Weird Animal Thread

[The True Scotsman]

Post your weird animal pictures or videos here. (For any links, if you can, please specify the species within your post).

I will begin with the "velvet worm":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh4ezLN2IqM

(Note: Please stick to animals which are well documented to exist; which means no bigfoots, nessies, or man-bear-pigs).

[Dinwar]

Callianassidae (http://museumvictoria.com.au/crust/mov1340t.html) (Museum Victoria)

One of the few animals I can't stand to look at. I don't know why, but there's something about those things that just....ew. Kinda ironic, as I used to study fossil crabs and Callianassidae aren't exactly uncommon fossils (their big claws are fairly hard, and fossilized relatively easily).

There was also a horse with claws, which I can't remember the name to. Odd, because it's something that came up at work and I usually remember those. It's even better because a friend of mine once drew a picture she titled "My Vicious Pony", and it looked a LOT like this thing.

If you want to go REALLY old, there's the Ediacara Fauna (http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/vendian/critters.html) (University of California Museum of Paleontology, Berkley). :D Can't get much weirder than that--they've been trying to figure out what the devil these things ARE for decades. The experts are pretty sure that most of them are animals. Of some sort. Ish.

[Emet]

The Blobfish. (Psychrolutes marcidus)

http://fishindex.blogspot.com/2009/02/blobfish-psychrolutes-marcidus.html

[Lithrael]

Duliticola aka Trilobite beetle. Couple of nice vids of them on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7GbMlJgaas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdqbKWaWe_s

Lots of nice odd crawlies on that guy's channel. Snakefly's really cute too.

[Damien Evans]

I live in Australia. We win these threads by default.



For example:
http://www.planetware.com/i/photo/close-up-of-tree-kangaroo-png010.jpg

Is it a Bear? Is it a Monkey? No, it's a fricken Tree Kangaroo!

[Lithrael]

Is it a Bear? Is it a Monkey? No, it's a fricken Tree Kangaroo!

Haha yeah! You guys have bearcats too don't you? What's that called? Binturong?

[FattyCatty]

I live in Australia. We win these threads by default.



For example:
http://www.planetware.com/i/photo/close-up-of-tree-kangaroo-png010.jpg

Is it a Bear? Is it a Monkey? No, it's a fricken Tree Kangaroo!I can't see your picture, just a red X in a box. Is there something I need to set in User CP to enable me to see it?:)

[The True Scotsman]

The Blobfish. (Psychrolutes marcidus)

http://fishindex.blogspot.com/2009/02/blobfish-psychrolutes-marcidus.html

Geez, someone needs a hug. Err...not from me though. :p

[The True Scotsman]

How about this bad boy?

Yeti Crab

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/03/0309_060309_yeti_crab.html

[Halfcentaur]

I think this is one of the all time coolest creatures, the mimic octopus. It actually contorts it's body to mimic the locomotion of all sorts of other animals, and alters it's color as well.
Spooky how perceptive it can seem!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygh1-ul6E94&feature=player_embedded

[Damien Evans]

I can't see your picture, just a red X in a box. Is there something I need to set in User CP to enable me to see it?:)

Dunno. I can see it even in your quote box.

[Jim_MDP]

I think this is one of the all time coolest creatures, the mimic octopus. It actually contorts it's body to mimic the locomotion of all sorts of other animals, and alters it's color as well.
Spooky how perceptive it can seem!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygh1-ul6E94&feature=player_embedded

Feckin' FTW... I'm checking several more vid clips.

ETA: Can it do Chris Walkin?

[Emet]

I can't see your picture, just a red X in a box. Is there something I need to set in User CP to enable me to see it?:)

Funny. I couldn't see it either, even using 4 different browsers between two different OS's. So I hunted down the photo, and now I can see the image on the forum.

FattyCatty: Try this link:

http://www.planetware.com/picture/papua-new-guinea-close-up-of-tree-kangaroo-png-png010.htm

ETA: When I clicked on reply, I could see the images-- and even after I submitted this post. Once the page was refreshed, they became non viewable again.

