and you can even see the veins casting tiny shadows along the curled underside. It's like one of those optical illusions that still work even when you know it's a trick.

ムラサキシャチホコの飛翔　Uropyia meticulodina in Flight High speed Video - YouTube

ムラサキシャチホコの飛翔　Uropyia meticulodina in Flight High speed Video - YouTube

I doubt they're found often, but if you're up for the challenge you'll have to go to China and Taiwan to try your luck. Either that or most of the world's dead leaves are actually moths...

details:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uropyia_meticulodina

[alexora]

Uropyia meticulodina?? It should be named Uropyia meticulosa...

[Armanoïd]

Some1 probably already mentioned it, I don't know...

Rare Animals - A Liger - YouTube

Rare Animals - A Liger - YouTube

The liger

Thought it was a retarded animal from napoleon dynamite...
In fact, it does exist

[evilmoers]

Originally Posted by Armanoïd

[...]
The liger

Thought it was a retarded animal from napoleon dynamite...
In fact, it does exist

Yeah, it does exist - unnaturally somehow. But this animal was "just produced" - interbreeded, probably in vitro. Nonetheless, it's kind of unique.

[alexora]

Originally Posted by evilmoers

Yeah, it does exist - unnaturally somehow. But this animal was "just produced" - interbreeded, probably in vitro. Nonetheless, it's kind of unique.

The Liger is a result of breeding between a male Lion and a Tigress and has been recorded for over 200 years, so no in vitro fertilization is required: the two species will naturally have sex (same as horses and donkeys producing mules).

Also worth mentioning is the Tiglon, a cross between a male Tiger and a Lioness.

[evilmoers]

Amblyrhynchus cristatus

Marine Iguanas are certainly among the most unusual creatures in the Galapagos. Charles Darwin made extensive observations on these large, lizard-like reptiles. They certainly well demonstrate the unique evolution and adaption of Galapagos fauna. The males, which are larger than the females, may grow to a length of 4 feet or more (almost half of which is tail). They look fearsome (Darwin called them "hideous"), but are quite harmless. These herbivores feed exclusively on algae growing on rocks near the shore. When feeding, they can remain submerged for up to an hour, though dives of 5 to 10 minutes are more common. The water in the Galapagos is often quite cold and being cold-blooded, iguanas spend much of their time restoring body heat by sunning themselves on the rocks adjacent the shore. Like many of the Galapagos animals, they are usually unperturbed by the presence of humans and may be approached quite closely (this is more true in the populated area around Academy Bay than in more remote areas). The closely related land iguana is lighter colored and usually somewhat larger. It is also less common and often somewhat shy.

Iguanas seem to prefer rocky shore but may also be found in mangrove swamps and beaches. The males are always more brightly colored than the females, with hues of red and green on their backs. As is the case for many other Galapagos fauna, different races or subspecies may be found on different islands. In the case of the marine iguana, differences between race are most apparent in their coloration, particularly of the males. For example, green colors dominate on the Santiago iguanas whereas red dominate on the Espaola race. Females are generally dark gray to black. The faces of both sexes often appear light colored. This is not coloration at all, but is an encrustation that comes from their curious habit of sneezing salt. This is part of the unique adaptions that have evolved that allow these descendents of terrestrial ancestors to live in salt water. A gland connected to the notrils removes salt from the body, which is then expelled by "sneezing".

Large males assemble "harems" of several females and guard the harem against intrusion by other males. Head bobbing is a threat jesture that warns other males (and sometime humans) to stay clear. Fights occasionally occur between males. These are quite harmless and consist of a contest in which the two males put their heads together and attempt to push their opponent backward. The looser retreats without further fuss.

Iguanas, like the other species unique to the Galapagos, have evolved in an environment in which there are few natural predators. Thus they have few defenses against introduced animals, such as rats that prey on the eggs, cats that prey on young, and dogs that prey on even the adults. These feral animals are steadily reducing the iguana population in many localties. In areas such as Academy Bay and Volcan Ecuador, marine iguanas remain abundant (though notably less so than 20 years ago), but all the individuals are mature adults as few young survive the predation by ferel cats. Thus it appears that population is not being replaced and they may well disappear if nothing is done. Fernandina remains free from feral animals and here, along with many smaller islets, one may observe healthy and thriving populations.

advanced:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_iguana
http://animals.nationalgeographic.co...marine-iguana/

Marine iguanas of the Galapagos islands - BBC wildlife - YouTube

Marine iguanas of the Galapagos islands - BBC wildlife - YouTube

[evilmoers]

Alitta virens / Nereis virens

King Ragworm! It sounds like one of Fagin's street-names but it really is a worm!

They're actually rather attractive if you don't look at their face too much. Or their soul or whatever. They tend to be a kind of iridescent blue-green with orange frills all along the sides. Don't be fooled, though! You can't just put a top hat on the Ragworm King and expect him to be reformed!

They can be found along the shores of the North Atlantic; Europe, Canada and the United States. A bit like drugs. They can get huge! A normal little one is about 30 cm (1 ft) long, but for some reason there are populations in Wales that commonly reach 90 cm (3 ft) in length. Wales! That's just the kind of completely unexpected base of operations you'd expect!

