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20 Scary Animals, feel the spirit of halloween, would any of these make you scream?

10/24/09
admin
· Green Things

Halloween Screams -- Scary Animals

(Images via: Nose Digg, The Hostess, Somethin Beautiful, Wolaver)

With Halloween just around the corner, what better time than now to talk about some of the scariest and freakiest animals in nature. From the nocturnal primate (ayer ayer) that looks like a gremlin to the appropriately-named vampire bat that subsists on blood to a blobfish engulfing anything in its path to the hatchetfish with their ghostly apparitions, nature truly consists of some animals that can at times seem straight out of horror movies.

Hardly Out of Sight, Out of Mind Underwater

More Scary Fish

(Images via: Wild Animal Fight Club, L’s the Word, Epica Ceremony)

Thanks to the various “Jaws” movies of the late seventies and early 80s, it’s safe to say that this author has never placed a foot in the ocean out of fear of encountering the legendary monster, the “blood-thirsty” great white shark. Of course, movies tend to dramatize things, but the fact remains that the fear still exists all these years later. In simple terms, there is something very unsettling about floating in the water, with hundreds of miles and who knows what moving below you. Of course, the ocean’s waters are haunted by more than sharks, octopus and whatever this freaky, gap-toothed fish creature is.

Ghostly and Monstrous Deep Sea Creatures

Freaky Fish

(Images via: Flickr, Science Ray, Dark Roast Blend, Science Blogs)

The deeper the ocean gets, the stranger the fish become. Imagine scuba diving and running into some of these guys above, which are sure to send chills down the spine, cause you to clench your oxygen tank a little tighter and maybe even make you feel as if you’re in the depths of fiery hell (well at least this red fish in the upper-left hand corner). The monk fish (upper-right hand corner) looks more like a monster than a saint, while the viper fish has haunting eyes that cut right through you. As for the gulper eel (lower-right hand corner), it looks like a scientific experiment gone horribly wrong, at least from this point of view.

If Looks Could Kill

Scary Reptiles

(Images via: Gateways Clearinghouse, It’s Nature, Wunder Ground, Science Ray, Ugly Overlord)

Reptiles are cold-blooded, which makes sense when considering the sheer intimidation that they can cast with a cold, blank stare. Simply looking into the eyes of these fellows can leave one feeling possessed and under their control. And when these creatures get mad, as evident above, their reactions are enough to leave you having nightmares for weeks to come. And let’s not enough talk about how the presence of a snake makes me feel.

Soft and Furry Until They Get Angry

Soft and Furry But Definitely Angry

(Images via: Flickr, Flickr, The Web site of Everything, Flickr, Flickr)

Various land-based animals that look cute or appear aloof for the most part can get quite nasty and vicious when need be. If you ever run across these critters on a bad day, be careful. These rabies-infested animals are not afraid of showing their teeth, hissing and letting you know who is in control. With all that said, most wild animals simply want to be left alone and are harmless unless they feel threatened. As has always been the case, respect the animals and they will typically respect you.

Chris

Naturally Social: Cool Ways Animals Communicate

09/17/09
admin
· Green Things

Cool Ways Animals Communicate

Images via: (Bitter N Sweet, Liting Yu, Ian Salang, Journey Forth)

If you’ve ever owned a pet that was sick, you likely know the feeling of wishing you could communicate with the animal to know just what was bothering him or her. Unfortunately for humans, we are not always able to communicate with animals in ways that they are capable of doing with members of their own species. From the impressive language and dialect of prairie dogs to the “beyond-human-hearing” rumbles of elephants to the numerous distinctive cries of chickens, animal communication truly is a testament to the intelligence of these creatures. While animal communication may be used to evoke many emotions — love, anger, worry, etc. — here’s hoping this list will leave you feeling amazed and even a little bit appreciative of the unique and intricate ways animals share information.

Loud and Profound Barking: Prairie Dog Language

Prairie Dogs

(Images via: Squidoo, TCS, Jeff Blaylock)

What may sound like loud barking to humans actually has much more meaning to prairie dogs, who maintain a complex communication system that resembles nouns and verbs. Acoustic analysis of prairie dog barking has revealed that this intricate communication is marked by different tones that maintain different meanings. Specifically, most prairie dog barking communicates information about imminent threats like hawks, dogs and even humans, and gets as detailed as the size and shape of the potential predators. Even more interesting, prairie dogs from different areas have their own dialects. So the next time you hear a prairie dog barking — perhaps in the wild or at the zoo — know that something much deeper is being communicated.

Soft but Meaningful Elephant Rumbles

Elephant Communication

(Images via: SMH, Wild Tracks, Trip Advisor)

With their loud screams and trumpets, elephants wouldn’t seem to have a silent “ivory bone” in them. Well, apparently, they do. Through rumbles that are below human hearing, elephants are able to communicate with distant elephants for various purposes, including coordinating group behaviors, luring mates, reproducing and establishing dominance. Amazingly, the lower the elephant infrasound, the farther it travels. Say what? I almost couldn’t hear you for a moment.

Chick Power: Clucking in the Womb and for Food

Chicken Communication

(Images via: Red Jar)

It’s safe to say that it’s very hard to get chickens to shut up. Twenty-four hours before birth, baby chicks make peeping noises in the egg, with the mother chicken responding in soothing tones to provide assurance that everything is alright. In life, chickens learn and communicate more than 20 distinctive calls, including alarm calls when danger is near. Just a few years ago, researchers confirmed that the “tck, tck, tck” sound chickens make while pecking actually signifies the presence of food to other chicken and spurs them on to search for more food. Makes sense, I guess, that an animal that tastes so good maintains its owns exquisite “chicken language” for food.