[The True Scotsman]

I think this is one of the all time coolest creatures, the mimic octopus. It actually contorts it's body to mimic the locomotion of all sorts of other animals, and alters it's color as well.
Spooky how perceptive it can seem!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygh1-ul6E94&feature=player_embedded

That thing is crazy. Probably dominates game of charades.

[shandyjan]

I love the Mimic octopus!
This is a weird fish, Pacific barelleye

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa0SY6RYJIo&feature=related

[Lithrael]

I love the Mimic octopus!
This is a weird fish, Pacific barelleye
I think you mislinked. Here's a barreleye:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zoygy-8PTtU

Those things are neat.

OK - now: goblin shark!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMGk6ohitgM

[Floyt]

I think this is one of the all time coolest creatures, the mimic octopus. It actually contorts it's body to mimic the locomotion of all sorts of other animals, and alters it's color as well.
Spooky how perceptive it can seem!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygh1-ul6E94&feature=player_embedded

That... is bloody amazing. Never heard of the beast before.

I think the "furry turkey" in the last part is supposed to be a stonefish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synanceia_verrucosa).

[Wowbagger]

For example:
http://www.planetware.com/i/photo/close-up-of-tree-kangaroo-png010.jpg
I can't see the image in this thread, either.

But, it does work when I look at the image directly in its own browser window: http://www.planetware.com/i/photo/close-up-of-tree-kangaroo-png010.jpg


Here is one of the weirdest animals I've ever seen:
http://cache.deadspin.com/assets/resources/2008/03/weird-al-fat.jpg
Can anyone tell me what species it is?!


(Okay, I promise to post some serious entries. Just give me some time to compile them.)

[UnrepentantSinner]

Tardigrades.
wIVk-SJFxCQ

[Halfcentaur]

Wow, tardigrades are awesome. Having symmetrical bodies and 2 eyes, I could see a scifi story with something like that giving rise to all similar lifeforms on a planet. Amazing to see little animals at that scale.

The creepy lady with the tube in her mouth was neat too. I think it would be awesome to find out the the tube she had in her mouth had nothing to do with the experiment, and she just likes having it in her mouth. The creepy music that plays when they close up on her face makes a lot more sense that way.

[Halfcentaur]

I want pet tardigrades, and I want tardigrade stuffed animal plushies. And an action figure. I must draw tardigrades.

[Illustronic]

Rumored as being a brand new life form in a North Carolina sewer, is really some pack of worms looking like, and to some acting like a larger blob life form. I saw somewhere a while ago explained but can't recall the details.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQmFWYWqTZA

I love this video of these Asian guys finding these sea creatures, this could be a clever CGI.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oPxa3C3iu0&p=D13D763D8D534CAA&playnext=1&index=32

[Lithrael]

Rumored as being a brand new life form in a North Carolina sewer, is really some pack of worms looking like, and to some acting like a larger blob life form. I saw somewhere a while ago explained but can't recall the details.

Tubifex worms. There's a great video of a huge blob of them on a plate, which someone posted to quell the BUT IT IS LIKE AN ALIEN ZOMG contrarians. The guy starts poking them at about 45 seconds in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrWRpobA3DM

I love this video of these Asian guys finding these sea creatures, this could be a clever CGI.

CGI? FFS. No, just good old fashioned practical FX. Not a real animal at all. Let's try to stick to the real critters here. :) It's funny when the opposite happens though, like people showing photos of guitarfish and saying they're cryptids.

[shadron]

Rumored as being a brand new life form in a North Carolina sewer, is really some pack of worms looking like, and to some acting like a larger blob life form. I saw somewhere a while ago explained but can't recall the details.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQmFWYWqTZA

Those are tubifex worms, otherwise known as sewer worms. They can infest sewers; the wiki article on them even references the same youtube video you did.

[Shadow the Poodle]

Behold the giant Gippsland Earthworm.

http://museumvictoria.com.au/discoverycentre/infosheets/giant-gippsland-earthworm/

[Damien Evans]

The Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster:
http://www.freakyzoo.com/images/GiantLobster.jpg

They can grow to over 80cm long and weigh up to 5 kilograms

[Wowbagger]

Angora Rabbits are domestic, not wild, animals. But, they sure are weird! Google for 'em!

