From
the strange genetic structure of the Duck-Billed Platypus to the deadly
carnivorous perfection of the Great White Shark who hasn’t had a need to evolve
for eons the world is filled with peculiar little creatures, from the big to
the small. We’ve talked about strange animals before (Check out the Spotlight
on Extremophiles series from last month. The first entry can be found here.) like the Olm and the cave dwelling sulfur breathing
fish. But now let’s talk about some animals that are strange but aren’t going to invade your nightmares
for months to come.
1)
The Peacock Spider
He
may look like a grumpy old man spider yelling at kids to get off his lawn but
in fact that’s the mating dance of the peacock spider. When this fuzzy looking
fella wants to do the horizontal eight legged orchestra with another he shows
off his funky dance moves. (Talk about Saturday Night Fever!) But this little
guy isn’t just shaking his booty to get some booty; he’s actually dancing for
his life!
See
when a male approaches a female of this species it is actually prey walking up
to a predator. Instead of seeing the male as a potential suitor the female
often sees their initial approach as an opportunity for lunch. If his dance is
found suitable the next step is…you guessed it, freaky-deaky spider sex.
And
freaky it is indeed. The peacock spider’s genitalia doesn’t involve a penis. It
actually spins a sperm web and loads it into its mouth appendages after the
female lets him close. He has to delicately move past her fangs in order to
fertilize her. And he doesn’t brave this treacherous path once, but twice.
The
Peacock Spider hails from Australia and considering almost any multicellular
organism over 1 nm can kill you, it’s nice to know this 6mm adorable jumping
spider packs no venomous punch to humans. To watch him boogie down you can
check out the videos at Wired.com
.2) The Pygmy
Jerboa
No
it’s not some weird miniature kangaroo/chicken/mouse hybrid but that fuzzy
little bugger is about as adorable as what that combination would make. The
Jerboa is a desert dwelling rodent found in various areas of the Middle East,
Africa, and Asia. He can hop about 9 feet high. That’s pretty darn incredible
considering this cute little guy only clocks in at two inches long. This is
what gives the Pygmy Jerboa the grand title of “World’s Smallest Rodent.”
Like
most rodents, the Jerboa doesn’t stand at the top of its food chain. In fact it
is the prey of many a desert owls. Because of this it has evolved the energy
efficient method of hopping to evade predation and also an incredible sense of
hearing. In fact, if you were to take an X-Ray of a Jerboa, pretty much all you
would see is a set of teeth attached to a very big pair of ears.
Jerboas
are nocturnal and also hibernate throughout the winter. It will maintain two
separate burrows. A summer and a winter home. In the winter burrow it
hibernates but in the summer burrow is where the young are raised. Its diet
consists of plants, beetles, and some insects however it does not consume hard
seeds. It’s also important to note that even though he may look like a chipmunk-squirrel
evolved to adorable perfection he doesn’t store up food.
To
watch a video of the Jerboa raising scientist’s “Oh my Awwwww!” factor to the
maximum head on over The Huffington Post.
3)
The Olinguito
I
know what you’re saying right now and I agree. That little teddy bear looking
guy is the cutest thing on this list so far. This two pound carnivore from the
jungles of Ecuador and Colombia has actually been on the radar for about 100
years now but it wasn’t until fairly recently it was given a class all of its
own.
The
other unique thing about this little furball is that it’s been hiding in plain
sight all along! Originally the Olinguito was thought to just be an Olingo but
when it wouldn’t breed with the other Olingos it began to baffle scientists. It
wasn’t until this past year that they figured it out by using genetic analysis.
Olinguitos
are closely related to the Raccoon family and is officially the first
carnivorous species discovered in the America’s since 1978. Sure, insects,
arachnids, amphibians and other small creatures are discovered all over the
world routinely, but a carnivore is a very rare find. The last one discovered
was the Colombian Weasel (not nearly as adorable as this guy.)
Being
that this is technically a new species not much accurate information is
available on him. Hopefully in the coming year’s research will lead to more on
how he behaves in the wild, other places he lives, and what he likes to do for
fun. For now I’ll just picture him dancing on a colorful ball wearing a fez
waving to the crowd. That seems adorably suitable.
