THE BIZARRO SERIES

There’s more to the letter C than “cats” or “crabs”. What about the “cassowaries” and the “civets” and the “cuttlefish”? How about "atemoya" or "ackee" instead of "apple" or "avocado". You think humans are creative? - mother nature is laughing at you!

[weirdlyreal]

Zyzzyva is a genus of tropical American weevil often found in association with palms. It is a snouted beetle. "Zyzzyva" is the last word in many English-language dictionaries […] The yellowish weevil is no longer than an ant.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zyzzyva

[weirdlyreal]

The Yeti crab, or Kiwa hirsute, is a crustacean discovered in 2005 in the South Pacific Ocean. This decapod, which is approximately 15 cm (5.9 in) long, is notable for the quantity of silky blond setae (resembling fur) covering itspereiopods (thoracic legs, including claws). Its discoverers dubbed it the "yeti lobster" or "yeti crab". […] The animal has strongly reduced eyes that lack pigment, and is thought to be blind. The "hairy" pincers contain filamentous bacteria, which the creature may use to detoxify poisonous minerals from the water emitted by the hydrothermal vents where it lives.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiwa_hirsuta

cool video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLI3Ad-M3iM

[weirdlyreal]

The Xoloitzcuintle is a hairless breed of dog, found in toy, miniature and standard sizes. It is also known as Mexican hairless dog in English speaking countries. [...] Hairlessness may have offered a survival advantage in tropical regions. Indigenous peoples of Central and South America had Xolo dogs as home and hunting companions, and today they are still very popular companion dogs. They are also the national dog of Mexico. […] The breed occurs naturally in two varieties, hairless and coated.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Hairless_Dog

cool video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWn2oAy9GCU

[weirdlyreal]

Wombats are short-legged, muscular quadrupedal marsupials, native to Australia, approximately 1 metre (40 in) in length, with short, stubby tails. […] They dig extensive burrow systems with rodent-like front teeth and powerful claws. One distinctive adaptation of wombats is their backwards pouch. The advantage of a backwards-facing pouch is that when digging, the wombat does not gather soil in its pouch over its young. Although mainly crepuscular and nocturnal, wombats also venture out to feed on cool or overcast days. They are not commonly seen, but leave ample evidence of their passage, treating fences as minor inconveniences to be gone through or under, and leaving distinctive cubic faeces. […] Wombats have an extraordinarily slow metabolism, taking around eight to 14 days to complete digestion, which aids their survival in arid conditions. They generally move slowly.[citation needed] When threatened, however, they can reach up to 40 km/h (25 mph) and maintain that speed for up to 90 seconds.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wombat

cool video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiuQ_rVM-WE

[weirdlyreal]

The Venus flytrap sea anemone is a large sea anemone that superficially resembles a Venus flytrap. […] It closes its tentacles to capture prey or to protect itself. It is a deep sea species. […] Venus flytrap sea anemone is a passive suspension feeder, and orients itself on its often slender column so that it faces the upwelling current.[3] Its pedal disc is small, and its tentacles are short compared to the large, concave oral disc, which is funnel or mushroom-shaped. It extends its tentacles in two rows, one reflexed back and one sloping forward, and collects food particles as they drift past.

 source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_flytrap_sea_anemone

cool video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZt7yeTc0_c

[weirdlyreal]

The uakaris are unusual among New World monkeys in that the tail length (15-18 cm) is substantially less than their head and body length (40-45 cm). Their bodies are covered with long, loose hair but their heads are bald. They have almost no subcutaneous fat, so their bald faces appear almost skull like. […] Uakaris are typically lethargic and silent in zoo conditions, but in the wild they are agile and active, capable of leaps of over 6 meters.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uakari

 cool video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU90rvvfF3k

[weirdlyreal]

Tragopan are birds commonly called "horny pheasants" because of two brightly colored, fleshy horns on their heads that they can erect during courtship displays. […] The colourful Temminck’s tragopan is considered by many to be the most beautiful pheasant in the world. Male Temminck’s tragopans are bright orange-crimson, spotted with pearl-grey dots below and black-bordered white dots above. Perhaps even more striking is the vivid pale-blue skin of the face and the bib-like wattle that hangs from the throat, typical of tragopan males, bearing a spectacular pattern of darker blue-violet markings down the centre, and conspicuous scarlet markings down each side.

source: http://www.arkive.org/temmincks-tragopan/tragopan-temminckii/

 cool video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9tdloS_A-4

[weirdlyreal]

The Sphynx is a breed of cat known for its lack of a coat. […] The lack of coat makes the cat quite warm to the touch. Whiskers and eyebrows may be present, either whole or broken, or may be totally absent. The skin is the color their fur would be, and all the usual cat marking patterns (solid, point, van, tabby, tortie, etc.) may be found on Sphynx skin. […] They generally have wedge-shaped heads and sturdy, heavy bodies. Standards call for a full round abdomen, also known as pot bellies. [...] Sphynxes are known for their extroverted behavior. They display a high level of energy, intelligence, curiosity, and affection for their owners.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphynx_(cat)

 cool video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuOvHDhMJ-A

[weirdlyreal]

The red-lipped batfish or Galapagos batfish is a fish of unusual morphology found on the Galapagos Islands in depths of 30m or more. […] Batfish are not good swimmers; they use their highly-adapted pectoral fins to "walk" on the ocean floor. When the batfish reaches maturity, its dorsal fin becomes a single spine-like projection (thought to function primarily as a lure for prey). Similar to the anglerfish, the Red-Lipped Batfish has a structure on its head known as illicium. This structure is employed for attracting prey.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-lipped_batfish

 cool video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9inncLXAHg

[weirdlyreal]