The Bathylychnops exilis is a fish with two sets of eyes, each set evolved in a different form! (First learned of this one at the end of Chapter 5 of Richard Dawkins' Climbing Mount Improbable)

Then there's the Lyre Bird, which has been known to imitate any sounds around it: Mostly the mating calls of other birds, but sometimes chainsaws:
VjE0Kdfos4Y
No, it's not a joke, as some suggested. It is real, near as I can tell.

I want pet tardigrades, and I want tardigrade stuffed animal plushies. And an action figure. I must draw tardigrades.I wonder if GiantMicrobes will ever make any.

[UnrepentantSinner]

I learned about Mixotricha paradoxa from The Ancestor's Tale.

http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Mixotricha
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixotricha_paradoxa

And while they're not as cute as Tardigrades, the Giant isopod is bizarrely cute for an ugly ***ed bug.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_isopod

[Damien Evans]

Angora Rabbits are domestic, not wild, animals. But, they sure are weird! Google for 'em!

The Bathylychnops exilis is a fish with two sets of eyes, each set evolved in a different form! (First learned of this one at the end of Chapter 5 of Richard Dawkins' Climbing Mount Improbable)

Then there's the Lyre Bird, which has been known to imitate any sounds around it: Mostly the mating calls of other birds, but sometimes chainsaws:
VjE0Kdfos4Y
No, it's not a joke, as some suggested. It is real, near as I can tell.

I wonder if GiantMicrobes will ever make any.

That's not even the strangest thing I've heard a lyrebird imitate. Chainsaws, jet engines, whatever, they can do it. And they look so cute...

[majamin]

Immortal Jellyfish:

Turritopsis Nutricula (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/4357829/Immortal-jellyfish-swarming-across-the-world.html)

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01247/jellyfish_1247566c.jpg

[UnrepentantSinner]

Mediterranian house centipedes. They look funky and if I saw one I'd want to smoosh it, but they don't appear to bother humans and from their prey list they sound like a green alternative to chemical pest control.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scutigera_coleoptrata

[UnrepentantSinner]

Here's a funky one from the Xenarthrans, the Sreaming Hairy Armadillo.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screaming_Hairy_Armadillo

[Bob Blaylock]

I want pet tardigrades, and I want tardigrade stuffed animal plushies.


There is such a thing. (http://www.giantmicrobes.com/us/products/waterbear.html)

[Capsid]

Well, I think the giant anteater looks pretty weird and cute at the same time. They have vicious claws. Salvador Dali had a pet one, so that must make them weird.

The young ride on their mum's backs for the first few months of life.

[Bob Blaylock]

Rotifers (http://

)…
http://forums.randi.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=18018&d=1273388918 http://forums.randi.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=19250&d=1282996030 http://forums.randi.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=16575&d=1264742763 http://forums.randi.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=15187&d=1253179369 http://forums.randi.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13254&d=1237105163

Daphnia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daphnia)…
http://forums.randi.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=14488&d=1246868703 http://forums.randi.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=14314&d=1245059856 http://forums.randi.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=14420&d=1246166347

Ostracod (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostracod)…
http://forums.randi.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=14478&d=1246783602 http://forums.randi.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=14479&d=1246783602

Gastrotrich (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastrotrich)…
http://forums.randi.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=14156&d=1244018628

Cyclops (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclops_(genus))…
http://forums.randi.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=14294&d=1244964684

…And a couple of insect larvae…
http://forums.randi.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=14033&d=1243221248 http://forums.randi.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=13685&d=1240389718

[Damien Evans]

The marsupial mole:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Kret_workowaty.jpg

[Wowbagger]

I wonder if GiantMicrobes will ever make any.

There is such a thing. (http://www.giantmicrobes.com/us/products/waterbear.html)

If only I bothered to actually look it up, I would have posted that URL before you did! Stupid lazy fingers....

