The Garden of Eaden: UGLY ANIMALS

CLICK HERE FOR THE NEW 'GARDEN OF EADEN’ WEBSITE AND SEED SHOP

The world is full of beautiful creatures, each perfectly designed to take advantage of their environmental niche. However, every once in a while evolution has thrown a curve ball in the looks department. And while every animal has an important its role to play in the grand scheme of things, some of them would perhaps be better off fulfilling their role in the dark.

Be that as it may, check out my list of the worlds ugliest animals, but beware - some of these animals have been truly beaten by the ugly stick!

The World's Ugliest Animals

In the swamps of Southern United States of America there is one creature that most will find absolutely grotesque.

It is the Alligator snapping turtle, and while it may not be the prettiest, it is by far the largest freshwater turtle in America - weighing up to 300lbs.

Perhaps worse than its face is the 'creepy' specialised organ that wriggles inside its mouth! This is a lure which is used to attract fish within striking distance.

The budget frog from south America looks as though it has come straight out of a jelly mold and not quite set properly. However,iIts unusual looks are a case of function over form as the Budgets frogs loose fitting folds of skin help it to survive dry conditions by becoming dormant. In stead of breathing, it absorbs minute traces of oxygen from the dwindling pools!

The star nosed mole is the worlds weirdest earth mover. However, this creature holds the world record for having the best sense of touch of any animal on the planet. The secret of the 'star' of the star nosed mole is its 20 super-sensitive tentacles which ring the snout. These fleshy fingers on his nose may seem unsightly but there are the secret to the star nosed moles success.

The unprepossessing protuberances allow the star nosed mole to hunt 14 times faster than other moles. Smell and hearing first alert the mole to a meal. Once close the mole will turn to the touch sensitive tentacles. Gripping like separate fingers they drag the prey into the moles mouth.

Most people will agree that the warthog is the ugliest mammal in Africa. However, its strange, disproportionate head is very useful for is survival. The warthogs mussel is shaped like a shovel which it uses to turn over hard earth in order to dig up tasty bulbs and roots.

Its tusks are formidable weapons which it uses to defend itself, and the four warts on the face - from which the warthog gets its name - are strategically placed in order to protect the face and eyes from the jabbing tusks of other challenging males.

In most peoples mind, the most grotesque bird of all is the vulture. Many birds have a thick coating of feathers upon their head and neck, but why are vulture so wanting?

Vultures can't preen their own heads and any feathers in this area would become heavily matted with blood and gore. These bald looks therefore help vultures to stay clean when the going get tough.

The Garden of Eaden

Tuesday, 17 January 2012

UGLY ANIMALS

1 comments:

Flowers

Search This Website

WORLDS BEST GARDENING TIPS?

INDEX OF CATEGORIES

About Me

Article Archive

Followers

Total Pageviews