4)
The Pampas Cat
If
you aren’t spewing rainbows from all the cuteness yet then all you need do is
look at the picture above of a female Pampas cat and her kittens. Fairly small
when you consider the size of most feral wild cats, these little rascals
resemble long haired domesticated cats. But don’t be fooled by their fuzzy
appearance and try to pet one should you be hiking through the grasslands and
forests of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, or Colombia. They are wild, and they will likely attack you. (Especially
around her babies!)
The
Pampas Cat warrants further study as it was recently split from another species
known as the Colocolo when it was discovered; much like the Olinguito to the
Olingos, there was no interbreeding. Its hunting habits are still rather
unknown but sources say its diet consists of small rodents and birds at night,
but there are also reports of it attacking livestock and poultry near farms.
The
Pampas Cat clocks in around 3 feet long with its tail included and despite
being adorable and looking like it would fit in in your local studio apartment,
it’s an elusive little creature. But just like humans, the look on that female
Pampas Cat in the photo above, is clearly a look every mother has worn when
they’re infant was screaming in their ear.
Hang
in there kitty!
5)
The Angora Rabbit
The
Angora Rabbit, unlike every other one on this list so far, has been around for
a very, very long time. In fact, it’s one of the oldest domesticated rabbits
and about a dozen varieties of the Angora Rabbit exist, four of which are
recognized by the American Rabbit Breeders' Association (ARBA); they
are English, French, Giant, and Satin. Other breeds include German, Chinese,
Swiss, Finnish, Korean, and St. Lucian. How prestigious!
This
fuzzy bunny may look like it accidentally got caught in a dryer but it’s
actually bred for its long soft wool. It comes from Turkey and didn’t even
appear in the United States until the 20th century. There are also
Angora Cats and Goats as well but personally I think the puffy white rabbit pictured
above takes the cake for “holy crud that’s cute!” appeal.
As
with most rabbits its diet consists of high fiber but this is of utmost
importance for this particular species. Since rabbits ingest their fur when
they groom themselves (and as you can see we’re talking about a lot of fur here) it’s essential for
them to avoid bowel impaction which is life threatening. Along with a high hay
diet it’s a good idea to clip their fur at least once every 180 days. It’s also
a good idea because Angora wool is a sought after material in the clothing
world and depending on the quality, can fetch a good sum.
The
above rabbit is an English Angora and he probably won’t be hopping anywhere
fast any time soon. To learn more about the different breeds of Angora Rabbits
visit the Wiki page here.
And
now, last but not least, our final animal is…
6)
The Red-Sided Garter Snake
Regardless
of your feelings on snakes and spiders there is no denying the two featured on
this list are of a very colorful and attractive variety. And what’s even better
than that? Neither of them is venomous! The Red-Sided Garter Snake is native to
North America and while its bite is bad news for its froggy prey it’s only
mildly irritating to humans.
A
fairly good swimmer the Red-Sided Garter snake is active mainly during the day
and when threatened will retreat into nearby rivers, ponds, or creeks. Some
species of this snake are capable of surviving lower temperatures than most
other North American snakes. (This is probably good considering the massive
cold snap that just came through freezing America solid!)
Its
dinner isn’t limited to just frogs and toads either. The Red-Sided Garter Snake
will go after rodents, birds, fish, their eggs and offspring, it doesn’t matter.
You could say this lavishly multi-colored guy has a distinguished palate. It makes its home in grasslands, forests, and
farms, usually near some body of water like a stream or pond.
Garter
Snakes differ from most other species of snakes slightly in that they actually
“Chew” their food before swallowing it. Where other snakes like a Viper, Cobra,
or an Asp have large powerful fangs that are easily capable of piercing flesh,
muscle, and in some cases even bone, and injecting potent venoms into their
victim, the fangs of garter snakes are relatively small and weak. Because of
this they compensate by repeatedly biting their prey therefore injecting more
of their venom into the animal and aiding in an easier digestion. (For the
snake…not the victim obviously…for the prey it’s still bloody terrible I’d assume)
Well
I hope you enjoyed this list of 6 animals I find utterly adorable and perhaps
I’ll have to do this again in the near future. As always if you enjoyed this
feel free to share it around on Facebook and Twitter. To Infinity…And In Theory
also has a Facebook page of its own now so head on over and like that too by
clicking here! Thanks for reading everyone and happy learning!
-
Ryan
Sanders
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