[aggle-rithm]

The levitating dog:

http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/51464cdab4fd0102c.jpg

[Segnosaur]

Cymothoa exigua... The tongue eating louse

A parasite that eats the tongue of fish, and then takes the place of the tongue.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/09/tongue-eating-parasite-discovered.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymothoa_exigua

[X]

Anomalocaris (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anomalocaris)

The first fossilized mouth was discovered by Charles Doolittle Walcott, who mistook it for a jellyfish and placed the genus Peytoia. Walcott also discovered a second feeding appendage but failed to realize the similarities to Whiteaves discovery and instead identified it as feeding appendage or tail of the extinct Sidneyia.[6] The body was discovered separately and classified as a sponge in the genus Laggania; the mouth was found with the body, but was interpreted by its discoverer Simon Conway Morris as an unrelated Peytoia that had through happenstance settled and been preserved with Laggania. Later, while clearing what he thought was an unrelated specimen, Harry B. Whittington removed a layer of covering stone to discover the unequivocally connected arm thought to be a shrimp tail and mouth thought to be a jellyfish.[1][6] Whittington linked the two species, but it took several more years for researchers to realize that the continuously juxtaposed Peytoia, Laggania and feeding appendage actually represented a single, enormous creature.[6]


You know it's weird when it is identified as multiple critters.

[majamin]

The levitating dog:

http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/51464cdab4fd0102c.jpg

Look! And it's going after the UFO! Go levitating dog! Go!

[majamin]

Blood Squirting Lizard (Phrynosoma coronatum)

gEl6TXrkZnk

[Capsid]

Blood Squirting Lizard (Phrynosoma coronatum)

gEl6TXrkZnkAh yes, this was one of many featured by Nick Baker for his weird creatures series (http://www.tv.com/nick-bakers-weird-creatures/show/75564/summary.html). Including the mimic octopus mentioned earlier.

[aggle-rithm]

Blood Squirting Lizard (Phrynosoma coronatum)

gEl6TXrkZnk

These were all over the place in my home town of Fort Worth. I saw one squirt blood once. Nothing will make a kid drop a lizard faster.

We called them "horny toads", TCU calls them "horned frogs".

[The True Scotsman]

Cymothoa exigua... The tongue eating louse

A parasite that eats the tongue of fish, and then takes the place of the tongue.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/09/tongue-eating-parasite-discovered.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymothoa_exigua

This is one of those things that makes you look at evolution and go "WTF?!"

[The True Scotsman]

Immortal Jellyfish:

Turritopsis Nutricula (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/4357829/Immortal-jellyfish-swarming-across-the-world.html)

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01247/jellyfish_1247566c.jpg

So when do we spice its genes into our's?

[The True Scotsman]

Then there's the Lyre Bird, which has been known to imitate any sounds around it: Mostly the mating calls of other birds, but sometimes chainsaws:
VjE0Kdfos4Y
No, it's not a joke, as some suggested. It is real, near as I can tell.

Geez, next to that a parrot just looks lame.

[majamin]

This is one of those things that makes you look at evolution and go "WTF?!"

I second that motion.

So when do we spice its genes into our's?

I've never spiced my genes up with other genes ;) ... tasty?

[The True Scotsman]

I've never spiced my genes up with other genes ;) ... tasty?

:covereyes Oops, I mean splice. :p

[FenerFan]

The levitating dog:

http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/51464cdab4fd0102c.jpg

That's not a dog.
http://www.sivassrt.com/resimler/haberler/1101.jpg
This is a dog.
Turkish Kangal, not exactly weird, but pretty cool.

[keale]

Feckin' FTW... I'm checking several more vid clips.

ETA: Can it do Chris Walkin?

That octopus is amazing

[Nerd]

n1T2M5mwUWE
Okay, maybe it's not weird, but it's really cute. :D

[The True Scotsman]

That's not a dog.
http://www.sivassrt.com/resimler/haberler/1101.jpg
This is a dog.
Turkish Kangal, not exactly weird, but pretty cool.

Go selective breeding. Let's not stop until we have a dog the size of an elephant. :p

[aggle-rithm]

That's not a dog.


Well, he sure smells like one.

[aggle-rithm]

Go selective breeding. Let's not stop until we have a dog the size of an elephant. :p

I think an elephant the size of a dog would be more marketable.