The Universal Language of Animal Love

Affectionate Animal Communication

(Images via: Sci Online, Desert USA, Weird Sceince)

Many animals display affection to each other through unique forms of physical communication. The aforementioned elephants entwine their trunks, while swans do the same, only with their necks. Like a lovestruck couple in the stages of puppy love, horses rub their noses together while giraffes put their necks next to each other as displays of affection. A precursor to the handshake, chimps greet each other by touching hands. In similar lights, male fiddler wave their hands — make that, their giant claws — to attract females. While certainly not the cleanliest form of affection, amoeba leave a chemical discharge to attract potential mates. Oh, what some will do for love.

Avoiding Harm through Communication that Alarms

Concerned Animal Communication

(Images via: The Sports Globe, Flickr, My Funny Pics)

Of course, an essential role of animal communication is to alarm other members of the species of any dangers, as seen above in the examples with prairie dogs and chickens. By thumping their hind legs, kangaroos inform their mates of danger. Like a nervous twitch, white tail deers flick their tails to warn others of imminent danger. As a means to express anger, gorillas stick out their tongues, a sign that play time is over.

Other Interesting Forms of Animal Communication

(Images via: Photo Bucket, Flickr)

Why are dogs considered man’s best friend? Because they care considerably about their masters. Specifically, dogs will study the expressions of their owners to differentiate when humans mean business or are ready to engage in some fun. And then there’s those prairie dogs, which continue to amaze. To determine friends from enemies, prairie dogs will show their teeth and press the mouths together. I’ve heard of secret handshakes and things of that nature, but the prairie dogs certainly know how to take things to a whole new level, as already seen by their extensive vocabulary.

Chris

High Nature: Amazing Mountain Wildlife

06/30/09
admin
· Green Things

header

(images via claude74, itsnature, gravitydude99)

Mountains are some of the most inhospitable places on earth. Thin air, lack of vegetation and harsh weather highlight that fact. But some creatures have adapted to mountain life. For them, negotiating rocky terrain, breathing thin air, and finding food in such a scarce environment is second nature.

Snow Leopard

snow-leopard

(image via newagecrap)

Snow Leopards are at home in South and Central Asia. They are an especially stocky cat, weighing up to 120 pounds. Despite their ferocity (snow leopards have been known to kill animals three-times their size), they are endangered, with the worldwide population estimated around 10,000.

Indian Rhino and Yak

rhino-and-yak

(images via Wonker and thomaswanhoff)

The Indian Rhinoceros is one of the most unusual mountain creatures. They thrive in the foothills of the Himalaya Mountains in Northeastern India and Nepal. They can weight more than 3 tons, easily the largest mountain animal on earth.

The yak is a woolly, strong creature that has made life possible to humans in the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau for centuries. They have larger hearts and lungs than their other bovine cousins and can survive at up to 18,000 feet above sea-level.

Mountain Goat

rocky-mountain-goat

(image via mikefats)

There are actually several species that are often tagged as Mountain Goats. The shaggy, sure-footed Rocky Mountain Goat is frequently sighted in Colorado and Wyoming. Other species are equally sure-footed and able to survive by eating whatever the mountains have to offer.

Himalayan Griffon, Andean Condor, and Tibetan Snowcock

griffon-condor-and-snowcock

(images via reurinkjan, Ester Inbar and Otto Plantema)

The Himalayan Griffon Vulture is a scavenger that can often be seen soaring over the mountains of South Asia. With a wingspan that approaches 10 feet, this is one of the largest birds to be found at high altitudes.

The Andean Condor is the Griffon’s Western Hemisphere cousin. It has a similar size. This South American species can live up to 50 years.

The Tibetan Snowcock is not as large as the two scavengers above, but it is arguably as tough, carving out an existence high on the Tibetan Plateau.

Alpine Marmot

alpine-marmot

(images via leo-seta)

Alpine Marmots are the largest relative of the squirrel. They have an ideal set of skills for life in Central Europe’s mountains. They are able to dig through hard, rocky ground with ease and can escape harsh conditions by hibernating (sometimes up to nine months per year).

Vicuna and Llama

vicuna-and-llama

(images via Rico Hubner and eschipul)

The rare Vicuna is a cousin of South America’s most famous domesticated animal, the llama. It thrives in the same high-altitude conditions, but is considerably harder to find. At one point, there were only about 10,000 left in the wild. Protection has brought the number back to more than 100,000.

The Llama has become of necessity of life for people living in the high Andes. These relatives of the camel have are used for labor, for their thick wool, and even for food.

Alpine Ibex

alpine-ibex

(image via Earth explorer)

This species of goat is easily recognized by its long, curving horns (which can be more than three feet long). Despite the menacing appearance this gives them, the horns are mainly used for protection against predators. Like most other goats, the ibex is strictly a herbivore, surviving on sometimes scarce mountain foliage.

Water-holding Cabbage

dendrosenecio

(image via Esculapio)

This unique plant species is one of the many unique ones that grow high on Mount Kilimanjaro. The flowering tops make it seem top-heavy and completely alien.

Bharal and Deer Mice

bharalanddeermic

(images via reurinkjan and kwantlen park)

The Bharal is yet another goat-like animal that thrives in sparse, rocky terrain. Its sure footing and ability to ingest anything that is vaguely edible make it an ideal mountain dweller. Bharal are a major food source for another animal on this list, Snow Leopards.

Deer Mice are found high on many of the world’s mountains. These creatures can adapt easily to a number of environments, including the extreme cold of the Andes Mountains.

Josh

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