King Ragworms are members of the underworld. Sure, they look all shiny if they catch the light, but usually they live in underground burrows and tunnels lined with their own mucus. That's the reality, kids. Muddy or sandy substrate is great for this, but gravel and small stones don't pose a problem either.

Being polycheates, the orange frills on their sides are actually the fleshy almost-legs known as parapods. These are used for pushing aside mud as they burrow, dragging their body along as they walk and also breathing, since they're full of blood vessels. Locomotory lungs!

The King's face is an uncouth mess of tentacles, antennae and palps. Also 2 pairs of eyes.

And then there's the eversible pharynx.

Usually these worms keep their jaws hidden away, behind their mouth and a little way down into their body. When it comes to getting food or mugging old ladies or whatever, they open their mouth and push their jaws right out, turning the throat inside out so that it becomes a proboscis.

Nereis, polychaete clamworm - YouTube

Nereis, polychaete clamworm - YouTube

And the actual jaws are savage. It looks like a huge ant! And they can give a painful nip, too. I'm still not totally comfortable with worms having fangs and mandibles and stuff. I keep thinking they'll do something completely irrational with it.

Strange to say, the King Ragworm is an omnivore! They eat prey like shrimp and other worms but they also feed on algae and seaweed. If a criminal worm can have a healthy, balanced diet, then so can you!

When it comes to mating, males throw all caution to the wind. They swim with eel-like motions to the surface at high tide, releasing sperm as they go. And then they die soon after. They're not even family men like in The Sopranos.

Females meanwhile remain at their burrows and release their eggs. They die soon after.

Thus, the next generation of orphaned ragworms are abandoned into the world and left to sink into a life of crime. Poor bastards don't stand a chance!

in general:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nereididae

[evilmoers]

Remora remora

Do you have a weird suction cup on your head? Wondering if you can get something out of it other than a lifetime of bullying and misery?

Well have no fear! The Remora is here to show you the opportunities granted to you by your horrific, cranial abnormality! Turn the cruelty of nature to your advantage!

You don't have a problem with a little parasitism, do you?

Echeneis naucrates

Remoras are 8 species in the Echeneidae family, each one reaching somewhere between 30 cm and a metre (1 to 3.3 ft) long and most of them living in tropical oceans.

What they all share in common is a head that looks like it got squished by a giant thumb. I guess Neptune is a right meanie.

It's actually a heavily modified dorsal fin that allows the Remora to attach itself to large sea creatures, almost all of which would rather it didn't. The Remora doesn't care about such feelings; effective freeloading requires a touch of cold-hearted ruthlessness. Just look at your average child.

And so, the Remora raises the edge of its suction cup against the skin of its host and arranges the thumb print design inside. This opens up a space, a vacuum which keeps the Remora firmly attached. They scarcely need swim ever again! This is good because while Remoras are competent swimmers, their lack of a swim bladder means that it's much more of an effort for them.

In any case, swimming is for suckers! The bad kind. Remoras are the good kind. Or the cold-hearted, ruthless kind anyway.

The strength of the suction disc is really impressive. It's strong enough for some people around the Indian Ocean to use Remoras for hunting turtles! They tie a rope around a Remora's tail and when it seeks safety by attaching itself to a nearby turtle, the hunters can simply haul them both in.

Some Remoras would completely shun life on a turtle, though. The Whalesucker, for example, has only ever been found on cetaceans. Adults like whales, while youngsters attach themselves to dolphins. This species has the biggest suction cup of all, taking up half of the animal's entire length. Presumably this keeps them secure on such active, fast moving hosts.

Phtheirichthys lineatus

The smallest suction cup is found on Phtheirichthys lineatus, where it's only 1 fifth of their length. Of all Remoras this one is least dependant on any host and is often seen swimming on their own or attached to rocks and such.

Other Remoras are a little more liberal in their host selection, hanging out on sharks, rays, whales, marlin or turtles. Some will even investigate human divers for potential hitch-hiking! That's the cool thing when you can actually swim quite well; there's a whole world of possibilities out there if only you're willing to get off your anal fin and check it out.

Two Remora Fish Attempt to Attach to a Scuba Diver - YouTube

Two Remora Fish Attempt to Attach to a Scuba Diver - YouTube

This brings us to the question of cuisine. What culinary delights await our hitch-hiking freeloaders? Will it be good, hearty eating laid out on silver platters, smothered in unnecessary extravagance with a soupcon of this and a frisson of that? Or will it be some disgusting slurry slowly dripping through a brown paper bag and bound to give rise to several days of vomiting and diarrhea?

Speaking of vomit and diarrhea... how would you like to eat it?

I'm afraid so. Dissection reveals that for many Remoras, their host's faeces is a staple part of their diet. They're full of... it. It's not all so terrible, since they also eat the various scraps and crumbs that fall from the master's table when their host chomps on proper food. It must be quite a relief to get to eat stuff that hasn't been digested already.