[The True Scotsman]

I think an elephant the size of a dog would be more marketable.

I disagree.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CliffordTheBigRedDog

[aggle-rithm]

I disagree.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CliffordTheBigRedDog

OK...but you don't have to feed a story about a dog, nor do you have to clean up its poop.

[majamin]

Speaking of poop ...

Projectile Poop: Why Some Caterpillars Go Ballistic(ally) (http://www.inklingmagazine.com/articles/projectile-poop-why-some-caterpillars-go-ballistic/)

“Frass ejection behaviour allows larvae to distance themselves from olfactory cues that might provide information to their enemies"—an answer, I’d say, that really isn’t too crappy

http://www.inklingmagazine.com/phpthumb/phpThumb.php?src=/images/article-images/4006660269_843a07d808.jpg&ws=500&hs=500q=90&zc=1

[aggle-rithm]

There is a type of sea snail that is listed as the fastest animal on earth. I can't recall the name.

It doesn't move its whole body any faster than a regular snail; it's just incredibly fast at shooting out an appendage that poisons anything getting too close to it.

ETA: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn6539

[aggle-rithm]

Symbion pandora is weird for several reasons.

1. It lives on the lips of lobsters
2. It can reproduce either sexually or by "budding"
3. When discovered, it didn't fit into any existing phyla, so a new one had to be created for it.

ETA: ...and it only gets weirder. From Wikipedia:


Female – S. pandora is the same size as the male in this stage. It does, however, have a digestive system which collapses and reconstitutes itself as a larva.[1]
Male – S. pandora has a length of 84 μm and a width of 42 μm during this stage. It has no mouth or anus, which signifies the absence of a digestive system. It also has two reproductive organs.

[aggle-rithm]

Naked mole rats are pretty weird. Not only do they look weird, but they seem to be de-evolving (I know that's a misnomer, don't correct me), going back to a state where they no longer regulate their own body temperature...in other words, they are cold-blooded mammals.

They also have a hierarchy similar to insect colonies, with a queen that bears all the children.

They apparently don't get cancer (at least, scientists have yet to find one with cancer) and they live almost 30 years.

[X]

Anglerfish.

[aggle-rithm]

Anglerfish.

The Oatmeal has an interesting take on this: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/angler

Also:

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/captain_higgins

ETA: Somewhat NSFW.

[HeyLeroy]

Cymothoa exigua... The tongue eating louse

A parasite that eats the tongue of fish, and then takes the place of the tongue.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/09/tongue-eating-parasite-discovered.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymothoa_exigua

Yeah, God created THAT one, just after He created LSD.

A squid... with TEETH! (http://neversealand.downtothesea.org/2007/10/26/promachoteuthis-sulcus-deep-sea-squid-thing-with-human-like-teeth/)

Star-Nosed Mole (http://www.dumville.org/moles/starnosed.html)

[The True Scotsman]

A squid... with TEETH! (http://neversealand.downtothesea.org/2007/10/26/promachoteuthis-sulcus-deep-sea-squid-thing-with-human-like-teeth/)

Sorry, but I think that one is just a bad interpretation of a photograph.

Oral view of brachial crown of P. sulcus, holotype. The squid seems to have a set of dentures. The "dentures" are the circular, folded lips, of which only the upper and lower portions can be seen. The lips surround the beaks which are not visible in this photograph.

http://tolweb.org/Promachoteuthis_sulcus

[The True Scotsman]

The Oatmeal has an interesting take on this: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/angler

Also:

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/captain_higgins

ETA: Somewhat NSFW.

I guess when you tell the female angler fish to "grow some balls" she really takes it to heart. ;)

[cornsail]

Shoebill Stork

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e191/yuckmouthvomit/shoebill.jpg

Just strange to look at for inexplicable reasons. Reminds me of the Skeksis from The Dark Crystal.

[cornsail]

Compilation from Blue Planet's "The Deep" featuring bioluminescence and giant eyes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni7QF2Lec-s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yFwRL04R

[majamin]

Compilation from Blue Planet's "The Deep" featuring bioluminescence and giant eyes.