Quetzals are strikingly colored birds in the trogon family. [..] They are fairly large (all over 32 cm or 13 inches long), slightly bigger than other trogon species. Quetzals have iridescent green or golden-green wing coverts, back, chest and head, with a red belly. They are strongly sexually dimorphic, and parts of the females' plumage are brown or grey. These largely solitary birds feed on fruits, berries, insects and small vertebrates (such as frogs). Despite their bright plumage, they can be surprisingly difficult to see in their wooded habitats.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzal

 cool video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk1r05NkqRI

[weirdlyreal]

The Peacock spider or Gliding spider is a species of jumping spider. […] The red, blue and black colored males have flap-like extensions of the abdomen with white hairs that can be folded down. They are used for display during mating: the male raises his abdomen, then expands and raises the flaps so that the abdomen forms a white-fringed, circular field of color. The species, and indeed the whole genus Maratus have been compared to peacocks in this respect. The third pair of legs is also raised for display, showing a brush of black hairs and white tips. While approaching the female, the male will vibrate his abdomen while waving raised legs and tail, and dance from side to side. […] Both sexes reach about 5 mm in body length. Females and immatures of both sexes are brown but have colour patterns by which they can be distinguished from related species.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peacock_spider

 cool video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_yYC5r8xMI

[weirdlyreal]

Oryx are strikingly beautiful antelope with long, straight, and slender horns. These horns, carried by both males and females, give the oryx their nickname of spear antelope […] All oryx species prefer near-desert conditions and can survive without water for long periods. They live in herds of up to 600 animals. […] The horns are narrow, and straight except in the scimitar oryx, where they curve backwards like a scimitar. The horns are lethal — the oryx has been known to kill lions with them, and oryxes are thus sometimes called the sabre antelope (not to be confused with the sable antelope). The horns also make the animals a prized game trophy, which has led to the near-extinction of the two northern species. […] Because of their dry habitat, food can be scarce for oryx, so the males follow their harem herd to protect it rather than trying to defend a large food range or territory. Oryx have an unusual circulation system in their head: they are able to cool the blood flowing to their brain through the capillaries in their nose as they breathe. This is very helpful when you live in the desert!

source: http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/oryx

 cool video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kS0b6FBd5g

[weirdlyreal]

A nudibranch is a member of Nudibranchia, a group of soft-bodied, marine gastropod mollusks which shed their shell after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colors and striking forms. There are more than 3,000 described species of nudibranchs. […] This group includes some of the most colorful creatures on earth. In the course of their evolution, nudibranchs have lost their shell while developing alternative defense mechanisms. Some species evolved an external anatomy with textures and colors that mimicked surrounding plants to avoid predators.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nudibranch

 cool video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJE-LPcwtP8

[weirdlyreal]

Mantis shrimp may reach 30 centimetres (12 in) in length, though in exceptional cases have been recorded at up to 38 cm (15 in) […] These aggressive and typically solitary sea creatures spend most of their time hiding in rock formations or burrowing intricate passageways in the sea bed. […] The mantis shrimp has such good eyes it can perceive both polarized light and multispectral images.[11] Their eyes (both mounted on mobile stalks and constantly moving about independently of each other) are similarly variably coloured and are considered to be the most complex eyes in the animal kingdom […] Some species use fluorescent patterns on their bodies for signalling with their own and maybe even other species, expanding their range of behavioural signals. They can learn and remember well, and are able to recognise individual neighbours with whom they frequently interact. They can recognise them by visual signs and even by individual smell. Many have developed complex social behaviour to defend their space from rivals.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantis_shrimp

 cool video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5FEj9U-CJM

[weirdlyreal]

Leafy seadragons get that name because of their appearance, with long leaf-like protrusions coming from all over the body. These protrusions are not used for propulsion; they serve only as camouflage. The leafy seadragon propels itself by means of apectoral fin on the ridge of its neck and a dorsal fin on its back closer to the tail end. These small fins are almost completely transparent and difficult to see as they undulate minutely to move the creature sedately through the water, completing the illusion of floating seaweed.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leafy_sea_dragon

cool video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuI4ncViU4Y

[weirdlyreal]

The Komondor's coat is long, thick, and strikingly corded white coat, about 20 – 27 cm long (the heaviest amount of fur in the canine world), which resembles dreadlocks or a mop. The puppy coat is soft and fluffy. However, the coat is wavy and tends to curl as the puppy matures. A fully mature coat is formed naturally from the soft undercoat and the coarser outer coat combining to form tassels, or cords and will take around two years to form. Some help is needed in separating the cords so the dog does not turn into one large matted mess. [...] They are large dogs (many are over 30 inches tall), making this one of the largest common breeds of dog, or a molosser. Their body is covered by a heavy, matted, corded coat. The dogs have robust bodies, strongly muscled, with long legs and a short back, with the tails carried low. The body, seen sideways, forms a prone rectangle.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komondor

 cool video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HsNwqnDmk8

[weirdlyreal]

 The Jaybird, or Blue Jay, is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to North America. They measure 22–30 cm (9–12 in) from bill to tail and weighs 70–100 g (2.5–3.5 oz), with a wingspan of 34–43 cm (13–17 in). There is a pronounced crest on the head, a crown of feathers, which may be raised or lowered according to the bird's mood. When excited or aggressive, the crest may be fully raised. When frightened, the crest bristles outwards, brushlike. When the bird is feeding among other jays or resting, the crest is flattened to the head. […] Blue Jays can make a large variety of sounds, and individuals may vary perceptibly in their calling style. […] Like other corvids, they may learn to mimic human speech. Blue Jays can also copy the cries of local hawks so well that it is sometimes difficult to tell which it is.

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaybird

 cool video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1VLWAnINTk