Ugly Animals: October 2011

Leafy Sea Dragon

I would not call this one as an Ugly Animal but a Weird one. Yeah, until now I have never come across any sea creatures as weird as this one. Nature surprises me every time when I find something new and strange like this :-)

Named after the dragons of Chinese mythology, Leafy sea dragons (Phycodurus eques) resemble a piece of drifting seaweed as they float in the seaweed-filled water. The Leafy seadragon, with green, orange and gold hues along its body, is covered with leaf-like appendages, making it remarkably camouflaged. Only the fluttering of tiny fins or the moving of an independently swiveling eye, reveals its presence.

Like the seahorse, the male seadragon carries as many as 150-200 eggs. After being deposited by the female, the eggs are carried in the honeycomb-shaped area (known as the brood patch) under the male's tail for approximately eight weeks. Seadragons have no teeth or stomach and feed exclusively on mysidopsis shrimp. Known as "Australian seahorses" in Australia, they are found in calm, cold water that is approximately 50-54° F (10-12° C). Leafy seadragons have been protected by the South Australian government since 1982.

Ugly Animals - Leafy Sea Dragon

Horseshoe Bat

As per Wiki,

Horseshoe bats (Rhinolophidae) are a family of bats. In addition to the single living genus, Rhinolophus, there is one extinct genus, Palaeonycteris. The closely related Hipposideridae are sometimes included within the horseshoe bats as a subfamily, Hipposiderinae. Both families are classified in the suborder Yinpterochiroptera or Pteropodiformes and were previously included in Microchiroptera.

All horseshoe bats have leaf-like, horseshoe-shaped protuberances on their noses. In the related Hipposideridae, these noseleafs are leaf- or spear-like. They emit echolocation calls through these structures, which may serve to focus the sound. Their hind limbs are not well developed, so that they cannot walk on all fours; conversely, their wings are broad, making their flight particularly agile. Most rhinolophids are dull brown or reddish brown in color. They vary in size from 2.5 cm to 14 cm in head-body length, and 4 to 120 grams in weight.

The females have a pair of mammary glands and two "false nipples" above and to the side of the genital opening, which newborn bats cling to for a few days after birth.

Horseshoe bats are found in tropical and temperate regions from Europe to Japan and from Asia to Africa. They are usually brown but occasionally are red. They are about 3.5–11 cm (1.4–4.3 inches) long without the 2.5–4.5-cm (1–1.8-inch) tail, and they weigh 5–30 grams (0.17–1 ounce). Horseshoe bats live in groups and roost in damp, dark places such as caves. Species native to temperate regions hibernate in winter.

Ugly Animals - Horseshoe Bat

Sphynx Cats

How’d you like to wake up in the middle of the night, during a thunderstorm, and find THIS staring at you from 6 inches away? Sphynx Cats or “Canadian Hairless” if that makes them somewhat less creepy sounding, are a recognized breed of cat with little or no coat. Oddly, the skin of Sphynx Cats is pigmented in the same pattern as the cat would display if normally furred. Sphynx cats have wedge-shaped, Yoda-like heads with large ears and heavyset bodies. Can’t believe it? That is why you fail. Lol

The Canadian Sphynx is recognized by cat fancy associations as being a healthy robust breed. Lack of hair can cause health issues with kittens in the first weeks of life due to susceptibility to respiratory infections. Reputable breeders will not let their kittens go to new homes without being at least 12 weeks of age to ensure the kitten is mature enough to cope in a new environment. Due to their lack of protective fur, skin cancer may be a problem if exposed to sunlight for long durations of time.

The breed does have instances of the genetic disorder hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Studies are being undertaken to understand the links in breeding and the disorder.[9]

Sphynx cats can catch common feline diseases and should be immunized in the same way as other breeds.

Ugly Animals - Sphynx Cats

Stargazer Fish

As per WikiPedia,

The stargazers are a family Uranoscopidae of perciform fish that have eyes on top of their heads (hence the name). The family includes about 50 species in 8 genera, all marine and found worldwide in shallow waters.

Stargazers are venomous; they have two large poison spines situated behind the opercle and above the pectoral fins. Some species can also cause electric shocks. They have an electric organ consisting of modified eye muscles. They are one of the few marine bony fishes that are electrogenic. They are also unique among electric fish in not possessing specialized electroreceptors

The stargazer fish eat a variety of other fishes and invertebrates like crabs present in the marine water for its survival. They hide themselves under the sand and keep a watch on their prey. Their body color also helps them to camouflage with their surroundings. As soon as they find a prey nearby, they jump upwards to catch hold of it. Another technique is where they use the appendage attached to its lower lip. As it appears like a worm, they quiver it to attract the prey. Then the prey, assuming it as a worm, moves towards it. As it comes near the mouth, the fish create a vacuum inside the mouth and suck in the prey fish. Thus, the prey enters into the open mouth of the stargazer.

The breeding season for the stargazer fish is spring and summer. They lay their small transparent eggs on the bottom of the sea. Later, the eggs float to the surface of the water and hatch into larvae of stargazer fish. They remain on top of the water, until it reaches the size of 12 - 15 millimeters in length. At this stage, they can swim to the bottom of the water, where they grow up into matured adult stargazer fish.

How I wish I could see one of these for real before I die!

Ugly Animals - The Stargazer Fish

Viperfish

Friends, I know I have not been active lately on my blog but I had some personal to sort out. I hope you did not get bored without me writing about new ugly animals every day or Did you? :)

Well, today I got a really strange, weird and ugly fish called as the Viper Fish. I myself am a pure vegetarian but if I ever develop a taste for fishes I would never even want to try this one out though I am not sure if this is edible.

One of the ugliest deep-sea creatures is the Viper fish. The viper fish has a huge mouth filled with razor sharp teeth. Its teeth are so big that they do not even fit inside the fish's mouth! The viper fish uses its teeth to grab its victims. Its head can flip up so it can swallow large prey.

Viperfish live far below the ocean's surface where there is no sun light. Their bodies make their own light. They use this light to attract prey.

The Viper Fish lives in tropical and temperate waters at depths of 1500 m although like a lot of deep sea creatures it vertically migrates to around 500 m at night to feed on crustaceans and other small fish, luring them with a long rod like organ with a flashing light on the end. The viperfish grows up to 60cm long and is believed to live for over 15 years.

I initially confused this Viper fish for a Fangtooth Fish but then realized that these two are not one and the same.

Ugly Animals - Viper Fish