When using , make sure only the name (ni7QF2Lec-s) appears between the delimiters (is that what they're called?) ... I took the liberty to fix them here :)

P.S. ... I love deep sea life!

[yt]ni7QF2Lec-s

ETA: Mysteriously, the second link did not work, and youtube couldn't find the video :(

[majamin]

Not quite weird, but interesting and playful interaction between bears and dogs:

JE-Nyt4Bmi8

[majamin]

Saiga Antelope (Saiga tatarica)

http://files.sharenator.com/saiga_Worlds_strangest_looking_animals-s450x334-2313-580.jpg (http://www.sharenator.com/Worlds_strangest_looking_animals/)

Saiga is classified as critically endangered by the IUCN. There is an estimated total number of 50,000 Saigas today, which live in Kalmykia, three areas of Kazakhstan and in two isolated areas of Mongolia.

[majamin]

Goblin Shark (Mitsukurina owstoni)

http://dsc.discovery.com/sharks/shark-types/goblin-shark.jpg (http://dsc.discovery.com/sharks/goblin-shark.html)

The shark’s beak-like snout protrudes like a trowel, making it perfect for investigating muddy ocean bottoms. When the goblin shark retracts its jaws, the snout looks more like a really long, pink nose. Since this shark frequents deep waters, sunshine does not provide much light at such levels. The goblin shark, therefore, has very small eyes, and must often rely on its other senses for detecting predators and prey, as well as for directing movements.

[The True Scotsman]

This is a weird...something. The Portuguese Man o' War isn't really a single organism which makes it weird. It is actually a colony of four different organisms living in symbiotic relationships which acts like a single organism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Man_o'_War#Structure

[majamin]

This is a weird...something. The Portuguese Man o' War isn't really a single organism which makes it weird. It is actually a colony of four different organisms living in symbiotic relationships which acts like a single organism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Man_o'_War#Structure

I've never heard of this ... just awesome.

"Siphonophorae thus exist at the boundary between colonial and complex multicellular organisms." (Siphonophore Description (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siphonophore#Description))

[Puppycow]

Check out this presentation by Edith Widder called "Glowing life in an underwater world"

IThAD5yKrgE

[dasmiller]

This is a weird...something. The Portuguese Man o' War isn't really a single organism which makes it weird. It is actually a colony of four different organisms living in symbiotic relationships which acts like a single organism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Man_o'_War#Structure

Well, if we're including things that are odder than they look, I'd suggest Caulerpa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caulerpa). Appears to be an unremarkable seaweed, with fronds, roots, etc. But if you look closely enough, it's a single-cell. A really, really big single cell. Sort of.

ETA: now that I think about it, Caulerpa isn't really an animal . . . ah, well

[cornsail]

When using , make sure only the name (ni7QF2Lec-s) appears between the delimiters (is that what they're called?) ... I took the liberty to fix them here :)

P.S. ... I love deep sea life!

[yt]ni7QF2Lec-s

ETA: Mysteriously, the second link did not work, and youtube couldn't find the video :(

Oops! Thanks for catching that. Here's the second one:

4yFwRL04Rno

[Bob Blaylock]

This is a weird...something. The Portuguese Man o' War isn't really a single organism which makes it weird. It is actually a colony of four different organisms living in symbiotic relationships which acts like a single organism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Man_o'_War#Structure


Sort of an animal counterpart to lichen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichen), I suppose. But lichen consists of only two separate organisms, albeit much more unrelated than the organisms that comprise the Portuguese Man o' War.

[cornsail]

Elephant shrew:

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[Halfcentaur]

I have always been fascinated by the matamata turtle from South America. I was obsessed with turtles as a child, and this was always my grail, next to an alligator snapping turtle. I still have reoccurring dreams where I am walking along some strange stream and see them beneath the surface eating fish amongst dozens of tiny baby turtles of all colors and patterns, this always prompts me to freak out and look for a bucket to put them in, as I want to catch them all!


