I happened upon this article (well not this exact one) and thought I'd post it

species.asu.edu/Top10

This spider is beautiful;

Sazima's Tarantula
species.asu.edu/2012_species10


Cool Monkey

Sneezing Monkey
species.asu.edu/2012_species01


What the hell?! I don't think this one is still with us. It's like a crawling insect type thing. Weird anyway.

Cambrian Cactus
species.asu.edu/2012_species09


Makes you wonder what else is out there yet to be discovered.

Very cool, Irre! These are all new to me. The striking coloration of the tarantula leaves a lasting impression. That has to be one of the strangest monkeys I have seen. It looks almost like it had originally adapted to colder climates.The Cambrian cactus is really neat. The creatures of the Cambrian period were so alien looking.

i find the bod faced wasp absolutely badass


but only to look at it in pics, im bit afraid of these kind of animals, remembering stings fom old times

Mrindigo wrote:
The Tarantula is stunning. I didn't know Tarantulas of that colour existed
The Monkey is very strange looking isnt it? Strange but cool

I want to find more weird creatures now. I'll have to do some googling and studying

hadabusa wrote:
I'm not a fan of Wasps and flying stinging things either

My brother was telling me about this Wasp that mind controls spiders. They spray some chemical or do some weird thing that renders the spider like a hypnotised puppet. Then the wasp lays its eggs on the spider and when the eggs hatch the baby wasps eat the poor spider

Nature is fascinating, bizarre, and often cruel.

I was wrong. The wasp doesn't lay its eggs on the spider, it gets the spider to build a special web nest

www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/newl...nslaves-spiders.html


Spiders spend a lot of time crafting their webs in hopes of making a meal out of all manner of winged insect--but a recently discovered species of wasp is found to use the spider's engineering prowess to its own advantage. Through a not yet understood chemical process, the wasps are able to, quite literally, enslave the unsuspecting spiders to build a nest for their larva, and after all that hard work, become their first meal...

Caracal.
This is probably my favourite cat. It looks cool and has an amazing jump.



The following video shows the Caracal hunting (birds get killed)

Thanks for sharing these with us, irrie - fascinating! I'm terrified of spiders and wasps (although I could never kill a spider and only swat wasps if absolutely necessary!). That "walking cactus" thingy is amazing, though, and the caracal cat is really beautiful.

Incidentally, I found quite a large centipede in the bedroom just t'other day...!

Mandy

quietgirl wrote:
I'm not too keen on spiders either Mandy And the less said about wasps the better I can't stand the stinging little gits!
I've said this before, but last summer (I think) a wasp dropped on my head from a shop ledge. Landed right on my balding bit I bet it was just waiting to sting! But I felt it and quickly swiped it off

I like centipedes, but I don't seem to come across them often. Was it one of those red ones?

Another thing I haven't seen for years, are those big furry caterpillars. I used to love them as a kid, and let them walk on on my hands. I wonder where they've gone

irrepressible wrote:
Yep, it was one of the red centipedes, irrie - it vanished down the back of the radiator and could still be there for all I know!

I was stung by a wasp a few years ago - the little "bar-steward" was hiding in a tea-towel and got me while I was drying up!

I've not seen those big hairy caterpillars for years, either. I believe some parts of the country are suffering a plague of poisonous caterpillars - of the Processionary Moth, I think!

Mandy

quietgirl wrote:
I've just googled those caterpillars, they sound like bad news!

Peregrine Falcon





242 MPH!!??

I love Peregrines

irrepressible wrote:
Yes, they can cause some pretty uncomfortable symptoms!

Here's a vid of some Processionary Moth Caterpillars in, er, procession!



Mandy

Spiny Orb Weaver



Rather than being a single species, horned spiders, also known as Spiny Orb Weavers, are a genus that includes as many as 70 known species, with many more yet to be discovered. They are found all around the world and are completely harmless despite their frightening appearance; the horns and spines are supossed to be a deterrent to birds. These spiders are also noted for adding small silk “flags” to the edges of their webs. These flags make the web more visible to small birds, which can then steer away before becoming entangled on the web. Horned spiders are found all around the world, often in gardens and near houses.

Weird. Looks like King of the Spiders or something

Happy face spider



No kidding. This is a real animal, closely related to the black widow spider and found in the rainforests of Hawaii, where it is known as nananana makaki’i. It is not known to be dangerous to humans in any way. The strange patterns in the spider’s yellow abdomen often take the form of a smiling face, although in some individuals the markings are less obvious or even absent. Some happy face spiders can actually have markings reminiscent of a frowning or screaming face!
Although this is not the only spider with face-like markings, it is certainly the one with the most notorious one. Unfortunately, it is the only spider in this list considered as endangered, due to its limited range and the reduction of its natural habitat.

listverse.com/2010/05/01/top-10-bizarre-spiders/

That is just plain weird! There doesn't seem to be any reason for its smiley face

Although I'm scared of spiders, even I can appreciate the amazingness of those, irrie!

Mandy

Mrindigo wrote:
I particularly like his 'Morrisey' quiff.

Star Nosed Mole FTW! and also WTF!



What a strange looking being. Mother nature must have been smoking one of these

More pics!

irrepressible wrote:
They're pretty cool, I've seen a few them here. The weird nasal tentacles were thought to be used to detect bioelectric signatures that help it find food. That hasn't been proven yet to the best of my knowledge.