Amazing creatures

[thenooblet22]

I was watching a show on Discovery channel called Borneo Explorer or something like that, and I was fascinated with all the crazy animals, insects and plants. So, I thought about opening a thread to share weird creatures! Weeeeee! I'll go first:

http://www.uoregon.edu/~crenk/calliecarnivorousplants/200px-Heliamphora.jpg
This is a Pitfall type canivorous plant and it's really cool. What it does is fill up with liters (or ounces, depending on size) of water to attract insects. When the insects sit to get a drink, they fall in, drown and decompose into nutrients. Awesome, eh? Think of the years of evolution for a plant like this to form.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ant_Mimic_Spider.jpg
This is an ant... not! It's actually a spider! The only clues that you can tell it its 8 legs and its huge front eyes. On the show, you got to see live footage of this lil guy, and I was convinced of his performance

Feel free to comment or add on to this freaky list of animals

 

[El_Machinae]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuFyqzerHS8

Here's the lyrebird, and it collects mates by having the most complex song that it can. It adds complexity to its songs by imitating the sounds and songs of the forest. Notably, it can sound like a camera and a chain-saw crew.

 

[Yeeek]

That spider is amazing. But in term of size, its very small isn't it? Compared to a actual ant that is.

Edit - The lyrebird gets my vote. O.o

 

[thenooblet22]

That spider is amazing. But in term of size, its very small isn't it? Compared to a actual ant that is.

Well I just Youtubed it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKZnkcN5cAE Who needs a chainsaw bird when you got an awesome spider-ant
EDIT: Of course, the frill shark is a must: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mneDhOtVEQw

 

[Yeeek]

freakin' cool.

I'll add my bit. The Hymenoepimecis Wasp http://www.exchangedlife.com/Creation/hymenoepimecis.shtml

his wasp has a very interesting mode of reproduction. It plants its egg in a spider from which the egg feeds and while the spider continues living and making webs as normal for the 10-14 days the egg needs to grow. The egg then forces the spider (apparently by injecting a special secretion) to build a cocoon for it (somewhat,but not completely like the beginning of a web) and it then kills the spider and continues to grow in the cocoon until it is born. The construction needs to be quite exact and in the way the wasp requires or the wasp will die.The Hymenoepicemis's manipulation of its spider host is probably the most finely directed alteration of behavior ever attributed to an insect parasitoid" -William G. Eberhard, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. And this is the way the species reproduces!

How cool is that?!

No youtube video though

 

[Perfection]

Nothing is as amazing as Karate Cat!

 

[thenooblet22]

Mind-controlling parasites anyone?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWB_COSUXMw
Parasites are always cool

Nothing is as amazing as Karate Cat!

Hilarious
EDIT: Worms are always welcomed as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Df_iGe_JSzI

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

That lyre bird is truly amazing!

 

[pboily]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuFyqzerHS8

Here's the lyrebird, and it collects mates by having the most complex song that it can. It adds complexity to its songs by imitating the sounds and songs of the forest. Notably, it can sound like a camera and a chain-saw crew.

holy mother of god...

 

[Theige]

From a very cool site


The Terrifying Toothpick Fish:

http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=797


Giant Carnivorous Centipedes

http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=605

 

[JonnyB]

The Cuttlefish

Cuttlefish are sometimes called the chameleon of the sea because of their remarkable ability to rapidly alter their skin colour at will. Their skin flashes a fast-changing pattern as communication to other cuttlefish and to camouflage them from predators

. They can produce a rapidly pulsing strobe effect with their coloring, and some at least can drastically alter their physical appearance too.
Cuttlefish camoflage

Cuttlefish montage
Check out the strobing at 2:20 and 3:16

 

[thenooblet22]

From a very cool site


The Terrifying Toothpick Fish:

http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=797


Giant Carnivorous Centipedes

http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=605

You win the prize of the most creepiest **** ever

 

[skadistic]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuFyqzerHS8

Here's the lyrebird, and it collects mates by having the most complex song that it can. It adds complexity to its songs by imitating the sounds and songs of the forest. Notably, it can sound like a camera and a chain-saw crew.

I want one!! My parakeet mimics my cockateal and some other stuff like Enzite comercials.

 

[bigdog5994]

Bigfoot the only north American ape

heres the best bigfoot evidence
http://www.claytonbailey.com/bigfootskeleton.htm

 

[Pasi Nurminen]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuFyqzerHS8

Here's the lyrebird, and it collects mates by having the most complex song that it can. It adds complexity to its songs by imitating the sounds and songs of the forest. Notably, it can sound like a camera and a chain-saw crew.

That can't be real.

 

[Ultima Dragoon]

That can't be real.

It is. It can mimic the sound of shotguns and chainsaws flawlessly.

My dad was once put in the bush with some friend, and heard a mobile phone ringing; it wasn't his or any of his friend's mobile.

It was a lyrebird.

 

[Till]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuFyqzerHS8

Here's the lyrebird, and it collects mates by having the most complex song that it can. It adds complexity to its songs by imitating the sounds and songs of the forest. Notably, it can sound like a camera and a chain-saw crew.

He must attract mates of all kinds of bird species, but i wonder how he finds one of his own!

 

[El_Machinae]

From a very cool site


The Terrifying Toothpick Fish:

http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=797

I don't think I'll sit down to pee again

 

[JonnyB]

A man made hybrid animal, and Napoleon Dynamites favorite
The Liger

 

[Abaddon]

I prefere Tigons myself...being the residend Zoologist.. geez, i wouldnt know what to chose.. so many amazing critturs out there!