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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5VdS2s7B5c

[The True Scotsman]

Well, if we're including things that are odder than they look, I'd suggest Caulerpa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caulerpa). Appears to be an unremarkable seaweed, with fronds, roots, etc. But if you look closely enough, it's a single-cell. A really, really big single cell. Sort of.

ETA: now that I think about it, Caulerpa isn't really an animal . . . ah, well

An interesting organism and perhaps makes the argument for a similar thread about plants.

[aggle-rithm]

Has anyone mentioned the platypus?

Venomous mammal that lays eggs?

[aggle-rithm]

I like the stalk-eyed fly. Sexual selection run amuck.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diopsidae

[aggle-rithm]

This is a weird...something. The Portuguese Man o' War isn't really a single organism which makes it weird. It is actually a colony of four different organisms living in symbiotic relationships which acts like a single organism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Man_o'_War#Structure

We probably all started out that way, beginning with mitochondria living inside bacteria.

[majamin]

I like the stalk-eyed fly. Sexual selection run amuck.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diopsidae

That's a new one. Thanks for sharing this oddity.

[Psi Baba]

The most feared fish in the Amazon basin is only 6 inches long.
Yes, it's that fish: The Candiru
http://animal.discovery.com/fish/river-monsters/candiru-catfish/

[dasmiller]

The most feared fish in the Amazon basin is only 6 inches long.
Yes, it's that fish: The Candiru
http://animal.discovery.com/fish/river-monsters/candiru-catfish/

I live on another continent, don't plan to ever swim in a South American river, and that thing still creeps me out.

[The Kilted Yaksman]

I live on another continent, don't plan to ever swim in a South American river, and that thing still creeps me out.
Ditto.
I get the willies just reading about it.

[John Jones]

I vote for the cuttlefish. The cuttlefish is freaking amazing.

If I had to pick two animals that appear to be from another planet, the cuttlefish comes first.

Google PBS and Cuttlefish. It's hard to exaggerate how fascinating and amazing this creature is.

[dasmiller]

If I had to pick two animals that appear to be from another planet, the cuttlefish comes first.

In an example of great minds' convergence-of-thought, I remember being at an aquarium somewhere (maybe Hawaii), staring at a chambered nautilus (related to the cuttlefish) and thinking, "dude, one of us is on the wrong planet."

[Mr.D]

P. nodosum (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/science/25fossil.html) (but then again, maybe they're not animals.)

[KodeBlue]

the Alaskan Right-Winged Dingbat (http://libertyworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/sara-palin.jpg)

[aggle-rithm]

The hawk moth, Xanthopan morgani praedicta, is weird not just because it has a twelve-inch proboscis, but because Charles Darwin predicted its existence before it was discovered. He reasoned that the existence of twelve-inch-deep flowers meant there had to be a corresponding insect to pollinate it.

[aggle-rithm]

In an example of great minds' convergence-of-thought, I remember being at an aquarium somewhere (maybe Hawaii), staring at a chambered nautilus (related to the cuttlefish) and thinking, "dude, one of us is on the wrong planet."

Or in the wrong geological epoch, anyway.

[aggle-rithm]

I'm partial to extremophiles, particularly this one:


Tardigrades are able to survive in extreme environments that would kill almost any other animal. Some can survive temperatures of -273°C (-459 °F), close to absolute zero,[5] temperatures as high as 151 °C (303 °F), 1,000 times more radiation than other animals,[6] and almost a decade without water.[7] In September 2007, tardigrades were taken into low Earth orbit on the FOTON-M3 mission and for 10 days were exposed to the vacuum of space. After they were returned to Earth, it was discovered that many of them survived and laid eggs that hatched normally.[8]



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade

[Kotatsu]

I like Pyrosomes. Planktonic gigantic jet-driven colonies of salps that can do bioluminescece. Supposedly you can find colonies that are large enough to swim inside.

[The True Scotsman]

I like Pyrosomes. Planktonic gigantic jet-driven colonies of salps that can do bioluminescece. Supposedly you can find colonies that are large enough to swim inside.

Kind of looks like a sea cucumber.

