More

Bizarre Animals From Around The World (PHOTOS)

First Posted: 01/10/11 08:09 AM ET   Updated: 05/25/11 07:20 PM ET

Courtesy of The Darwinian Tourist:

In his new travel-adventure-science book "The Darwinian Tourist" (Oxford University Press), biologist Christopher Wills shows why looking at the world in an evolutionary way makes total sense. Wills, a researcher on ecology and evolution at the University of California, San Diego, takes his readers on a tour of the planet that includes shifting continents and simmering volcanoes, emerging species, astounding adaptations, and some of humanity's greatest evolutionary journeys. Here are a few of the amazing creatures that he and his camera encountered along the way.

1 of 13
A fierce predator, this mantis shrimp of tropical reefs can snap its claws forward so rapidly that they leave bubbles of vacuum in the water. As the bubbles collapse, they emit flashes of light.
Total comments: 71 | Post a Comment
1 of 13
This Animal
Basically Banal
Superbly Strange

  • 1

  • 2

  • 3

  • 4

  • 5

  • 6

  • 7

  • 8

  • 9

  • 10
5 Most Bizarre Creatures
loading...
Users who voted on this slide
← Prev|Next →
loading...

FOLLOW HUFFPOST GREEN

Courtesy of The Darwinian Tourist: In his new travel-adventure-science book "The Darwinian Tourist" (Oxford University Press), biologist Christopher Wills shows why looking at the world in an evoluti...
Courtesy of The Darwinian Tourist: In his new travel-adventure-science book "The Darwinian Tourist" (Oxford University Press), biologist Christopher Wills shows why looking at the world in an evoluti...
Related News On Huffington Post:
 

Animals In Snow -- Snow Monkeys, Polar Bear Cub, Red Panda & More (PHOTOS) Animal Photos Of The Week Baby Bats Rescued After Being Orphaned By Australian Flood (VIDEO) Dog Breaks Vocabulary Record: Chaser The Border Collie Understands Over 1,000 Words (VIDEO) Cute Baby Animals Showcased In BBC Earth's 'Life Is New' (VIDEO) Reconvilier, Switzerland Threatens To Kill Dogs If Owners Don't Pay Tax Animal Photos Of The Week London Zoo Starts Annual Count Of Every Animal (PHOTOS) Feral Pigs Terrorize Florida Residents (VIDEO) Dog Tasered By Police After Blocking I-95 Highway Traffic (VIDEO) Squirrel Monkey Photos, Videos From Around The World Mule Parallel Parks (VIDEO) Birds Dying In Italy: Thousands Of Turtle Doves Fall Dead From Sky Mass Animal Deaths: The Creepiest Casualties Ever (PHOTOS) Dead Crabs Wash Ashore By Thousands On England Beaches Deer Stranded On Floating Ice Rescued By Polish Firefighters (VIDEOS) 'Chupacabra' Mystery Solved? Strange Animal Identified In Kentucky (VIDEO) Dead Birds Fall From Sky In Sweden, Millions Of Dead Fish Found In Maryland, Brazil, New Zealand Giant Stork, Leptoptilos Robustus, May Have Fed On Ancient Hobbit-Like Humans On Flores Island Tiger Paste Sale In Vietnam Protested By Local Conservation Group 'Sarah Palin's Alaska': John Toppenberg Criticizes Reality Show's Bear Encounter For Alleged Violation Of Wildlife Guidelines (VIDEO) Daring Animal Rescues: People Risking Their Lives For Dogs, Bears, Dolphins And More (PHOTOS) Tales Of Attacks By Supposedly Domesticated Exotic Animals (PHOTOS)
Read more from Huffington Post bloggers:

Filed by Joanna Zelman  | 
What's Your Reaction?
Inspiring
 Enlightening
 Infuriating
 Scary
 Helpful
 Amazing
 Innovative
 Adorable

More in Green...