Some Remoras like the White Suckerfish are more sheltered than most. They reside within the mouth and gills of the Manta Ray, eating the very plankton their host is trying to eat. It's like a cross between one of those living spaceships you get in science fiction and if revolving restaurants actually flew off to take advantage of the local harvest in various parts of the world. Really cool, basically.

And then there's the parasites. This is the only real good Remoras do for their host - eat the itchy, scratchy blood-sucking lice from their skin. The Whalesucker is in for a particular treat here, a "whale of a time" you might say before ducking and running as the audience throws rotten tomatoes at you. Whales are just so huge that they can have anything between lots of massive parasites to thousands of small ones. Either way, that's a lot of good eating! If you're into that kind of thing.

Very little is known about reproduction in Remoras but at least some of them acquire the suction disc when they're around 3 cm (1.2 in) long. Before then I guess they have to fend for themselves like all the other saps.

So, life as a reprehensible freeloader is clearly a mixed bag. You get to hang out with a leviathan who will probably scare away anything that would eat you, but then you also get to know their bowel movements in more detail than you'd like.

I guess it depends. If you were buying a house, would a nearby open sewer be a deal breaker?

details:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remora

[evilmoers]

The Mandarin Duck, is a medium-sized perching duck, closely related to the North American Wood Duck. The adult male is a striking and unmistakable bird. It has a red bill, large white crescent above the eye and reddish face and "whiskers". The breast is purple with two vertical white bars, and the flanks ruddy, with two orange "sails" at the back.

The lizard in the photo is not being manipulated (not a photo manipulation). It is now the latest exotic pet craze. Mwanza flat-headed agama's vivid blue-and-red colouring, is a lizard that has a body skin colour similar to Spiderman. Agamas, which are native to Kenya can be good pets, as they become tame and docile if handled regularly. It can grow up to a foot long, and a balanced diet for them includes locusts, crickets, meal worms and wax worms.

Polar bears are supposed to be white in color, unexpectedly this one turn out to be purple! This purple polar bear created quite the buzz about the Mendoza City Zoo in Argentina when it unexpectedly turned purple. It seems that the polar bear named Pelusa had a skin condition that the zoo officials were trying to treat, and as a result of the special treatment of this condition the polar bear turned purple. The purple color only lasted for a little while, but it was quite the talk of the town.

The veiled chameleon, Chamaeleo calyptratus, a large and colorful species of chameleon, are found in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. This chameleon changes color depending on its mood. The prominence of these markings is dependent on several factors including health, mood, and temperature of the lizard.

The flamingo tongue snail is a small, colorful sea snail which lives on various species of soft corals in the Caribbean. The pretty color you see in this image is not a snail's shell. Rather, it's in a layer of live mantle tissue, connected to its foot - the snail pushes it out to cover the shell. The mantle tissue also works like a fish's gill. When the snail is attacked, the mantle and colors is withdrawn.

[evilmoers]

Sus cebifrons

The Visayan warty pig is a dark grey color, and the body is sparsely covered with bristly hairs (in females these bristles are usually dark, while males often have light brown or silvery bristles). There is a tuft of hair in between the ears; in adult males from the island of Panay, this tuft grows into a long mane which runs from the head to the tail and which may hang over the face, covering the eyes! Like all pigs, the face is long and ends with a round nasal disc. Although called a warty pig, facial warts of this species are small and only found in males. These pigs are best recognized by the white stripe which runs over the bridge of the nose behind the mouth.

Reproduction and Development
Piglets are usually born in January, February, and March (the dry season). Mother pigs usaully make a nest in which to give birth, and are very protective of their offspring. At birth, Visayan warty pigs are light brown in color, with four dark stripes running down the body from head to tail. These stripes fade as the infants grow, and adult coloration is reached at one year.

Ecology and Behavior
Little is known about the habits of this species in the wild. In captivity, these pigs will wallow in mud. Visayan warty pigs appear to play a major role in dispersing the seeds of some species of plants.

Habitat and Distribution
Visayan warty pigs inhabit dense forests in the Visayan chain of islands in the Philippines. Where they once ranged over at least six islands, they are now restricted to Panay, Negros, and maybe Masbate as a result of habitat loss and hunting. The approximate range is depicted in the map below.

Conservation Status
Threats: Habitat destruction, hunting by humans for meat, and domestic pigs (through the introduction of parasites and diseases, and hybridization with wild Visayan warty pigs).

Numbers of wild Visayan warty pigs are not available, but the species has lost 95% of its former range in recent times and is highly endangered.

Quick info:
Gestation period: 118 days.
Litter size: 2-4, with 3 being the average.
Weaning: By six months.
Sexual maturity: As young as 12-14 months in captivity, although 2-3 years is more typical.
Life span: 10-15 years.
Family group: Family groups of 3-12+ animals, usually with a single adult male, several adult females, and their offspring.
Diet: Omnivorous; fruits, leaves, earthworms.

details:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visayan_warty_pig

clip:

Visayan Warty Pigs Feast with the Beasts - YouTube

Visayan Warty Pigs Feast with the Beasts - YouTube