What's the strangest animal that you know of?

Discuss the September 2017 Book of the Month, Bluewater Walkabout: Into Africa: Finding Healing Through Travel by Tina Dreffin.


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What's the strangest animal that you know of?

Post by Gravy »

Inspired by some of the threads here, what is strangest animal that you know of? What makes it the strangest? How did you come to know it? What about it makes it stick with you?

Include pictures if you can, please! That way we can all get the full effect!

To open the thread, though I'm sure I have way more to list, I bring you the Angler Fish. Fans of Finding Nemo will be familiar with this one, but may not know the weirdest thing about them.

Image
When scientists first discovered these fish, they kept wondering why all the fish they captured where females. However, after some time they noticed small “growths” on the females skin that, upon closer inspection, turned out to be males. The tiny males actually only live to find a female. Upon encounter, a male bites into her skin after which the tissues of the male and female become completely fused together so that their blood vessels join as one.
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Post by kandscreeley »

Okay gravy. I have to say. That's REALLY odd. It's very disturbing too. I never knew that.

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This is the Salp. Apparently, it's own waste helps to remove carbon from the surface of the water. Odd...
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Post by MrsCatInTheHat »

I was going to say the platypus but then I saw your picture of the angler fish and knew that was absolutely the strangest animal I've ever seen.
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Post by Snowflake »

The Angler fish is very strange indeed. Before I saw that, I was going to say "anything from Australia"!
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Post by Amagine »

kandscreeley wrote:Okay gravy. I have to say. That's REALLY odd. It's very disturbing too. I never knew that.

Image

This is the Salp. Apparently, it's own waste helps to remove carbon from the surface of the water. Odd...
It's actually kind of awesome looking!

-- 07 Sep 2017, 12:41 --
Gravy wrote:Inspired by some of the threads here, what is strangest animal that you know of? What makes it the strangest? How did you come to know it? What about it makes it stick with you?

Include pictures if you can, please! That way we can all get the full effect!

To open the thread, though I'm sure I have way more to list, I bring you the Angler Fish. Fans of Finding Nemo will be familiar with this one, but may not know the weirdest thing about them.

Image
When scientists first discovered these fish, they kept wondering why all the fish they captured where females. However, after some time they noticed small “growths” on the females skin that, upon closer inspection, turned out to be males. The tiny males actually only live to find a female. Upon encounter, a male bites into her skin after which the tissues of the male and female become completely fused together so that their blood vessels join as one.
Be glad you are human.
This one is just scary lol
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Post by micoleon13 »

Although not quite as strange as the angler fish, I find pangolins quite strange. Theyre an awesome animal and severly endangered as they are part of the illegal wildlife trade. Ive heard them likened to walking artichokes. Quite small, sadly theyre seen as a delicacy and used in the restaurant trade, even the fetuses for soup!
I cant get a photo up at the moment, will try again, or just google
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Post by Gravy »

micoleon13 wrote:Although not quite as strange as the angler fish, I find pangolins quite strange. Theyre an awesome animal and severly endangered as they are part of the illegal wildlife trade. Ive heard them likened to walking artichokes. Quite small, sadly theyre seen as a delicacy and used in the restaurant trade, even the fetuses for soup!
I cant get a photo up at the moment, will try again, or just google
Yes! The pangolin!
Image

Very sad that people will be so heartless.
CatInTheHat wrote:I was going to say the platypus but then I saw your picture of the angler fish and knew that was absolutely the strangest animal I've ever seen.
@CatInTheHat
The platypus is a good example, considering it was thought to be a hoax for so long. :lol:

I'm somewhat hoping someone can surprise me. Animals are my thing, so I know quite a few strange ones, but I have been surprised before!

-- 07 Sep 2017, 18:34 --
kandscreeley wrote:Okay gravy. I have to say. That's REALLY odd. It's very disturbing too. I never knew that.

Image

This is the Salp. Apparently, it's own waste helps to remove carbon from the surface of the water. Odd...
That's awesome!
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Post by Amagine »

The strangest animals to me are all the different hybrids that exists in our world. Whenever humans forces two different animals to mate and reproduce, their offspring always seem strange to me.
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Post by Gravy »

Amagine wrote:The strangest animals to me are all the different hybrids that exists in our world. Whenever humans forces two different animals to mate and reproduce, their offspring always seem strange to me.
It also happens in nature. Sometimes a sad consequence of habitate loss. They've recently found hybridized sharks.

Here's one that is found in nature, a pizzly.Image
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Post by readandsmile »

The pink dolphins.
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Post by Amagine »

Gravy wrote:
Amagine wrote:The strangest animals to me are all the different hybrids that exists in our world. Whenever humans forces two different animals to mate and reproduce, their offspring always seem strange to me.
It also happens in nature. Sometimes a sad consequence of habitate loss. They've recently found hybridized sharks.

Here's one that is found in nature, a pizzly.Image
It's actually king of cute, but the sad part is that a lot of hybrids don't live as long as their pure counterparts. There are some exceptions though.
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Post by Zupanatural »

The angler fish is def weird but there are even weirder things in the deepest waters- not having any specific names to mind, I'd liken them to neon glow sticks with teeth.

Much cuter but still a pretty bizarre creature, my submission is the cuttlefish- 3 hearts & blue blood!

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Post by Child »

The Honey Badger it steal from Lions, raids bee hives, kills snakes and eats porcupines that's jus crazy and weird.
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Post by Gravy »

readandsmile wrote:The pink dolphins.
Yes! River dolphins!
Image
Child wrote:The Honey Badger it steal from Lions, raids bee hives, kills snakes and eats porcupines that's jus crazy and weird.
Very interesting critter.Image
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Post by Alicnim »

There's this fish that walks on land back in my rural home. I saw it last in the mid 90's. Its not the tastiest of fish but that doesn't stop people from eating it. I can't find the exact image of the variety we have at home but its from the protopterus genus.

The fish walks on land, sometimes it can even be confused with a large snake. And some are really huge. Despite their scary looks, they are mild mannered and we openly played with bigger specimens as kids.
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