 
 
  • Comments
  • 71
  • Pending Comments
  • 0
  • View FAQ
Comments are closed for this entry
View All
Favorites
Recency  | 
Popularity
Page: 1 2 3  Next ›  Last »  (3 total)
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
MikeyJaii
Socialism.
186 Fans
 
11:23 PM on 01/11/2011
Freaky looking animals!!!
Permalink  |
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
seachange525
All will be well...I just don't know how yet :)
494 Fans
11:46 AM on 01/11/2011
My Grandmother had jewelry that looked like the mantis shrimp...
Permalink  |
photo
farmerlady
Blonde, Democratic socialist, and unwilling expat
1615 Fans
11:25 AM on 01/11/2011
The earth is so beautiful and so wonderful. We should be taking much better care of it. Whether you are religious or not, these pictures should inspire wonder and then a feeling of grief and shame that the habitats of all of these creatures are endangered through human activity.
Permalink  |
photo
HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
PunKinPai
Tact is just not saying true stuff. I’ll pass.
903 Fans
04:13 AM on 01/11/2011
The pygmy seahorse is too cute for words. Looks like a baby's bathtub toy.
Permalink  |
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
photo
arabianway
117 Fans
10:37 PM on 01/10/2011
All creatures great and small are wondrous creations that deserve respect for their being. Stop all research on animals; exploitation of animals for entertainment; use of fellow creatures on planet earth for their skins, fur, and flesh. End ego-driven canned hunts, aerial shooting of any species; wild horse helicopter roundups. Extinct is forever...
Permalink  |
photo
Issaquah79
Peanut butter head kiss my grits
152 Fans
06:32 PM on 01/10/2011
The mantis shrimp is one of the most beautfiul creatures I've ever seen! So cool.
Permalink  |
photo
whirledgonecrazy
352 Fans
06:06 PM on 01/10/2011
that is the coolest shrimp! colors are amazing...
Permalink  |
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
13champlain
Trolling for grouper at 40 knots
510 Fans
02:28 PM on 01/10/2011
im no expert...but I thought the fast movement of the mantis shrimp causes a pressure drop which allows gases to evolve out of the water...like a ship prop blade. I don't think its a vacuum.
Permalink  |
Blairfromagier
0 Fans
09:08 AM on 01/11/2011
huh? you say pressure drop which allows gases to form out of water and don't think its a vacuum? Vacuum when gaseous pressure is less than atmospheric pressure.
Permalink  |
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
13champlain
Trolling for grouper at 40 knots
510 Fans
02:02 PM on 01/11/2011
A vacuum is an empty space devoid of matter, including gases.
Permalink  |
GonzoFactor
Rationality and rationalization are not the same
477 Fans
02:24 PM on 01/10/2011
I see that the author has cleared up the confusion with the boxer shrimp and correctly labeled this as a mantis shrimp. However, the shrimp with the super-speed claw snap is the pistol shrimp, yet another variety. Mantis shrimp can still be dangerous, though; their pointy claws can go through diver gloves right down to the bone.
Permalink  |
GonzoFactor
Rationality and rationalization are not the same
477 Fans
02:31 PM on 01/10/2011
My mistake. The pistol shrimp is one of two groups of mantis shrimp, spearers and snappers. I believe the one in the picture is a spearer, instead.
Permalink  |
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
geojus1
122 Fans
02:24 PM on 01/10/2011
Add the 'Saiga' to that list as well!
Permalink  |
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
geojus1
122 Fans
02:23 PM on 01/10/2011
tiger fish, giant salamander could be added!
Permalink  |
BigOleWhiteTeeth
5 Fans
02:16 PM on 01/10/2011
Aliens are among us...
Permalink  |
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Rynox
My patience is over taxed.
897 Fans
01:53 PM on 01/10/2011
The mantis shrimp (I've never heard it called a boxer shrimp) is perhaps more evolved than humans. It's eyes are far far more complex and capable than a human eye.
Permalink  |
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Rynox
My patience is over taxed.
897 Fans
01:56 PM on 01/10/2011
Also, I would have included the vampire squid.
Permalink  |
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Matthew Harrold
Huzzah!
657 Fans
01:45 PM on 01/10/2011
No Velvet worm?
No Sarcastic Fringehead?
No Mimic Octopus?

I call foul on with this list!
Permalink  |
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
photo
pene
critical thinker
869 Fans
12:48 PM on 01/10/2011
that boxer shrimp is beautiful beyond words.
Permalink  |
photo
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
judiNJ
The Free Market is Not Free
554 Fans
01:52 PM on 01/10/2011
At first I thought it was a piece of jewelry. Very strange and very beautiful.
Permalink  |
Page: 1 2 3  Next ›  Last »  (3 total)