[The True Scotsman]

The most feared fish in the Amazon basin is only 6 inches long.
Yes, it's that fish: The Candiru
http://animal.discovery.com/fish/river-monsters/candiru-catfish/

I think the most disconcerting thing is that this fish can grow up to 6 inches long. Imagine the pain the first tribesman who had the misfortune of peeing in the wrong part of the river must have gone through.

[UnrepentantSinner]

Tardigrades.
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I'm partial to extremophiles, particularly this one:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade

:w2:

[Puppycow]

I think this is one of the all time coolest creatures, the mimic octopus. It actually contorts it's body to mimic the locomotion of all sorts of other animals, and alters it's color as well.
Spooky how perceptive it can seem!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygh1-ul6E94&feature=player_embedded

That's so awesome! I like that little gnome thingie (he calls it a turkey in the video) running along the bottom on two legs. :D

[Halfcentaur]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v84/evilknick/Predator%201/crap%20art/seapig.jpg

The Sea Pig

[Halfcentaur]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v84/evilknick/Predator%201/crap%20art/aye-aye-strange-animal.jpg

The Aye-Aye

[Halfcentaur]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v84/evilknick/dumbo-octopus.jpg

The Dumbo Octopus

[Lolly]

Pikachu!

[FattyCatty]

I thought this was an ugly one: the naked mole rat (http://www.themanyfacesofspaces.com/MFS-StrangeButTrue-Animals.html)

http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/thum_428114ce52b78a87f5.jpg (http://forums.randi.org/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=21704)



And this was lovely but bizarre: the Magnapinna squid (http://www.themanyfacesofspaces.com/MFS-StrangeButTrue-Animals.html)

http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/thum_428114ce52d0030dac.jpg (http://forums.randi.org/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=21706)

[Deetee]

The current edition of New Scientist has its main feature on weird creatures that "defy biology".

I was browsing it in a store. It includes tardigrades (my favourite) and the immortal jellyfish.

[The True Scotsman]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v84/evilknick/dumbo-octopus.jpg

The Dumbo Octopus

It kind of remains me of something, but I just can't point my finger on it...

http://www.google.com/images?q=peeps&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1280&bih=655

[The True Scotsman]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v84/evilknick/Predator%201/crap%20art/aye-aye-strange-animal.jpg

The Aye-Aye

Ah, the famous tree-sheep. :p

[majamin]

The pebble toad of Venezuela does something altogether different: it curls up like a ball and throws itself down the side of a mountain. (source (http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8307000/8307333.stm))

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/46550000/jpg/_46550685_life0203.jpg

[ugot2bekidding]

Ice Worms. As their name implies, they live in ice. As if that isn't weird enough, they will "melt" if placed in a warmer environment.

http://blog.richway.com/uploads/IceWorms2002818141.jpg

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[ugot2bekidding]

double post.

[Kotatsu]

Kind of looks like a sea cucumber.

Only until you look more closely and realise that they are all great colonies of sea squirts.

[Halfcentaur]

Here is some weird animal behavior, too bad it's being described by stupid animal planet narration. These lemurs aggravate millipedes just to get high on their toxins, and it's supposed to be a good insect repellent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzaUA2-nHR4&feature=player_embedded

[The Kilted Yaksman]

Giant Isopods. Creepy.
http://www.biology.duke.edu/johnsenlab/new%20gallery/bathynomus%20gigantea.jpg
Apparently one 30 inches long was brought up on a deep sea ROV.

[majamin]

Bocydium globulare - Brazilian Treehopper

This is absolutely bizarre and amazing -> from an article "Why evolution is true (http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2010/11/26/the-surreal-treehoppers/)" (see the link for more amazing pictures):

http://whyevolutionistrue.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/bocydium-globulare-leafhopper.jpg?w=479&h=491

[aggle-rithm]

Bocydium globulare - Brazilian Treehopper

This is absolutely bizarre and amazing -> from an article "Why evolution is true (http://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2010/11/26/the-surreal-treehoppers/)" (see the link for more amazing pictures):

http://whyevolutionistrue.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/bocydium-globulare-leafhopper.jpg?w=479&h=491

It looks like something the fundies photoshopped to disparage evolution, like the "crocoduck".